Author Archives: Heather Kipp, HITS Communications
A fairly new opportunity for HITS and Michigan Medicine IT employees are “Go-and-Sees,” interactive events that offer staff members a chance to gain hands-on knowledge and experience regarding other Michigan Medicine areas by visiting those labs, clinics, or offices. During a typical Go-and-See, participants learn the ins and outs of that department and the roles of the employees. These… Read More »
Michigan Medicine will replace Omnicell with a new automated medication dispensing system. Pharmacy and Nursing will begin using new dose dispensing cabinets before January 2020. Anesthesiology will also begin using new automated storage cabinets next year. “Our current system works pretty well, but it is not Windows 10 compliant,” said Stan Kent, Michigan Medicine chief pharmacy officer, referring… Read More »
Michigan Medicine CIO Andrew Rosenberg, MD was recently interviewed by Hour Detroit about machine learning, the branch of artificial intelligence capable of identifying who is likely to be a no-show for their next clinic appointment or who is at risk for fatal medical conditions. “The best summary is that wherever a human makes an important decision, machine learning is… Read More »
Apprenticeships are typically associated with the skilled trades. You might first think of a plumber or electrician apprentice? Or maybe a welder or carpenter? That convention is changing and a recent apprenticeship program created by Washtenaw Community College and Michigan Medicine to help attract and train aspiring information technology professionals is advancing the cause. Michigan Medicine’s recently launched Service Desk Apprenticeship Program pays entry-level… Read More »
Vaccinations, early detection, and new cures have led to incredible medical breakthroughs over the past several decades. Today, advancements in precision health, wearable technology, genetic sequencing, and big data analytics promise to reshape modern medicine even further. A critical, yet often overlooked factor in the advancement of healthcare is the underlying health IT infrastructure. As Michigan Medicine faces… Read More »
This wasn’t how Terri wanted to spend her weekend. It was Friday night when she first started noticing signs of a urinary tract infection. She had a busy schedule, and now this recurring condition was threatening to derail her plans. Hoping for quick relief, Terri signed into MyUofMHealth.org and initiated an eVisit by answering a series of questions… Read More »
This month marks two years since Health Information Technology & Services formed. To celebrate its anniversary, HITS published a Year in Review, which highlights the organization’s major accomplishments, measures the breadth and impact of Health IT, and introduces inspiring staff who play a key role in advancing the mission of Michigan Medicine through technology. “The publication also reflects our efforts… Read More »
Becker’s Healthcare recently interviewed Andrew Rosenberg, MD, Michigan Medicine CIO and associate professor of anesthesiology and internal medicine. Rosenberg addressed what he believes is the biggest misconception about health IT, as well as the most (and least) exciting things he see happening in the field. Rosenberg will present a keynote address during the Becker’s Hospital Review 4th Annual Health… Read More »
Phishing attacks, data breaches, and identity theft have become common issues plaguing organizations the world over, including health systems and universities. The most significant step the Michigan Medicine community can take to protect their data, as well as that of our patients and research participants, is to use Duo with all web-based services that require U-M login. While 26,000… Read More »
Each year, HITS receives more than 265,000 service tickets from the Michigan Medicine community requesting help with password resets, new device orders, video conferencing, software installations, and much more. Until recently, tickets were collected in two systems, making it difficult for HITS to obtain a holistic view of the types of requests coming in and to use that… Read More »
Michigan Medicine received $440,000 in invoice credit from its electronic health record vendor for taking steps to support continuous improvements in patient outcomes, quality of care, workflow efficiency, and financial performance. Epic recently awarded Michigan Medicine with Magna Cum Laude status in its Honor Roll Program. The recognition program is based on achieving continuous improvements in patient outcomes,… Read More »
Erin Dietrich joined Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) as the new senior director for Research Applications & Advanced Computing in March. As a member of the HITS senior team, Erin provides leadership for operational coordination and strategic guidance of the information technologies and services that support the research mission of Michigan Medicine. She works with U-M… Read More »
Thanks in part to a barcoding system developed by Health Information Technology & Services, C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital (C&W) virtually eliminated the misadministration of breast milk to infants in their care. C&W is home to the first 24/7 formula and breast milk preparation room in a pediatric hospital nationwide. Opened in 2011, the Milk… Read More »
Laurel Barnes, senior manager of the HITS Learning Management team, was recently interviewed by Learning Solutions Magazine about her career in technology and experience supporting large-scale change at U-M. Read the full interview.
Something exciting is happening at Michigan Medicine. And U-M patients are benefiting. In recent months, the screening rate for depression symptoms in patients who had diagnosis of depression in last 12 months rose from 10 percent to nearly 70 percent. The rate of lung cancer screenings in smokers doubled. And the hepatitis C screening rate improved fivefold among… Read More »
Karen Hollingsworth, R.N., M.S., CPHIMS, was recently interviewed by Michigan Medicine Headlines about her progression from nursing to IT. The Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) senior director began her career as a staff nurse — a position that exposed her to informatics and electronic health records. The emphasis on technology made it easy for Hollingsworth to transition… Read More »
Michigan Medicine will receive approximately $2.5 million for completing a statewide incentive program to improve patient safety, enhance data integrity, and reduce workflow. The program, Common Key Service (CKS), provides a consistent and reliable way to match patients with their electronic health data across multiple healthcare settings by assigning a unique identifier for every patient in the state… Read More »
The first thing you notice when entering West Ann Arbor-Parkland Plaza health center might be the welcome desk, floor-to-ceiling windows, or charming artwork. It probably isn’t the WiFi access points, label printers, or network cables. Randy Smith, a network architect with Health Information Technology & Services (HITS), knows how integral that technology is to the health center’s day-to-day… Read More »
Ranjit Aiyagari, M.D. was recently named chief medical information officer for Michigan Medicine. Aiyagari oversees the Office of Clinical Informatics and works closely with the organization’s chief information and chief clinical officers to bridge the gap between provider-facing technology systems and the strategic goals of the clinical enterprise. Aiyagari recently discussed his role and how it differs from —… Read More »
Cross-team collaboration is essential — uniting experts from a variety of teams and departments leads to deeper insights, fresher perspectives, and faster innovations. Open to all Michigan IT community members, two upcoming workshops share helpful tools and techniques to improve collaboration: Competing Values in the Workplace (HITS 1000) This workshop explores how the interplay among our competing values… Read More »