Philips has announced the offering of new healthcare consulting services to help increase financial and clinical performance, providing comprehensive strategic and operational services to help hospitals maximize their investments in medical and information technology. Philips Healthcare Consulting will give strategic and operational support to help drive business results and maintain a competitive advantage, all aimed toward helping providers make the most out of technology investments to help improve productivity, reduce costs, grow revenue and deliver quality patient care.

Picis, of Wakefield, Mass., announced that St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) – one of the largest IDNs in the US – has chosen its perioperative and anesthesia information management solutions for 13 facilities and an estimated 81 operating rooms (ORs) as the standard across the IDN. SJHS is now able to consolidate six different databases into a single integrated total perioperative automation solution, which they anticipate will provide significant operation improvements and a return on investment of millions of dollars from improved OR management, billing and reimbursement, improved clinician and patient satisfaction and standardization of the patient record.

Global-Med Technologies Group, Inc., of Glen Ellen, Calif., announced that it has completed its acquisition of Sarasota-based OrthoIT³, LLC for undisclosed terms. The two groups have been in discussions for more than a year on acquisition and came to agreement last week. OrthoIT³ was formed as a collaborative effort between clinicians and two private venture capital groups. OrthoIT³ was dedicated to a philosophy of minimizing trauma to the patient suffering from lower (lumbar) back pain while restoring function.  Back pain is the number one cause for healthcare expenditures in the US, with more than $50 billion in annual direct and indirect medical expenses.

MagnaCare Administrative Services, of Garden City, N.Y., has successfully completed a new, multi-year agreement with ENT and Allergy Associates (ENTA), the largest group of board certified Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons and Allergists in the tri-state area. ENTA takes a partnership approach to contract negotiations with regional managed care organizations in order to improve access and quality of care to patients in the New York metropolitan area. The MagnaCare agreement follows a number of successful healthcare provider agreements that ENTA has completed or renewed.

Prognosis Health Information Systems, of Houston, Texas, announced that Westbury Hospital is implementing its ChartAccess comprehensive electronic medical records system. Designed by clinicians, ChartAccess provides the user-friendly features that sync with user preferences. For example, screens that mimic e-mail interfaces make it easy for medical staff, even those who are technology-resistant, to utilize the system right out of the box. An iPhone application even makes it possible for clinicians to view and process orders from their cell phones.

athenahealth, of Watertown, Mass., announced that Capella Healthcare, a hospital system that operates thirteen hospitals in seven states, has selected athenahealth’s EHR service, athenaClinicals, for its owned physician network that is comprised of over 130 medical providers. athenaClinicals will play a key role in Capella’s efforts to further support clinical IT adoption and connectivity among its owned and affiliated physician practices across the nation. Capella’s owned physician network currently uses athenahealth’s web-based physician medical billing and practice management service, athenaCollector.

Emergisoft, of Arlington, Texas, has announced that St. John's Riverside Hospital has installed Emergisoft's CCHIT Certified 08 Emergency Department EHR, designed to improve patient safety, decrease patient wait times and streamline clinical workflow in the emergency department (ED). St. John's Riverside Hospital upgraded to EmergisoftED version 4.1.2 to version 5.1.3 in June. Since going live with EmergisoftED in June 2006, St. John's Riverside Hospital has benefited from Emergisoft's emergency department software, a complete browser-based solution that automates each step of the patient management process in the ED. By implementing Emergisoft's CCHIT Certified 08 Emergency Department EHR, St. John's clinicians will now utilize more innovative technology with significant emphasis on meaningful use.

Wellsoft Corporation, of Somerset, N.J., announced that Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) in Kingston, Ontario, Canada have selected its emergency department information system (EDIS). KGH’s Emergency Department is southeastern Ontario’s regional trauma center and sees about 47,000 patients each year. Hotel Dieu Hospital’s Urgent Care Centre sees about 50,000 patients each year. KGH and HDH will jointly implement Wellsoft EDIS since the Emergency Department at KGH and Urgent Care Centre at HDH share hospital information systems, physicians and information technology support.
 
Zebra Enterprise Solutions, of Oakland, Calif., a division of Zebra Technologies, announced it will launch Dart Ultra-Wideband (UWB) real-time locating system (RTLS) in fall 2010. The next generation of the Sapphire UWB product line, Dart UWB offers one common UWB active RFID/RTLS platform that enables fast, accurate location of personnel and equipment for operations in United States, Canada and the European Union markets. Dart UWB includes a full set of products certified for use in hazardous and explosive environments as defined by the ATEX Directive in Europe. These products have been designed for use in extreme, regulated environments such as mining, petrochemical, and other process manufacturing industries.

MEDHOST, Addison, Texas-based provider of healthcare throughput and emergency department software, announced record-setting sales during the first half of 2010, driven by growth from new and existing customers who are more broadly deploying MEDHOST’s emergency department information system (EDIS). For example, within one month of implementing MEDHOST, Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s emergency department (ED) recognized a $1.3 million increase in gross revenue primarily from improved E&M coding and IV infusion charges. The South Carolina hospital also saves $240,000 annually by using MEDHOST’s electronic charting to eliminate dictation.
 
Elsevier, the Amsterdam-based publisher of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, announced that physicians, residents and students will be able to visualize and review more than 300 top medical procedures on their mobile devices with the launch of Procedures Consult Mobile. As the use of smartphones increases in the clinical setting, access to mobile resources proves to be an essential tool for verifying physicians' knowledge and skills before conducting a procedure.

Allscripts announced that Sharp HealthCare has selected the Allscripts Community Record, provided in partnership with dbMotion, to deliver end-to-end connectivity across the health system. Using the Allscripts solution, Sharp’s caregivers and those in affiliated physician practices will have shared access to a single, unified patient record, bridging gaps that often exist between hospital-based and office-based care.