Healthcare IT Consultants Happier Than Full-Timers

Consultants involved in implementing healthcare IT solutions are generally happier with their work than their full-time counterparts, according to a survey by Atlanta-based staffing firm Healthcare IT Leaders. Read more here: http://news.dice.com/2014/07/23/healthcare-consultants-happier-full-timers

Healthcare IT testing services at QualiTest Group

QualiTest Group can provide the software testing you need for your healthcare information technology needs.  Qualitest also provides ICD-10 testing.  Automated testing services are also available. 

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Capitol Community College Accelerated Health Information Technology Training Program

I took this government funded HIT class for more information.  I'm not sure if this is a one-time thing.  They do have longer HIT training programs available.  I also was contacted by HIT Pro to take a certification, I choose technical and software support, which was also paid for by the government.  I am not sure if this is still valid because I was told that it ended just after I took it. 

To find out more go to http://webster.commnet.edu/cehit.html.

Technical Consulting and Research

Interested in HIT?

Check out Technical Consulting and Research!
http://tcrinc.com/tcrinc/modules/general/BWCB_highlights.php

TCR's innovative Best We Can Be^TM program helps anyone who is interested in Health Information Technology (HIT) create their own path to success - such as a college degree, vocational training, or the start of a career in HIT. Best We Can Be gives you instant access to leading industry experts and the latest technology offerings. It offers a collaborative, mentored online experience tailored to each person's needs, interests, and skills. All you need to get started is a computer with an Internet connection.

Key Elements

Focus on HIT

HIT leads the pack as one of the fastest growing, highly paid industries. Job growth is projected to be in the double digits for the next 15 years. HIT includes many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) disciplines, including: Nursing, Medicine, Information Technology, Public Health, Cyber-security, Computer Science, Law, Industrial Engineering, Business Management, and Telecommunications.

Individualization: A Personalized Success Plan Is Created For Every Participant

This ensures that everyone receives a customized program that fits his or her unique strengths, needs, learning style, aptitude, and goals.

Mentoring Coaches: Highly Qualified, Passionate Educators

Each participant is assigned a mentoring coach who actively monitors their progress and assists as needed.

Technology: Online Platform Enables Learning From Anywhere, Any Time

Our online platform conveniently organizes all student plans, learning resources, and project work in a central location for easy access. It also provides automatic delivery of announcements and updates to the calendar of events. The platform supports communication and interaction with other Best We Can Be participants and the Mentoring Coach.

Program Offerings

Summer Study Program

This option provides an extended enrichment experience. Students will create an individualized portfolio of work focused in an area of interest related to HIT. Participants interested in an educational and/or career path in HIT will have a program component addressing pathways to success in their chosen field.

Details:

Program is available from home using an Internet-enabled browser and phone connection.

This includes access to all program materials through the LMS system.

To Enroll:

1) Submit application request to partnering school or send email directly to BWCB@tcrinc.com. You will be given an enrollment application and consent form to complete.

2) Upon approval of your application, you will be given your own personal and secure online account and instructions to access the LMS system. A Mentoring Coach will follow up with you to discuss next steps, including assessment and development of your Personalized Success Plan.


Addtional information on another job site:

Our award-winning company offers a full spectrum of custom training, consulting, evaluation, research, and educational support services related to Health Information Technology (HIT). We are developing innovative e-learning programs to introduce students of all levels to educational paths and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Interns may collaborate with diverse schools, industry vendors, and healthcare providers while researching and testing of Electronic Health Records (EHR) software as well as other Health Information Technologies. There are many opportunities to participate in scientific publications and conferences, if desired.

According to the US Bureau of Labor, employment in Health Information Technology related fields is expected to grow much faster than average, and job prospects are projected to be very good over the next decade, particularly for individuals with strong computer software skills. This is one of the few health-related occupations in which there is no direct hands-on patient care. As more practices begin to purchase EHRs for their offices, they need an appropriately trained and educated staff to allow them to realize the full benefits of EHR technology for revenue enhancements and improvements in patient care.

About Korchek technologies

Info taken from the Korchek website: www.korchek.com

Korchek is a Trumbull based healthcare software and service provider. The company provides the CareChek Patient Identification System, as well as blood bank validation and data conversions.

They are partnered in - The Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs is a new public-private partnership that will help improve the quality, safety and affordability of health care for all Americans.

Korchek’s services

Data validation

Our three-step method will ensure your validation is thorough and compliant.

• Plan All validation projects must start with a master plan. The plan defines the project, assigns responsibility for tasks, and outlines the methodology to be used.
• Script Test scenarios that are customized to your site. These test scenarios guide the validator through the data entry and the expected results.
• Execute Once the scenarios are written they must be executed. Scenarios are performed and the input and outputs are documented.

Data conversion

Korchek's conversion process is a turn-key solution.  Korchek will work with your hospital to:

• Establish connectivity to your legacy system
• Extract data from your legacy system
• Develop a repeatable process to transform that data into vendor's file specifications
• Perform a complete "mock" or test conversion of the data prior to the activation of your new system
• Make changes and revisions to the process until you are satisfied with the results
• Schedule and plan a final extraction and conversion with the aim of minimizing downtime while the data is migrated

CareChek

The CareChek™ patient identification system uses bar code scanning to ensure positive patient ID at the bedside. The system uses handheld computer technology at the point-of-care to positively match the patient to a specimen, blood product, or medication.

The system is modular to give you the flexibility of implement any combination of modules.

• CareChek Tx™ - Blood Product Administration
• CareChek Sp™ - Specimen Collection
• CareChek Rx™ - Medication Admin
• CareChek Lc™ - Breast Milk Collection & Feeding

Utilizing a standard HL7 interface enables the system to transmit and receive orders for specimen collection, blood product administration and medication administration. Activities are completed at the point-of-care and records of the activity are transmitted to an electronic medical record or printed. CareChek has the ability to customize chart reports, error logs and clinical occurrence reports.

Report system

Does your blood bank system provide the reports that you need? Have you recently converted to a new system and found that reports that document essential processes are missing? The Korchek Report System provides you with reports every blood bank needs for the most widely-used computer systems. Our reports are designed by blood bankers, for blood bankers. We offer support plans which will give you automated access to a growing library of reports.

Report types:

• Audit
• General
• Inventory
• Patient
• Transfusion

Other information:

A study in 2003 found that 1 in 165 blood samples is mis-labeled. Another study found mis-transfusion with 1 in 400 units of blood. Improving patient identification has been a JCAHO and CAP initiative for the past 2 years.

In any data migration, there are three steps:

• Extract data from the legacy system
• Transform the data to vendor's file specifications
• Import the data into the new system or database.

The Joint Commission's (TJC) number-one National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) for 10 years running expects hospitals to "improve the accuracy of patient identification." "The intent for this goal is two-fold: first, to reliably identify the individual as the person for whom the service or treatment is intended; second, to match the service or treatment to that individual."

Currently, the goal does not require utilizing positive ID technology. However, when matching blood products with patients, an accompanying note in the most recent "standards of performance" reads: "If two individuals are not available, an automated identification technology (for example, bar coding) may be used in place of one of the individuals."

Bar coding has slipped, almost unnoticed, into The Joint's playbook. However, I believe it won't be too long before bar coding will be moved from an example to an expectation for fulfilling the first NPSG. In the meantime, I anticipate that over half of our nation's hospitals will have voluntarily implemented bar coding at the point of care (BPOC) before TJC actually presses the issue. We're somewhere near the 30 percent mark today.

So, what is your hospital doing to improve the accuracy of patient identification? Does your game plan include implementing BPOC?

Use of QR codes for patient ID

Take a look at my idea: http://myhitthoughts.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-device-proposal.html

Patient ID QR codes:

• Scannable in all directions
• Small size
• Can be repeated
• Better read when bent
• More information

 

On wrist band:
This has already been done!
http://salmapatel.com/healthcare/qr-code-on-hospital-wristband

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Using problem steps recorder in Windows 7

Not HIT related exactly, but here's a hidden tool that could could be helpful - Windows 7 has a problem steps recorder.  It might be helpful for tracking errors in a software program or used to create a how-to document. 

View the MS help page

To record and save steps on your computer:

1. Open Problem Steps Recorder by clicking the Start button , and then typing psr. In the list of results, click psr.
2. Click Start Record. On your computer, go through the steps on your computer to reproduce the problem. You can pause the recording at any time, and then resume it later.
3. Click Stop Record.
4. In the Save As dialog box, type a name for the file, and then click Save (the file is saved with the .zip file name extension).
   To view the record of the steps you recorded, open the .zip file you just saved, and then double-click the file. The document will open in your browser.

To save the problem steps in e-mail:

• After recording and saving a .zip file, click the help down arrow , and then click Send to E‑mail recipient. This will open an e‑mail message in your default e‑mail program with the last recorded file attached to it.  Note: You won't be able to click the Send to e‑mail recipient option until you've recorded and saved a file.

To annotate problem steps:

1. Open Problem Steps Recorder by clicking the Start button , and then typing psr. In the list of results, click psr.
2. Click Start Record.
3. When you want to add a comment, click Add Comment.
4. Use your mouse to highlight the part of the screen that you want to comment on, type your text in the Highlight Problem and Comment box, and then click OK.
5. Click Stop Record.
6. In the Save As dialog box, type a name for the file, and then click Save.
   To view the record of the steps you recorded, open the .zip file you just saved, and then double-click the file. The document will open in your browser.

To adjust settings:

When you adjust settings for Problem Steps Recorder, they're only saved for your current session. After you close and reopen Problem Steps Recorder, it will return to the regular settings.

1. Open Problem Steps Recorder by clicking the Start button , and then typing psr. In the list of results, click psr.
2. Click the help down arrow , and then click Settings.
3. You can change the following settings for Problem Steps Recorder:
   • Output Location. If you don't want to be prompted to save a file after recording, click the Browse button to set a default output file name.
   • Enable screen capture. If you don't want to capture the screen shots along with the click information, select No. This might be a consideration if you are taking screen shots of a program that contains personal information, such as bank statements, and you are sharing the screen shots with someone else.
   • Number of recent screen captures to store. While the default is 25 screens, you can increase or decrease the number of screen shots. Problem Steps Recorder only records the default number of screen shots. For example, if you took 30 screen shots during a recording but only had 25 screen shots as the default, you would be missing the first five screen shots. In this case, you would want to increase the number of default screen shots.