Archive for the ‘hospital’ Category

The Doctor Will See You Now. Please Log On.

Monday, May 31st, 2010

ONE day last summer, Charlie Martin felt a sharp pain in his lower back. But he couldn’t jump into his car and rush to the doctor’s office or the emergency room: Mr. Martin, a crane operator, was working on an oil rig in the South China Sea off Malaysia.

From thousands of miles away, Dr. Oscar Boultinghouse checks the eye of a patient. He could, though, get in touch with a doctor thousands of miles away, via two-way video. Using an electronic stethoscope that a paramedic on the rig held in place, Dr. Oscar W. Boultinghouse, an emergency medicine physician in Houston, listened to Mr. Martin’s heart. “The extreme pain strongly suggested a kidney stone,” Dr. Boultinghouse said later. A urinalysis on the rig confirmed the diagnosis, and Mr. Martin flew to his home in Mississippi for treatment.

Mr. Martin, 32, is now back at work on the same rig, the Courageous, leased by Shell Oil. He says he is grateful he could discuss his pain by video with the doctor. “It’s a lot better than trying to describe it on a phone,” Mr. Martin says.. Read full article here

ERP implementation report

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

 

Bad News:  The Panorama Consulting Group has found that 57% of ERP implementations take longer than expected. 

They attribute this fact to unrealistic expectations for implementation timeframes and failures to account for key project activities during the implementation planning process.  Whatever the reason, based on these numbers, your odds of “Going Live” on a new hospital accounting and business process management solution on-time aren’t very good. 

So what’s the good news?

Good News:  The good news about ERP implementations is two-fold.  First, the percentage of overdue implementations is down from 93% just one year ago! 

Second, by selecting an implementation partner that knows your hospital business needs, has sufficient resources to support the project, and has a track record of beating these numbers, you can feel more confident that your hospital ERP software implementation will take place when and how you need it to so that your can start counting your Return On Investments.

SA-H.I.S is the largest selling ERP solution for small and medium sized hospitals and nursing homes. Always delivered on time and within budget.

ERP Implementation success and failure

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Articles from ERPwire 
Research on enterprise resource planning have shown that the flaws in ERP implementation have resulted in the vast majority of companies failing to unleash the benefits of ERP softwares. This has led to lot of problems right from litigation to misinterpretation in business media. The vendor is always taken aback because the entire community blames him and the products. Enterprise resource planning phases are very important in this regard.

Probable reasons behind Failure
The actual problems lie in choosing the right software for your company. If this is either taken for granted or done hastily then the chances of ERP Success are rare. Some of the reason for failure could be exorbitant costs, inadequate training, longer time, and failure of strategy and the lack of attitudinal change on the part of employees to accept and manage change. They have to analyze "What companies use enterprise resource planning?" more.. 

Speed is key
In 9/10 cases we complete the implementation of Hospital ERP on time.
Companies have to clearly know what enterprise resource is planning before thinking of implementing them. The catch word of ERP implementation is speed. The faster it is implemented the quicker and better are the advantages and delivery in terms of results. This early process has another hold. The returns are sought at a shorter period. This deviation from the conventional practice has become the order of the day as far as many companies are concerned. Formerly Business process re engineering played a vital role with respect to implementation. It is important to know the components of Enterprise resource planning .Merely defining enterprise resource planning will not help in this. . more..

Using Twitter in hospitals

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Nurses are an essential part of hospitals and can function as a communication lifeline to patients, doctors, and others in the facility. These days, there are lots of different tools you can use to communicate, but Twitter is an exciting one to consider, just because it holds so much potential. Read on, and you’ll learn about 101 different ways you can use Twitter in your hospital.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Twitter comes with a powerful search option 

Workshop on effective management of hospitals in Kerala

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009







HIS Trusted Since 1991


Dear Sir/Madam,
SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES, the undisputed leader in providing healthcare management solutions to small and medium hospitals in South India is pleased to announce a half day workshop on hospital management best practices. The workshop brings best of healthcare management and IT developments from across the country.
The objective of the workshop is to provide the right information to small and medium hospital owners in managing resources effectively, marketing the hospital, reduce costs and improve patient satisfaction.

A Workshop on



Effective Management of Small and Medium Hospitals in Kerala
Presented by
SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES H.I.S -South India’s largest selling Hospital Information System


Time
Programme
Speaker / Guest
09:00 am to 09:30 am
REGISTRATION & WELCOME
09:30 am to 10:00 am
ISO Standards for Hospitals
Dr. Mohan Nair,
Managing Director,
Dr Nair’s Hospital
10:00 am to 10:30 am
Cost reduction techniques at various departments of a Hospital
Mr. Duleep Sahadevan
Managing Director,
Software Associates
10:30 am to 11:00 am
Countering attrition – HR best practices
Mr. Ashok Panda
Healthcare Consultant,
Bangalore
11:00 am to 11:30 am
TEA BREAK
11:30 am to 12: 00 pm
Planning your Hospital – Feasibility study
Mr Ashok Panda
12:00 pm to 12:20 pm
Role of Service Marketing in Hospitals
Mr. Manas Jaiswal
Vice President,
Software Associates
12:20 pm to 12:45 pm
Technology in Healthcare Management
Mr. Manas Jaiswal
12:45 pm to 01:15 pm
Case Studies

01:15 pm to 01:30 pm
Vote of Thanks and Closing

01:30 pm to 02:30 pm
LUNCH

Who can attend?
  • • Hospital Doctor Owners
  • • Hospital Medical Superintendent
  • • Hospital Administrators
  • • Hospital Purchase Managers
  • • Hospital Finance Managers
  • • Hospital Consultants
  • • Chartered Accountants
  • • Students (MHA/PGDHM/Others)
Registration closed.
Participate in our next workshop @ Kochi
Location:
Quilon, Kerala
Venue:
The Beach Orchid Hotel and Convention Centre, Kollam,
(Ecotel certified)
[Desiganadu hall]
Date : 22nd August 2009
Time : 9:00 am – 1:30 pm followed by lunch
Registration Fee : Rs. 150/-
Number of seats : 50
For registration e-mail: info@hospitalinformationsystem.com or
Call : 0495 2765186
Last day for registration: 15th August
Don’t miss the opportunity!! Be updated with the latest trends in healthcare management.

Take a break from your hectic schedule! Enjoy the blue waters of Quilon!


Hospital Information System
www.softwareassociates.co.in


Software implementation and process engineering for hospitals

Monday, June 29th, 2009

The overall success of ERP software implementation depends on management participation. Often, the hospital owners are of the impression that installation of a software solution is the magic wand for all operational and accounting problems.

SA-H.I.S implementation is about executing a well formulated plan. This involves face to face discussions between hospital senior management, hospital owners and the business analysts and owners at Software Associates.

  • Analysis of the existing system by people who understand how hospitals function
  • Identifying existing pain points for management
  • Bringing about changes in business processes of the hospital
  • Plugging process loopholes in various hospital departments
  • Suggest methods to reduce stock inventory
  • Improving on patient wait time
  • Bringing about accountability in in-patient billing system
  • Improving patient discharge process
  • Ensuring complete training for staff
  • Custom building of reports for management
  • Building performance matrices for daily monitoring
  • Simulating a disaster recovery procedure

Management participation is key to success in any hospital implementation

Friday, March 20th, 2009

If one were to list the key ingredients of success in an ERP solution for hospital it would be as follows

# Management participation
It is not about installing a software package. It is about changing bad habits and transforming old ways of doing things. Without the support from top management, the real benefits are never realised and organisation would not have its vision trickle down to the bottom of the pyramid.

# Human resource management
A progressive organisation needs a motivated team – an asset to any organisation that is willing to learn ; change for the better.

# Training
As new people join, knowledge acquisition is often unstructured and incomplete. Hospitals need to adopt the approach of continuous training to help provide better patient experience.

# Implementation skills
Need people who can see eye to eye with the end user operators. Someone who can explain the operations in their language. No jargons, no frills approach recommended.

# Work to a project plan
Avoid last minute surprises. The war is always won before the battle. A detailed plan on a spreadsheet with the nitty gritties would help a long way in on time execution.

# Expertise
The vendor should have the right consulting expertise and business knowledge in guiding the hospital ; the maturity to handle exceptions ; promising 100% delivery.

# Error free software
A tried and tested solution that works error free from day one. Any critical errors in the initial phase would have catastrophic consequences on the morale of the end users.

Hospital technology hype cycle

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Does technology really matter ?

Often we do get calls from prospective clients who buzz about technology before deciding on software products for the healthcare sector. Typical questions include

  • Is your product built using eclipse or Visual Studio tool
  • Does your product use X or Y rdbms
  • Is your product a web based point of sale application
  • Do you provide unlimited customisation

What matters

  • Contribute to overall return on investment (Ask for value chart)
  • Improve hospital business processes – Process chart for hospitals
  • Enhance patient experience – Reduction in patient wait time
  • Have low cost of ownership (TCO) (thin client for eg; lower operating power)
  • Scalable to support the growth of the hospital
  • Secure enough to hold your valuable data
  • Transparent and ethical on the licencing aspects of the software
  • Constant updates and release upgrades -
  • Be affordable to hospitals in emerging nations – India
  • Zero maintenance cost for software vs cut and paste programming
  • Be self running as hospitals cannot afford dedicated IT departments
  • The software must guarantee return on investment

Energy savings for hospitals

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Lighting
• Reduce excessive illumination levels to standard levels using switching, delamping, etc.
• Aggressively control lighting with clock timers, delay timers and/or occupancy sensors.
• Install efficient alternatives to incandescent lighting, mercury vapor lighting, etc. Efficacy (lumens/watt) of various technologies range from best to worst approximately as follows: low pressure sodium, high pressure sodium, metal halide, fluorescent, mercury vapor, incandescent.
• Select ballasts and lamps carefully with high power factor and long-term efficiency in mind.
• Upgrade obsolete fluorescent systems to Compact fluorescents and electronic ballasts
• Consider daylighting, skylights, etc.
• Consider painting the walls a lighter color and using less lighting fixtures or lower wattages.
• Use task lighting and reduce background illumination.
• Re-evaluate exterior lighting strategy, type, and control. Control it aggressively.
• Change exit signs from incandescent to LED.

DG sets
• Optimise loading
• Use waste heat to generate steam/hot water /power an absorption chiller or preheat process or utility feeds.
• Use jacket and head cooling water for process needs
• Clean air filters regularly
• Insulate exhaust pipes to reduce DG set room temperatures
• Use cheaper heavy fuel oil for capacities more than 1MW

Buildings
• Seal exterior cracks/openings/gaps with caulk, gasketing, weatherstripping, etc.
• Consider new thermal doors, thermal windows, roofing insulation, etc.
• Install windbreaks near exterior doors.
• Replace single-pane glass with insulating glass.
• Consider covering some window and skylight areas with insulated wall panels inside the building.
• If visibility is not required but light is required, consider replacing exterior windows with insulated glass block.
• Consider tinted glass, reflective glass, coatings, overhangs, draperies, blinds, and shades for sunlit exterior windows.
• Use landscaping to advantage.
• Add vestibules or revolving doors to primary exterior personnel doors.
• Consider automatic doors, air curtains, strip doors, etc. at high-traffic passages between conditioned and non – conditioned spaces. Use self-closing doors if possible.
• Use intermediate doors in stairways and vertical passages to minimize building stack effect.
• Use dock seals at shipping and receiving doors.
• Bring cleaning personnel in during the working day or as soon after as possible to minimize lighting and HVAC costs.

Water & Wastewater
• Recycle water, particularly for uses with less-critical quality requirements.
• Recycle water, especially if sewer costs are based on water consumption.
• Balance closed systems to minimize flows and reduce pump power requirements.
• Eliminate once-through cooling with water.
• Use the least expensive type of water that will satisfy the requirement.
• Fix water leaks.
• Test for underground water leaks. (It's easy to do over a holiday shutdown.)
• Check water overflow pipes for proper operating level.
• Automate blowdown to minimize it.
• Provide proper tools for wash down — especially self-closing nozzles.
• Install efficient irrigation.
• Reduce flows at water sampling stations.
• Eliminate continuous overflow at water tanks.
• Promptly repair leaking toilets and faucets.
• Use water restrictors on faucets, showers, etc.
• Use self-closing type faucets in restrooms.
• Use the lowest possible hot water temperature.
• Do not use a central heating system hot water boiler to provide service hot water during the cooling season — install a smaller, more-efficient system for the cooling season service hot water.
• Consider the installation of a thermal solar system for warm water.
• If water must be heated electrically, consider accumulation in a large insulated storage tank to minimize heating at on-peak electric rates.
• Use multiple, distributed, small water heaters to minimize thermal losses in large piping systems.
• Use freeze protection valves rather than manual bleeding of lines.
• Consider leased and mobile water treatment systems, especially for deionized water.
• Seal sumps to prevent seepage inward from necessitating extra sump pump operation.
• Install pretreatment to reduce TOC and BOD surcharges.
• Verify the water meter readings.
• Verify the sewer flows if the sewer bills are based on them Miscellaneous
• Meter any unmetered utilities. Know what is normal efficient use. Track down causes of deviations.
• Shut down spare, idling, or unneeded equipment.
• Make sure that all of the utilities to redundant areas are turned off
• Install automatic control to efficiently coordinate multiple air compressors, chillers, cooling tower cells, boilers, etc.
• Renegotiate utilities contracts to reflect current loads and variations.
• Consider buying utilities from neighbors, particularly to handle peaks.
• Leased space often has low-bid inefficient equipment. Consider upgrades if your lease will continue for several more years.
• Adjust fluid temperatures within acceptable limits to minimize undesirable heat transfer in long pipelines.
• Minimize use of flow bypasses and minimize bypass flow rates.
• Provide restriction orifices in purges (nitrogen, steam, etc.).
• Eliminate unnecessary flow measurement orifices.
• Consider alternatives to high pressure drops across valves.

Courtesy : Bureau of Energy Efficiency

Management information for hospitals

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

The Decision Support System module for H.I.S has been previewed among a few clients. It is a breath of fresh air – completely new perspective of your hospital as it provides near realtime information on important parameters for management to think lateral – people, processes, patients, doctors, departments, services and suppliers – all tied up to financial information to assist you take critical informed decisions that would attract more patients, drive down your costs, enhance patient relationship, fine tune your medicine procurement and bring about operational efficiency.

The DSS tool is now being bundled as as a two day service by the consulting division. Significant changes observed at hospitals include

  • Reduced inventory levels by up to 35%
  • Freeing over Rs. 800,000 in inventory value.
  • Considerable reduction in patient wait time at billing points
  • Quicker patient discharges
  • Improved room utilisation
  • Introduction of performance rating parameters for front office staff