Thursday, December 23
Wednesday, December 22
Thursday, December 16
This Week in Healthcare IT
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Health plan Aetna has acquired health information exchange services provider Medicity for approximately $500 million…NaviNet, a health care communications network, has acquired Prematics, a mobile care management program provider, for an undisclosed amount…IT services company Computer Sciences Corp. plans to acquire Image Solutions, a privately held IT outsourcing company, for an undisclosed sum…Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a unit of business intelligence provider Wolters Kluwer Health, has acquired iCare, an EHR vendor...Verge Solutions, a health care software developer, has acquired Peminic, a provider of patient safety and risk management software, for an undisclosed sum.OnShift -- a health care staff scheduling and shift management software vendor -- has raised $2.3 million in a round of venture capital investment.
Contracts
South Carolina Oncology Associates has chosen Kryptiq's online bill pay program…Lutheran Medical Center in New York has implemented an EHR system from Medsphere Systems… Dunlap Community Hospital, Wooster Community Hospital and more than a dozen physician practices in Ohio have implemented GE Healthcare's information exchange system with the aid of central Ohio's health information exchange eLINCx…the University of Colorado Hospital has chosen an integration and development platform from InterSystems…Scottsdale Healthcare, a not-for-profit health system in Arizona, has selected e-health services from Stat Health...GuideNet, a managed care program, has selected a medication management system from American Medical Alert.Providence Care in Canada has chosen an EHR system from QuadraMed…Berkshire Health Systems in Massachusetts has deployed EHR and practice management systems from Allscripts…Ohio-based Children's Medical Center of Dayton has selected Medicity to run its health information exchange…Mission Hospital in California has selected workflow technology from CenTrak…Central Baptist Hospital in Kentucky has chosen interactive patient education software from TeleHealth Services...HealthCare Partners Medical Group in California has selected RIS/PACS technology from DR Systems...Iowa Health System has selected LUMEDX's cardiovascular image and data management software.
Product Development and Marketing
iMDsoft's integrated perioperative application will offer technology from Anesthesia Business Consultants…Surrex EHR Solutions, a health IT consultancy, will implement gloStream's EHR platforms at U.S. physician offices...lifeIMAGE has integrated its medical image exchange network with PHR technology from Microsoft...Nuance Communications has combined its radiology report databases with Montage Healthcare Solutions' search and performance analytics technology.Personnel
Amy Gibson -- former assistant director of the Boys Town Institute for Child Health Improvement in Nebraska -- has been named COO of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative…Michael Meehan -- former health care sales representative for Sunnyside Design Group in Illinois -- has been named Midwest regional sales director for health IT network provider Curaspan Health Group…Joseph Heins -- former executive vice president and COO of anesthesia information system provider DocuSys -- has been named vice president, global product management and marketing of First DataBank…William Sorrells -- former senior director at Evolvent Technologies, a health IT services firm -- has been named executive director of the Alaska eHealth Network.Interactive Technology Solutions, a management and consulting firm, has named Todd Stottlemyer -- executive vice president of corporate services for Inova Health System in Virginia -- as CEO and Tom Weston -- former CFO of technology provider QinetiQ North America -- as CFO…Brian Tyler -- current president of McKesson Medical-Surgical unit -- has been appointed president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical; John Figueroa -- president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical -- has been named CEO and company director of pharmaceutical company Omnicare...John Wallace, former senior vice president at patient payment vendor mPay Gateway, has been named to the business development team at MED3000, a health care management and IT company.
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/12/10/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-december-10-2010.aspx#ixzz18JZqol8N
Wednesday, December 15
LinkedIn's top 10 overused résumé phrases
By Mark Milian, CNN
With national unemployment at 9.8 percent, Americans are looking for ways to make their job applications stand out.
However, peppering résumés with tired or empty buzzwords probably isn't the recipe for becoming a standout job candidate.
LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals, has compiled a list of the 10 most overused terms and phrases within the profiles of its 85 million members.
"We wanted to reveal insights that help professionals make better choices about how to position themselves online," DJ Patil, LinkedIn's lead data analyst, said in a statement.
Job seekers may want to search through their résumés and cover letters and reconsider using any instances of these words:
1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, president of Florida-based Great Résumés Fast, recently compiled her own list of throwaway phrases. She says she cringes when coming across things like "great communication skills" or "attention to detail."
These terms, she writes, "are frequently used on résumés, often by candidates who really don't even possess them. Instead of using these throwaway terms to describe yourself, attempt to outline specific accomplishments."
Monday, December 13
Holiday Festivities Are Great Networking Venues
by Debra Feldman www.theladders.com
The approaching holiday season is a networking paradise. The timing is perfect for arranging introductions to those you want to know you. More importantly, it’s a time to be focused on how you can give to others rather than viewing connections as the solution to meeting just your needs. In fact, successful networkers make it a point to seek out ways to help others. Often, they generously suggest assistance and support even before it is requested.
The most reliable networking strategy promotes good relationships by concentrating on giving more and expecting less. First, think about how you can offer help rather than what you stand to gain. Seek out ways to surprise people by offering assistance before they ask. This generosity not only demonstrates good intentions, but is sure to delight the recipient, create good interpersonal chemistry and generate desire to return the favor.
Yes, it is better to give than to receive.
Relationships are cemented and continue to thrive (and keep delivering exponentially increasing referrals) when both sides recognize benefits and value. Productive networking is relationship-driven not transaction-oriented. This time of year offers many occasions to nurture relationships, create lasting positive impressions, get on the radar and be remembered for your remarkable assistance. It’s a wonderland of fresh prospects and a harvest of contact renewals. The many corporate events, social occasions and community celebrations offer myriad giving opportunities to establish connections, strengthen ties, invigorate relationships and share ideas. Don’t be hesitant to extend invitations – whether or not they are accepted, it is a way to connect and let others know that you are thinking of them.
Almost any neighborhood, family or business gathering may produce a conversation with someone who has information you can mine unobtrusively for leads to new career challenges for yourself and those you know. With so many venues to choose from, select ones where you are most likely to reach your networking goals: a high probability for face time with individuals to whom you want to show your potential value proposition, unique talents and interests.
These encounters could be your big break to:
- Chat with current or former employees at your target companies
- Exchange business cards with an industry leader
- Arrange a future meeting with someone difficult to reach.
Brief interactions can be springboards to great relationships if you find ways to provide support and thereby sustain the connection. In the future, you will be one of the lucky few with critical inside information, access and support because you are recognized as a giver, not just a taker.
Want to enhance your networking efficiency to generate even better results? Prepare thoroughly in advance, anticipate questions and have well-thought-out and concise responses prepared. Be ready to make clear, compelling points to attract attention, pique curiosity and put you top of mind. Your delivery has to be attention-grabbing to overcome interruptions and compensate for a lack of privacy. Listen actively so you are apt to pick up on a need you can address and keep up your end of the discussion. Don’t forget to come armed with business cards with your contact information. To stand out, add a few bullet points depicting your interests and areas of expertise or other memorable data on the reverse side of the card. This includes qualities like coining a phrase, penning a jingle, being named to President’s circle X times, saving percentage annually or being known as Mr./Ms. ABC.
To further increase your networking effectiveness, attend gatherings where you will feel comfortable and put your best foot forward. Avoid situations where you might be stressed, rushed or distracted from your networking mission: meaningful conversations that leave a strong, positive impression. Picking up insider-only knowledge, connecting those you know to each other and optimizing purposeful networking contacts all ladder up to your goal. One of the best ways to be a helper is to connect people. It is often more enjoyable as well as more effective if you partner with a buddy. You can introduce each other as an icebreaker to start new relationships and keep a conversation flowing.
In conclusion, remember to stay focused. To reap the full benefits of networking purposefully, you must be alert and stay sharp. Don’t overindulge in food or beverages. Conduct yourself professionally at all times. Dress conservatively. The ROI is simple. Just one meaningful dialogue creates measurable value from every networking event. It’s the quality not the quantity of relationships developed, pursued or renewed. Holiday networking targeted to giving and helping is good career management that produces networking benefits throughout the new year. Remember that it is not just what you know and whom you know, but who knows what you know that produces new opportunities in today’s job market.
Happy holidays, happy giving and happy networking!
In conclusion, remember to stay focused. To reap the full benefits of networking purposefully, you must be alert and stay sharp. Don’t overindulge in food or beverages. Conduct yourself professionally at all times. Dress conservatively. The ROI is simple. Just one meaningful dialogue creates measurable value from every networking event. It’s the quality not the quantity of relationships developed, pursued or renewed. Holiday networking targeted to giving and helping is good career management that produces networking benefits throughout the new year. Remember that it is not just what you know and whom you know, but who knows what you know that produces new opportunities in today’s job market.
Happy holidays, happy giving and happy networking!
Thursday, December 9
Wednesday, December 8
Tuesday, December 7
6 Must-Haves for Your Next Interview
by Dean Tracy of theladders.com
After many years in the recruiting business, I’ve learned that candidates often lack preparation when facing a career transition or job change.
1. Prepare Your Story
Throughout your career, you may pursue different directions. Be prepared to discuss the reasons you’re taking your career in a certain direction.
Throughout your career, you may pursue different directions. Be prepared to discuss the reasons you’re taking your career in a certain direction.
Organize talking points that help you tell your story. It’s important to touch on reasons you may have left a company without bashing your former co–workers or supervisors. Explain with confidence the reason that you are making (or have made) a career change.
Remember that a lack of conversation reflects lack of interest. Be prepared to incorporate the story line of your background into their organizational challenges.
2. Calculate Your Compensation
Know the difference between your needs, your value to the company and market trends. Your financial needs are of no importance to the hiring manager or the hiring company. They care about your success, but they are not accountable for your financial responsibilities.
Know the difference between your needs, your value to the company and market trends. Your financial needs are of no importance to the hiring manager or the hiring company. They care about your success, but they are not accountable for your financial responsibilities.
Investigate the market trends for the position for which you’re interviewing. The dollar amount is usually defined by what the market will bear for your position. This information can be collected from a variety of Web sites and market research. Keep in mind that this will also depend on the company’s size, revenues, head count, geographic location, etc.
The value that you bring to the company is one that only you can define and present to your prospective employer. This will be based upon your demonstrated experience as determined by contributions you’ve made in previous roles. Capture and reflect on revenues that you generated, incorporate costs and expenses that you managed and/or numbers of people or clients that you have supported.
Understand initialisms such as OTE and MBO.
- OTE = On Target Earnings. This is what your total compensation package is, including annual base salary, bonuses, etc.
- MBO = Management by Objective. This is typically used to identify a percentage of your annual base and may be paid quarterly or once a year.
3. Articulate Your Value
You need to be able to address the value that you bring to the company. Be prepared to share your skills and accomplishments and discuss how they benefit the company. Articulate these accomplishments in a problem–action–results sequence.
You need to be able to address the value that you bring to the company. Be prepared to share your skills and accomplishments and discuss how they benefit the company. Articulate these accomplishments in a problem–action–results sequence.
- Problem – This will reflect the specific problem, challenge or situation that you are faced with. The way you would describe this is in the form of an overview or summary.
- Action – This represents the steps that you took to address the problem, challenge or situation. Describe the methodology that you followed to drive results and deliverables.
- Results – This is where you define the success or accomplishment of your actions. Use this as an opportunity to share how you evaluate the end result.
Estimate how far are you willing to commute to get to work every day. Some candidates will use this threshold to represent miles and some will use it to measure total road time.
5. Determine Your Willingness to Travel
This will usually depend on the position for which you’re applying. Your previous experiences with work travel will be a true indicator to consider. You should also carefully consider the impact that this will have on your family and personal lifestyle.
6. Articulate Your Management Style
Be prepared to share and discuss the environment or culture where you can be the most productive. Are you most effective in a chaotic, fast-paced, high-stress environment? Do you bring a calming influence in a chaotic setting? Are you detail-oriented, driven by reports in a micromanaged structure? Be prepared to describe your typical activity in a normal workday.
If you do your homework well, you will be extraordinarily successful in your interview. It will become easy for you to open new doors of opportunity toward landing the job of your dreams! Go get ‘em!
This will usually depend on the position for which you’re applying. Your previous experiences with work travel will be a true indicator to consider. You should also carefully consider the impact that this will have on your family and personal lifestyle.
6. Articulate Your Management Style
Be prepared to share and discuss the environment or culture where you can be the most productive. Are you most effective in a chaotic, fast-paced, high-stress environment? Do you bring a calming influence in a chaotic setting? Are you detail-oriented, driven by reports in a micromanaged structure? Be prepared to describe your typical activity in a normal workday.
If you do your homework well, you will be extraordinarily successful in your interview. It will become easy for you to open new doors of opportunity toward landing the job of your dreams! Go get ‘em!
Monday, December 6
Weekly Wisdom-A Reminder from Marc Cenedella
www.theladders.com
Yeah, I know what you're thinking.
That job you applied for in September... there's no chance anything's going to happen there. When you talked to the nice woman in Human Resources a couple months ago, it seemed like the SVP wasn't sure whether she wanted somebody with more experience or not. It's probably not the most likely gig for you.
So even though it's still on your Excel spreadsheet of opportunities that you're reviewing, you're feeling pretty "iffy" as to whether there's a real chance at that firm. So perhaps you won't call today, you know? Maybe just wait and see what happens?
Now, look, this is a pretty common way of thinking... and it's dead wrong.
Of course you're going to come up with all sorts of excuses to justify why you're not going to pick up the phone and reach out to her.
That's the natural state of the job-seeker, the professional, the average human being... you.
Really, who wants to put themselves out there and risk rejection? It's unpleasant. It's unnatural. It's unenjoyable.
But, like it or not, when you're in a job search for your next $100K+ gig, you've got to do it. You've got to pick up the phone and reach out to all your contacts and job opportunities.
Because even if she doesn't have something for you right now, perhaps her old friend at another firm was asking her just last night if she knew of anybody like you. Or maybe a recruiter she was speaking with last week was asking for referrals for another job. Or perhaps somebody just left to take a job somewhere else and she is, in fact, desperately in need of somebody like you. Right now.
While the likelihood of any of these circumstances is small, you have to take a lot of small chances to get one big job.
You have to play the ricochet, work the rebound, pounce on the bounce. You need to create your own luck, and the easiest way to do it is to keep following up, urgently, relentlessly, religiously, with the recruiters and HR departments who have, or have had, opportunities that are right for you.
Because you never know where your resume might end up after those calls, those networking lunches, those follow up meetings.
Keep things moving this cold December morning, Readers!
That job you applied for in September... there's no chance anything's going to happen there. When you talked to the nice woman in Human Resources a couple months ago, it seemed like the SVP wasn't sure whether she wanted somebody with more experience or not. It's probably not the most likely gig for you.
So even though it's still on your Excel spreadsheet of opportunities that you're reviewing, you're feeling pretty "iffy" as to whether there's a real chance at that firm. So perhaps you won't call today, you know? Maybe just wait and see what happens?
Now, look, this is a pretty common way of thinking... and it's dead wrong.
Of course you're going to come up with all sorts of excuses to justify why you're not going to pick up the phone and reach out to her.
That's the natural state of the job-seeker, the professional, the average human being... you.
Really, who wants to put themselves out there and risk rejection? It's unpleasant. It's unnatural. It's unenjoyable.
But, like it or not, when you're in a job search for your next $100K+ gig, you've got to do it. You've got to pick up the phone and reach out to all your contacts and job opportunities.
Because even if she doesn't have something for you right now, perhaps her old friend at another firm was asking her just last night if she knew of anybody like you. Or maybe a recruiter she was speaking with last week was asking for referrals for another job. Or perhaps somebody just left to take a job somewhere else and she is, in fact, desperately in need of somebody like you. Right now.
While the likelihood of any of these circumstances is small, you have to take a lot of small chances to get one big job.
You have to play the ricochet, work the rebound, pounce on the bounce. You need to create your own luck, and the easiest way to do it is to keep following up, urgently, relentlessly, religiously, with the recruiters and HR departments who have, or have had, opportunities that are right for you.
Because you never know where your resume might end up after those calls, those networking lunches, those follow up meetings.
Keep things moving this cold December morning, Readers!
Thursday, December 2
Wednesday, December 1
Tuesday, November 30
Synching Your Talk and Your Walk
by Steven Diebold (www.theladders.com)
Mixed messages can kill a campaign. And yet, people send disconnected messages all the time. This is part of the reason we learn not to trust them and even question their actions. Marketing messages or corporate communications are no different. What we say and do must match.
Let’s visit the definitions of congruence and continuity so we can see how these apply to marketing.
Congruence
As an abstract term, congruence means similarity between objects. It is a relation that implies a type of equivalence, but not complete equality. It can also be the quality or state of agreeing or coinciding. In psychology, congruence is a rapport within oneself, or internal and external consistency, perceived by others as sincerity or certainty.
With these definitions we can see how important the application of congruence is to an effective value proposition within a campaign. If you want to appear sincere and certain (and who doesn’t?), your value proposition and what you actually deliver must be consistent.
Make Your Case and Support It
For example, if you are creating a direct-mail campaign that has clearly identified an effective value proposition, use support statements that align with that original proposition. Though it seems obvious, sending any mixed messages can and will dilute the communication’s power. Each supporting message must synch up with the main idea. If your headline starts with one idea and your supporting statements veer off-track, you make your case weaker. The best way to think of this is to consider an attorney proving a case in a courtroom. The lawyer must explain the case with congruent emotional and logical arguments. If he brings in bad or irrelevant evidence, he's likely to lose the case. If anything is out of place in an argument, people lose trust in the presenter and start to question the case he is making.
Another example would be this article you are reading now. Every statement I make in this article needs to line up with what is promised in the headline or I start to lose focus and veer off-track from what made you read it in the first place. If I don’t deliver on it, then you just stop reading. Still with me? Good.
Continuity
In fiction, film and other media, continuity is understood to be the consistency of persons, plots, objects, places and events as seen by the reader or viewer. But how does it relate to marketing? Let’s use film and television production as an instructive example. Most productions have a script supervisor on hand who is paid solely to maintain continuity across the chaotic and typically nonlinear shoot. In a sense, this person is like the brand manager of the project. Their job takes the form of stacks of paperwork, photographs and an extremely detail-oriented memory. Their memory is often assembled into a ‘story bible,’ which usually includes scene notes and technical details, such as camera positioning and equipment settings. They also catalog images, using Polaroids or, more often today, digital cameras. All of this is done so that, despite perhaps being shot thousands of miles and several months apart, all parts of the story are told in a logical flow. If this job is done perfectly, the script supervisor, or brand manager, can often pass without notice.Make Sure Your Details Match Up
Continuity can be a bit more challenging. Every customer touch point should be evaluated to ensure that each message and experience is aligned. If there is any breakdown in this process, you will have opened up a weakness for a competitor to use against you. Let’s go back to the example of the attorney. Without doing her homework, from timelines to evidence to what was said and when, she will be unable to prove her case. Customers are just as, if not more, skeptical as a jury — and very discerning with their dollars. If your argument is weak and poorly developed, you risk losing your case, and thereby your market share. The best way to protect against this happening is to apply continuity and congruence to your value proposition.Build your case well and you will be rewarded.
Monday, November 29
Weekly Wisdom: November 29, 2010
7 Steps to Sustain Energy and Enthusiasm During Your Job Search
Ideally, everyone would view the job search as an exciting and invigorating opportunity. In reality, the process can be stressful, exhausting and emotionally draining, particularly when coping with rejection, financial hardships or uncertainty about the future.
It's important to realize that job searching doesn't have to be a negative experience. Richard Deems and Terri Deems, co-authors of "Make Job Loss Work for You," say people can take several small steps toward a faster, more rewarding job search.
"Candidates who are out on the streets talking and meeting with people are those who maintain their energy and confidence," they explain. "On the other hand, those who sit back at home and merely mail out their résumés are often those who get discouraged. The feedback they get during the job search comes from receiving either no response or some form of a rejection letter. With each rejection letter, the body cringes and shrivels a little bit more."
In their book, the Deems father-and-daughter duo offers some additional tips to help job seekers boost their drive during the job search:*
Set up some kind of "office" where you can direct your job search
Make this a place where you can take calls, handle correspondence and keep track of your research and other information. A separate room (such as a spare bedroom) works best, but even a corner in the basement can help.
You will need a desk, chair, phone, computer, Internet access, space to file materials and information, and space to work. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it does need to be comfortable and provide you with the privacy needed to direct your plan for action. When you are in this space, you are "at work."
- Maintain your normal schedule. Don't sleep late. Get dressed each morning just as if you were going to be out talking to people -- because you probably will. One successful person with whom we worked sat down at his "office" every morning at 7:30, coffee in hand, and read the local and national newspapers, just as he had for 10 years prior. His reaction: "It really helped!"
- Participate in some kind of physical fitness program. Some people jog, walk, play golf, lift weights, dance or do other forms of exercise. The important thing is that you're doing something. Remember, exercise helps relieve stress and anxiety and enables you to think more clearly. Exercise also releases body chemicals that help keep depression away. If you're a bit overweight, the extra exercise can help reduce the pounds and simply help you feel better about yourself.
- Watch your diet and eat right. Eat balanced, reasonably sized meals. Excessive coffee can increase tension and appetite. Excessive alcohol can dull your thinking ability (plus add weight). Excessive sweets and sugars can increase tension and irritability.
- View your activity as fulfilling your "job requirements." Except now your job is to find a new position in another company as quickly as possible.
- Set weekly and daily goals in terms of contacts to make and research to conduct. Keep a record of your activity. People who devote four to eight hours to their job search per day get new jobs faster than those who devote only a few hours each week. Take time on Mondays to set up these goals, and time on Friday to review your progress.
- Maintain your physical appearance. First impressions are important, and you will want to look good. For some, this may mean buying a new interviewing wardrobe. An investment in an interviewing wardrobe can often have a tremendous payback in terms of higher salary in the next position. If finances are a major concern, look for the recycled-clothing shops or job search "closets" that exist in many cities.
Wednesday, November 24
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