LAN Systems Health Care eNewsletter September/October 2009

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CCHIT's answers HITECH certification with two programs:
Which one will you choose?

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) announced on September 9th that it would launch two certification programs on October 7. Providers need to understand not only the difference between the two programs but the consequences of choosing an electronic health record (EHR) product certified in one program over the other.

CCHIT Certified 2011 is an updated version of its comprehensive EHR certification program. Preliminary ARRA 2011, however, is a modular certification program. It focuses on the standards for qualifying systems under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which are based on current recommendations from healthcare advisory workgroups and committees reporting to the Office of the National Coordinator.

CCHIT has made provisions in the event that the final rulemaking, expected in the spring of 2010, adds new requirements. For vendors with preliminary certification, CCHIT would offer a free incremental inspection to allow vendors' products to meet the new specifications.

Some industry leaders believe that providers should buy a product certified through a comprehensive program. These proponents of EHR systems believe IT helps create better patient outcomes, which is why there is such a push for adoption. Physicians need a robust system that will enable them to deliver quality care to their patients, above and beyond the requirements to qualify for federal stimulus funding. Providers should be able to leverage health IT investments for future purposes in part to justify the high price tag and often painful implementation and office reengineering process.

Some would argue, however, that providers may not need all the bells and whistles of a product certified through a comprehensive program. Their needs may be met by basic systems.

At any rate, it behooves providers to be well educated (either by themselves or through a third party) about the details of each certification program and do their due diligence with vendors and their products. LAN Systems can provide direction and resources in your search for the best solution for your practice. Upfront financial limits, vision and office needs are just a few of the issues providers will need to take into account when it's time to jump into the EHR market. Jump wisely.

Learn more about our Health Care IT Solutions and Services.

Manually put your computer into hibernation

Published: September 7, 2006

When you use a laptop computer, you probably try to keep your battery power usage to a minimum. You may also want to cut down on the energy consumption of your desktop computer. One way to save power is to turn the computer off when you're not using it. If you'd like to save power but do not want to wait for Windows to shut down and restart, you can use the Microsoft Windows XP hibernation capability. Hibernation saves your open windows to your computer's hard disk and shuts the computer down within a few seconds. The next time you start your computer, all of your windows open exactly where you left them.

Hibernation is an alternative to the standby capability and saves your programs and shuts your computer down completely. Hibernation uses no power, and it takes your computer just several seconds to recover from hibernation when you want to use it again. Standby reduces power usage when your computer is not in use by turning off the parts of your computer that use the most energy. Standby uses more power than hibernation, but it takes less time to start a computer from standby than from hibernation.

Note: You can learn more about the standby option in your computer's power management settings in Configure Windows XP power management.

To put your computer into hibernation

Click Start, and then click Turn Off Computer.

Click Hibernate. If Hibernate is not an option, read Configure Windows XP power management for instructions on how to enable hibernation.

Turn off computer screen with Hibernate selected

Your computer goes into hibernation-a state in which it consumes no power. To wake your computer from hibernation, press the power button. If you like using hibernation, you can configure your computer's power button to automatically put your computer into hibernation.