Philips has announced the installation of the first ambient experience suite with open MR in Massachusetts. The Philips Panorama High Field Open (HFO) magnetic resonance (MR) scanner with "Ambient Experience" brings a soothing environment to patients at Lawrence General Hospital, a private, not-for-profit acute care facility in northeast Massachusetts. Instead of entering a claustrophobic tube with limited views, patients at Lawrence General can be imaged in an open MR while taking in scenery of the beach, Africa and more. The Panorama HFO with Ambient Experience integrates architecture, design and technologies, such lighting and sound, to allow patients to personalize their environment and experience a more relaxing atmosphere. Animation selections on the wall are accompanied by soft lighting and music, allowing "escapes" to areas such as the coastline or the mountains. For children, a cartoon scene is also available.
ClaimTrust, a Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based provider of revenue cycle tools and services for hospitals, announced its InSight Audit management tool has been authenticated by the American Hospital Association (AHA) as RACTrac compatible. The AHA has established RACTrac to assist hospitals in identifying trends for the purpose of advocating changes to the overall RAC program. InSight Audit now allows providers to export their quarterly RAC results via a one-click download that can then be easily submitted to the AHA RACTrac survey.
Perforce Software, of Alameda, Calif., announced that its Software Configuration Management (SCM) system has been approved by the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA). Now government agencies can use Perforce to version and manage all of their digital assets. For example, Perforce’s ability to capture all modifications underpins the rigorous version documentation required for FDA compliance. To ensure compliance and accountability, Perforce provides full audit trails, complete notification for change reviews, and can include clear policy enforcement triggers.
athenahealth, of Watertown, Mass., announced that Virginia HIT, the federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) for Virginia, in partnership with the Center for Innovative Technology, has selected athenahealth as an EHR solution partner to enable nearly 2,300 primary care physicians across the Commonwealth of Virginia to take advantage of the benefits that athenahealth’s technology can bring to their practices. athenahealth also previously launched a guarantee program that assures its services will help doctors across the nation, including Virginia, meet EHR certification requirements for achieving "Meaningful Use" and thereby qualify for reimbursement funds authorized by the HITECH Act.
Computer Zone, of Rockingham, NC, and Houston, Texas-based Prognosis Health Information Systems announced that they have partnered to deliver the Prognosis ChartAccess EMR and ancillary applications to hospitals via a cloud or Software as a Service (SaaS) model and supported by Computer Zone’s comprehensive implementation methodology. The Prognosis/Computer Zone solution is a significant development for hospitals facing a variety of challenges including cost, the need to upgrade infrastructure and tight deadlines as they prepare to qualify for ARRA Stimulus funds. With the uncertainty surrounding the stimulus funding program, hospitals are looking for solutions that enable them to move quickly, and with the assurance that they are getting the expertise they need.
CynergisTek, an Austin, Texas-based provider of security solutions for healthcare organizations, and NitroSecurity, Inc., the Portsmouth, NH-based maker in high-performance, content-aware security information and event management solutions (SIEM), announced a reseller partnership to offer comprehensive security and compliance solutions that will help healthcare organizations implement comprehensive security management by assessing vulnerabilities, threats and impacts across network and business operations and meet and exceed breach notification requirements.
Motion Computing, Austin-based provider of integrated mobile computing solutions, announced the J3500 tablet PC. Built on the Motion J-Series line of tablet PCs, the J3500 features Intel Core vPro processors for enhanced performance, security and manageability. The J3500 also offers a variety of integrated features including touch technology, Gorilla glass, and expanded storage options.
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, announced an agreement with Gardner Family Health Network to deploy NextGen Ambulatory EHR and NextGen Practice Management, as well as the QSI Dental System. Gardner is the 42nd health center in California to partner with NextGen Healthcare. Through Gardner’s five locations, Healthcare for the Homeless mobile unit, and nearly 50 providers, the federally qualified health center (FQHC) provides comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services to 35,000 patients in low- and moderate-income Santa Clara County communities.
AccelaRAD, of Atlanta, announced the following organizations will use its SeeMyRadiology.com for medical image exchange with outside facilities, physician, and patients: Washington Open MRI of Maryland; OMI of Gadsden, Ala.; Radiology Associates and Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates of Georgia; Ambulatory Vascular Care, of New York City; On-Site Imaging Solutions of Arkansas. From online image distribution and reading workflow for radiologists, to sharing images and reports with referring physicians and patients, SeeMyRadiology.com automates and streamlines the entire medical imaging lifecycle, and enables radiologists to view images from virtually any location and generate diagnostic reports using advanced speech recognition technology.
HCI, Cincinnati-based maker of healthcare televisions and patient infotainment systems, announced an agreement with ExitCare to include Exit Care patient education information in HCI’s solutions. HCI will integrate ExitCareIP (In-Patient) Discharge Instructions, Patient Comprehension, and ExitMeds Drug Information Sheets into its InnovaTV Patient Portal product. ExitCare’s offerings include Discharge Instruction informational sheets with color illustrations on over 2,000 topics, in multiple languages. These informational sheets will be available in the patient room via HCI’s InnovaTV Patient Portal. Patients will be able to access this educational content right from their in-room HCI internet protocol television (IPTV). Through InnovaTV Patient Portal, patients can request information on their specific conditions in multiple languages. ExitCare’s comprehension surveys can also be administered via the patient-room IPTV.
PatientPoint, Orlando-based provider of self-service applications for the healthcare industry, announced the appointment of Raj Toleti as chief executive officer. In his new role, Toleti will be responsible for overseeing the company’s market positioning and growth strategies.
