Comments on: EHR – Why less is often more… http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/blog/2009/10/21/hie-product-selection/ A Perficient Blog Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:59:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: J. Sand MD http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/blog/2009/10/21/hie-product-selection/#comment-69 J. Sand MD Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:33:25 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/?p=3#comment-69 Nice Piece. Let's grow past the nerd originated, vendor controlled EHR and actually make one that fits. Our small hospital has wasted millions on complex EHR systems that aren't interoperable and generate reams of reports that are illegible, due to impertinent negatives and poor formatting. Our systems are too keyboard intensive. A simple task like displaying vital signs at the bedside seems to be beyond the system. The admin. does not want to admit the emperor has no clothes - and therefore restore a simple paper vital sign sheet that saves doctors time, and helps nurse track the patient's condition better. Thankfully most docs offices have not succumbed to the hype, and will be rewarded with cheaper smarter (dictation based)EHR systems. Many offices that bought into to the insanity are now owned by hospitals, or have gone back to paper systems. Let's build a system for patients, docs and nurses instead of payers, researchers,vendors and nerds. Nice Piece. Let’s grow past the nerd originated, vendor controlled EHR and actually make one that fits. Our small hospital has wasted millions on complex EHR systems that aren’t interoperable and generate reams of reports that are illegible, due to impertinent negatives and poor formatting. Our systems are too keyboard intensive. A simple
task like displaying vital signs at the bedside seems to be beyond the system. The admin. does not want to admit the emperor has no clothes – and therefore restore a simple paper vital sign sheet that saves doctors time, and helps nurse track the patient’s condition better. Thankfully most docs offices have not succumbed to the hype, and will be rewarded with cheaper smarter (dictation based)EHR systems. Many offices that bought into to the insanity are now owned by hospitals, or have gone back to paper systems. Let’s build a system for patients, docs and nurses instead of payers, researchers,vendors and nerds.

]]> By: Marty Frygier http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/blog/2009/10/21/hie-product-selection/#comment-6 Marty Frygier Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:14:07 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/?p=3#comment-6 Feisal, I appreciate the comment and you are certainly correct. Thanks to HITECH we are seeing a renewed interest in privacy and security. This is an important subject - expect to see more posts from us soon on this topic. Feisal,
I appreciate the comment and you are certainly correct. Thanks to HITECH we are seeing a renewed interest in privacy and security. This is an important subject – expect to see more posts from us soon on this topic.

]]> By: Feisal Nanji http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/blog/2009/10/21/hie-product-selection/#comment-5 Feisal Nanji Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:01:18 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/?p=3#comment-5 Good post Marty... One key area that seems to be overlooked in this rush to EMR is how to keep information secure and private. We believe that we face a situation in Electronic Health Records similar to what happened to the fortunes of the nuclear power. The promise of abundant, cheap electricity was all but halted after Three Mile Island. Medical records must be maintained using stringent and appropriate technical controls, policies, and procedures. Instead of radioactive leaks, Health Information technology’s downfall could be the theft or unwitting release of sizable numbers of electronic records. In our view EHR vendors may have to re-architect their products to provide for better security. Developing key software such as EHR systems are a life and death issue. For example, testing for security weaknesses should not be an afterthought, but instead be required at every stage of software development. Further, EHR systems must be vetted by security experts steeped in understanding attack patterns and malicious behavior. For buyers of EHR systems, we believe that assurances from vendors alone cannot be taken at face value. They must require adequate proof that the system was designed with security as the priority. Consider the case of Microsoft, the world’s leading software company. After multiple attacks in the late 1990s on its flagship Windows operating system, Microsoft made security its top priority. It froze all new operating system releases until every identifiable security hole was fixed and stringent security processes were adopted. Today, Microsoft’s security approaches are second to none. The stringent application of security processes within Microsoft cost it money, but arguably it has saved its business. Good post Marty… One key area that seems to be overlooked in this rush to EMR is how to keep information secure and private.

We believe that we face a situation in Electronic Health Records similar to what happened to the fortunes of the nuclear power. The promise of abundant, cheap electricity was all but halted after Three Mile Island. Medical records must be maintained using stringent and appropriate technical controls, policies, and procedures. Instead of radioactive leaks, Health Information technology’s downfall could be the theft or unwitting release of sizable numbers of electronic records.

In our view EHR vendors may have to re-architect their products to provide for better security. Developing key software such as EHR systems are a life and death issue. For example, testing for security weaknesses should not be an afterthought, but instead be required at every stage of software development. Further, EHR systems must be vetted by security experts steeped in understanding attack patterns and malicious behavior. For buyers of EHR systems, we believe that assurances from vendors alone cannot be taken at face value. They must require adequate proof that the system was designed with security as the priority.

Consider the case of Microsoft, the world’s leading software company. After multiple attacks in the late 1990s on its flagship Windows operating system, Microsoft made security its top priority. It froze all new operating system releases until every identifiable security hole was fixed and stringent security processes were adopted. Today, Microsoft’s security approaches are second to none. The stringent application of security processes within Microsoft cost it money, but arguably it has saved its business.

]]> By: Kinshuk Sunil http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/blog/2009/10/21/hie-product-selection/#comment-3 Kinshuk Sunil Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:56:18 +0000 http://blogs.perficient.com/healthcare/?p=3#comment-3 It seems to me like you have a sound knowledge of Healthcare technologies. Looking for more stuff from your side. It seems to me like you have a sound knowledge of Healthcare technologies. Looking for more stuff from your side.

]]>