Ascendian Healthcare Consulting
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Sentara Healthcare operates more than 100 sites of care serving the residents of Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Founded in 1888, the organization is growing and is recognized as one of the top integrated health care systems in the nation. Sentara Healthcare currently consists of:
- 10 hospitals
- Advanced imaging centers
- Three medical groups
- Nursing and assisted-living centers
- 3,680 provider medical staff
- Optima Health – Sentara-owned health plan serving 450,000 members
Sentara’s quest for superior patient care, continuous innovation and expansion required the organization to consider a vendor neutral archive (VNA) solution to increase interoperability and connectivity for their current and future enterprise medical imaging initiatives. To launch the VNA effort, Sentara engaged Ascendian Healthcare Consulting as a partner to establish the foundations required for a successful business strategy and the supporting analysis, education, phased design and deployment. An enterprise VNA will enhance Sentara’s capabilities across clinical image data flow, work flow and integration with their EHR solution. The effort required:
- Identifying the technical and functional requirements of an Enterprise Imaging Platform, including an enterprise viewer
- Developing and delivering education to technical, clinical and executive leadership
- Conducting a robust vendor selection process
- Designing a design, build, migration and implementation strategy that includes image-enabling their EHR (EPIC)
April 03, 2013 
The management of patient information has taken a turn toward complexity with the advent of the new healthcare delivery models as proposed by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), meaningful use (MU) and healthcare reform — specifically: Portability and interoperability. The silo and proprietary system model that has served providers for years has been demolished and replaced with a paradigm that requires the sharing of information with affiliated and nonaffiliated providers. The solutions to manage this interoperability are as vast as the HIMSS exhibit hall.
November 20, 2012 
Ascendian Healthcare Consulting offers enterprise dose reduction solutions. It provides practices with solutions to help them: develop a dose strategic vision and road map; evaluate vendors and negotiate contracts; identify and organize a steering committee and stakeholders; plan and kick off projects, and implement and support solutions.
For more information: www.ascendian.com
September 28, 2012 Ascendian, which exhibited at AHRA 2012, is a national systems integrator that helps large healthcare organizations adopt technology and practices to improve quality of care, reduce costs and create long-term, sustainable strategies.
August 17, 2012 
There seems to be a general sense of delayed reaction within the healthcare arena when it comes to preparation for California’s Senate Bill (SB) 1237 and Assembly Bill (AB) 510 and other pending legislation that adopts regulations regarding the capture and reporting of radiation dosing. The looming threat of violating California law with the potential for fine implications has begun to sink in, yet the bigger picture seems to be lost in translation.
June 01, 2012 
It’s difficult, they say, to accurately gauge the impact of change without the benefit of time and historical perspective. Yet, some change brings a sense that nothing will ever be the same. Much of the discussion surrounding accountable care organizations (ACOs) has fallen along typical party lines of resistance — referencing formerly failed reimbursement and payment initiatives and arguing that the cost of entry is prohibitive, while realized savings are minimal.
April 03, 2012 If your enterprise is similar to most current hospital health information technology (HIT) architecture, you have clinical/data silos everywhere. This is nothing to be ashamed of; you are normal. But in the coming age of healthcare delivery, silos must be replaced with interoperability. One key to interoperability will be an integrated medical image archive.
November 23, 2011