Hiring an IT consultant requires a different approach compared to the hiring of a full or part-time employee. An IT consultant is generally brought in to complete a specific task in an area in which he/she has domain expertise. They are generally expensive resources and as a result it is important to find the right…

EHR adoption is climbing as a result of national policies designed to encourage widespread use of Health IT such as the HITECH Act. However, adoption is not consistent across all specialties, geographies, and practice sizes — as was recently pointed out in an April 24, 2012, Health Affairs article published online by Decker, Jamoom and…

Could you imagine the national road system without standards for width, signage, stop lights, and exits? Similarly, how about the railways without standard gauges for railway tracks? It is these standards that make systems work safely and effectively. Many organizations establish and manage the standards, defining how and when changes are made. In healthcare IT…

The rapid transition to EHR and the integration of information technology in the delivery of patient care has had a transformational impact on medical offices and hospitals. There are many positive effects of the technology, including rapid access to laboratory information, diagnostic reports, and medication histories. However, there is also a potential dark side to…

A controversial study in Health Affairs this month has provoked a series of articles and public exchanges about the potential for health IT to reduce costs while improving quality. Why so much attention to this article? The conclusions of the study call into question whether health IT will result in lower healthcare costs. Here are…

On the final day of the HIMSS12 conference in Las Vegas, NV I had an opportunity to interview Thom Kuhn, Sr. Systems Architect, ACP. This is a summary of our discussion regarding his personal observations of the conference. AB: Thom, did you attend any sessions at HIMSS that stand out as particularly important with respect…