New Cloverleaf Functionality – Alerts

The Infor (formerly Lawson, formerly Healthvision, formerly…) folks have given us some nice enhancements to the alert functionality starting with version 5.8 of Cloverleaf (what I’m describing here is based on Windows version 5.8.5).

In recent memory, Cloverleaf has been able to automatically generate alerts under a variety of scenarios. Unfortunately, the built-in alert actions that displayed a message on the console or placed a message in the log/error files were not terribly useful. Sending automatic emails on Windows was challenging. The latest Cloverleaf makes the emailing much easier and adds some useful functionality.

Here is a list of my favorite alerts:

Alert Type	Send an alert when:
Thread status	A thread is up or down (or opening) for specified period of time
Error count	A thread has more than X errors
Outbound queue depth	More than X messages are queued up waiting to be sent
Last send	The last message we sent was more than X seconds ago
Disk % full	Just like it sounds
Last receive	The last message we received was more than X seconds ago
System CPU %	Just like it sounds
File change	A file is updated
Transactions/sec	A thread is processing > or < X transactions/second
Idle CPU %	CPU has less than X % idle for Y minutes

To assist with automatic email alerts, there’s a tool under Options, Site Options, Alert Configuration. It enables you to test connectivity with your mail server. The only gotcha with this is that when we ran the test, it told us the test had completed successfully but when we tried the alerts, the email didn’t go through. We had to change the settings on our Exchange connector to allow for unauthenticated or anonymous connections from the Cloverleaf server.

Fittingly enough, the default file for the alert configuration is called “default.alrt”. You can change this under the “Site Daemons” by using the “Alert Cfg” button but I’ve never bothered with that. I have a feeling that if you did change it, you’d have to restart the Monitor Daemon for it to take effect. Unlike other configuration settings in Cloverleaf, the alerts take effect as soon as you save the alert file. Not like the NetConfig, where you have to bounce a thread or process for it to become active.

There is a file called “alerts.log” that is useful for troubleshooting. Cloverleaf adds an entry to this file each time an alert fires. This file is in your site directory under exec\hcimonitord.

Here is an example of an outbound queue depth alert that will notify us when two or more messages have been queued up for at least a minute:

Note the %N references

Here are guidelines for setting up some of the common alerts:

Alert Type	Source	Source Count	Comparing	Comparing Blank	Duration
Thread status		any	!=	up	N min (usually use 1 for 1 minute)
Protocol status		any	!=	up	N min (usually use 1 for 1 minute)
Error count
Outbound queue depth		any	>=	# of messages	N min (usually use 1 for 1 minute)
Last send		Any	>=	# of seconds	N min (usually use 1 for 1 minute)
Disk % full	Drive to monitor	all	>=	% e.g. 80	Once
Last receive		Any	>=	# of seconds	N min (usually use 1 for 1 minute)
System CPU %
File change
Transactions/sec
Idle CPU %		All	<=	% (e.g. 5)	N min (e.g. 5)

 

The Alert Time Window used to have some “gotchas but now they’ve reworked it, so you don’t have to remember that 0 means Sunday.

Automatically Bouncing a Thread

The screen shot above shows an example of stopping and restarting a thread automatically. Thread_Restart.bat is a generic .bat file I created that allows us to pass the site, process and thread names so it can be reused. Contact me if you’d like a copy of the file by calling:

Jeff Robbins
Dynamic Health IT, Inc.
504-309-9103

or visit our Contact Us page.

Dynamic Health IT offers Cloverleaf Interface Development and Consulting.

2014 MU Attestation Requires 2014 Edition Certified System

While there is no requirement for vendors to certify their systems to 2014 Edition HITECH Certification in 2014, any Meaningful Use Attestation that is done for 2014 must be done on 2014 Edition certified software.  This applies to both Stage 1 and Stage 2 Meaningful Use Attestation. 

Table 5 in the HITECH Final Rule states the following for MU Stage 1 or MU Stage 2 in 2014:  

 All EPs, EHs, and CAHs must have EHR technology certified to the 2014 Edition EHR certification criteria that meets the Base EHR definition and would support the objectives, measures, and their ability to successfully report the CQMs, for the MU stage that they seek to achieve.

The 2014 Meaningful Use Attestation has been shortened to a 90-day attestation period in order to give vendors time to certify and implement their 2014 Edition certified system for their clients.  Hospitals will need to be on 2014 certified software and begin attesting by July 3, 2014 in order to have 90 consecutive days in the fiscal year.  Ambulatory providers would need to be on 2014 certified software and begin attesting by October 3, 2014 in order to have 90 consecutive days in the calendar year.  

All EPs, EHs and CAHs must also report on 2014 Clinical Quality Measures beginning in 2014.  

Raychelle Fernandez celebrates five years with Dynamic Health IT!

Dynamic Health IT would like to congratulate Raychelle on making five years with the company on May 12th!

Raychelle has been a true asset to our company since she joined us. In those five years, she has contributed skill, time, ideas, energy, and loyalty. We’ve noticed and appreciated all these contributions on our behalf!

Raychelle energized Dynamic Health IT right from the start, 5 years ago. She has great ideas and a can-do attitude. She has been a huge asset to the company and an excellent leader. We are very fortunate to have her and look forward to many productive years to come!
-- Jeff Robbins

From the minute I met Raychelle, I know that she was someone I would absolutely enjoy working with, and my intuition was correct. Not only is she a fantastic asset to DHIT, she is funny and outstandingly smart. She has a gift for recognizing things that I and others may not and is therefore great to have in brainstorming sessions and strategic planning. She has many talents, and is enthusiastic and professional and brings so much to the table. Raychelle, this has been a vibrant and wonderful 5 years, and I look forward to many more.
-- Connie Zimmermann

Raychelle is a very driven member, she can make the impossible very much possible. She is a great motivator to our team who will continue to bring DHIT far.
-- Maria Ruiz

Raychelle is a fantastic team member and always gets the job done. Congratulations on 5 years with DHIT and here's to many, many more!
-- Renee Martin

Raychelle is perpetual motion for DHIT; a loyal and proven team leader. Thanks for your innovation and crusade to our success. Congratulations on 5 years!
-- Beth Lanier

As a project manager Raychelle’s combination of creativity, strength, and attention to detail make her a most effective team leader. Her understanding and always friendly personality makes her a perfect co-worker.
-- Matthew Dugal

Raychelle has been an incredible mentor to me and has helped push me to be a successful healthcare IT professional. She has always been there to help me and she doesn't stop until the job is done correctly. Her project management skills, as well as her hospitality, are invaluable assets to DHIT.
-- Brian Oline

Raychelle it is an honor to get to know you and work with you. I haven’t been here very long, but I can tell you are great at what you do. Thanks for giving me a chance.
-- Michelle Yawn

Thanks again Raychelle for your hard work and dedication to Dynamic Health IT! 

Connie Zimmermann celebrates nine years with Dynamic Health IT!

Dynamic Health IT would like to congratulate Connie Zimmermann on making nine years with the company on April 14th!

Connie has been a real asset to our company since she joined us nine years ago. In those nine years, she has contributed skill, time, ideas, energy, and loyalty. We’ve noticed and appreciated all these contributions on our behalf!

Connie is great to work with. Her positive attitude is contagious.  Without her, DHIT wouldn't have been possible!
 -- Jeff Robbins, DHIT President

Connie is one of the most encouraging, dedicated individuals that I have ever had the experience of working with. I have enjoyed building the DHIT Team with her over the past 5 years. It’s wonderful to work hand in hand with a Team Member that sees the big picture. Thank you for all you are and Congrats on 9 years with DHIT! 
    -- Raychelle Fernandez, Director of Operations

Connie is a great team player and is always willing to lend a helping hand on a project or task.  It is great to see her smiling face every morning.  Happy 9 years!
   -- Renee Martin, Project Manager   

Connie, you are one of the keystones of DHIT.  It is a pleasure to work with you.  Happy 9th Anniversary at DHIT!
   -- Ozlem Kurt, Programmer

Connie's expertise and thoroughness make her an excellent knowledge resource; and her chipper attitude makes every week TGI Monday.
   -- Matthew Dugal, Programmer

From my first time meeting Connie for HL7 training until now, where I am so privileged to work with her, she has made me feel extremely welcome at DHIT and motivates me to bring more success to the company.
   -- Brian Oline, Programmer

Connie is one of the most zealous team players I have ever known! Congratulations on 9 years being one of the building blocks with DHIT; you're a pleasure to work with!
   -- Beth Lanier,  Sales Executive

Connie has been a great mentor and wonderful support, a definite strength to our DHIT team.
   -- Maria Ruiz,  Technical Assistant

It is a pleasure getting to work with Connie.  Her happy, optimistic personality makes work enjoyable.  I hope I have the pleasure of working w/ Connie for years to come.
   -- Michelle Yawn, Administrative Assistant

Thanks again Connie for your hard work and dedication to Dynamic Health IT!

Webinar: Enhanced Meditech CPOE Workflow

Join us to learn how the CPOE Dashboard was designed and implemented to fill important gaps in Summit's CPOE workflow.

Summit Health (Chambersburg and Waynesboro Hospitals) in Pennsylvania approached us with a problem: They wanted their Unit Secretaries to be involved with the workflow for CPOE but felt like Meditech lacked automated support in this area.

According to Ruth Ludwig, Manager of System Applications at Summit, “We wanted a way to engage unit secretaries and support personnel with CPOE orders without having to rely on Meditech's printed POM order sheet. Our goal was a paperless solution that freed unit secretaries from monitoring a printer.”

Ruth goes on to say, “Dynamic Health IT (DHIT) worked with us to design, develop and implement a browser-based work list and tracking board that refreshes automatically and highlights the orders that need review or follow-up. DHIT has been great to work with - very responsive and accommodating. We are looking forward to the many benefits this new CPOE Dashboard will bring to our facility!"

Clinicians and analysts at other hospitals have mentioned the need for an overhead tracking board or specific worklists targeted for other clinical personnel such as Respiratory Therapists. The CPOE Dashboard can meet these requirements, as well.

Please RSVP to join Summit Health and Dynamic Health IT for a webinar and demonstration of the CPOE Dashboard for Meditech Thursday April 18th at 1PM CST.

HITECH Certification Answers on MU Live!

Dynamic Health IT was featured this week on Meaningful Use Radio Show MU Live!

Jeff Robbins and Renee Martin joined Jim Tate and Roberta Mullin to discuss the topic of EHR Interoperability and Certification.

Click here to listen to a Podcast of the show!


Topics discussed include the differences in 2011 Edition and 2014 Edition HITECH Certification testing, details about a number of interoperability modules, implementation of Direct Protocol, differences in security modules in 2014, etc.

Our 2014 Edition certified bolt-on software, ConnectEHR, can be your interoperability solution for Stage 2.  DHIT works with vendors and hospitals in their certification efforts by providing  consulting and bolt-on software. 

ConnectEHR 1.0 meets the following certification criteria:

• 170.314(a) (15) Patient-specific education resources
• 170.314(b) (1) Transitions of care – receive, display, and incorporate transition of care/referral summaries
• 170.314(b) (2) Transitions of care – create and transmit transition of care/referral summaries
• 170.314(b) (5) Incorporate laboratory test and values/results.
• 170.314(b) (6) Inpatient setting only- transmission of electronic laboratory tests and values/results to ambulatory providers
• 170.314(b) (7) Data Portability 
• 170.314(d) (1) Authentication, access control, and authorization
• 170.314(d) (2) Auditable events and tamper resistance
• 170.314(d) (3) Audit Log
• 170.314(d) (5) Automatic log-off
• 170.314(d) (6) Emergency access
• 170.314(d) (7) Encryption of data at rest
• 170.314(d) (8) Integrity
• 170.314(e) (1) View, download, and transmit to 3rd party
• 170.314(e) (2) Ambulatory setting only-clinical summaries
• 170.314(e) (3) Ambulatory setting only-secure messaging
• 170.314(f) (2) Transmission to immunization registries
• 170.314(f) (3) Transmission to public health agencies – Syndromic Surveillance
• 170.314(f) (4) Inpatient setting only- transmission of reportable laboratory tests and values/results
• 170.314(g) (1) Automated numerator recording 
• 170.314(g) (4) Quality Management

If you need assistance on your 2011 or 2014 Edition certification, contact DHIT at
(504) 309-9103.

 

www.DynamicHealthIT.com

ConnectEHR receives 2014 Edition Modular Certification

ConnectEHR 1.0 achieved 2014 Edition Ambulatory and Inpatient HITECH Certification on 2/14/13.

ConnectEHR 1.0 meets the following certification criteria:

• 170.314(a) (15) Patient-specific education resources
• 170.314(b) (1) Transitions of care – receive, display, and incorporate transition of care/referral summaries
• 170.314(b) (2) Transitions of care – create and transmit transition of care/referral summaries
• 170.314(b) (5) Incorporate laboratory test and values/results.
• 170.314(b) (6) Inpatient setting only- transmission of electronic laboratory tests and values/results to ambulatory providers
• 170.314(b) (7) Data Portability 
• 170.314(d) (1) Authentication, access control, and authorization
• 170.314(d) (2) Auditable events and tamper resistance
• 170.314(d) (3) Audit Log
• 170.314(d) (5) Automatic log-off
• 170.314(d) (6) Emergency access
• 170.314(d) (7) Encryption of data at rest
• 170.314(d) (8) Integrity
• 170.314(e) (1) View, download, and transmit to 3rd party
• 170.314(e) (2) Ambulatory setting only-clinical summaries
• 170.314(e) (3) Ambulatory setting only-secure messaging
• 170.314(f) (2) Transmission to immunization registries
• 170.314(f) (3) Transmission to public health agencies – Syndromic Surveillance
• 170.314(f) (4) Inpatient setting only- transmission of reportable laboratory tests and values/results
• 170.314(g) (1) Automated numerator recording 
• 170.314(g) (4) Quality Management

Dynamic Health IT was the first vendor to test and certify with ICSA Labs on 2014 Edition criteria. Dynamic Health IT was also one of only four vendors in the nation to participate in ICSA's early Pilot Tests on the 2014 Edition certification requirements to provide feedback to the test labs and ONC.

If you need assistance on your 2011 or 2014 Edition certification, contact DHIT at (504) 309-9103.

2014 Edition (Stage 2) HITECH Certification Proctor Session with ICSA Labs

Dynamic Health IT will be participating in our Stage 2 HITECH Certification proctor session with ICSA Labs Thursday, February 7th and Friday, February 8th to test our 2014 Edition application, ConnectEHR.

The modules that ConnectEHR will be tested against include the following:

• 170.314(a) (15) Patient-specific education resources
• 170.314(b) (1) Transitions of care – receive, display, and incorporate transition of care/referral summaries
• 170.314(b) (2) Transitions of care – create and transmit transition of care/referral summaries
• 170.314(b) (5) Incorporate laboratory test and values/results
• 170.314(b) (6) Inpatient setting only- transmission of electronic laboratory tests and values/results to ambulatory providers
• 170.314(d) (1) Authentication, access control, and authorization
• 170.314(d) (2) Auditable events and tamper resistance
• 170.314(d) (3) Audit Log
• 170.314(d) (5) Automatic log-off
• 170.314(d) (6) Emergency access
• 170.314(d) (7) Encryption of data at rest
• 170.314(d) (8) Integrity
• 170.314(e) (1) View, download, and transmit to 3rd party
• 170.314(e) (2) Ambulatory setting only-clinical summaries
• 170.314(e) (3) Ambulatory setting only-secure messaging
• 170.314(f) (2) Transmission to immunization registries
• 170.314(f) (3) Transmission to public health agencies – Syndromic Surveillance
• 170.314(f) (4) Inpatient setting only- transmission of reportable laboratory tests and values/results
• 170.314(g) (1) Automated numerator recording
• 170.314(g) (4) Quality Management

ConnectEHR is bolt-on software that replaces our Stage 1 certified system, CCDConnect. Dynamic Health IT developed a web-based package that addresses a number of the interoperability modules required by 2014 Edition Certification. ConnectEHR is designed specifically for easy integration and customization to give our clients the best solution for their system. ConnectEHR functionality can easily be included or excluded based on the needs of the client.

If you are interested in learning more about ConnectEHR, visit our website or read out White Paper.

Contact Dynamic Health IT if you need assistance with your Stage 1 or Stage 2 HITECH Certification!

Dynamic Health IT, Inc.
504-309-9103

Wave Seven of the 2014 Edition Draft Test Methods Released

Wave Seven of the 2014 Edition Draft Test Methods were released on November 8, 2012.  Public commenting on this wave is two weeks after the posting date. 

To review this Wave and all prior Waves of Test Methods click here.

Contact Dynamic Health IT if you need assistance with  your Stage 1 or Stage 2 HITECH Certification!

Dynamic Health IT, Inc.
504-309-9103

DHIT at LA HIMSS

Dynamic Health IT exhibited at the Louisiana HIMSS conference in Baton Rouge Friday, November 9, 2012.  The event featured a number of informative speakers and vendor exhibitions.  Events sponsored by local chapters of HIMSS are a great way to meet and network with local people in the Health IT industry. 

The 2013 National HIMSS Conference and Exhibition is in New Orleans, Louisiana from March 3rd through 7th.  Visit Dynamic Health IT in Booth 4219 to check out our applications and products. 

Visit the HIMSS Conference website here to find out additional information.

Contact us if you need any help with system integration or HITECH Certification. 

Dynamic Health IT, Inc.
504-309-9103