New Products
New Solution From Meta
Meta, a supplier of medication safety information systems, has released MetaCare CPOE. The computerized physician order entry solution offers an integrated single set of databases, which eliminates duplicate interfaces and lets information flow between clinical disciplines.

"Our closed-loop patient safety solutions work the way clinicians work, providing real-time, organization-wide access to all necessary medication administration information," said Sal Barcia, CEO of Meta.

Other features include a single user-customizable clinical knowledgebase and decision support system.

Industry News
Kloss To Leave Post
After 15 years of leadership, Linda Kloss, RHIA, CAE, FAHIMA, is leaving her position as CEO of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Kloss will step down March 31, 2010.

 "Serving as AHIMA's CEO has been a privilege and the highpoint of my career," Kloss said. "It has been an honor to work with so many able and dedicated members, volunteers and staff."

A search for Kloss' successor is underway. AHIMA anticipates a smooth transition of leadership, according to an association press release.

Begin ICD-10 Prep Now
The North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance (NCHICA) and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) have released a timeline for ICD-10 implementation.

Developed by the NCHICA-WEDI Timeline Initiative, the timeline responds to the Oct. 1, 2013, compliance date set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last January. To meet the deadline, providers are urged to act now and start working on an implementation strategy. The timeline expects implementation to take 966 days.

The timeline can be viewed at http://www.nchica.org/HIPAAResources/timeline.htm.

Bloodhound Partners with Eldorado
Bloodhound Technologies has partnered with Eldorado Computing Inc. to enhance claims processing rates. The partnership will combine Bloodhound's claims editing platform, ConVergence Point, and Eldorado's browser-based claims and benefits platform, Javelina, to deliver real-time editing.

"As the health care industry continues to grow, there is a strong need to provide solutions that increase claims processing efficiency," said Gary Twigg, CEO and president of Bloodhound Technologies. "This partnership demonstrates the building momentum for innovative technology solutions in the health care market and is another great example of what value-added partnerships can bring to our customers."

HBMA Focuses on ICD-10
The Healthcare Billing and Management Association has formed an ICD-10 Task Force. The committee will promote a range of policies, testing periods, recommended deadlines, outreach programs and other measures to ease transitions to the new code set.

The Task Force also includes representatives from America's Health Insurance Plans, WEDI, software vendors, coding professionals and others. Liaisons will work with AHIMA and other industry groups, and CMS has been invited to participate.

HealthPort Gives RAC Support
Chicago-based Resurrection Health Care will implement HealthPort's RACPro Basic software to prepare for the recovery audit contractor (RAC) program. The software lets hospitals store and view records, monitor the status of RAC requests and confirm which records were sent and when.

Resurrection will use RACPro Basic in conjunction with HealthPort's release of information service, which is already in place at a few of the organization's facilities.  

Care Communications is "Best Company to Work For"
Care Communications Inc. was named one of "Chicago's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" by the National Association for Business Resources. The company also won the award last year.

Winners were selected based on evaluation by an independent research firm, which scores the companies according to several measures.

"Being acknowledged for a second year in a row reflects Care Communications' continued commitment to attracting and retaining the best talent in the competitive HIM industry," said Leslie Fox, CEO of Care Communications.

MedAssets Sees Benefits of SmartDraw
MedAssets will begin selling SmartDraw software to its hospital and primary acute care provider members.

The software offers organizational and charting solutions that helps providers plan and communicate more effectively. Flowcharts and visual presentations created with SmartDraw can help organizations clarify and standardize processes, document organizational structure and improve compliance with regulatory and accreditation programs.

Kaiser Survey: Seniors Like PHRs
A recent survey by Kaiser Permanente found users of the company's PHR, My Health Manager, enjoy managing their health online. The 4,560 respondents (marking a 23 percent response rate) were all Medicare beneficiaries.

More than 87 percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the PHR, according to survey results. Prescription refills, online appointment requests and the ability to e-mail a doctor were cited as positive features of My Health Manager.

Neighborhood Picks NaviNet
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island has selected NaviNet as its Web-based provider communications portal. Providers can now access patients' claims, benefits and eligibility information through the system.

Neighborhood chose a starter set of transactions, but can add new features as needed. Several physicians and hospitals already use the portal, so Neighborhood expects rapid adoption.