Author Archives: Heather Kipp, HITS Communications
Due to an increased threat of phishing attacks targeted at Michigan Medicine, remote access to Outlook email will change on November 21. Michigan Medicine email users will need to connect to the VPN or use Outlook on the Web anytime they are off the Michigan Medicine network. This change only impacts laptop or desktop computers — accessing email on… Read More »
Michigan Medicine employees and students are required to use passwords to access various applications and business systems in their daily work. Because it can be difficult to keep track of multiple passwords, some people choose a simple password they can remember (e.g., their date of birth, a pet’s name, or another easily discovered piece of personal information), keep… Read More »
Michigan, like most of the country, is in desperate need of more child psychiatrists. More than 100,000 Michigan children have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or ADHD. Yet, fewer than 250 psychiatrists are trained to treat children in the state. The shortage means pediatricians and other primary care providers often end up treating adolescent mental health issues. “Primary… Read More »
DevOps is a set of practices that automates the processes between software development and operation teams that historically functioned in relative silos. The HITS DevOps team will provide a new service aligning with these practices. The team recently deployed its first containerized application to a live production Kubernetes (“koo-burr-NET-eez” or “k8”) cluster. At the heart of this service is a… Read More »
The Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) Service Desk is searching for students, recent graduates or other qualified workers to join its entry-level apprenticeship program. The program is a partnership between Michigan Medicine and Washtenaw Community College (WCC). Since it began in 2018, the apprenticeship program has had 14 participants and is looking to hire at least four more… Read More »
What exactly is “virtual care?” Perhaps you envision someone sitting at home on the couch, clutching a box of tissues in one hand and FaceTime/Skype chatting with their doctor in the other? Or a parent on the phone with the pediatrician’s office, hoping to find out why their child’s fever isn’t responding to over-the-counter medications? Although these are… Read More »
This month marks a special milestone: three years since Health Information Technology & Services formed. To commemorate the anniversary, HITS published a Year in Review, an interactive website highlighting some of the organization’s major accomplishments and inspiring staff. “As we look back at the past year with pride, I want to thank our staff for their enthusiasm, support, and dedication,”… Read More »
During a recent panel discussion, “Delivering a Patient Experience Across the Continuum of Care,” Barbara Rotondo, a Senior Manager in Solutions Consulting at ServiceNow, sat down with Erik Zempel, HITS Director of Performance and Improvement Management and Michael Warden, HITS Senior Director of Service Management, to gather insights on the connection between technology and the customer experience. Read… Read More »
Before Michigan Medicine began its Windows 10 upgrade, the medical center announced the impending project to staff. HITS didn’t want anyone to be surprised. Once word spread, HITS educated employees about the process. The IT staff scheduled meetings with departments, indicated how many devices would be affected, went over schedules and explained what to expect. “As we do more rollouts, the process has gotten… Read More »
Carleen Penoza became Michigan Medicine’s chief nursing informatics officer in April. As CNIO, she leads the strategic planning and deployment of technology for nursing. She previously served as the director of inpatient applications and interim senior director for clinical and operational applications in Health Information Technology & Services (HITS). Michigan Medicine Headlines recently caught up with Penoza to… Read More »
The academic medical center of the University of Michigan is leveraging investments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics to unlock the value of its health data. According to Andrew Rosenberg, chief information officer for Michigan Medicine, the organization currently has 34 ongoing AI and machine learning projects, 28 of which have principal investigators. “There’s a lot… Read More »
Michigan Medicine is upgrading its automated medication dispensing cabinets across the health system and ambulatory care sites. BD Pyxis, will replace Omnicell, a tool used for nearly 20 years. Med Inn, Taubman, Cancer Center, and UH South began using BD Pyxis dispensing cabinets this month. Additional sites will go-live on a rolling basis this summer and fall. “Once… Read More »
Michigan Medicine was recently featured for using its electronic medical record to improve screening rates for adults at risk of liver complications. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, baby boomers are at high risk of liver complications from hepatitis C, even though the virus is easily treated after it’s identified. To increase awareness and prevent… Read More »
Amanda Sedlik, MSHI, BSN, RN became the new senior director for Clinical & Operational Applications in May. The previous interim senior director, Carleen Penoza, was recently named Michigan Medicine’s Chief Informatics Nursing Officer. Amanda is a registered nurse with vast experience in electronic medical record (EMR) go-lives, readiness, and optimization at hospitals and health systems across the country. She most… Read More »
Michigan Medicine is taking steps to protect its network and resources, while also encouraging a safe and non-threatening work environment. Beginning June 5, MWireless-UMHS will no longer be available in ambulatory, inpatient, or administrative buildings. The WiFi network can continue to be used in some medical research facilities. “About 5,000 faculty, staff, students, and sponsored users regularly connect devices… Read More »
Earlier this month, Carleen Penoza was announced as Michigan Medicine’s new chief nursing informatics officer. Today is her first official day on the job. Carleen served as the Health Information Technology & Services director of inpatient applications before becoming the interim senior director for clinical and operational applications. Prior to that, she spent 21 years at Beaumont Health… Read More »
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 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 being… 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 »