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Wheat Systems Integration and Health Informatics International Merge to Form ... - DigitalJournal.com (press release) |
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Richmond, VA (PRWEB) June 05, 2012
Wheat Systems Integration (WSI), a leading technology communications and security integration firm, and Health Informatics International (HII), an electronic health records (EHR) and billing services firm, both headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, are pleased to announce today a merger and the creation of a new company that will be called INFIAN.
Wheat Systems is a full service IT and data, networking, telecommunications and security technology firm. Wheat provides a complete range of IT, unified communications and corporate services to address the business needs of government, education, healthcare, and commercial organizations. HII is a healthcare technology company that develops and supports EHR and medical billing systems and offers revenue cycle management services for physician offices and dialysis clinics.
With the merger of the two companies, Infian will become one of central Virginia’s largest IT services companies with a wide range of capabilities, from software and systems development, to networking, security and information solutions, to data, hardware and network monitoring and help desk solution center. “This is truly a merger of equals, resulting in a company that is exponentially stronger. With our comprehensive capabilities, we are well prepared to deliver on the ever-expanding technology needs of our clients,” says Infian’s CEO Beth Evans, former CEO of HII.
“The capabilities and resources each company brings to the table are strikingly complementary,” says Mike Wheat, Infian’s CIO and former CIO of WSI. “The IT services side of the business will be able to expand and better serve our combined clients thanks to the well-established operations and processes we can leverage from HII’s experience.” The two companies share business mindset and complement each other both strategically and philosophically. Wheat adds, “The work we have always done as a team focused on making a difference as we provide cost-effective solutions for our customers. We strive to provide substantially more solution at less cost and, as is our trademark, with the highest quality.”
HII has the same core values as Wheat. “Our clients rely on us as a trusted partner, because of our mission to improve patient care with systems that make our clients more efficient and save them money,” said Beth Evans. “Infian has a complete technical bench in a world moving towards greater security, interoperability, virtual computing and cloud technology. Our combined core competencies move us closer to a shared vision of what 21st century technology is and will be.”
About WSI: Founded in 2002, Wheat Systems Integration is a data, networking, telecommunications and security technology firm headquartered in Richmond, VA. Capabilities include network infrastructure and monitoring, virtualized and wireless networking, cloud and mobility strategies, information security, physical security and help desk solution center--as well as staff augmentation. Wheat Systems was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list in 2010, an exclusive roll of the most entrepreneurial and fastest growing companies in America. WSI’s extensive list of certifications and partnerships include Microsoft Gold Partner, NEC Authorized Diamond Associate, Dell Authorized Warranty Parts Direct, Cisco Premier Certified Partner, Apple, Emerson Liebert Network Power, avast! Antivirus, Barracuda Networks, Aerohive, HP, Absolute Software, Enterasys, and KACE Systems Management.
About HII: Founded in 1981, HII is a pioneer in electronic data management and software mediated workflow. HII is also headquartered in Richmond, VA and has installations across the USA, in the UK, and in Ireland. For over 30 years HII has specialized in the renal industry with clinical and financial software for dialysis centers and nephrologists, and offers EHR and financial systems and revenue cycle management for physician offices and dialysis facilities across the country. HII is a market leader with systems installed in over 900 facilities across the USA and in the UK and Ireland.
About Infian: Infian will be a majority woman owned business, SWaM certified, and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia with offices across the USA and in the UK and Ireland. “The name INFIAN describes the nature of our business: information management and technology” explained Marketing Director Steve Guarnieri. “It also relays the term ‘infinite,’ which addresses the vast expertise and capabilities we have to manage vast amounts of critical information.”
For more information please contact: Dave Martin, Marketing Manager, 804-934-9370 x156, dmartin(at)infian(dot)com
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/6/prweb9566292.htm
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PIA forum tackles renal disease prevention - Philippine Information Agency |
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TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, June 5 (PIA) -- The National Kidney and Transplant Institute, through its Renal Disease Prevention Program (REDCOP) and the Philippine Information Agency Region 8, will tackle renal disease prevention during the Harampang Ha PIA media forum on Tuesday, June 5.
PIA Region 8 Director Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu said that this special Harampang for the Renal Health Care and Prevention is in line with the celebration of the National Kidney Month this June,with the end goal of reducing mortality and morbidity due to kidney diseases & End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in the Philippines.
Director Tiu disclosed that the resource person for the June 5 Harampang is Dr. Joyce Rosario Matoza, one of five nephrologists, in Eastern Visayas.
Among the issues to be taken are the symptoms that every person ought to know if one is in the first stage of kidney infection, what is renal disease, is renal disease one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines, and how to prevent renal disease, among others.
The conduct of media forum which will be done regularly every quarter starting this month of June is stipulated in the Memorandum of Agreement between REDCOP and PIA, Director Tiu said. REDCOP has been PIA’s partner since 2000.
Renal Disease Control Program (REDCOP) started as the Preventive Nephrology Project (PNP) of the Department of Health, in June 1994, with the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) as the main implementing agency.
Towards the latter part of 1999, planning for the redirection of the PNP was done. In January 2000, the Preventive Nephrology Project was renamed Renal Disease Control Program, through a Memorandum No. 67-D s. 2000 from the Department of Health (DOH).
REDCOP implements different projects/activities on kidney disease prevention and control of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients (health promotion, primary, secondary, tertiary), including prevention of death through transplantation and organ donation.
The Renal Disease Control Program (REDCOP) is the office in-charge of implementing the NKTI's public health projects on the prevention and control of renal and other related diseases. It plans, implements and monitors projects for research, advocacy, training, service and quality assurance. REDCOP's activities are done mostly on a national scale through its network of Regional Coordinators throughout the country.
The REDCOP also administers and manages the Philippine Renal Disease Registry (PRDR), which include the following: the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Registry composed of the Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis & Transplant Registries, and the Chronic Kidney Disease Registry composed of Biopsy.
The same Office has been tasked to operate the Philippine Organ Donation Program (PODP) of the Department of Health (DOH). PODP sets up policies, guidelines and ethical principles whereby the act of organ donation and conduct of transplantation from living non-related organ donors (LNRDs) shall be managed and regulated. This Program supports a rational, equitable, ethical, and accessible renal health care program in the country.
The current REDCOP program manager is Dr. Antonio Paraiso. (PIA 8)
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DaVita to Cut Energy Use 15% Per Treatment by 2015 - Environmental Leader |
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Dialysis provider DaVita Inc. plans to cut its energy consumption 15 percent per treatment by 2015 as part of a larger environmental initiative.
The company announced five environmental goals, which were picked by 3,000 employees, to be achieved in the next three years from a 2011 baseline. DaVita has committed to reducing business office paper consumption 20 percent and operating paperless clinics; decreasing water consumption by 10 percent; increasing environmentally preferable procurement by 15 percent and improving employee awareness of sustainability initiatives by implementing one new program per year.
DaVita, which operates more than 1,800 outpatient dialysis centers in the US, formalized a broad environmental commitment in 2010. Since then, the company has taken a number of steps to recycle waste and reduce energy. DaVita opened the first LEED-certified dialysis center in the US that same year. The company is now seeking LEED Gold certification for its new corporate headquarters in Denver.
In 2011, DaVita offset 100 percent of the energy used all of its corporate business offices by buying green power credits that generate a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions. The company now saves more than 8 million pounds of medical waste annually and 95 percent of waste at its corporate headquarters is diverted through composting and recycling programs.
The company has installed a solar thermal system at its Scottsburg, Ind. location and its data center in Tacoma, Wash., was retrofitted to increase efficiency in heating and cooling loads while consolidating servers to reduce energy use.
Last year, DaVita and subsidiary of recycling and refuse collection company Waste Management announced a pilot project to recycle 350,000 pounds of waste from kidney dialysis. WM Healthcare Solutions runs the project with medical products firm Becton, Dickinson and Company. More than 100 DaVita clinics in southern California participated in the project.
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Sepsis outbreak at L.A. County dialysis center prompts public health investigation - Medical Xpress |
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Described in a poster presented at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, conducted an investigation led by public health nurse L'Tanya English, RN, MPH, who found that the bacteria infecting the three patients were genetically linked. These patients were infected with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia), a rare type of gram-negative bacteria.
Two of these patients were also positive for Candida parapsilosis (C. parapsilosis), a fungus that can cause sepsis in immune-compromised patients. One of these patients was positive for C. parapsilosis in the dialyzer only, and one patient was positive for Candida in the blood and in the dialyzer, which was genetically traced back to the same fungus in a faucet in the reprocessing room, where the dialyzers are disinfected and sanitized. The infections were reported to the health department in August 2011.
Two patients developed fevers and were hospitalized. One patient was assessed and treated as an outpatient; all patients later recovered.
The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health became aware of the situation when a hospital in southern California reported an outbreak of sepsis tied to one dialysis center. During the course of their investigation, they discovered that all of the cases used the same type of dialyzer with a removable component ? an O-ring header. These three patients were the only ones in the facility to use this type of dialyzer. In response to this outbreak, the facility decided to discontinue use of multi-use dialyzers with O-ring headers.
"Hemodialysis technology is life-saving, but carries a high risk of infection, regardless of the type of dialyzer used," said English. "Dialysis centers must work to reduce the risk of infection for their patients by ensuring proper cleaning and disinfection procedures are being followed throughout the facility. If multi-use dialyzers with removable headers and O-rings are used, processes to ensure proper disinfection must be in place."
The County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health is working with state and federal partners to conduct outreach to dialysis centers to decrease dialysis-associated infections and will discuss lessons learned from the investigation at the APIC Annual Conference.
"Contaminated O-rings have been previously implicated in dialysis-associated infection outbreaks. This report underscores the need for adequate infection prevention training in dialysis settings, as well as the critical partnership between public health departments and infection preventionists in hospitals and outpatient settings," said Michelle Farber, RN, CIC, APIC 2012 president. "Collaboration with public health is essential to pinpoint the cause of infection outbreaks and improve infection prevention practices across all healthcare settings."
Hemodialysis is a life-saving procedure that uses an artificial kidney, or dialyzer, to remove waste from the blood when the kidneys no longer work. It is most often the treatment for end-stage renal disease. Following cardiovascular disease, infection is the second highest cause of death for hemodialysis patients.
The most recent draft of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-associated Infections: Roadmap to Elimination includes a revised chapter on efforts to prevent and reduce healthcare-associated infections in end-stage renal disease patients.
In an effort to establish best practices for protecting patients undergoing hemodialysis, APIC published a Guide to the Elimination of Infections in Hemodialysis and has an archived webinar on dialysis event surveillance and reporting.
Provided by Association for Professionals in Infection Control
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