Irv Lichtenwald

See the following -

Pikeville Medical Center Selects OpenVista Healthcare IT Platform

Press Release | Medsphere, Pikeville Medical Center | January 25, 2016

Medsphere Systems Corporation,..today announced that  Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) has selected the OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR) system for implementation. The 261-bed regional referral center and its clinics will utilize OpenVista's flexibility and comprehensive clinical support, as well as Medsphere’s rapid implementation process, to affordably manage care and realize technology objectives. As a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, PMC patients have access to Mayo Clinic expertise without having to travel to an actual Mayo facility. 

Pontiac General Hospital in Detroit Selects OpenVista Healthcare IT Platform

Press Release | Medsphere, Pontiac General Hospital | May 31, 2016

Medsphere Systems Corporation...today announced that Pontiac General Hospital has selected the OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR) system for implementation. Looking toward a financial rebirth, the new owners of the 306 licensed-bed hospital will use OpenVista to improve management practices and clinical workflows as they also grow clinical staff and expand available services. The rebirth of Pontiac General is an endeavor led by Sanyam Sharma with the support of his family, Dr. Sanjay and Priyam Sharma. While Sanyam formed Sant Partners, LLC, last summer in preparation for entering the healthcare provider turnaround space, Pontiac General is only the Sharmas’ most recent healthcare revitalization project.

RWJF Report: Time to Transition to a Post-HITECH World?

Context and perspective matter. And it’s often both context and perspective that are lacking from the daily snapshots we get of health information technology, meaningful use, interoperability and the progress we are either making or not making, depending on your perspective. So I welcome a report like the one the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released last month on the state of health information technology circa 2015 in these United States. Subtitled “Transition to a Post-HITECH World,” the detailed report, created in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Communication, the Harvard School of Public Health and Mathematica Policy Research, takes a 10,000-feet view of the ongoing digitalization of healthcare and what the priorities are as we approach the terminus of HITECH.

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Sacred Oak Medical Center Selects Medsphere's OpenVista EHR

Press Release | Medsphere, RedShift Healthcare Management and Consulting | June 16, 2016

Medsphere Systems Corporation...today announced that Sacred Oak Medical Center has chosen the OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR) system for implementation. The brand new Houston-based inpatient behavioral health hospital will open later this summer with 20 beds and expand over time to an 80-bed capacity..."The benefits of EHR implementation apply to behavioral health care and addiction treatment, just as they do in acute medical care,” said RedShift Managing Partner Starsky Bomer. 

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South Africa’s Areta Health Selects Medsphere Healthcare IT Solutions

Press Release | Medsphere, Areta Health | September 20, 2017

Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of affordable and interoperable healthcare information technology (IT) solutions and services, today announced that the company has reached an agreement with South Africa’s Areta Health for comprehensive support of the organization’s hospital network. The contract covers Areta Health’s Specialist Day Hospital (SDH) system spread throughout South Africa. The hospitals, in turn, anchor an integrated health network with remote clinics and in-home monitoring that allow patients to heal at home without sacrificing attentive care...

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The Right Way to Modernize VA's VistA EHR: Shift Development to the Private Sector and the Cloud

While changes to VistA are warranted and necessary, trashing the entire system because one component may be flawed makes little sense from technological or financial perspectives. The VA scheduling scandal was the product of an agency overwhelmed by veterans returning from two theaters of war. In that scenario, the scheduling system became a scapegoat for organizational and human resources challenges that were bound to manifest in one way or another.The VA should not heed calls to replace VistA for these key reasons...

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Valley General Hospital Goes Live on OpenVista Electronic Health Record

Press Release | Medsphere Systems Corporation, Valley General Hospital (VGH) | October 23, 2014

Medsphere Systems Corporation and Valley General Hospital (VGH) today announced that VGH is up and running on Medsphere’s OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR). The Snohomish County community hospital, located northeast of Seattle, now looks forward to Meaningful Use 2014 certification later this year and federal reimbursement early next year. Both Medsphere and VGH estimate that federal Meaningful Use funds will cover most if not all of the initial five-year subscription costs for OpenVista. Read More »

Valley General Hospital Selects OpenVista Electronic Health Record

Press Release | Medsphere Systems Corporation | May 5, 2014

Northwest community-based hospital cites affordability, interoperability, proven track record in choosing Medsphere’s open EHR solution Read More »

Why the VA Should Stick with VistA and Not Waste $16 Billion on an Attempt to Replace It

This VA leadership lull provides an opportunity for reflection. Specifically, it’s worth asking while we have the time whether Cerner is the right path for the VA to take. While the decision may seem like a no-brainer to some, the VA’s situation is unique and arguably calls for a singular approach to both existing organizational issues and a major healthcare IT decision. Specific to the Cerner decision, what should the new VA secretary consider?

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Without Real Interoperability, Are Providers Paying Too Much for EHRs?

Would you pay top dollar for anything—a car, phone, television, whatever—that promises truly transformational technology at some unspecified future date? I doubt you would. We generally buy products for what they offer now, not what the company says they will eventually do (vaporware, as IT calls it). And yet, so many hospitals pay multi-billions of dollars for healthcare IT systems that promise to integrate patient care … eventually. Why? Some argue the primary reason is a false market that was created by federal government incentives and boundless faith.

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