Q: Where would pharmacy staff create a new RXM access group?
A: Pharmacy staff can create a new RXM access group by copying a current access group and edit via the RXM ACCESS GROUP Dicationary
If pharmacy staff wanted to edit a RXM group (i.e. Nursing) to default lookup by “generic,” where would that edit be made?
The [...]

Q: Physicians are afraid of EMR (Electronic Medical Record) project failure, so why should their practice go through the headache of integrating EMR now?
A: Murphy’s law states that if anything can go wrong, it will, and EMR integration is no stranger to this rule. However, project failure is certainly avoidable if the practice takes the [...]

Q: I am concerned about the security of my facility, specifically, the security of core and third-party infrastructure devices. I hear stories on a weekly basis about “critical vulnerabilities” but I never know if I am affected, or if my potential vulnerabilities are being fixed. What should I do?
A: Your concerns illustrate one [...]

Q: How can I ensure that my Help Desk is a true asset to my organization instead of a source of never-ending frustration?
A: Without a well-planned Help Desk, your organization can become people dependent instead of process dependent. With proper advance planning and implementation, your Help Desk will save time and increase efficiency in [...]

Q: Nursing Charges: Many of our nursing charges, such as PICC line, transfusion or Telemetry are currently on paper. Is it possible to handle these items electronically within MEDITECH?
A: One of the easiest ways to automate this type of charging is to build it into the Nursing Interventions as part of a CDS. [...]

Q: How can I get information from my IT system?
A: Most healthcare organizations are under utilizing their primary IT system because they are not getting the reports they need to do their job. Because systems come with a basic set of (”canned”) reports, they try to use them, yet find them inadequate and incomplete. [...]

Q: How do we implement centralized scheduling?
A: One of the first decisions to make is: Will all departmental schedulers move into a central location? While for some facilities, this is an option, typically, space constraints prevent this. If the schedulers will stay in their home department, then they must all be utilizing [...]

Q: Why would my organization need to perform a
readiness assessment?
A: A structured readiness assessment before you implement your new Healthcare Information System (HIS) can make the difference between a successful implementation and a barely adequate one. The assessment will define your processes and procedures within your clinical and financial areas that will be [...]

Q: We need help with our IT planning and are short on funds. What should we do?
A: To get the most “bang for your buck” you should begin by conducting a comprehensive overview assessment. The results of such an assessment will define short-term priorities and provide valuable insights towards the development of a [...]

Are you reading this while at HIMSS 2010 in Atlanta? Unfortunately I’m not there with you if you are. If you’re elsewhere like me and wish you were at HIMSS let me know – maybe there are enough of us that I’ll start a Facebook group! If you’re elsewhere and happy to be far away [...]