CDW: Healthcare sector to lead IT spending | Healthcare IT News

From Healthcare IT News

October 20, 2011 | Molly Merrill, Associate Editor

VERNON HILLS, ILL – In the midst of economic uncertainty, IT decision-makers in the healthcare industry report expected growth in overall IT budgets and hiring, according to the latest CDW IT Monitor.

While the latest wave of the CDW IT Monitor noted numerous fluctuations among sectors and industries surveyed, the comprehensive figures indicate that, on the whole, IT sentiment is holding steady. The Six Month Growth Outlook, which measures long-term anticipated investment, decreased one point from June, to 67, and was unchanged from one year ago.

[See also: Analysts forecast moderate growth for health IT]

“Despite ongoing economic uncertainties, the overall outlook remains relatively stable,” said Neal Campbell, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, CDW. “This shows that while IT decision-makers are evaluating and scrutinizing their investments, they are still spending, especially in areas such as software and security."

In the corporate sector, 22 percent of small business IT decision-makers predict budget increases in the next six months, gaining three percentage points from June. Additionally, small businesses anticipate more near term spending and are expecting to increase software investments by six percentage points and solutions investments by five percentage points over the next six months.

Leading the corporate sector, 66 percent of healthcare IT decision-makers anticipate budget increases in the next six months. Ninety-two percent expect to purchase hardware and software, while 66 percent foresee investments in solutions in the next six months. The healthcare industry also continues to see an uptick in hiring, up 24 percentage points since June.

[See also: Health IT No. 1 on list of top 10 'hot' careers]

Despite eight and 10 percentage point budget declines at the state and federal levels of government respectively, 29 percent of local government IT decision-makers foresee budget increases in the next six months, up seven percentage points from June. Local government is less bullish on long-term hardware and software spending, but expects to increase both one-month and six-month spending levels in IT solutions by four percentage points over June.

While six-month anticipated hardware spending dropped among medium and large-size businesses, 87 percent of medium and 90 percent of large-size businesses are still committed to hardware investments. On the software front, demand over the next six months slipped four percentage points for medium-size businesses to 84 percent, while investments at large-size businesses held steady at 91 percent.

Hardware and software investments over the next six months are expected to increase for state and federal government. According to the latest CDW IT Monitor, hardware investments at the state level will increase one percentage point to 84 percent and five percentage points at the federal level to 90 percent. The six-month outlook for software climbed five percentage points for government organizations at the state and federal levels, reaching 82 percent and 91 percent, respectively.

Investments in IT solutions remain a priority in both corporate and government; however, the weak budget outlooks did impact spending potential in the next six months. In the IT solutions category, security now tops the list of IT decision-makers' priorities. Fifty-nine percent of those IT decision-makers who are spending more on solutions this month will spend on security.

Quality reporting top concern for healthcare's top execs

Article from HealthcareITNews.com

November 22, 2010 | Bernie Monegain, Editor 

WEYMOUTH, MA – Top of mind for healthcare organizations aiming to achieve meaningful use is quality reporting, according to a new survey from healthcare consulting firm Beacon Partners.

Beacon Partners announced the results of its ARRA Preparedness and Sustainability study as the first deadline of July 2011 approaches for healthcare organizations to achieve meaningful use in order to obtain maximum ARRA incentive money.

"Right now there is a lot of emphasis on getting as much ARRA incentive money as possible," said Ralph P. Fargnoli, Jr., president and CEO of Beacon Partners. "Healthcare organizations are under a lot of pressure as such, but what about down the road when that money is no longer a factor? The results of this study provide a good glimpse as to how well healthcare organizations are preparing for the long-term sustainability of their investments after the ARRA incentive dollars are gone."

Key findings of the study include:
 

BV2842 Workstation

• Forty-five percent of respondents have not applied for any federal or local grants, which is a viable way in which to ignite the process of initiating Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to attain meaningful use.
• In a step towards sustaining their overall IT investment, the majority of healthcare organizations have built IT expenditures into their financial plans for the coming years to help support patient care, clinical quality and safety as part of their annual spending, tactical planning and strategic multi-year plans.
• Most healthcare organizations (more than 80 percent) will either maintain or increase their IT investments if they are awarded the meaningful use incentive payments.
• Fifteen percent of respondents have operational HIEs. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents have HIE plans in development and more than 20 percent are in the pre-planning stages.
• More than 40 percent of respondents have plans to enhance their physician and patient portals, which are crucial to the development of a sound and secure infrastructure at any healthcare organization.
• In their efforts to achieve meaningful use, quality reporting is the biggest concern among 73 percent of respondents.

"In those efforts to achieve meaningful use, quality reporting is a major concern," notes the Beacon report. "Lack of quality reporting is largely due to the fact that the efforts required to transform current workflow into an EHR will require significant technology and human resources."

Nurse leaders discuss the nurse's role in driving technology decisions

Issue Date: January 2010 Vol. 5 No. 1
from American Nurse Today

American Nurse Today recently convened a roundtable of nurse executives from diverse settings to discuss nurses’ involvement in selecting, adopting, and using information technologies and high-tech clinical devices. At the heart of the discussion—engagement by nurse leaders and nurses on the front line when technology decisions are made. (For a list of participants, see Roundtable participants by going HERE and clicking on the PDF icon on the top of the page.)

Technology can help nurses make better decisions at the point of care, promote a healthcare organization’s core business of delivering care, and provide data about patient outcomes. Information technology (IT) and “smart” devices, such as beds with sensors and I.V. pumps with built-in safety alerts, offer great promise. They can improve safety and efficiency by reducing the risk of errors and eliminating redundant work, resulting in more time for nurses to care for patients.

Technology can be a factor in nurse recruitment as well. Frank Shaffer, Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) of Cross Country Healthcare, reported that “nurses today frequently ask what technology is in use when deciding where they will accept employment.”

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Federal workgroup wants encryption even for direct HIE

May 27, 2010 — 12:27pm ET | By Neil Versel on http://www.fierceemr.com

The privacy and security workgroup of the federal Health IT Policy Committee is recommending that providers encrypt any personally identifiable patient information whenever they share data with others, even when a third-party health information exchange is not involved.

The workgroup is asking HHS officials to set policies for data encryption, limits on specificity in message headers and identity verification of both sender and receiver, even in direct, one-to-one exchanges, as part of final rules for "meaningful use" of EMRs, Government Health IT reports. Such rules are what a "reasonable patient would expect," said workgroup co-chair Deven McGraw, director of the Health Privacy Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology.

This recommendation takes into account new, tougher, HIPAA privacy and security rules, which come with increased penalties for violations. "If strong policies, such as the above, are in place and enforced, we don't think this scenario needs any additional individual consent beyond what is already required by current law," McGraw said.

Direct HIE likely will be a "stage 1" requirement of meaningful use. HHS promises a final rule in June.

Read more: http://www.fierceemr.com/story/federal-workgroup-wants-encryption-even-direct-hie/2010-05-27#ixzz0p9mEGO9P

Here we come HIMSS10!

With the latest blast of winter weather we can't wait to get down to beautiful Atlanta. Lets hope the weather is sunny and warm.

We believe there is no better time to exhibit than right now. The move is on towards electronic patient charting and Cygnus has been creating solutions for point-of-care computing and charting since 1988.

Late 2009 we won a design award for our newest patient room computer workstation. We can't wait to demonstrate the workstation to everyone.

We'll also be showing our industry ONLY HID/prox cabinet security system that features PoE and full audit trail and remote administration.

Along with our wall mounted computer workstations we'll also be demonstrating our mobile computer carts which we released last year. This cart is amazing and can be customized with a multitude of options.

If you'd like a one-on-one demonstration you can fill out a meeting request.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

HHS defines rules for receiving billions for e-health systems

BY ALIYA STERNSTEIN 01/04/2010

From http://www.nextgov.com

Recently released government standards for electronic health record systems show what medical professionals must buy to receive some of the nearly $20 billion in stimulus funding set aside to encourage the development of technology, and Web-based technologies that Google and Microsoft developed may be eligible purchases in the future, IT specialists say.

The Health and Human Services Department issued preliminary guidelines on Dec. 30, 2009. Medical professionals who make "meaningful use" of certified electronic health records, as defined by the department, will be eligible for up to $44,000 in Medicare bonus payments during the next five years.

One preliminary rule dictates the types of technologies providers must use to be eligible for the incentives, setting initial standards and criteria for certifying the systems. A separate proposed rule defines meaningful use as complying with specific procedures -- including the reliance on certified technologies -- in ways that enhance the coordination of care, engage patients and families, and ensure privacy. [Continue Reading]