Laurus Technologies IT Consulting Blog

We just returned from the HIMSS Fall Technology Conference held in Grand Rapids, Michigan this year. While there were nearly 400 attendees, just 100 of those represented healthcare providers in spite of the impressive lineup of speakers.

I was able to sit in on a couple of sessions during the conference and of course the most popular topics related to the impact of ARRA and stimulus funding. By now there is little excuse for anyone interested in HIT to not have heard about meaningful use and the HIT Policy Committees recommendations to the National Coordinator. There were several presentations on preparedness and the possible impact of the funding on a wide range of provider sectors in particular the needs and impact of rural health systems and underserved communities. Health Information Exchanges also received ample attention as we find ourselves wrestling with the complications and issues of sharing health data across enterprise boundaries again. Privacy and Security also received a good amount of attention as providers as well as associates look for ways to prepare for compliance and reporting.

We spent the vast majority of our time in the vendor exhibit demonstrating privacy surveillance from FairWarning and clinical access from ThinIdentity.

Seeing is believing and we could see sudden realization illuminate in the faces of those who witnessed the demos. We still come across many people who have been burned by thin client technologies. We feel your pain. Thin Identity is not just another thin client. It is software born in a hospital environment, architected and developed by people experienced in HIT specifically to meet the challenges of caregivers and those responsible for supporting them. Thin Identity has successful implementations at Denver Health and Alegent Health and there are currently several proof of concept projects underway and production rollouts being planned. Given the cash crunch hospitals find themselves dealing with there is no good reason to delay scheduling a “FREE” integrated demo where you can see the technology working in your environment and get an understanding of how you can deploy this solution using your existing desktop refresh budget while increasing caregiver workflow. Before you invest time, money or risk your hard earned credibility on “tap and go” or “smooth roaming” only to discover it doesn’t work or your privacy officer won’t support it, I urge you to take a look at Thin Identity.

FairWarning is resonating with nearly everyone who sees it. Essentially it centralizes audit logs from all of your key applications and allows you to do predictive and reactive analysis to find suspicious and nefarious activity with regard to records access across all of your key applications. It can also be integrated with leading security information and event management solutions from Symantec and Arcsight to give IT administrators a comprehensive view of activity from device through application. This application is a “must have” for any organization with multiple systems containing PHI. You can see pre-recorded or live webcasts of FairWarning’s solution every week or schedule one with one of our healthcare Client executives.

A word about Grand Rapids: I think we were all pleasantly surprised at the quality of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and specifically the meal we had at the 1913 restaurant.  I’ve eaten at many fine dining establishments and I have a hard time recalling a better meal in terms of ambience, service and quality of food. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re within an hour of two – your investment will be well rewarded. And lastly, a great thanks to the staff at GP Sports for helping us host drinks after Monday night’s keynote and dinner. You did a phenomenal job and we appreciate you staying open late so we could watch the end of the World Series!

Dave Durbin
VP Business Development and Healthcare