RSNA Monday
Okay, today was overwhelming. Information technology was everwhere in the conference halls. Most of the money may be spent on buying modalities, but the focus – of prospective buyers and vendors both – is on the information systems that automate the workflow that surrounds diagnostic imaging.
Most of the day was spent with a client, but I also made it around to a few booths gathering info for the RSNA write-up I'll be doing for MX Magazine. Tomorrow is another day with my client meeting with vendors; more soaking up the RSNA vibe; and then… meet the bloggers.
Scroll down to the photos in the left column to see some what's going on here in Chicago. More tomorrow. Pictured right – a woman napping with those of us resting our feet in the technical exhibits.
Housekeeping
Reader Kathy M was kind enough to tell me my web pages are now center justified. They aren't on my browser, so I checked that new Intermet Explorer 7.0.
Microsoft IE is (still) notorious for not following industry standards – where else will they get their “value-add”? I' will have my technical expert look into this new problem, but since I'm out of town all week it will take a while.
For those of you who don't want to see center justified text now, why don't you check out the new version of Firefox?
RSNA Sunday
Well, my flight was late. By the time we checked in it wasn't worth going over to McCormick. We flew on Southwest, and other than being late – some kind of mechanical failure – the flight in to Midway was great.
There was time to make the McKesson social event at the Shedd Aquarium. That was when it started, you know, when you start seeing people that could swear that you know, but you only have this vague feeling of recognition – no name, no place, nothing.
The event was great: a great location, really good food (especially for “hot hors dourves”), live music and open bars. The McKesson folks were friendly and gracious hosts. As a marketing event, these things are a waste of money, but we did have a great time. And we saw a slew of other shuttle buses with different vendor names on them tooling around as we headed home.
Pictured right is the McKesson event – it was so exclusive that they said I could only show the exterior of the building. You know I'm kidding, right?
Meet the Bloggers at RSNA
Well, we've managed to pull an event together at the last minute. A group of us bloggers will be meeting Tuesday at 5:30pm in the aptly named NetWorks Bar at the McCormick Hyatt – that's the only hotel connected to the convention center. This location should provide reasonable access to cabs and shuttle buses after our little happy hour and fit between the closing of exhibits and dinner.
Confirmed bloggers include Steve Severance, Sam Friedman and Jon Mertz. Everyone is welcome.
If anyone would like to use the graphic at right, you can do a “save as” from your browser or email me for a copy of the file.
Also please note what should be obvious – this event is not organized by or affiliated with the RSNA in any way.
UPDATE: Journalist Neil Versel of the Healthcare IT Blog may also be joining us.
Is VISICU Making Music, or About to Face It?
Matthew Holt has a good story on the recent trials and tribulations of VISICU.
VISICU's technology creates a remote control
room–the eICU–with video links and feeds from equipment in physical
intensive care units (ICUs) and hospital IT systems. All this
information goes through a rules engine that delivers alerts to the
doctors and nurses staffing the eICU. VISICU says its solution of
remote perpetual management, based on the alerts, leads to better
patient outcomes compared to traditional ICU management in an era of
intensivist shortages.
Despite some challenges from Cerner and iMedsoft
to VISICU's patents defending its process, VISICU essentially created
this market. Therein lies part of the tale. VISICU had a lucrative IPO
in April, featured in BusinessWeek,
and saw its stock top out at nearly $26. But soon Wall Street noticed
that selling a new type of IT system to hospitals meant a long sales
cycle.
By mid-September the stock was well below its IPO
price, yet the company was still valued at over $240 million — pretty
high considering its revenues for 2007 will only be about $40 million.
Worse news was to come. Kaleida Health, a hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., was giving up its eICU, claiming that it hadn't seen the hoped-for results. Maybe the bubble had burst?
Major changes to the delivery of care are never easy. It seems the root of Kaleida's problems were implementation and not eICU itself.
Recently VISICU released studies showing dramatic reductions in mortality and morbidity
for patients in the ICUs of its current 67 clients. It has seen more
beds added to its contracts by existing clients, and has expanded its
services to other parts of the hospital.
It has also revised up its 2007 revenue forecast. But VISICU still
needs to persuade Wall Street; analysts on the recent conference call
were clearly looking for greater velocity of sales. Rosenfeld foresees
the inflection point for eICUs arriving “in the next two years,” and
says the data its clients are now generating will make it “glaringly
apparent this is very effective.”
And don't miss Vince Kuraitis' comment about VISICU's potential impact (scroll down) on the “hospital at home” market.
