Analytics and Interoperability Dominate HIMSS12
Across the exhibit floor and in many of the educational sessions at HIMSS12, a few topics seemed to be top-of-mind for the record-breaking 37,000-plus attendees—analytics and interoperability. It was both intriguing and exciting to hear all the buzz, especially as both items have been key focus areas at MEDHOST for several years.
I’d first like to thank all of our Customers for taking time to visit our booth during the show, as I know that everyone had plenty to accomplish over only a few days. It’s always a pleasure to spend time with clinical and IT leadership and not only hear about the success they are having at their facilities, but also collaborate and discuss ways that MEDHOST can help produce further improvements. As the largest healthcare IT show of the year, HIMSS also gives us the chance to interact with our vendor partners, see their new offerings and brainstorm how we can generate even more value for our Customers.
Year after year, one message remains clear and consistent—hospitals are under immense pressure to improve patient care and financial performance. Although MEDHOST’s roots originated in the ED, we’ve leveraged our throughput expertise and developed solutions that provide rich data and analytics to solve patient flow issues house-wide. Last year at HIMSS, we gave attendees a sneak peak of MEDHOST HD, our Web-based solution that identifies inpatient process management issues, detects financial outliers and helps executives track operations that affect the overall health of their hospitals. At HIMSS12, we unveiled the full version of MEDHOST HD, which has evolved into a solution that will not only transform how hospitals operate, but will also deliver immediate ROI by solving costly patient throughput issues that have long plagued providers.
MEDHOST HD gives hospital leaders access to real-time information so they can track processes that impact financial performance, including patients in observation status, length of stay (LOS) overages and patients in higher acuity beds than needed. At HIMSS12, we received praise from booth visitors, especially regarding MEDHOST HD’s ability to instantaneously present highly valuable information that empowers hospital leaders to make well-informed clinical and operational decisions. We’re currently wrapping up beta testing of MEDHOST HD, so it’s definitely an exciting time at MEDHOST. Stay tuned for additional news about MEDHOST HD in the near future!
As expected, interoperability was another big focus at HIMSS, and by mid-week, it was the center of most conversations, especially with the release of proposed Stage 2 meaningful use requirements. The next round of meaningful use places a heavy emphasis on data sharing, furthering the need for interoperability. MEDHOST EDIS was designed and built on a scalable architecture to ensure that our Customers have the ability to exchange health information, specifically in regards to ancillary services, labs, care summaries and medication lists. This extended access ensures that patient data – from initial assessment to discharge – is available when it matters most.
It’s been very rewarding to see many of our Customers leverage MEDHOST EDIS to meet Stage 1 requirements, and we’re well positioned to help clients achieve Stage 2. If you have questions about MEDHOST with regards to meaningful use, please let us know. Also, if you weren’t able to see MEDHOST HD at HIMSS or if you’d like more information about any of our solutions, contact us to set up a conversation and demo. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve at a frenetic pace, we remain steadfast in our efforts to help healthcare organizations reap the full benefits of MEDHOST solutions and realize improvements never before deemed possible.
Craig Herrod
President