Improving stroke outcomes is all about recognizing stroke symptoms FAST and cutting the time between symptom onset and treatment. Ischemic strokes, which account for 88% of all stroke cases, leave patients with only a small three-to-four-and-a-half hour window in which they can receive medication, without suffering potentially permanent disability. When it comes to these patients, there is literally no time to lose.

Here at MEDITECH, we work to create insightful content and provide a platform for thought leaders in the healthcare community to discuss industry trends and solutions. From sharing customer success stories, to tips and suggestions on how to navigate the transforming world of healthcare, the MEDITECH blog has become a go-to resource for healthcare leaders.

Everyone in healthcare knows the importance of getting paid for services, and outpatient diagnostic imaging procedures are no exception. Beginning  January 1, 2019, providers must comply with imaging appropriate use criteria (IAUC) — as outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in accordance with the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014 — when ordering Medicare Part B outpatient advanced diagnostic imaging services, such as CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine including PET scans.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) has designated 2017 as the “Year of the Healthy Nurse,” with a central focus on the balance of “mind, body, and spirit.” We’ve curated some of our favorite blog posts for nurses, along with a few external resources, to clear the mind and reduce stress for even the most strained nurses out there.

Dr. Peter Bak, CIO at Humber River Hospital (HRH) in Toronto, was named 2016 Canadian CIO of the Year by the Information Technology Association of Canada. Under Dr. Bak’s leadership, HRH has deployed a staggering array of cutting-edge technologies, leading observers to declare it “North America’s first fully digital hospital.” In this blog post, Dr. Bak shares four characteristics of a fully digital hospital. As he is quick to point out, it means much more than going paperless!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more Americans are likely to die each year from a drug overdose than from traffic accidents. And opioids account for more than three out of five overdose deaths. These scary statistics prompted me to initiate a discussion with MEDITECH’s Nurse Advisory Committee, comprised of 16 clinicians from different specialities throughout the US. From their collective experience, we came up with several ways that nurses and other providers can use their electronic health records to help patients manage pain, without falling into addictive drug use patterns. Here’s our top five: