Meaningful Use Pushes Physician Adoption to the Top of Community Hospital IT Requirements

OREM, Utah – Aug. 25, 2009 – Unlike past purchase decisions where cost and resource requirements dominated, community hospital executives now consider physician adoption the number-one criterion when purchasing a hospital information system (HIS) solution, according to a report from KLAS.

In Disruption in Community HIS Purchases: It’s All About Physician Adoption, KLAS interviewed 64 community hospitals with fewer than 200 beds that were planning to purchase an HIS. The report found that, in light of new meaningful use requirements, many community hospital executives are now considering more complex – and often more costly – IT solutions, which many providers perceive as supporting greater clinician adoption.

“The ARRA is driving the emphasis on physician adoption,” said Paul Pitcher, KLAS research director and author of the community HIS report. “Meaningful use requirements are forcing buyers to focus on this issue rather than cost and infrastructure, which were the much more significant criteria in the past.”

Meditech still dominates provider mindshare for HIS solutions, with McKesson also gaining significant traction recently. Meditech continues to leverage its reputation as a low-cost, integrated solution, with 70 percent of providers including Meditech in their selection process. McKesson Paragon was the next most-considered solution, with 48 percent of providers planning to include Paragon in their due diligence. However, the focus on physician adoption is also bringing a new group of vendors into purchasing discussions.

“Cerner, Eclipsys, Epic and Siemens Soarian are at the table more frequently due to a perceived higher potential for clinician adoption,” Pitcher said. Of those vendors, Cerner was mentioned by 30 percent of respondents as a solution they would consider, followed by Eclipsys and Epic at 16 percent each, and then Siemens Soarian at 8 percent.

The consideration of these traditional large hospital solutions in community HIS purchases has also been spurred by the shrinking opportunity for new sales among large organizations. The KLAS report notes that, while 95 percent of hospitals with more than 200 beds have already chosen their clinical information system, many more new buying decisions are occurring among smaller organizations. In effect, the community hospital market is the new battleground.

Other vendors highlighted in the KLAS report include CPSI, Healthland, HMS, Keane and QuadraMed.

To learn more about the community HIS market, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of participating vendors, the report Disruption in Community HIS Purchases: It’s All About Physician Adoption is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com.

Clinical Information System (CIS) vendors that prospective buyers plan to purchase from

KLAS recently published research identifying the Clinical Information System (CIS) vendors that prospective buyers plan to purchase from, which other vendors would be considered in the process...

Clinical information systems (CIS) continue to be at the forefront of healthcare information technology, especially among the more complex acute care hospital market. All the major HIT vendors are vying for the provider organizations that have yet to choose a core clinical strategy, as well as those organizations that are looking to replace either outdated or unsatisfactory systems.

KLAS recently published research identifying the vendors that prospective buyers plan to purchase from, as well as which other vendors would be considered in the process. The majority of survey respondents for this study were CIOs. Researchers asked about perceived strengths and weaknesses of vendor systems and what drivers were involved in vendor selection. The goal of this fifth perception study for clinical information systems was to see where the movement was.

Because this was a perception study, vendors did not receive performance-based rankings. Each vendor has positives and negatives, and each vendor’s approach to development may ultimately determine their success or failure. The top three reasons providers mentioned for replacing their CIS were Flexibility/Function, Vendor Commitment/Delivery, and Integration with Ambulatory.

Researchers spoke with healthcare providers to uncover which vendors would be considered, provider purchasing plans, which vendors to avoid, and provider perception scoring. Purchasing plans in this report were a combination of both first-time buyers and those looking to replace. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said that delivery was a main reason to avoid a vendor. KLAS found that twenty-nine percent of those that already have a CIS are looking to purchase.

In 2001, KLAS began monitoring the CIS market. Follow-up studies were conducted in 2003, 2004, 2006, and now in 2008. The 2001 study began with 10 most considered vendors, but not all of them have survived. Vendors qualifying for inclusion in this CIS study are Cerner, Eclipsys, Epic, GE, McKesson, Meditech, QuadraMed, and Siemens.

For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email marketing@KLASresearch.com, or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative.
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HITECH Priority Grants Program Rollout

News on Next Steps Toward Nationwide Health Information Exchange

A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Today’s announcement from the White House regarding the rollout of the first two in a series of HITECH priority grant programs represents a critical step forward in laying the groundwork for meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs). These programs will offer valuable help to health care providers in the selection and incorporation of EHRs into clinical practice, and for States and their designates to assure that statewide information exchange is developed with an eye toward nationwide connectivity across the health care system.

It’s no coincidence that these two grant programs are leading the way. Key to the successful adoption and meaningful use of EHRs is the assurance that providers have the help and guidance they need to select, implement and maintain a certified EHR system. In addition, we need the various and often disparate local, statewide and regional systems to work together, regardless of location and differing state and federal standards or policies, to enhance patient care.

Toward that end, the first grant program, the Health Information Technology Extension Program, will fund dozens of Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers across the country. The regional extension centers will offer hospitals and clinicians hands-on technical assistance to support meaningful use of certified EHR systems. These modern health IT centers could be considered as somewhat akin to the agricultural extension centers Congress set up early in the 20th century, which helped to support vast improvements in the efficiency, quality and productivity of the agricultural sector.

We hope this 21st century health IT extension program will have a similarly profound effect in helping health care providers through a major transition in our nation’s health system, ultimately improving the quality, efficiency, reliability, availability and equity of care for every American.

A national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) will also be created. The HITRC will help the regional centers collaborate with each other, and it will serve as a national clearinghouse to identify and share best practices and experiences so that providers can learn from what others have gone through as they’ve put such systems in place.

The second grant program will help States and Qualified State Designated Entities (SDEs) to develop or align the necessary policies, procedures and network systems to assist electronic information exchange within and across states, and ultimately throughout the health care system. A key to this program’s overall success will be technical, legal and financial support for information exchanges across health care providers.

Together, the grants will offer much-needed local and regional assistance and technical support to providers while enabling coordination and alignment within and among states, ultimately allowing information to follow patients anywhere within the health care system. They are a clear sign that the Administration is delivering on its promise to transform care.

As we push hard to make EHRs available to all Americans, and the use of electronic health information part of an expected standard of care, we also are intensely focused on ensuring the privacy and security of patient records. If we want to achieve nationwide use of EHRs, patients first and foremost must be assured and have confidence that their electronic personal health information is private, secure and safe. The technology to secure this information exists, and is constantly improving through advances in encryption and de-identification of data. The protection of all health information is absolutely central to all of our efforts in support of electronic health information exchange.

To learn more about the HITECH priority grants program and application requirements, please visit our website, http://healthit.hhs.gov/HITECHgrants. For other health it information, please visit http://healthit.hhs.gov.

I look forward to providing you with more updates on our progress, and to continued interactions with all the communities that have so much to gain from this profound transformation.

Sincerely,

David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourages you to share this information as we work together to enhance the quality, safety and value of care and the health of all Americans through the use of electronic health records and health information technology.

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EMR Sales Hit Seven-Year Low in 2008, Prospects Brighter in 2009

Despite a tough economy, Epic continues to roll capturing nearly 40 percent of new large hospital EMR sales in 2008, while McKesson and Siemens also earn unusual wins

OREM, Utah – August 12, 2009 – Healthcare technology research firm KLAS today announced its annual clinical market share report, which details the wins and losses of acute care electronic medical record (EMR) vendors at large hospitals with more than 200 beds.

The report notes that, in 2008, EMR vendors sold the fewest number of new contracts in the United States and Canada in the seven years since KLAS began tracking clinical market share information. However, despite a tough economy, Epic continued to make gains among large hospitals, capturing nearly 40 percent of the new business. McKesson and Siemens also scored some unusual wins, while Cerner saw no net growth in its clinical market share for the first time.

The KLAS report, Physicians, Nurses, and EMR Adoption: Which Solutions are CEOs Betting On?, reflects data collected from more than 1,600 hospitals over 200 beds in the United States and Canada. While acknowledging the seven-year low in EMR sales, the report also notes that the recent past does not appear to be an indication of the future.

“The advent of new meaningful use requirements, plus the ongoing debate around broader healthcare reform, has many organizations looking for a new clinical information system,” said Jason Hess, KLAS general manager of clinical research and author of the new report. “During this study, KLAS identified more than 400 large hospitals that either have no EMR or are using a legacy system; and we are already aware of purchasing activity that, if the rate continues, will far exceed 2008 sales.”

Beyond the steady progress of Epic EpicCare Inpatient, Siemens Soarian Clinicals and McKesson Paragon Clinicals found some unusual wins in 2008. Siemens was able to communicate its vision for Soarian to providers outside its client base, as five non-Siemens hospitals (four organizations) bought Soarian in 2008, despite the product’s historically low computerized physician order entry (CPOE) adoption. Further, the company won three hospitals in the over 400-bed space, bucking Epic’s trend of pushing vendors out of that market.

McKesson Paragon also made some surprising inroads with larger hospitals, given its reputation as a smaller community hospital solution. Of the 12 McKesson EMR wins in hospitals over 200 beds, four of the organizations chose Paragon as opposed to Horizon. These wins indicate that Paragon, one of the lowest-rated systems that KLAS followed in 2000, is now gaining significant momentum, not to mention leading performance scoring in the community hospital information system (HIS) market.

For Cerner and Eclipsys, the KLAS report noted that leadership in CPOE adoption did not necessarily translate into EMR wins. As validated by KLAS earlier this year, Cerner has the highest number of hospitals doing CPOE, and Eclipsys has the greatest number of physicians doing CPOE – yet neither vendor was among the top three in new large hospital EMR sales in the United States and Canada in 2008.

Other vendors highlighted in the KLAS report include GE, Meditech, Medsphere and QuadraMed.

To learn more about the acute care EMR market, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of participating vendors, the report Physicians, Nurses, and EMR Adoption: Which Solutions are CEOs Betting On? is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com

Robert Devitt appointed as new interim Chief Executive Officer of eHealth Ontario

TORONTO, Aug. 4 /CNW/ - eHealth Ontario's board of directors announced today the appointment of Robert Devitt as the new interim President and Chief Executive Officer. The board recommended his appointment to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

The appointment takes effect August 4, 2009 and will end December 31, 2009. eHealth Ontario's board of directors is currently searching for a permanent CEO.

Mr. Devitt has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto East General Hospital since January 2004 and will continue in this role one day per week. Previously, Mr. Devitt has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre and the Queensway-Carleton Hospital in Nepean, Ontario.

Mr. Devitt was also appointed as supervisor of the Scarborough Hospital by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in August 2007 for approximately one year. Over this period, the hospital saw marked improvements in quality and workplace safety and was returned to fiscal health.

"I'm honored to have this opportunity to lead eHealth Ontario, an organization that is so central to the government's transformation of Ontario's health care system," said Mr. Devitt. "I am eager to meet the staff and stakeholders and help the agency deliver on the province's vital ehealth strategy."

"We are delighted to welcome Rob," said Rita Burak, eHealth Ontario board chair. "The board looks forward to working with him on moving the organization's mandate forward while introducing new accountability measures.

"On behalf of the board and the entire organization, I want to thank Ron Sapsford, acting CEO and President, for his leadership during the transition period. During his time with eHealth Ontario, Ron brought stability and stronger accountability and reporting processes to the agency," said Ms. Burak.

Mr. Sapsford, who was appointed June 9, will return to his role as deputy minister at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

eHealth Ontario is a new organization that plays the leading role in harnessing technology and innovation to improve patient care, safety, and access in support of the Ontario government's health strategy. eHealth Ontario published the first ehealth strategy for Ontario in March 2009, which is focused on providing a comprehensive, patient-focused, secure and private electronic system. eHealth Ontario will drive the transformation of Ontario's health care system, building toward an electronic health record for all Ontarians by 2015.

BIO - Robert Devitt -- Interim President and CEO, eHealth Ontario
Robert Devitt has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH) since January 2004. This large community hospital, with a total of 470 beds, provides an extensive range of ambulatory, inpatient and community programs and services with a budget of $240 million. The hospital has maintained a balanced budget during Mr. Devitt's tenure.

In 2008 the hospital was named a gold recipient of the quality and workplace wellness Canada Award for Excellence by the National Quality Institute, which presents awards annually to organizations that have displayed outstanding performance. It was the first hospital in Canada to receive such an award. More recently, TEGH received full accreditation from Accreditation Canada with the survey report identifying no recommendations for change or improvement, an achievement attained by about only 20 per cent of hospitals.

New KLAS report explores which vendors providers consider most for enterprise imaging

New KLAS report explores which vendors providers are considering most for enterprise imaging.

OREM, Utah – July 27, 2009 – Many hospitals are considering new vendor-neutral solutions for archiving and accessing medical images in order to avoid being locked in to closed, proprietary software, according to a new report from KLAS.

In Enterprise Imaging: A Vendor Reality Check, KLAS examines the enterprise imaging (EI) market – which aims to deliver access to medical images across hospital departments – and explores the vendor solutions healthcare providers are considering most. The study found that while many providers are looking to their picture archiving and communication system (PACS) vendor as a likely EI partner, they also recognize the potential pitfalls of getting locked into a proprietary solution that may not translate well from one department to another.

“Traditional PACS vendors like Philips, GE, McKesson and FUJIFILM were frequently mentioned by providers as likely candidates for an EI solution,” said Ben Brown, general manager of imaging informatics for KLAS and author of the new EI report. “But those same providers were also adamant that they want to own their image data and not leave it hostage to the PACS vendor.

“A number of hospitals are beginning to take ownership of their medical images by building PACS-neutral archives and storage management layers,” Brown said. “This approach allows the PACS to simply become a physician-friendly viewing and interaction layer that can be upgraded or replaced without the typically painful migration.”

Outside of PACS, many providers also referenced storage and archive solution vendors, such as EMC, IBM and HP, as potential EI partners. Each of those companies has partnered with middleware vendors – EMC with Acuo and IBM and HP with Bycast – to deliver vendor-neutral archive products that federate data from DICOM application or storage layers. Similar solutions from DeJarnette and TeraMedica also enjoy some mindshare with providers. In addition, as the amount of imaging data being archived continues to grow, some providers have looked to outsource their archive and image management to companies like GE, InSite One and Philips.

In total, Philips was the most frequently mentioned EI vendor, followed by GE, McKesson, EMC, FUJIFILM, Agfa, IBM, Siemens, AMICAS (Emageon) and HP. Philips, in particular, poses interesting questions for providers. As the vendor most frequently associated with enterprise imaging, Philips owns tremendous mindshare in the imaging space, offering widely deployed solutions in PACS, cardiology PACS and other areas. At the same time, Philips had the highest number of clients report the possibility of replacing its cardiology solution, and the company’s cardiology strategy has been criticized for being somewhat confusing and fragmented.

The KLAS report notes that while radiology, nuclear medicine and cardiology enjoy significant adoption of digital imaging management, other departments such as oncology, endoscopy and pathology are still fairly immature in their use of the technology. Among those, digital pathology brings with it a number of unique challenges, including enormous data sets that can adversely affect image distribution and transfer speeds. Some industry experts estimate that pathology images represent a larger data volume than all other imaging specialties combined.

To learn more about the enterprise imaging market, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of participating vendors, the report Enterprise Imaging: A Vendor Reality Check is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com.

About KLAS

KLAS is a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare vendors. KLAS’ mission is to improve delivery, by independently measuring vendor performance for the benefit of our healthcare provider partners, consultants, investors, and vendors. Working together with executives from over 4500 hospitals and over 2500 clinics, KLAS delivers timely reports, trends, and statistics, which provide a solid overview of vendor performance in the industry. KLAS measures performance of software, professional services, and medical equipment vendors. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email marketing@KLASresearch.com, or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative.

MDS Nordion Expands Imaging and Drug Development Capabilities

OTTAWA, June 4 /CNW/ - MDS Nordion, a leading global provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used in molecular imaging, announced today that it is collaborating with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Canada's largest cardiovascular health centre, to establish a Molecular Imaging Centre of Excellence to advance cardiology research.

Molecular imaging is an emerging technology that differs from traditional medical imaging as it examines changes at the molecular level within the body to support early disease detection and treatment assessment. MDS Nordion will invest an estimated US $2.2 million in this new centre, which will be equipped with a research and development radiochemistry laboratory to support cardiology research.

This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to expand MDS Nordion's molecular imaging business. Set to open in late 2007 on the Institute's campus, this new centre will enable the two organizations to collaborate on joint cardiology research using the latest in molecular imaging technology. Through this collaboration, MDS Nordion will also provide its innovative molecular imaging services to large pharmaceutical companies to help them bring promising new drugs to market faster and with less cost.

For patients, molecular imaging technology can play an important role in advancing the promise of personalized medicine within the medical community. In addition to helping medical practitioners detect disease earlier, this technology can help physicians to better determine the best treatment for each patient and to monitor their progress throughout treatment.

"We are making a major commitment to innovation with this new centre that can ultimately make a profound difference in the lives of cardiac patients," said Steve West, president of MDS Nordion. "By joining forces with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, we have a phenomenal opportunity to share world-class knowledge, equipment and advanced technology to improve cardiac care."

"This collaboration will enable the Heart Institute to remain at the forefront of cardiovascular care, education and research," said Dr. Terrence Ruddy, Chief of Cardiology, University of Ottawa Heart Institute. "The Centre is an important addition that will add a new dimension to our research infrastructure. We expect that the research capabilities and opportunities fuelled by this technology will provide a major step forward in combating and ultimately eradicating heart disease."

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States and Canada. In the United States, cardiovascular disease is responsible for 36.3 percent of all deaths in 2004, and over 79 million Americans have one or more forms of the disease. In 2001, heart disease accounted for 33 percent of all deaths in men and 35 percent of all deaths in women in Canada, according to the Canadian Health Network.

For more information, visit www.ottawaheart.ca.

Underserved Critical Access Hospitals Hungry for More IT Capability

New KLAS report profiles the EMR vendor solutions tailored to hospitals with 50 or fewer beds

OREM, Utah – August 3, 2009 – Facing the same meaningful use deadlines as larger organizations but with only a few viable vendor options, critical access hospitals are eager for more IT power, according to a report from KLAS.

The new report, Closing the IT Gap: Critical Access to 50 Bed Hospitals, highlights the experiences of more than 300 healthcare professionals at hospitals with 50 or fewer beds. Providers at these critical access facilities generally reported an appetite for software capability that exceeds vendors’ ability to deliver, particularly in areas like computerized physician order entry (CPOE).

Only a handful of electronic medical record (EMR) vendors specifically serve the critical access market, with CPSI, Healthland and HMS enjoying the most market share. Of those companies, Healthland received the highest performance rating in the KLAS report, but none of the vendors’ solutions earned high marks for adequate functionality.

“Among the three vendors rated in the report, Healthland’s EMR solution earned the highest score for having the needed functionality,” said Paul Pitcher, KLAS research director and author of the new report. “But that score was still relatively low, with only 55 percent of customers satisfied.

“In addition, for all of the rated products, only about 50 percent of the provider comments regarding functionality and upgrades were positive, suggesting significant gaps with the current offerings,” Pitcher said.

One of the foremost pieces of missing functionality, particularly in light of impending meaningful use requirements, is CPOE. The KLAS report notes that CPSI is by far the leader in delivering CPOE to critical access hospitals, with 17 live organizations that are likely to be the most ready for meaningful use. In general, however, CPOE adoption is limited and shallow in this space, with a total of only 21 critical access hospitals known to be live on CPOE.

Beyond the three leading vendors, a few companies that have traditionally served larger community hospitals are also having some impact among facilities with 50 or fewer beds. McKesson Paragon is increasingly being considered by hospital executives in smaller spaces, and QuadraMed has a few Affinity clients, most of which are financial customers, in critical access hospitals. Although Meditech is known as a community hospital vendor, the cost of the Meditech EMR prevents the smallest hospitals from seriously considering it.

To learn more about the EMR software market at hospitals with 50 or fewer beds, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of participating vendors, the report Closing the IT Gap: Critical Access to 50 Bed Hospitals is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase the full report, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com


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Lantus insulin now covered under the Ontario provincial drug plan.

Good news for patients with diabetes


Ontarians taking Lantus insulin to better manage their diabetes now benefit from improved coverage under the Ontario provincial drug plan. On Dec. 3, 2008, the Ontario government announced that its Public Drug Program would provide coverage for Ontarians aged 65 and over, residents of long-term care homes and homes for special care, and those who receive professional home-care services and social assistance. For these patients, it will mean easier access to the only true once-a-day long-acting insulin on the Canadian market, and the option to go on Lantus sooner if it is deemed appropriate for their condition. This latest development follows on the heels of other listings in Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec. As of Jan. 1, 2009, Lantus is also covered in the province of Saskatchewan.

Many patients taking Lantus have reported that their quality of life has improved tremendously since starting on this insulin. With Lantus (insulin glargine), there is no pronounced peak of activity over a 24-hour period which means that blood glucose levels remain steady. This fact eliminates an important barrier to insulin treatment, given that many patients with diabetes are afraid of having episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), a potentially dangerous condition marked by trembling, dizziness, anxiety and even heart palpitations.

Until now, the only way for patients in Ontario to have access to Lantus was to pay out of pocket if they did not meet stringent criteria or if they did not have a private drug insurance plan.