Billian's HealthDATA News http://billianshealthdata.com/news Billian's HealthDATA News RSS Feed <![CDATA[TELP Takes Healthcare IT To a New Level in New York]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2012/February/DASNY_Healthcare_IT.html February 6, 2012
When coupled with the state of New York, however, the term takes on a whole new meaning, yet still retains a sense of well-intentioned oversight for the public's, or rather patient's, benefit. Founded in 1944, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York offers project financing and construction services to non-profit organizations across the state that provide community programs and meet public purpose within their mission. Healthcare was included in this category in 1995, when the Authority merged with the then New York State Medical Care Facilities Finance Agency and created the Tax Exempt Leasing Program (TELP), enabling it to finance technology and equipment to its nonprofit clients. As of the end of last year, TELP had funded more than 400 projects to the tune of around $2.6 billion.

"The Authority has been active in assisting providers including nursing homes, hospitals and others to fund technology necessary to make interoperability and Meaningful Use possible," explains Art Ware, TELP General Manager at DASNY. "Projects include software, hardware and other assets necessary to obtain this goal. If 2012 is like 2011, we will come to or exceed our self-imposed annual cap for financing equipment and technology of $250 million. The average project is for general medical equipment, and almost all assets have a clinical or information nexus to healthcare. We see healthcare information technology continuing to increase in 2012 as it did in 2011."

Last December, the Authority announced its biggest TELP-funded project to date - a tri-party master lease of $88.4 million for Catholic Health Services of Long Island's (CHSLI's) electronic medical records (EMR) project. According to Ware, the transaction will finance EMR assets and technology for a data center five CHSLI hospitals - Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, St. Charles Hospital, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, and St. Francis Hospital. It is also expected to save the health system more than $5.4 million over 84 months, when comparing taxable commercial funding.

"The EMR project will enable these facilities to be compliant with the new requirements of the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), which is under the development, management and operation of the Commissioner of the New York State Dept. of Health," Ware says. "The department, via SHIN-NY, is developing standards to secure patient health information - its use, storage and transmission.

"Ultimately, what all this means is that these five hospitals on Long Island will be able to network among themselves, and will be able to share essential patient record information over a highly secured data system, within and external to the Catholic Health System in an inter-operative, multilateral collaborative process that is intended to save lives, and be quick and efficient."

Ware adds that the Authority has funded a significant number of EMR technology-specific projects across the state since it received legislative authorization to fund intellectual property technology under the TELP program more than a year ago.

Provider IT-EMR ($) Total Funded ($)
Nathan Littauer Hospital 2,000,000 250,950
Mary Imogene Bassett 10,400,000 1,889,990
Hospital For Special Surgery (NYC) 16,000,000 5,000,000
Rochester General Hospital 54,969,282 54,969,282
Montefiore Medical Center 17,528,118 1,200,681
St. Joseph's Hospital 6,823,608 412,184
Rome Memorial Hospital 7,500,000 2,587,751
Catholic Health Services of LI 88,848,520 88,848,520
Hebrew Home for Aged At Riverdale 2,592,089 1,527,089


The table above lists additional healthcare IT-related projects the Authority is currently involved with. All are at various stages of implementation.

Late last month, the Authority approved $534 million in financing for higher education and healthcare institutions, confirming Ware's prediction that 2012 will likely see an increase in interest related to funding of healthcare IT projects across the state.







]]> <![CDATA[Hospitals, Physicians and Meaningful Use: A Progress Report]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2012/January/Hospitalsx_Physicians_and_Meaningful_Usex_A_Progress_Report.html January 10, 2012
mupaybytypeCMS

To date, hospitals account for over 80% of total EHR incentives paid, averaging around $1.5 million to $1.8 million per payout. Eligible Professionals (EPs), representing independent and group practice physicians, average $18,000.

avgmupayCMS

Among EPs receiving incentive payments, Family Practice, Internal Medicine and Cardiology specialties represent over half of those issued to date. Just three of the top 10 cities with the highest number of participating physicians represent metropolitan areas.

As of the last CMS update in September 2011, the top five states by number of payments issued included:

Physician Incentives - Top States              Hospital Incentives - Top States

1 - Illinois                                                       1 - Texas

2 - Ohio                                                         2 - Michigan

3 - Florida                                                      3 - Georgia

4 - New York                                                  4 - Illinois

5 - Pennsylvania                                            5 - Missouri

A review of the number of hospitals receiving incentive payments as a percentage of all hospitals by state places the following at the top of the list in terms of state-wide hospital participation:

topstatespercentCMS

Each of the above top five states has hospital payout rates of over 5%. More than 10% of Michigan and Hawaii hospitals are already receiving payments.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of these statistics, visit CMS.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms to view specific Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program payment and registration data in report form.


Editor's Note: Status indicators on Hospitals and Physicians that have been paid by the CMS Medicare EHR Incentive Program (per the most recent
September 2011 CMS release) are now included in Billian's HealthDATA Portal subscriptions.







]]> <![CDATA[Billian’s HealthDATA Bolsters Hospital Database with Addition of Physician Data]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/December/Physician_Data_PR.html December 12, 2011 Atlanta - Dec. 13th, 2011 - Billian's HealthDATA, a leading provider of U.S. health market information, has announced a strategic alliance with physician data provider HealthLink Dimensions, bringing hospital-affiliated physician data to Billian's already-robust family of inpatient, outpatient and long-term-care market data offerings.

The Billian's HealthDATA Portal, the company's flagship healthcare sales and marketing database, boasts over 3,000 data points on more than 40,000 healthcare facilities across the U.S. The HealthLink partnership, brought about in direct response to client demand, will bring information on over 335,000 physicians - representing almost 200 specialties - to the same online Portal platform, offering vendors a one-stop-shop for comprehensive intelligence on U.S. healthcare accounts. The new data will also document more than 375,000 physician affiliations with more than 6,700 unique hospitals. As with most Billian's HealthDATA products, physician data email offerings will be made available.

A recent review of physician referrals' impact on inpatient Medicare claims reveals that MDs account for nearly 50 percent of the hospital revenue stream, second only to emergency visits. "As key stakeholders in the restructuring of care-delivery models and the move towards Meaningful Use, physicians offer a wealth of insight into the needs and initiatives currently playing out in provider settings," says Don Graham, General Manager of Billian's HealthDATA. "We view our partnership with HealthLink Dimensions as an excellent opportunity to help the vendors we work with gain insight into the physicians working on the front lines of healthcare."

Integrating hospital-affiliated physician data into the Portal's existing Hospital IT, financial standing, and clinical outcome and patient rating data sets offers the industry an unparalleled view of U.S. health organizations.    

About HealthLink Dimensions, LLC
HealthLink Dimensions LLC, formerly known as Lodestone Solutions LLC, has been building core competencies around multiple source database management and data integrity services to become a leading provider of healthcare database products. HealthLink Dimensions LLC has capitalized on their multi-source data integration technology to build an industry-best physician and allied professional demographic database utilized by advertising and marketing agencies who seek to communicate with the healthcare professionals where they work.

About Billian's HealthDATA
Billian's HealthDATA is the leading provider of comprehensive market intelligence on the healthcare industry, covering facilities across the continuum of care - from Hospitals to Long Term Care. Billian's dedication to providing high-quality data via products like the Portal, coupled with partner company Porter Research's custom market research services, provides customers with healthcare business intelligence about multiple markets in scaleable formats.

Contact:
Jennifer Dennard
jdennard@billian.com
2100 RiverEdge Pkwy, Ste 1200
Atlanta, GA 30328
800-533-8484







]]> <![CDATA[Survey Says: Clinical Informaticists See Improved Outcomes with EMR Adoption]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/November/Survey_Saysx_Clinical_Informaticists_See_Improved_Outcomes_with_EMR_Adoption.html November 3, 2011
Billian's HealthDATA recently conducted a brief survey with this group aimed at measuring providers' perceptions of the correlation between EMR adoption and care quality. Nursing directors and nursing informaticists in hospitals across the US gave feedback on their EMR implementation progress and quite candidly shared how this has impacted quality outcomes at their facilities.

Plans for Implementation
Of those surveyed, 85 percent indicated current use of an EMR, with nearly half reporting using an EMR for five or more years (Figure 1). More than 70 percent of the remaining non-adopters reported their facilities have plans to go live with EMR installations within the next 18 months.

emr_pie-age
Figure 1

Of those still in the planning stages, 100 percent of respondents plan to implement across all departments, compared to just 69.8 percent of live EMR facilities that have already done so (Figure 2). This illustrates a misalignment between up-front expectations and actual outcomes.

emr_pie-dept_wide
Figure 2

Change in Quality of Care
When asked about the change in quality patient outcomes as a result of EMR utilization, 83 percent of respondents reported an increase - or improvement - in quality outcomes, while 17 percent reported a decrease. Many of those informaticsts surveyed were candidly forthcoming about their perceptions - both good and bad - of the EMR's impact on care:

"More real-time quality management instead of ... trying to improve months later"

"Core measures are more easily documented."

"Door to doc ED times have improved, medication errors have decreased."

"Nurses are very stressed with the change and are preoccupied with working with the computer."

"Too much time spent on the computer ... takes nurses away from the patient."

" ... don't easily get data out on the back end to help with audit/monitor of quality"

Overcoming Barriers to Adoption
Multiple respondents cited "nurse stress" and "problems with staff learning the system" as barriers to adoption and continued, effective use of the tool. When asked, "When is the best time for floor nurses to complete post-EMR implementation check-offs?," the majority of respondents endorsed check-offs during shifts (Figure 3). Just over 20 percent endorsed online self check-offs performed on a nurse's own time outside of shifts.

chart
Figure 3

Some survey respondents even offered suggestions to improve adoption and usability, recommending that "more standardized prompts for practitioners" be added to systems, as well as highlighting increased incidence of problems when bringing up different clinical areas at different times.

Other suggestions included classroom training, particularly for larger facilities with broader user impact. Multiple respondents noted the value of having designated EMR "super users" to turn to for assistance during shifts.

Having Their Say
Based on the insightful comments from survey respondents, it seems clinical and nursing informaticists would be valuable members of any hospital's IT team. Their unique perspective into the ins and outs of EMR selection, adoption and post-implementation training should help to streamline these processes, and perhaps overturn the notion - and headline - that EMRs disrupt clinical workflows to the detriment of the patient.







]]> <![CDATA[What Does the Future Hold for Healthcare IT in Long-Term Care?]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/October/LTC_HIT.html October 20, 2011
Regardless of the perspective, the reality is the same: long-term care facilities have not implemented healthcare information technology (HIT) strategies and solutions with the same vigor as other providers, for a variety of reasons. And now they're playing catch-up.

"Long-term care seems to be the final mountain when it comes to healthcare technology," says Greg Goodale, Marketing  Manager at HealthMEDX in Ozark, Mo. "Hospitals and physician practices were the early adopters, but now the focus has shifted to long-term, post-acute, and home care and hospice."

According to a 2009 Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality HIT report, LTC facilities have encountered significant roadblocks to adopting new technology over the past decade. Today, however, they are finally beginning to upgrade their HIT systems, first purchased seven or eight years ago. While the facilities face both financial and cultural trials, Goodale says, they have the benefit of learning from the mistakes acute and tertiary care facilities have already made.

crystallbalcms

The Challenges Facing Long-Term Care
With Medicare's 2015 meaningful use deadline looming in the distance, healthcare providers are rapidly taking steps to adopt effective HIT systems. The fire fueling their fervor is a $43,000 incentive payment if they can prove they're using these technologies effectively. However, Medicare has left LTC facilities out in the cold.

"To not be included in meaningful use and have the opportunity to receive those incentives is a big issue," says Siobhan Sharkey, Principal with consulting firm Health Management Strategies (HMS). "For most, it means they don't have the money to adopt a good health information technology system and keep in step with other providers."

Without the extra funding, many LTC facilities feel hamstrung. Others are pushed to create a piecemeal system - picking and choosing technology strategies based more on what they can afford than on what they need to improve patient care and workflow.

But sufficient financial means to purchase a modern HIT system doesn't mean facilities are safe from facing pushback from within. Many of the physicians, nurses, or certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are wary of implementing a digital system that will largely replace the paper processes they've used for years. The thought of abandoning a familiar workflow produces two sentiments, says HMS Principal Sandra Hudak - intimidation and fear.

"There's a growing sense of anxiety that healthcare is moving to something they still don't fully understand," she says. "They don't have a clear idea of how the electronic systems work or how [those systems] will improve their abilities to do their jobs."

For example, CNAs at Seton Health Schuyler Ridge in Clifton Park, NY, resisted switching to a HIT system when the facility made the move in September 2007, according to Executive Director Sandra Smith. Their unfamiliarity with computers was the main obstacle to implementation. To overcome that discomfort, administration provided significant support services during the transition and offered rewards, such as pizza parties, to units that achieved certain levels of compliance.

Even with these challenges, facility administrators recognize the trend toward electronic health records (EHRs), electronic prescribing systems, and other HIT strategies has now become a best practice. And they're looking for efficient strategies to bring them up-to-date.

"A few years ago, there didn't seem to be the pressure or the sense of urgency to adopt technology," Sharkey says. "However, with new regulations and changes in payment, long-term care facilities realize they need to be part of this system and are trying to find out what they need to do."

What HIT Offers
Stream-lining how LTC facilities share information with each other, as well as hospitals, is a paramount concern, says Kate Galambos, director of technical services for the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, as well as an instructor in the HIT program at Capital Community College in Hartford. There are constant concerns about pressure sores, medication errors, and hospital re-admissions, so facilities should first concentrate on greasing those lines of communication, she said.

"Having data flow between facilities is so important to patient safety," she says. "It could, hopefully, reduce the administrative burden, giving supervisors and nurses more time to actually spend with resident and supporting staff."

To foster a fluid information chain, most HIT systems include computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and an electronic medication administration record (eMAR). CPOE immediately transfers provider orders to the pharmacy, eliminating confusion over hard-to-read, hand-written orders, and it alerts providers if they've prescribed a patient take a drug longer than is customary.

What makes a HIT solution most desirable and easy to navigate, however, is the personalized dashboard, says Rick Hammer, Marketing and Product Manager at SigmaCare in New York. 

"The dashboard is role-based. If you're a physician, it pulls up only the information you need. If you're a nurse, you'll see only what you need," Hammer says. "That way you're never bothered with alerts or documentation that has nothing to do with you."

Once activated, systems can remind providers to help patients with their daily living activities, prompt them to take vital signs, and help them avoid duplicating services.

Does It Work?
Since choosing the cloud-based Care Tracker module from Cerner Corp, Schuyler Ridge staff has seen significant improvement in how they use the patient information they gather, Smith says. The technology helps them manage the EHR, revenue cycle management, patient tracking and referrals.

"After the initial phase-in, staff began to see how important the information they had regarding resident function was to the overall care team," she says. "Utilizing reports from Care Tracker during weekly stand-up meetings with the caregivers helped them see the care team relied heavily on this documentation and that they were part of that team."

Since 2007, Schuyler Ridge's pressure ulcer rate has dropped. Also, thanks to on-time reporting and the ability to easily analyze information in the records, staff can identify problems, such as weight loss, early and start the proper intervention to avoid a negative outcome.

Smith credits the efficiency and user-friendly nature of the kiosk touch-screen documentation system for the facility's success. Not only does a digital system eliminate the habit in some LTC facilities of putting the most important care updates on sticky notes on the outside of patients' files, but it also drastically reduces the amount of paper used in the facility.

In addition to workflow benefits, Hammer says, some SigmaCare clients have reported clinical improvements, including an 84-percent drop in medication errors and 30-percent decrease in accidents after launching a technology solution. Others have seen proper CNA documentation rise to nearly 100 percent.

An Insider's Perspective
For Galambos, a former LTC nursing supervisor, human error is the number-one enemy of facility efficiency and safety. Transferring hand-written patient information from one form to the next provides ample opportunity for mistakes, especially when moving a patient from the LTC facility to the hospital or home care, she said. Electronic systems eliminate that possibility. 

"What concerned me most was that my handwritten [forms] would serve as the sole source of information about the patient once they arrived at the hospital," she says. "If I missed something or made an error, what effect might that have for the patient? The entire workflow was duplicative, risky and inefficient."

HIT technology would also slice into data entry time, she says, by requiring staff to enter patient information, such as name, date of birth, or diagnosis once. Having a central record system that everyone uses also simplifies information exchange between shifts. Previously, Galambos says, she left voicemail messages and written notes for nurses on other shifts - a method both inefficient and careless with patient privacy.

Making Your HIT Strategy a Success
While HIT solutions will function in any LTC environment, only those that approach digital strategies as an investment will see significant benefits, says Goodale.

"If administrators make the decision to pursue digital strategies but then set out to find the cheapest product, they'll have poor results," he says. "But if they view it as a long-term investment, even in this down economy, they will see sustainable improvements in patient care, staff satisfaction and workflow."

Facilities should also take steps to choose HIT solutions that best suit their needs, Hammer said. He recommended administrators identify workflow or patient care problems they'd like to solve before meeting with vendors and put together a team of three or four people who can pinpoint the best technology solutions. The same group should evaluate the system's performance after a year.

All possible preparation, however, cannot replace proper buy-in, Galambos explains. Individuals from throughout the LTC facility should be onboard.

"Everyone - owners, physicians, nurses, staff - needs to be supportive. In my experience, LTC nurses tend to be negative about computers. That needs to be addressed because without the nurses' support, the likelihood of success is diminished," she says. "Best case scenario: The residents and families demand HIT."







]]> <![CDATA[Healthcare Vendors' Perceptions: AHIMA 2011]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/October/Healthcare_Vendorsx_Perceptionsx_AHIMA_2011.html October 19, 2011  
"The health information technology world has changed rapidly over the past few years," says Thomas Gordon, "with more facilities transitioning to EHRs and achieving Meaningful Use, preparing for the IDC-9 to ICD-10 change, and maintaining the accuracy of data collection for core measures and other quality indicators. At AHIMA 2011, I had the pleasure of sitting down with our members and hearing how they feel about AHIMA and what we can do to support them in their roles. I plan on building a cohesive team that will work together to put the tools in place to measure our future successes."

Billian's HealthDATA spoke with a number of healthcare vendors at the AHIMA show in Salt Lake City to find out how they are helping HIM professionals reach those future successes.

Jump to interviews with:


HealthPort's Rita Bowen, Senior Vice President of HIM and Privacy Officer, and Steve Emery, Director of Product Management, discuss the challenge healthcare information management professionals are facing in the way of constant payer requests for RACs, and the company's recent news of being the first to successfully transmit records from healthcare providers via the CMS esMD gateway for information exchange.




Steve Bonney, Vice President of Business Development at BayScribe discusses the ways in which the partnership between BayScribe and Perfect Search Corp. are helping healthcare information management professionals overcome current challenges.




Michelle Martin, Group Vice President of Healthcare at KForce Healthcare discusses the "perfect storm" the healthcare industry is currently facing in terms of staffing, as providers struggle to implement or upgrade EMR systems while transitioning to ICD-10.




Angela Carmichael, HIM Product Development Specialist at J.A. Thomas & Associates, discusses the need for healthcare information management professionals to take a seat at the table during ACO discussions, and the role clinical documentation will play in successfully adopting this new type of care model.



Visit the Billian's HealthDATA You Tube channel to view additional video interviews with:
Visit the AHIMA 2011 photo gallery at our Facebook page to see more images from the show.







]]> <![CDATA[Top Healthcare Real Estate Trends]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/October/Top_Healthcare_Real_Estate_Trends.html October 8, 2011
Healthcare REITs are a Force to Reckon With
As the economy (and markets) continue to struggle, investors are putting millions into healthcare-centric Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). Such REITs have averaged over $40M per day in fundraising over the past 18 months, according to one recent estimate. It's not a bad move for investors - medical office buildings (MOBs) are high quality and well maintained, the leases are long, and everyone agrees there will be continued demand for the services the tenants provide. Furthermore, vacancy rates for MOBs have averaged roughly 12-percent nationally since 2009 - over 5-percent less than that of the general office vacancy rate. To provide a return for investors - and thus continue growing and performing - REITs must deploy funds into working assets. Therefore, REITs are increasing demand and subsequent transaction velocity.

Garth Hogan, National Director - West for Grubb & Ellis's Healthcare Properties Group, recently observed that "The local investors have been more of a force in the medical office market in California, but we're seeing that change.The REITs are coming back to California and are getting more aggressive with their pricing."

MOB Cap Rates are Low
As buyer competition has risen, cap rates have been driven down.  A panel at a recent healthcare-centered Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) conference related that 2Q2011 cap rates ranged from 6 to 8 percent for acquisitions. For new developments, the rates are about 1-percent higher. These rates are significantly lower than current cap rates for other offering types. According to Clint Parker, Capital Markets Specialist for the Healthcare Properties Group, two years ago, REITs were averaging cap rates in the low 8-percent range on acquisitions, and these numbers rarely went below 7.75 percent.  Today, the low 7-percent range is fairly common for premiere, on-campus medical office buildings.

Consolidation
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) and electronic medical record (EMR) requirements are two initiatives forcing costs on practitioners. Meanwhile, reimbursement cuts and payer mix shifts threaten the very revenues needed to cover these costs. When combined, these factors place an extra-heavy burden on small practices. For many, the simple answer is to join with a larger practice group or a hospital - a trend that has already been going on for several years. A recent Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) report asserted that, as of 2008, nearly 50 percent of medical practices were owned by hospitals and health systems. The industry consensus is that this number has since steadily risen and will continue to rise. 

On the real estate front, this consolidation will manifest in two primary ways - at the business level and the space level. On the business side of things, it will require more creative and strategic thinking.

"Consolidation between medical practices, hospitals and health systems will be a given in the coming years," says Todd Perman, National Director - East for Grubb & Ellis'  Healthcare Properties Group. "That consolidation will definitely drive more real estate issues with reuse, monetization, and a variety of alternative real estate strategies being increasingly common. Organizations that understand the trends will be much better positioned to survive these trying times."

At the space level, this consolidation trend manifests itself via larger spaces. As practice groups add doctors, their space requirements grow. Similarly, as hospitals and systems buy up practices, they wind up controlling larger percentages of buildings and tend to merge these various small groups into a single, larger or multi-specialty space.

"As the cycle progresses, we'll see more demand for large floor plates of 15,000 to 40,000 square feet from medical office tenants," says Hogan.

Healthcare Facilities will be More Varied
Historically, medical office buildings (MOBs) within walking distance of a hospital (commonly referred to as 'on-campus MOBs') were the sole trophy assets of the medical world, and off-campus buildings were a varied lot. As the world has grown flatter, however, so has medical real estate. 

Today, in markets across the country, offices and retail centers are being converted to medical centers. One such example occurred several years ago in Newport Beach, Calif., where a 200,000-square-foot office park was converted from regular office use to medical. The property had to be re-zoned, base systems like HVAC and plumbing had to be enhanced, and a parking complex had to be added. And it was a success - the facility is now fully leased.

Many new developments are also going off-campus and implementing new design models. As consumers demand more and more convenience, town center models are developing in which retail, office and high-end medical properties (and sometimes residential) are all merged into the same development. These developments are frequently located in - or abutting - busy population centers. Future re-use plays an important role in this off-campus strategy, as the facilities can be re-purposed according to future shifts in demand. An example of this design is Atlanta's Perimeter Town Center, which adds retail, personal professional services, and even education to a very strong (and very convenient) medical development located within 2 miles of a significant hospital campus.

hospitalconstructioncms
The above map denotes the location of more than 300 of the leading hospital construction projects - based on estimated project costs - across the nation that has been reported on this year. Source: Billian's HealthDATA InFocus Market Report: Leading Hospital Construction, 9/15/2011

New Construction will Continue and Even Increase
With an adjusted 9 million new patients expected to be added to America's healthcare system via healthcare reform legislation, it's a given that more medical space will be needed. A recent statistic from the CBRE Econometric Advisors/Dodge Pipeline states there were 1,269 MOB projects underway and 4,382 planned as of 3Q2011. These two factors alone lead to the inevitable conclusion that new medical office development will continue.

Moving Forward
In this changing healthcare climate, the key to success for practitioners, hospitals and investors is a strong and current awareness of the macro- and micro-economic drivers affecting all involved parties. Those who understand the extraordinary pressures from legislation, compliance, capital requirements, reimbursement cuts, consolidation, competition and a huge influx of patients - and grasp how they impact all aspects of an organization (real estate or otherwise) - will have the clarity needed to react quickly, with foresight and knowledge.  In the end, these organizations will emerge stronger and better poised to prosper in the years ahead.


johncobblogo

John Cobb is a Senior Advisor with the Healthcare Properties Group at commercial real estate firm Grubb & Ellis, which offers a unique platform of real estate services, practice groups and investment products to deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions to real estate owners, tenants and investors. Click here to learn more about how Cobb has assisted healthcare systems, medical practice groups, developers, investors, and technology providers as they have sought to develop and execute real estate strategies.











]]> <![CDATA[Billian Publishing Launches HITR.com]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/September/Billian_Publishing_Launches_HITR.html September 28, 2011 ATLANTA, Sept. 28, 2011 -- Billian Publishing Inc. announced today the launch of its latest affiliate HITR.com -- a healthcare IT benchmarking and social networking community for healthcare providers and vendors. HITR, which stands for Health Information Technology Research, offers meaningful research targeted towards stakeholders of healthcare IT. This complimentary, Web-based tool offers its members easy-to-understand customer satisfaction scores for nearly 40 IT systems and 300 vendors. Through its unique survey and social networking platform, HITR.com can identify timely research topics, conduct custom research through the HITR audience, and make the results of that research actionable to HITR's members.

hitrspBenefits to Healthcare Providers

Providers can use HITR.com's survey tool to evaluate potential vendors, benchmark employee satisfaction with IT systems within their own healthcare facilities, and compare themselves with their peers at other institutions across healthcare IT, financial and quality performance data. After taking surveys, provider members can access rewards in the form of financial and quality performance comparison data on peer facilities -- a benchmarking tool that can help to further establish best practices at hospitals.

Benefits to Healthcare Vendors

Healthcare IT vendors can use the anonymous feedback submitted to HITR.com to rank their products against competitors, and better tailor offerings to providers' needs. Vendors can also engage with providers via several of the site's social networking features -- including blogs, groups, discussions and job boards -- to gather additional input to aid in product development and management.

Members Understand the Value of HITR.com

"There is a lot of activity in healthcare IT right now, and having insight into others' experiences and impressions is invaluable," says Michael Roberts, Director of Network Services at Highlands Regional Medical Center, and member of HITR.com. "Before large IT purchases are made, there are countless conversations with vendors and referrals. A site like HITR can significantly simplify that process by offering one place to tap into unbiased feedback from colleagues on a broad spectrum of IT systems and vendors."

"Candid feedback from the people using the system in our facility let's me know where trouble might lie," adds Roberts. "Patterns of low ratings might indicate additional training needs. It can also draw attention to functionality that might be lacking in a given system, and help better steer us in future purchases."

Healthcare providers and vendors can join the HITR community by registering at HITR.com.

About Billian Publishing Inc.

Atlanta-based Billian Publishing Inc. is parent company of Billian's HealthDATA, Porter Research, and HITR.com. Billian's HealthDATA is the leading provider of comprehensive market intelligence on the healthcare industry, covering facilities across the continuum of care - from Hospitals to Long-Term Care. Billian's dedication to providing high-quality data via products like the Portal, coupled with partner company Porter Research's custom healthcare market research services, provides customers with healthcare business intelligence about multiple markets in scaleable formats.

Contact:
Jennifer Dennard
Social Marketing Director
jdennard@HITR.com
2100 RiverEdge Pkwy, Ste 1200
Atlanta, GA 30328
678-569-4872









]]> <![CDATA[Salt Lake’s Spotlight on Health Information Management]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/September/Salt_Lakexs_Spotlight_on_Health_Information_Management.html September 23, 2011
"Reaching New Heights of Information," the theme of this year's event, is an appropriate one, both in terms of industry challenges and show location. Perhaps more so than ever before, health information management professionals truly have their hands full when it comes to transitioning, adapting, and then utilizing new healthcare IT technologies for data management. Accountable and coordinated care programs, the impending transition to ICD-10, Meaningful Use and its related incentives, and the overall set of challenges the industry finds itself faced with due to healthcare reform will give attendees much to discuss with vendors on the show floor. The association has tailored the event's educational sessions to address these issues as well.

Like the health information management industry, Salt Lake City and the state of Utah are working speedily to keep up with change. They are gaining ground - and some notoriety - in the world of HIM. Utah rolled out its first statewide clinical health information exchange, cHIE, just last year, and is actively reaching out to patients in creative ways to entice them to opt-in to the exchange. The state's four main hospital systems and one of its three major labs are already filling cHIE's data coffers. The challenges surrounding development of cHIE involve organizing and mapping out data contributed by those hospitals and lab. (See " Utah Reaches for New Heights of Health Information Exchange," www.PorterResearch.com.) The solutions to these challenges will surely be found in the realm of HIM, and will most definitely be addressed by exhibitors on the AHIMA show floor.

saltpalacecms
The AHIMA show will take place at the Salt Palace
Convention Center in Salt Lake City.
Image courtesy of the Salt Lake City Convention & Visitors Bureau

"Our clients typically utilize our unique indexing and search technology to deal with the challenges associated with extreme data growth and complexity," explains James Watanabe, Director of Healthcare Business Development at Perfect Search Corp., a developer of enterprise search technology and first-time AHIMA exhibitor. "We believe that the ability to connect to all critical data needs to be a component of any good EMR or HIE solution, and is something that we can provide today.

"Data is growing at exponential rates and exists in many different formats," he adds. "In addition to the explosion of digital data, there seems to be no clear direction in terms of standardization and policy. Given this uncertainty, vendors must not only help facilitate compliance now, but be nimble enough to support changes in the future."

AHIMA events in Salt Lake City will help map out the future of health information management. The path healthcare providers and vendors take in moving towards this future will demonstrate just how nimble they can be.


Billian's HealthDATA and affiliiates Porter Research and HITR.com will exhibit at the AHIMA convention, Oct. 2-5, 2011, at booth #1032.







]]> <![CDATA[Providers’ Perceptions: Michele Molden, EVP and Chief Transformation Officer, Piedmont Healthcare]]> http://www.billianshealthdata.com/news/SiteNews/news_items/2011/September/Piedmont_Healthcare_Profile.html September 8, 2011
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Michele Molden

How long have you been in this position? What does the role entail?"
I took this role in January 2011.  The role is designed to provide our system with one person who is continually looking into the future, evaluating new ideas, and seeking best practices nationally. In addition to that forward-view role, I will be focused on developing more of a system-wide strategic planning process, as well as continuing the work begun by the Piedmont Heart Institute to integrate and align physicians with Piedmont Healthcare." (Molden was formerly President and CEO of the institute.)

The health system has received numerous awards and recognitions. Most recently three of its hospitals - Piedmont Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital and Piedmont Mountainside Hospital - ranked top three in patient satisfaction results among hospitals within a 50-mile radius of Atlanta, according to a recent Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. It is one of 57 systems in the U.S. - and the only one in Georgia - to rank in the top 20% of health systems evaluated as part of Thomson Reuters' 10 Top Health Systems Study. Piedmont Hospital was also named the top acute-care community hospital in metro Atlanta, and metro Atlanta's number-two hospital overall in U.S. News and World Report's 2011-12 Best Hospitals rankings. How have you helped to foster this culture of achievement?
"Piedmont has charted an aggressive course for the system - defined by the vision to become a top 10 community healthcare system in the nation by 2020. The metrics that define this status span all elements of success, including patient satisfaction, physician satisfaction, employee satisfaction, growth and financial health, as well as clinical and service quality, among others. Our management team, physicians and employees have united around this vision and see these awards as external proof that we are achieving our stated aim."

Piedmont's commitment to quality seems to be a big part of its mission. How does your role specifically affect quality initiatives throughout the health system?
"All of the executives in the Piedmont system are responsible for a defined set of metrics that we strive to achieve every year. Our system adopted quality as one of those metrics many years ago. Today, 40% of the bonus amount for senior management is directly related to the quality metrics established and approved by the Piedmont Healthcare Board of Directors."

Piedmont recently made local Atlanta news due to its announced cutbacks and resultant workforce reduction. How will the system handle this reduction and continue to increase its quality and patient safety ratings?
"The good news for healthcare is that the cost to provide care and the resulting quality have no direct relationship. Today, we in the United States have spectacular components of healthcare (technology, innovation, etc.).  Unfortunately, we have been unable to deliver these elements in a consistent, patient-centric and affordable way. At Piedmont, we recognized that in order to continue to deliver the highest quality and meet the challenges of declining reimbursement, we need to be more efficient in the delivery of care.  There is tremendous cost in duplication of tests, redundant processes, etc. At Piedmont, we formed teams of employees who worked together to identify ways to reduce cost. However, the fundamental tenet in the process was that quality could not be impacted negatively."

On a related note, how will Piedmont handle the predicted influx of new patients in 2014 with a reduced workforce?
"Our workforce reductions will not impact our ability to care for patients directly. For all healthcare providers, one of the challenges is to treat patients in the appropriate locations and avoid unnecessary inpatient admissions. Piedmont is more than just hospitals, as it also comprises ambulatory locations and physician offices. We are working as a system to better manage access and treat patients at the most appropriate site of care. We believe that this strategy will be very instrumental in addressing those who may have expanded access in the future."

What sort of challenges - especially as they relate to healthcare reform - are you helping Piedmont and its facilities overcome?
"One of the fundamental building blocks for reform, and traditional challenge, has been the lack of integration and alignment between hospitals and their largely independent medical staffs. We recognize the incredible power that alignment with physicians delivers and we are focusing on this as one of the major engines of reform for our system. In addition, as referenced above, all healthcare organizations need to continually challenge themselves to provide care with higher quality, increased efficiency and lower cost."

What issue - clinical/administrative/cultural - is your biggest at this point in the reform timeline?
"For Piedmont, our biggest issue at the moment is enhancing our relationship with our physicians. As mentioned previously, we believe this to be the engine of cultural and tactical change for our system. I would also reference that we are going through a significant change to our information systems infrastructure at Piedmont. While that will be a huge enabler for all, the change to our organization will be significant."


Piedmont Healthcare's Women's Leadership Alliance

Michele Molden, who was honored in 2009 by Modern Healthcare as one of its Top 25 Women in Healthcare, has been instrumental in developing the health system's Women's Leadership Alliance (WLA).

"I was asked by Piedmont Healthcare CEO Tim Stack to address the disparity between the number of women in the Piedmont Healthcare workforce and the number of women in senior management," Molden explains, adding that the WLA addresses barriers in the Piedmont system that may prevent women ascending to leadership roles.

"In exploring how organizations in other industries had addressed the same issue, I found affiliation groups like the WLA to be the norm. Interestingly, this is not the case in healthcare. We have found the WLA to be active in many ways, from promoting business knowledge and skills, book clubs and a formal mentoring program. The alliance also contributes directly to the community through service events."







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