Technology News

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CMS funds electronic health record program

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that Maryland's Medicaid program will receive federal matching funds for state planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Maryland will receive approximately $1.37 million in federal matching funds. Funding will also go to Minnesota, New Jersey, Louisiana, Washington, Missouri, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Oregon.

For more information, see www.cms.gov

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SAMHSA gives awards

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment in Targeted Areas of Need with an emphasis on Technology Assisted Care (TCE - TAC).
 
The grant program is designed to address gaps in substance abuse treatment services and to increase capacity to help specific populations or geographic areas with serious, emerging substance abuse problems.  The funds available are being targeted to advance the use of therapeutic techniques that involve innovative, creative and cost-effective advanced technology.
 
SAMHSA expects that $2.2 million will be available to fund up to 6 grants for up to three years.  The annual award amount will be up to $400,000 per year.

For more information, see www.samhsa.gov

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Helping Hospital Verercate go paperless

AUSTIN, Tx. and BARCELONA—Motion Computing, a provider of integrated mobile computer solutions, and DS Group, developer of Tabula Clinical mobile healthcare software, have helped Hospital Vimercate go completely paperless, improving clinical workflows and enhancing patient care.

The manufacturers designed mobile computing devices and software to fit the hospital’s needs. Now used by physicians, anesthesiologists and nurses in the surgical department, the technology features drop-down menus and pre-programmed text categories that making using the pen input on the tablet PC convenient while moving throughout the hospital. Also docking stations located throughout the facility replace fixed workstations and provide an environment where clinicians can perform more detailed documentation.

For more information, see www.motioncomputing.com

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White paper helps hospitals pick IT

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Penna.—Hospital leaders nationwide are being forced to make tough choices with scarce capital technology dollars.

A white paper, Spending Scarce Resources on the Wrong Capital Budget Requests: Not In My Hospital! advises hospital administrators on how to make the right capital purchases—and how to find savings they didn’t know existed.

Released by ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), an independent, nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, the report is available for free download at www.ecri.org

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Bar code technology can help hospitals, says study

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Using bar-code technology with an electronic medication administration record (eMAR) substantially reduces transcription and medication administration errors, as well as potential drug-related adverse events, says a study funded by the Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Bar-code eMAR is a combination of technologies that ensures that the correct medication is administered in the correct dose at the correct time to the correct patient. When nurses use this combination of technologies, medication orders appear electronically in a patient's chart after pharmacist approval. Alerts are sent to nurses electronically if a patient's medication is overdue. Before administering medication, nurses are required to scan the bar codes on the patient's wristband and then on the medication. If the two don't match the approved medication order, or it is not time for the patient's next dose, a warning is issued.

For more information, see www.ahrq.gov

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