Orchard White Papers
ORCHARD'S LABORATORY INFORMATION SYSTEMS SUPPORT PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES
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Orchard’s software solutions can address the advanced IT needs of a diverse testing menu and eliminate many of the concerns public health laboratories (PHLs) face regarding electronic lab reporting. Offering complete laboratory system integration, decision-support rule capabilities, configurable analytics, and case management tools, Orchard’s systems allow PHLs to efficiently track clinical and environmental test data, respond to public health emergencies, and capture key performance analytics.
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THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PROCESS (RFP) EXPLAINED
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A request for proposal (RFP) is a method that companies use to solicit bids or proposals for a service or project. The RFP process intends to provide unbiased, competitive proposals that make it easier for buyers to compare responses between different vendors. If you are considering a new LIS and think a RFP would be of value, download our white paper, The RFP Process Explained, for helpful information. Even if you are unsure whether you need an RFP or not, the paper explains the process, discusses what is typically included, and can help you make an informed decision.
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POINT-OF-CARE TESTING: THE GREAT BOOM AHEAD
The value-focused environment of today’s healthcare is increasing the demand for POCT; and not just POCT, but rapid, accurate, and integrated POCT results. Improvements in patient outcomes and satisfaction can be realized when laboratory results are made available in real-time at the patients’ point-of-care. Yet, POCT tends to be siloed and often is not managed by the lab. To meet the evolving needs of healthcare, laboratories need to actively manage POCT. To do so effectively, lab managers who oversee POCT can benefit from a data management and connectivity solution that integrates POCT results into the patient’s chart and eases the challenges of POCT management.
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LABORATORY INFORMATION SYSTEM USABILITY
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Particularly in healthcare, it is important to design information systems that are user-friendly and enhance workflow. Yet, low usability scores are common for both EHRs and LISs. Standing out among competitors, Orchard® Harvest™ LIS scores well in a peer-reviewed, non-biased usability study. Harvest’s high level of usability improves workflow for laboratory professionals, supporting the lab’s vital contribution to patient care.
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POCT, POPULATION HEALTH, & PATIENT ENGAGEMENT
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Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a tool that can improve patient satisfaction, understanding, and engagement. Our shifting healthcare environment improves when we encourage patients to make decisions that improve their health; and population health programs benefit from initiatives that improve patient engagement. Read more to learn how laboratory professional oversight of POCT can enhance POCT’s ability to positively impact patient engagement and outcomes.
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ORCHARD TRELLIS AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN FFS & VALUE-BASED REIMBURSEMENTS
As healthcare reimbursements migrate from fee-for-service (FFS) to performance-based models or a combination there of, Orchard® Trellis™, our POCT management and integration system, can act as a tool to improve POCT reimbursements by automating capture of billing information. Trellis supports automated POCT billing and helps close care gaps using CPT II Codes, making the solution valuable in both FFS reimbursement models and for value-based or performance-based contracts.
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FOCUS ON LABORATORY STEWARDSHIP: THE LABORATORY'S EVOLVING VALUE PROPOSITION
Today’s savvy laboratories can shine in value-based care by demonstrating laboratory stewardship. Laboratory stewardship entails taking responsibility for lab testing from beginning to end. Read Orchard’s white paper to learn more.
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POPULATION HEALTH MANAGEMENT
The lab is the “gatekeeper” for a large portion of the data necessary for Population Health Management (PHM), so there are specific opportunities where labs can support shifting reimbursement models and PHM initiatives, poising themselves for success in value-based care. Read our white paper to learn more about how the laboratory can support PHM to promote the full value of the laboratory and its data.
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LABORATORY LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CHANGE
Strong leadership, forward-looking organizational culture, and readiness for change are necessary to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving healthcare system. This paper examines some of the accepted truths about leadership characteristics, shares anecdotal laboratory leadership scenarios, and discusses the importance of change management, and maintaining an organization-wide culture of innovation and openness to change.
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A PERSONAL JOURNEY: UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF MEDICAL ANALYTICS
Dr. Thomas Novicki, PhD, DABMM, from Marshfield Clinic Health System, shares his journey in learning to appreciate the value and power of medical analytics. In addition, he outlines the details of building a medical analytics program, and highlights results of successful medical analytics pilot projects at Marshfield Clinic Laboratory.
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TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP FOR A LABORATORY INFORMATION SYSTEM
In today’s evolving healthcare market, it is important to make fully informed investments. Even when you know the up-front costs of an LIS or other IT system, you may not realize the full cost of the product throughout its lifespan. Calculating total cost of ownership (TCO) helps you understand costs that are not as transparent as the initial purchase price, providing a more complete picture that can help you make an informed decision about the LIS that best fits your budget and your laboratory.
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EXTENDING THE LABORATORY’S REACH TO MEET HEALTHCARE’S NEW PARADIGM
To stay relevant in the transition to value-based healthcare, the lab’s reach will need to extend beyond the walls of the lab, and its tasks must include more than transmitting results into the EHR. The purpose of this paper is to help laboratorians learn important financial and IT concepts that will boost interaction with those departments to facilitate collaborative projects that improve patient care and reduce the overall cost of healthcare.
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MOLECULAR INFORMATICS: SHAPING CHANGE IN THE LAB
Molecular diagnostics is revolutionizing healthcare by paving the way for tailored treatments at the individual level—personalized medicine. Laboratory professionals must engage in active education with other healthcare colleagues to promote the integration of molecular advances into routine patient care; and aid in molecular and genetic data analysis and result interpretation to realize the full benefit of molecular testing and promote maximum lab value.
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TULARE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH LAB’S LEAN JOURNEY
Tulare County Public Health Laboratory (TCPHL) received an exciting grant, administered through the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), to implement Lean practices that improve laboratory efficiency. As part of its Lean toolkit, it selected Orchard Software’s laboratory information solutions to help streamline its processes, eliminate waste, and add value to its customers. Combining Lean concepts with a strong IT solution has achieved measurable improvements in quality and cost savings at TCPHL.
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MEANINGFUL MEDICAL ANALYTICS: DRIVEN BY LABORATORY DATA INTEGRATION
The changes taking place in healthcare offer great opportunities for the lab. Orchard Software wants to empower pathologists and laboratory leaders to see the value of the information they are processing and to become active participants in analytics that advance the value of lab information, improve patient care, and save healthcare dollars.
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LABORATORY POINT-OF-CARE TESTING: A FUTURE OUTLOOK
Point-of-care technologies are quickly becoming part of the transformation of the healthcare landscape. In the right situations, when implemented properly and thoughtfully, Point-of-Care-Testing (POCT) can have a positive impact on operational efficiency and patient care. Additionally, having POCT test results captured in the EHR will allow for quicker diagnosis and treatment, automated billing, and inclusion of POCT data in valuable medical analytics.
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LABORATORY INFORMATICS: SUPPORTING THE FUTURE NEEDS OF HEALTHCARE
Laboratory informatics plays a vital role in supporting the future needs of healthcare and the changes that are taking place will require the laboratory to expand its reach and become more involved in patient outcomes. If you have concerns about your laboratory’s preparation for the future from an IT perspective, this white paper can help you think through the factors that must be taken into consideration to determine if your information systems meet the future needs of healthcare.
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EFFECTIVE TEST UTILIZATION: A LABORATORY’S FIRST STEP IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEW HEALTHCARE MODEL
This white paper delves into more detail about the importance of having a test utilization program in place and outlines the beginning steps to start one. It reviews how and why lab tests are misordered and provides specific examples of ways to monitor test utilization that can improve patient care and reduce overall healthcare spending. In an environment that has little room for inefficiency or waste, it becomes imperative that laboratories take a proactive, involved role in making sure that the best tests are ordered and interpreted properly to contribute to our goal of better patient care.
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STRUCTURED DATA: ESSENTIAL FOR HEALTHCARE ANALYTICS & INTEROPERABILITY
Imperative to value-based healthcare are analytics that measure and demonstrate outcomes and “value.” The foundation for analytics is structured data—data that can be mined and shared with other systems. Orchard has published a white paper entitled Structured Data: Essential for Healthcare Analytics & Interoperability. If you would like to understand the emphasis and importance of interoperability and structured data to facilitate precise communication throughout our healthcare system, this white paper explains types of interoperability, the importance of standards (such as LOINC and SNOMED CT), why structured data is necessary for analytics, and how it ties into synoptic reporting for pathology.
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THE VALUE OF DATA IN THE NEW HEALTHCARE MODEL
As healthcare reform efforts continue to evolve and we transition from fee-for-service reimbursement models to value-based payment models, there will be winners and there will be losers. Which side of this divide your organization falls on will be based on the ability to gather and analyze clinical data to reduce episode-of-care costs and establish and implement evidence-based, standardized care processes
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THE VALUE OF THE LAB IN THE NEW HEALTHCARE MODEL
In an effort to empower laboratorians, Orchard offers these specific suggestions for ways to prosper within a value-based healthcare setting. If you are concerned about how your laboratory will fit in the changing healthcare environment, this white paper can help you rethink your lab’s role within your organization, encourage you to become more engaged in your facility’s overall success, and help you successfully maneuver through the volume-to-value shift in the healthcare reimbursement model.
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