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!

Promised E-Health Improvements Also Come With Shortcomings, Risks

Sep 29, 2009

Efforts to achieve greater efficiency and higher quality in health care through new health information technologies are not without new risks as well.

For instance, the Houston Chronicle reports that "Even when notified by electronic e-mail alerts, doctors sometimes ignore test results that show the patient might have a serious condition, according to a Houston study. The study, conducted at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and its clinics, found doctors failed to follow up within a month on nearly 8 percent of such alerts. The alerts involved abnormal results, some later diagnosed as cancer, on imaging tests such as MRIs and X-rays" (Ackerman, 9/29).

The lead researcher, Dr. Hardeep Singh of the Baylor College of Medicine, "said the findings suggest that while helpful, electronic medical records do not eliminate the problem of missed test results, and other strategies need to be used to ensure patients get prompt care -- perhaps rules that clear up any ambiguity over who is responsible for following up," Reuters reports. The study appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Steenhuysen, 9/28)....[Continue Reading]

New Leasing Options Now Available

In light of today's economy every facility is looking at cash flow. At Cygnus, we recognized the need for facilities to have purchasing options available.

With a lease a facility can implement new technology without the upfront cost of the equipment and save valuable capital funds for other projects.

Check out more information about our leasing programs here.

Michigan hospitals brace for next hit

State Medicaid cuts, GM bankruptcy to add to woes

BY PATRICIA ANSTETT • FREE PRESS MEDICAL WRITER • June 12, 2009

The bankruptcy of General Motors Corp. and new state Medicaid cuts are expected to hit Michigan hospitals hard, on the heels of record losses from soaring patient debts and free care for the uninsured.

Around the state, hospitals are digging into budgets to find additional savings, in anticipation of the next hit. They are postponing new projects and freezing job openings, mostly outside of patient care.

Job seekers will notice fewer openings, as health systems, once a reliable source of employment and good benefits, cut their workforce. Patients may see longer waits, particularly in areas like imaging or surgery, hit by drops in business as people without insurance or higher co-pays postpone care. [Continue]

Study identifies top five wireless challenges

From HealthcareITNews.com
May 20, 2009 | Molly Merrill, Associate Editor

CHICAGO – A new study identifies the top five challenges senior IT executives face when implementing wireless applications and devices in the healthcare setting.

HIMSS Analytics used two focus groups for the March study, ranging from large (1,000+-bed) urban health systems to small (100-bed) rural organizations.

According to the HIMSS Analytics Database, approximately one-third of U.S. hospitals use wireless technology.

"In theory, secure mobile access to medical records and imaging, prescriptions and even general administrative databases should allow doctors, nurses and medics to treat more patients faster, more accurately and with greater flexibility – from any location in a large hospital, during home visits or at the scene of an ambulance response," said Jennifer Horowitz, senior director of research for HIMSS Analytics. "However, often the anticipated productivity gains are hampered by a series of fairly common issues related to wireless networks. This report examines some of those key issues and identifies some approaches healthcare agencies are utilizing to address them."

Continue reading the complete article.

Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) Best Practices Flow Chart

New flow chart for healthcare IT security available in PDF format. http://www.cygnusinc.net/support.html

A special thanks to Christopher Paidhrin of ACS Healthcare Solutions for the special permission to post the document.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Today Ed Jones writes on HIPAA home site about the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Tuesday afternoon the Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the so-called Economic Stimulus bill. Previously, the House of Representatives passed its version, H.R. 1. Now, the joint House-Senate conference committee will resolve funding and language differences in the House and Senate versions of ARRA. As we have noted earlier, each of these versions contains incentives for adoption of health information technologies, which are described in the so-called HITECH provisions of the House and Senate versions. President Obama is expected to sign a reconciled bill in the near future, assuming that the Democrats in the Senate can achieve at least 60 votes in a procedural motion to move the bill to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Once signed into law, HIPAA.com will provide a detailed analysis of funding, language, and timeframe provisions of the reconciled HITECH provisions.

READ MORE>>>

COW's=Computers on Wheels, Computers on Walls

We know what WE call our products but what do our customers call them when they are in use? I recently received some results from a poll of nurses, doctors, healthcare IT staff and others about what THEY call our type of products.

One response was Computer on Wall, which really made lots of sense. The computers on wheels (or COW) is a popular option across many facilities. There are, however, some issues with this form of point-of-care computing. Besides the issue of battery life and charging (which usually happens in hallways), carts have a large footprint in a room and are cumbersome to move around all day. Not to mention that most hospitals have dead zones of wireless connectivity. We actually visited a facility that had colored tape on the floor to signify dead zones. With a wall mounted charting desk a network drop can be added to directly wire the CPU to the network.

What we do at Cygnus is take the technology of a cart and put it in a stationary, secure, wall mounted enclosure. Our cabinets become attractive fixtures on the wall, leaving the entire floor unobstructed. So, I guess that Computer on Wall isn't so far off.

ThoughtFlow vs WorkFlow

I'm a member of several LinkedIn groups that deal with healthcare IT. One group, aptly named Healthcare IT, has been in a mildly heated debate over the process of implementing IT. Some individuals say physicians just don't get it and other talk about the lack of understanding of technology integrators.

Dr. Sam Bierstock, physician & speaker, has a seven minute presentation which talks about his thoughts on the a process called ThoughtFlow. Dr. Bierstock lays out the difference between standard IT workflow the way an IT designer would think of programming and how a physician would actually process information.

Check out this interesting presentation here.

Tablets in Healthcare? Are you using one?

The popularity of tablet computers seems to be growing. What we've found is that users like to have a place to dock, charge and store their device.

When we see a certain model is popular, we create a workstation solution. We have several specific models we've designed for the Motion C5. 20" Tablet Station 36" Tablet Station.

Are you using a tablet? If so, what kind are you using? Your comments are greatly appreciated.