Track #6: IT Advances for Clinical
Improvement and Better Business Performance

Track Underwriters:

Click on any session title to view and download that presentation.

Thursday, July 24
4:00-5:15 pm

A Vision and Strategy for Implementing an Electronic Health Record
Andy Steele, MD, MPH, MSc, Director, Medical Informatics, Denver Health and Associate Professor Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO

For a health system to achieve a high performance status in both quality and cost, it needs system integration. In 2003, Denver Health sought to develop an integrated system that covered the continuum of care for an individual patient and a population.  Such system integration could only be achieved with information integration which required centralization at an individual system level and standardization across the whole health care enterprise. From a physician perspective and a user and a provider, information integration required a common user presentation of all data sources for convenient to access data. The implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) that would allow physicians access to all patient information anywhere, anytime, was essential to creating true integration of care across the continuum.  Learn how Denver Health developed a strategy for implementing an EHR and then brought that strategy to life with tremendous results. 

Friday, July 25
10:30-11:45 am

Clinical Intelligence: Information Technology to Improve Outcomes
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Download Two
Tami Merryman, RN, MSN, FACHE, Chief Quality Officer, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA and Terrance R. Borman, MD, Medical Director, Luther Midelfort Mayo Health System, Eau Claire, WI.  Moderated by Alden Solovy, Executive Director, Hospitals & Health Networks, Chicago, IL.

Clinical information systems generate a tremendous amount of data.  Can that data be turned into real-time information to improve quality and outcomes? This session will feature two case studies to examine the question from two perspectives. The first will focus on the use of clinical data to address the problem of delayed, incorrect or failed diagnosis with a discussion of how new diagnosis decision support tools may help facilitate an improvement in diagnosis quality. The second case explores combining data from disparate systems for clinical surveillance, including infection alerts. How do electronic surveillance systems enable health care organizations to enhance quality and safety, analyze trends, implement control measures, and meet expanded mandatory reporting requirements quickly and accurately?

Saturday, July 26
10:15-11:30 am

Leveraging Technology to Transform Culture and
Improve Financial, Operational, Quality, and Clinical Performance
Linda Kosnik, RN, MSN, APN, CNO & VP Clinical Services, Vistaar Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Parsippany, NJ

Technology innovation in health care has primarily been focused on improving access to clinical information, enhancing documentation and meeting regulatory requirements. A new era of health care informatics has arisen which is designed to facilitate informed decision making and drive the leadership and cultural changes essential to the dynamic alignment of demand and capacity to facilitate patient flow and realize the strategic vision and goals.  This alignment across system(s) eliminates “process friction” and supports optimal clinical, financial, operational, quality, and safety outcomes by driving new levels of interdepartmental collaboration and leadership equity. We will share case studies that highlight how progressive leaders have embraced their stewardship and governance responsibilities to ensure that the benefits they create with these new capabilities are sustained through cultural transformation.  “Having it all” in health care requires a recipe for success that integrates the right leadership, and the right processes, in the right culture supported by the right technology.

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