The Return of...This Week in Healthcare IT

courtesy of ihealthbeat.org 

Back by popular demand, this week's edition is hot off the presses!

M&A, Financial Reports and Funding

Axiom Systems, a health IT company, has acquired Ivertex Internet Solutions, an administrative software company, for an undisclosed sum...General Dynamics, a defense contractor, will acquire Vangent Holding, a provider of health IT systems and services to military and other federal agencies, for about $960 million in cash.

Quality Systems, a hospital and physician software vendor, will acquire CQI Solutions, a vendor of surgical information systems, for an undisclosed sum...technology firm Hewlett-Packard has reached a deal to acquire Autonomy, an information management systems provider that serves the health care industry, for $42.11 per share.

Contracts

United Regional Health Care System in Texas will implement iSirona's device connectivity system...the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization and the Colorado Regional Extension Center have selected BridgeFront as a preferred e-learning provider...Volunteers in Medicine in Indiana will offer its patients NoMoreClipboard's personal health record system.

Lakewood Health System in Minnesota has chosen McKesson's health information system...MedPlast, a provider of thermoplastic medical devices, has selected StorSimple's cloud storage system...Stamford Hospital in Connecticut will deploy the SmartRoom patient data integration platform developed by University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and IBM...The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded a $3.4 million contract to Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group to develop real-time locating systems for VA hospitals.

Australia has selected Accenture to establish the country's nationwide PHR system...the Maine Medical Center Physician-Hospital Organization has selected athenahealth's practice management, billing and EHR services...the University of Chicago Medical Center will implement Omnicell's medication and supply management and analytics tools...Oregon State University Student Health Services has selected eMix's cloud-based medical imaging sharing service.

Product Development and Marketing

THA Group, an in-home health company in Georgia and South Carolina, is partnering with telehealth services provider Cardiocom to offer a telehealth program for patients with chronic conditions...NaviNet, a provider of mobile health care management tools, will offer health care providers in Aetna's Florida network access to clinical and patient alerts and e-prescribing services for smartphones and tablets.

Product Development Technologies -- a worldwide product development firm -- and SoftServe -- a provider of software development, testing and consulting services -- are collaborating on medical product development to support the meaningful use of health IT...InterSystems, a provider of coordinated care software, and information software provider Medical Systems are launching an EHR and practice management application for community health centers.

Personnel

Graham Hughes -- a former GE Healthcare executive -- has been named chief medical officer for the SAS Center for Health Analytics and Insights, a provider of business intelligence software and services...Christine Bechtel -- vice president of the National Partnership for Women and Families and a member of the Health IT Policy Committee -- has been named to the editorial advisory board of the Commission for Case Manager Certification's new online educational resource...James Mathews -- former business development and government initiatives representative at Sage Healthcare -- has been named vice president of business development at Kareo, a provider of medical billing software.

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/8/19/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-august-19-2011.aspx#ixzz1VVJHnNuG

There's no such thing as extended shelf life...

A family friend recently lost his position through a layoff after never having taken a sick day in 30+ years with his company.  As disheartening as it is to continue to hear these stories a year after it felt like things were really turning around, what he said he plans to do for the next six months was not just astounding…it was downright horrifying.  Avid sportsman that he is, he is seriously considering spending this winter in his hunting cabin instead of looking for a new position.  While he deserves a little rest and relaxation as much as anyone does, I can’t emphasize enough what a huge risk he would be taking by putting off his job search.

I don’t mean to sound glum.  Healthcare IT is booming, but that success is not spread equally across the market and there are other industries still lagging behind.  And while things are definitely better than they were 12 or 18 months ago, employment gaps are still a problem for most hiring managers.  Think about it: given two people with nearly equal qualifications, are you more likely to hire the person who is currently employed or the person who got laid off 9 months ago, took 6 months to travel or play golf, completely disconnected from the working world and now finds him/herself desperate to find a new position (any position) to pay the bills?  

Which candidate would you invest in—the one who is looking to build on his/her career or the one with nothing left to lose? 

Still don’t believe me?  Think about this…

People are finding themselves out of work for much longer periods than they used to; they have to be more proactive, get creative, in order to even get a phone interview. 

And after 6 months, you can forget working with a recruiter; some clients categorically refuse to consider candidates who are out of work, others simply refuse to pay for ones who have been out of work for “too long.”

You’re at an even greater disadvantage if, like this guy, you’ve been with the same company since the Carter Administration.  You will face unique, and most likely significant, challenges as you embark on your job search…and many of them will come in the form of younger, cheaper, and often more educated jobseekers.

But don’t lose hope—there are still plenty of jobs out there, the difficulty these days is standing out from the crowd, so do something (professional) to get noticed.  Need an example?  Check out Matthew Epstein's website, googlepleasehire.me; one young marketer’s anything but conventional approach to getting noticed by one of the most sought after employers in America.

Maybe a tongue-in-cheek short film/video resume isn’t your style.  Here are some other recommendations:

• start early—don’t wait until your savings run out to start your search
• be creative
• keep a positive attitude
• pick up the phone
• network, network, and network some more 
• and, of course, call your recruiter the moment you get the news

written by Kate Harlow, Strategic Sourcing Manager @ TMG

Why are Manholes Round? The 10 Toughest Interview Questions

by Meghan Casserly, courtesy of Forbes.com 

A job interview at one of Google’s 75 campuses around the globe might seem to have more in common with pledging a secret fraternity than job-hunting. An often months-long interview process, iron-clad non-disclosure agreements and back-to-back hours of interrogation in windowless offices are a matter of course, but the added intrigue of allegedly absurd interview questions takes the experience into cloak-and-dagger territory.

Why are manhole covers round? How do you measure 4 gallons of water using only a 3 and 5 gallon jug? How many gas stations/dogs/windowpanes are there in the United States? According to career communityGlassdoor.com, these are a few of the more obscure queries asked of wannabe Googlers.

You have to give it to them, the questions are creative. But are they effective in finding the right candidate? And more importantly, will answering them correctly land you a job?

“This kind of question is used to determine poise and the ability to think on one’s feet,” says Dale Austin, director of career services at Michigan’s Hope College. “But also to assess creativity and problem-solving.” In other words, Google is looking for a quick answer that proves you’re not only agile but logical, adaptable and math-minded.

That’s all well and good for the analytical minds of Googlers, but veteran Bay-area executive headhunterChuck Pappalardo says it really all depends on what you’re looking for. For Google, whose ranks Pappalardo describes as “engineer from top to bottom,” they can prove telling. “These kinds of questions measure whether someone can work in the crazy environment [of a young tech firm] and have the right engineering background to make them a good employee. They show quick, analytical thinking, and the ability to pivot.”

But what these “trick” questions can’t highlight is a quality that Pappalardo sees as not only more human, but more vital to the majority of careers–positions where customer or client interaction is essential. That quality? Integrity.

“A good interview requires more than just good questions. It also requires a deep understanding of the traits and behaviors you’re seeking or avoiding,” he says. “By crafting questions designed to elicit “evidence” of the desired characteristics, you’re able to draw conclusions about candidates’ ability to perform in an authentic and meaningful way.”

Fine, if you’re on the questioning side of the desk. But for those of us in the hot seat, prepping for questions designed to “elicit characteristics” can be quite tricky. Pappalardo concedes they can be among the most difficult to answer, because they require much more than rattling off resume points. Here, the 10 toughest—but most telling– interview questions, and best of all…how to answer them.

Read the questions and learn the reasoning behind them here.

The Door Is Opening and People Are Leaving

An interesting article written by Kevin Wheeler, President and Founder of Global Learning Resources, Inc., addresses the challenges employers are about to face when it comes to holding on to top talent. Sobering fact for businesses:

“one in two U.S. employees [are] looking to leave or [have] checked out on the job.”

Read it here.

HOT JOB ALERT!

One of TMG's newest clients is a hot Healthcare IT startup based in the Boston area and we have been asked to assist them in identifying a VP of Marketing.

• Do you have experience in a startup environment?  Marketing to physicians?  Working with software solutions?
• Do you have a passion for building and promoting technology solutions that improve patient care and enhance provider networks and communications?
• Do you live in or have the ability/desire to relocate to the greater Boston area?

CALL KATE for additional details or immediate consideration!

Microsoft announces 'Direct' way to move from Google Health to HealthVault

July 18, 2011 | Mike Miliard, Managing Editor @ www.healthcareitnews.com

REDMOND, WA – Microsoft has announced that people using the Google Health service – scheduled to close on Jan. 1, 2012 – can transfer personal health information stored in a Google Health profile to a Microsoft HealthVault account using the Direct Project messaging protocols.

The Direct Project, established by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, specifies a simple, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information to known, trusted recipients over the Internet.

[See also: Google Health to be shuttered.]

"Google has been an important ally in providing customers with access to their data and tools to better manage care online," said Nate McLemore, general manager, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. "Microsoft continues to advance the HealthVault platform to increase its value to consumers – by adding important features, such as support for mobile devices, and by collaborating with hundreds of health organizations, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and CVS Pharmacy – to deliver robust health and wellness applications that connect to HealthVault."

With nearly 300 applications, the HealthVault platform helps its users manage a wide range of conditions, such as allergies, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and pregnancy. It also connects to more than 70 devices – including blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, weight scales, pedometers and peak flow meters – allowing individuals to track, manage and share important health data.

Officials says Microsoft is also focused on enabling hospitals to connect to HealthVault as they seek to create closer interactive relationships with patients through the exchange of information. Many health systems are using Microsoft Amalga, an enterprise health intelligence platform, to bring patient data together from disparate IT systems to streamline operations and coordinate care. These organizations then connect Amalga to HealthVault to allow the patient to receive, store and share his or her personal health information as desired.

[See also: ONC launches Direct Project with pilots in Minn., R.I..]

A Google Health account holder seeking to transfer his or her personal health information to HealthVault can start by selecting the "Send profile to another service" option on the Download menu in Google Health. Google Health will then send his or her Google Health profile directly to HealthVault as an encrypted message using the Direct Project messaging protocols. Users will receive confirmation in Google Health that their profile was sent, and then an email explaining how to create a HealthVault account and complete the data transfer. Complete instructions for using this method, as well as an alternative manual method, can be found here.

Microsoft is also inviting third-parties that have developed Google Health applications to migrate their solutions to the HealthVault platform. Reference materials are available at the HealthVault Developer Center on the Microsoft Developer Network.

http://healthcareitnews.com/news/microsoft-announces-direct-way-move-google-health-healthvault

First Friday Preview, July 2011