Oncology Information Systems' Reporting and Alerts Leave Providers Wanting More

As meaningful use and ACOs pick up steam, oncology providers contend with regulatory pressures with or without help from their vendors.

2013-01-29

OREM, UT, January 29, 2013 (Press-News.org) Alerts and reporting are two of the most challenging aspects of medical oncology, in addition to being the tools providers are least happy with overall. This is according to a new report from KLAS titled Oncology 2012: Pulling the Curtain Back.

Study findings reveal that oncology information system vendors struggle with alerts. Specifically, Epic, Varian, and Elekta seem to perform below average. Reporting is also an area for improvement. Providers report that Varian and Elekta's canned reports are not robust enough to meet their needs, and the customized reports are difficult to use. Epic's customized reports are not as user friendly as providers would like them to be.

Meaningful use (MU) is another hot button for providers. The vast majority of oncology providers interviewed indicate that they are planning to attest for MU, but according to the report, vendors differ in their ability to partner with providers in that effort. Altos and BMSi are the best reported MU partners because they are more hands on and appear to be more focused on customer needs.

Though Varian is one of the dominant players in the oncology IT market, the report indicates that they are not the best MU partner. The MU version of Varian ARIA did not come out on the promised timeline, and some providers report that Varian seems out of touch with customers. Additionally, Epic is identified as a vendor that could improve due to the fact that the system is not designed for all the needs of oncology providers.

With MU Stage 2 bearing down, patient portals are also identified as an important consideration for oncology providers. Only 30 percent of those surveyed said they are currently using a patient portal, and many still need to make that decision.

"Most of the Epic and Altos customers in the study said they are using patient portals; however, we spoke with only a small number of those customers," said Monique Rasband, oncology research director and author of the report. "The majority of Elekta and Varian customers have not yet adopted a portal. Most Varian and Elekta customers said they are looking to their current oncology IT vendor to supply a portal, in spite of most portals being rudimentary at this point."

This study includes ratings on medical and radiation oncology IS vendors. Vendors rated in radiation oncology are BMSi, Elekta, and Varian. Vendors rated in medical oncology are Altos (early data), Elekta, Epic, IntrinsiQ, and Varian. To learn more about the oncology IS market and the vendors in this study, providers and vendors can review the full report Oncology IT: Pulling the Curtain Back. This report is available to healthcare providers at a significant discount. To access the report, visit www.KLASresearch.com/KLASreports. Additionally, KLAS plans to take a deeper dive into the market with two more oncology studies later this year. Track those upcoming reports at www.KLASresearch.com/KLASreports.

About KLAS
KLAS is a research firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by enabling providers to be heard and to be counted. Working with thousands of healthcare executives and clinicians, KLAS gathers data on software, services, medical equipment, and infrastructure systems to deliver timely reports, trends, and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Founded in 1996, KLAS' staff and advisory board members average 25 years of healthcare information technology experience. For more information, go to www.KLASresearch.com, email marketing@KLASresearch.com, or call 1-800-920-4109 to speak with a KLAS representative. Follow KLAS on Twitter @KLASresearch.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Introducing Levelpump! Check Your English Ability with Vocabulary Tests that Use Word Association

2013-01-29

Twinword, Inc. has unveiled its new level testing service, called "Levelpump". Levelpump is free of charge and compares your knowledge of vocabulary against a database of associated words in order to assign you to the proper English vocabulary level. This method of learning is efficient because it leverages the relationships between vocabulary words. That is, it combines all related words into a bundle for memorizing purposes, so that they are more easily memorized. Also, if you remember only a few of the words in the grouping, you can learn the others by analogy. ...

Contract Disputes are Part of Doing Business in Virginia

2013-01-29

Unfortunately, business operations do not always go smoothly and conflicts with other commercial ventures will inevitably arise. Relationships between businesses are inevitably necessary and sometimes they go south. A disputed business contract can be very expensive if it ends up in court, even impacting the bottom line. Any business venture needs to develop strong working relationships with other businesses to arrange for needed services, supplies, equipment and real estate, for example. Retaining smart and experienced legal counsel early on to assist with business-to-business ...

Defective Toys Can Lead to Children Sustaining Serious Eye Injuries

2013-01-29

As children across the country enjoy all of the new toys they received during the holiday season, parents would be wise to ensure the toys are age appropriate and being used properly by their youngsters. New toys for children to play with come with new risks of potential injuries caused by defective products. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission -- the agency responsible for shielding the population from dangerous products on the market -- has reported that over 262,000 personal injuries caused by toys led to emergency room visits in the U.S. last year. Notably, ...

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied for Dozens of North Carolina Inmates

2013-01-29

The average cell in a U.S. federal prison is six feet by eight feet. Imagine your whole world ripped out from under you, replaced by forty-eight square feet of concrete and cold steel. And the worst part? You don't belong there. It may sound like a nightmare, but it is stark reality for at least 60 inmates wrongfully convicted of federal gun crimes in North Carolina. Although even the U.S. Justice Department determined that these men committed no federal crime, scores of them remain behind bars as government lawyers throw up roadblocks to their release. Mislabeled ...

Will Illinois See a Marriage Equality Bill in the New Year?

2013-01-29

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has been quite vocal about his support for a marriage equality measure. But will Governor Quinn's backing be enough to convince outgoing Illinois legislators to support a same-sex marriage bill? The governor seems optimistic that a marriage equality bill could be on his desk by January; according to the Associated Press, at a December 10 press conference, Governor Quinn urged lawmakers in the state House to "vote their conscience" on the issue, and commented that he hopes a marriage equality bill will move forward before January 9. January, ...

Criminal Sentence Requiring Church Attendance Draws Criticism

2013-01-29

Oklahoma takes impaired driving very seriously. A buzz after a couple drinks at a happy hour with co-workers could be enough to put you over the legal blood alcohol content limit of .08. There is little tolerance for underage students who drink alcohol; the legal BAC limit for underage drivers is .02. In one recent case, a Musckogee County judge is facing scrutiny after crafting an unusual sentence for an underage drunk driver. What led up to the unique sentence? In 2011, an intoxicated 17-year old driver hit a tree. His friend, who was riding as a passenger in ...

Pennsylvania Increases Fines for Underage Drinking Crimes

2013-01-29

As everyone knows, many underage U.S. college students drink alcohol. At Penn State and other Pennsylvania colleges and universities, the situation is no different. In fact, the Centre Daily Times reports that in 2011 a shocking 657 college students at Penn State were seen medically for "alcohol overdoses" with an average blood-alcohol content at "an all-time high" of a frightening 0.287. The University of Pennsylvania provides information about the consequences of high BACs. BAC measures the amount of alcohol in a person's blood at a given moment. ...

Michigan Residents Expected to Increase Credit Card Debt in 2013

2013-01-29

Despite forecasts for an improving economy, many people in the U.S. will find themselves in a much worse financial situation later this year than they expect. Although 2012 financial reports show a decrease in use of credit cards and overall debt loads for the average consumer, banks and other lenders are loosening their grip on their coffers, making it easier for people to borrow and use credit. The number of filings for bankruptcy in Michigan were down last year, but not because borrowers were being more responsible. With a pending election and a sluggish economy, ...

Use of Drug-Detecting Dog at Issue in Supreme Court Case

2013-01-29

Seemingly each session, the Supreme Court will hear cases regarding actions by law enforcement personnel in their investigations into drug crimes. The Court is asked to determine if these procedures infringe upon our constitutional rights. Often, the decisions expand the use of police power, making it more difficult for those accused of crime to present a strong defense against the accusations. Recently, the Court heard a case concerning the use of a drug-detecting dog during a Florida traffic stop. This case could lead to many more people being charged with drug crimes. A ...

Another Florida Car Accident Death Likely from Texting Behind the Wheel

2013-01-29

Unfortunately, the news is becoming all too common of Floridians who die because they or someone else uses cell phones to text behind the wheel. Only 29 years old, a Tampa man died in a single-vehicle crash on a Tuesday evening in November 2012 near the Gandy Bridge in St. Petersburg. His cell phone was found in the front seat displaying an incomplete text message, suggesting that the driver had probably been texting when he lost control of his speeding car. The driver apparently overcorrected after having veered onto the median and hit a power pole and palm trees. He ...

Oncology Information Systems' Reporting and Alerts Leave Providers Wanting More

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: