Latest news

WVMI & Quality Insights supports Institute

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

WVMI & Quality Insights has joined the Institute for Patient-and Family-Centered Care (www.ipfcc.org) as a Pinwheel Sponsor.

The Institute advances the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care. In partnership with patients, families, and health care professionals, it seeks to integrate these concepts into all aspects of health care. The Institute accomplishes its mission through education, consultation, and technical assistance; materials development and information dissemination; research; and strategic partnerships.

“We are continually looking for avenues to expand the concept of patient and family centered care,” WVMI & Quality Insights CEO John Wiesendanger said. “We’re excited about supporting and learning from the Institute’s programs and resources.

Public Relations Executive Named to Delaware Board

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Quality Insights of Delaware Board of Directors has appointed Phil Wescott of Wilmington as its newest member and Medicare beneficiary representative.

Mr. Wescott is a senior-level marketing and business development executive with experience in pharmaceutical, health provider, and higher education organizations. In 2008, he retired from the University of Delaware where he was a professor of Marketing and Communications. Previously, he held executive positions with major multi-national advertising and public relations agencies.

Quality Insights Provides Patient Safety Education to CAHs

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health has awarded Quality Insights of Pennsylvania a new project to increase staff awareness about patient safety in Pennsylvania Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Quality Insights will conduct TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) training for CAHs and administer the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

The survey’s purpose it to raise staff awareness about patient safety, diagnose and assess the current status of patient safety culture, identify strengths and areas for patient safety culture improvement, examine trends in patient safety culture change over time, evaluate the cultural impact of patient safety initiatives and interventions and conduct internal and external comparisons. Quality Insights will administer the survey twice (pre-and post TeamSTEPPS training) and share results with participating CAHs.

Marks, Ruddick Contribute to AHRQ Report

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT

WVMI’s Director of State Services John Marks and Patient Safety Director Patricia Ruddick were acknowledged by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy for their contribution to the study “Barriers to Meaningful Use in Medicaid.” Marks coordinated a series of pilot interviews to assess the efficacy of the project’s assessment tool and interview process. Ruddick was one of the lead facilitators that met with providers participating in the project.

The study focused on barriers related to adopting electronic health records and achieving meaningful use among health care professionals that serve high proportions of people with Medicaid. It explored work environment-related factors, patient population characteristics and the sufficiency of the Medicaid EHR financial incentives in mitigating barriers. It concluded that barriers were not associated with the Medicaid insured population. Instead, they were similar to barriers experienced by other health professionals and also related to whether a provider was eligible for incentives. Based on this information, the study offered a set of recommendations specific to promoting MU of EHRs among health care professionals eligible for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

Delaware REC to Participate in Tech Congress

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Quality Insights of Delaware Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center Director Beth Schindele has been selected to moderate a session at the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress in Arlington, Virginia.

The November event will bring together health information technology stakeholders from all over the world to share the latest technologies and innovations in the adoption, implementation and sustainability of health care infrastructure.

Schindele will lead “Breaking Down the Silos – Identifying the Role of Health Information Exchanges in Health Care Transformation.” This discussion will focus on building a business case to position health information exchanges for the transformation of health care delivery; how regional, statewide, and private exchanges interact with accountable care organizations; how to engage various stakeholders and integrate disparate data sources into health information exchanges; and the infrastructure essential for implementation and data analytics capabilities that will allow sustainability.

Featured panelists are Laura Adams from the Rhode Island Quality Institute, Jennifer Covich Bordenick from the eHealth Initiative, Dick Thompson from the Quality Health Network and Jim Younkin from Geisinger Health System.

Learn more about the World Healthcare Innovation and Technology Congress. Information on the Quality Insights of Delaware Regional Extension Center is available at the DEHITREC Web site.

Spurlock elected to WVHIMSS leadership

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Aaron Spurlock was recently elected to as Vice President/President-Elect of the West Virginia chapter of the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS). WVHIMSS is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 to lead health care transformation through the effective use of health information technology in West Virginia. The statewide organization provides education and resources on various health information technology topics, including clinical systems, information systems, management engineering and telecommunications.

Gibson named to national committee

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

WVMI & Quality Insights’ Privacy Officer Nathan Gibson was recently selected by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to be part of their prestigious Privacy and Security Committee. In this role, Nathan will work alongside well-known health information privacy and security experts from across the nation to provide oversight and strategic direction for HIMSS projects, policies and other matters. His appointment runs through 2014. Learn more about the HIMSS Privacy and Security Committee.

Delaware REC achieves milestone

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Quality Insights of Delaware - Regional Extension Center (QIDE REC) was recently commended by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) for reaching its Milestone 2 goal. Milestone 2, also known as “EHR Go-Live,” is a designation for REC participating providers who are using their Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to e-prescribe and generate quality reports.

WVMI article featured in peer-reviewed WV journal

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

An article titled, “Using Health Information Technology to Enhance Preventive Care in West Virginia” was published in the May/June 2012 edition of the peer-reviewed West Virginia Medical Journal. The article, authored by Dr. Charles Schade, Terri Bliziotes, Patty Ruddick and Dr. Sven Berg, describes Health Information Technology (HIT) Meaningful Use measures that relate to preventive health care, including organizations and resources that are available to assist physicians select, implement, or advance the use of the HIT in the clinical setting.

ONC features WVMI REC work

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A case study highlighting Shenandoah Community Health Center’s work with WVMI is featured on HealthIT.gov, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) new Web site designed to be the leading national resource on health information technology (health IT).
With assistance from WVMI’s health information technology regional extension center staff, Shenandoah, a federally qualified health center with about 30,000 patients, has been working on achieving meaningful use. It is also a Level 1 NCQA Certified Medical Home and Joint Commission Accredited.
Read the story at healthIT.gov.