Jun 8, 2011 | Digital Pathology, Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Smartphone mobile app is dubbed “MicroHIS” by Holy Name Medical Center
At one community hospital in New Jersey, physicians love getting clinical laboratory test results over their smartphones or similar wireless devices. Radiology and cardiology results can also be accessed or viewed using this unique mobile app developed for use at Holy Name Medical Center in Tea Neck, New Jersey.
The story about mobile applications at Holy Name Medical Center demonstrates to pathologists and clinical laboratory managers how fast the world of healthcare informatics is evolving. It took just months for the hospital’s informatics department to create a customized application that allows physicians to use their smartphones and mobile devices to access most of the information managed by the hospital information system (HIS). (more…)
Jun 6, 2011 | Laboratory News, Laboratory Pathology
Clinical pathology laboratory testing played a role in reducing rate of ICU infections
Here’s a big win for improved patient outcomes, and clinical labs and pathologists played a significant role in this achievement. Central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in ICUs decreased in number by a whopping 58% from 2001 to 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Some healthcare experts attribute this significant reduction in ICU infections to greater transparency in outcomes data. The CDC’s report, released on March 1, 2011, covered the period from 2001 through 2009. The CDC said that, in 2001, 43,000 ICU patients experienced what today is called a hospital acquired infection (HAI). But by 2009, that number had dropped to 18,000!
The CDC calculates that, thanks to hospital diligence and participation in programs designed to reduce HAIs, at least $1.8 billion and 27,000 lives were saved between 2001 and 2009. However, the CDC noted that other areas of healthcare did not show similar improvements in patient outcomes. (more…)
