Barracuda Consulting, LLC

Written By: Kelly Buckman A common theme in many of films, and TV shows, going as far back as “Terminator” (1984), “RoboCop” (1987), or even further (anyone remember the “Jetsons”, which originally aired in 1962 or “2001: A Space Odyssey” from 1968?), the presence of robots and machines that can perform many of the functions once required of humans, has been ample fodder for the creative mind. Certainly a common thread among these films, and shows, coupled with advances of technology in the real world, are feelings of awe, and not a small amount of angst. Robotics has been a key factor in the automation of the manufacturing industry for over half a century. The first industrial robot, the Unimate, was developed in 1954. Initially met with skepticism, over time, the technology evolved, and today, robots perform numerous tasks with greater endurance, speed, and precision than their human counterparts, including welding, painting, assembly, pick and place for printed circuit boards, pac...

Written By: Kelly Buckman By now, it should be clear to all of us that cutting-edge technological advances are key to the future of healthcare in the 21st century. In fact, it’s rare to receive medical care these days without some aspect of technology affecting us, from electronic health records (EHR’s) to wearable monitors to Virtual Reality diagnostics. It comes as little surprise then that the healthcare industry is blazing new trails when it comes to using technology to enhance, and even save, lives. One such example is the use of 3D printing, a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. Once primarily associated with graphic design and manufacturing, 3D printing is being used today to create a variety of medical devices, including instrumentation (e.g., guides to assist with proper surgical placement of a device), implants (e.g., cranial plates or hip joints), dental restorations such as crowns, hearing aids, prescription eyeglasses, and external pr...

Written By: Kelly Buckman Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past decade, chances are that you’ve heard of the “Cloud” and may even understand the value of Cloud technology for storing large amounts of data for businesses and other types of organizations. What you may not know is how healthcare is benefiting from advances in cloud technology, and in particular, software as a service. A common delivery model for many business applications, Software as a service, also known as SaaS, is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. * Typically accessed using a thin client via a web browser, some common examples of SaaS include Office 365, Google Apps, Citrix GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx, and Netflix. With SaaS, vendors develop, monitor and maintain the application. Data is stored off-site and users access software over the internet. And since SaaS vendors develop and troubleshoot any issues that may aris...

Written By: Kelly Buckman In an era when healthcare is increasingly driven by technology as a means of automating processes and sharing information, what does the future look like for hospitals? It may not be what you think. Case in point is Mercy Virtual Care Center in Chesterfield, MO. At first sight it looks like any other hospital, with doctors and nurses checking vital signs, talking with patients, and creating treatment plans. But unlike hospitals that most of us are used to, there is one thing missing: patients. At Mercy, doctors and nurses treat patients from carrels with monitors showing patients in remote rooms. From here, they can see graphs with bloodwork and images of internal organs and limbs, and scan lists of issues that computer apps have determined they should look out for. Called a “virtual hospital” Mercy is on the cutting edge of healthcare technology. Unlike a traditional hospital, a virtual hospital has no need for rooms, as providers care for patients ...

Written By: Kelly Buckman It’s a scenario that is far too common these days. A well-meaning physician prescribes pain killers for a patient who has suffered an injury, with the expectation that the patient will only take the drug until their pain starts to subside. Too often, however, they continue to take the medication after the injury heals, and as a result, become addicted. When the patient can no longer obtain the prescription drug, the results may be catastrophic as in many cases, they turn to heroin or other opioid use, often fatally overdosing. In fact, arguably the worst addiction crisis in American history, opioid addiction has reached epidemic proportions over the past several years, as healthcare providers struggle to adapt practices to reduce the chances of a patient becoming dependent on these drugs. In 2016 alone, there were more than 42,000 overdose deaths from addiction to legal painkillers and illegal drugs like heroin, according to Centers for Disease Control and...

Written By: Kelly Buckman What do you think of when you hear the term ‘Virtual Reality’? Do you think of the next big thing in the world of gaming? Or maybe a way of relaxing and tuning out the hectic world of the 21st century? Beyond recreational use, perhaps you’re aware that VR is used by NASA scientists to simulate a walk on Mars to prepare astronauts for a possible landing, and by educators to educate parents and teachers about distracted driving and enhance cognitive learning. In fact, the market for Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) is projected to reach $160 billion by 2020. * There is one use in particular for VR that has shown a lot of promise in recent years, namely, enhancing patient healthcare. In fact, the healthcare industry is finding virtual reality to be an effective tool for not only diagnostics, but also for treating patients, medical training, and patient education. Diagnostics and Prevention VR simulations use diagnostic images from CAT scans...

Written By: Kelly Buckman By now, we’re all familiar with fitness trackers and their value in helping us meet our goals of getting and staying healthy. In fact, the number of connected wearable devices is expected to climb from an estimated 325 million in 2016 to over 830 million in 2020. That’s an increase of nearly 40% for a device that is primarily used to help people get and stay healthy. * It stands to reason that this technology would be adopted by hospitals and healthcare providers to improve the quality of care, although the ramifications of such usage are far reaching. One example of beneficial use of wearable technology is tracking bracelets worn by doctors, nurses, and patients that can help capture data on the amount of time a patient spent in the waiting room, or the time a doctor spent in front of a computer. The data collected can then be used to improve patient workflows or reduce wait time, which can lead to a direct cost reduction per payment. Sharp Chula Vista Medica...

Written By: Kelly Buckman Most of us in the healthcare IT field are familiar with the concept of Artificial Intelligence, or AI. AI attempts to harness the ability of computers and machines learn and perform tasks in order to automate and increase the efficiency of business processes. AI can be grouped into three separate areas of study: deep learning, machine intelligence, and machine learning. Here I will focus on the last of these, machine learning. Machine Learning automates the analysis of data and inputs to develop computing models needed to operate an automated computer, software program or process, thus eliminating the need to do this manually, saving time, energy, and resources. Sounds great, right? It’s easy to embrace this technology as the way of the future, a means of achieving more efficient operations. However, it’s important to understand the limitations and risks associated with this technology. -Machine Learning is susceptible to errors and when errors do occur, it c...

Written by: Kelly Buckman Most of us are familiar with this common scenario: An individual or a company employee is working in an application on their pc when a menacing message appears advising them that their computer has been locked and that they will have to pay a fee to regain access. It’s called ‘ransomware’, a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until an amount of money or ‘ransom’ is paid. Ransomware attacks are carried out through a technique known as crypto viral extortion, in which the victim’s files are encrypted, making them inaccessible until a ransom is paid to decrypt them. Since 2012, the prevalence of ransomware scams has grown globally. One example of ransomware, crypto locker was especially successful, extorting an estimated $3 million before it was removed by authorities. Another, Crypto Wall, was estimated by the FBI to have accrued over $18 million by June of 2015 (per Wikipedia). Pretty scary stuff for both the individual co...

Written by: Kelly Buckman An elderly woman living alone with limited mobility dials into a teleconference to receive physical therapy via digital monitoring A new mother living in a remote rural area dials into a tele-session to receive assistance with breastfeeding Two physicians 1200 miles apart meet over video conference to review a patient’s X-rays. These scenarios are all examples of ways Telehealth is used in the modern age. Telehealth is most commonly defined as “the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies” ( www.hrsa.gov ). The terms ‘Telehealth’ and ‘Telemedicine’ are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences, in that telemedicine involves using telecommunication and information technology to provide clinical health care whereas ‘Telehealth’ is a broader term encompassing non-clinical (i.e., administration and provider education), as well as clinical implications. It may surprise y...

Written by: Kelly Buckman Those of us working in the field of Healthcare IT are often intimately familiar with HIPAA regulations and their impact on our day to day operations.  But in the course of working to resolve problems for our customers, how often do we really think about the pitfalls of sharing healthcare related information amongst ourselves and others? Usually, this takes the form of screenshots, samples of reports, data files, etc. I can’t count the number of times I’ve emailed a screenshot of a software-created object to one or more of my co-workers in the course of collaborating on an issue (“Have you seen this before?”), or a customer contact to triumphantly demonstrate that I’ve resolved their data or server-related issue. (“Look, it’s fixed.  You’re welcome!”) But very often, the data transferred back and forth contains PHI (Protected Health Information) or PI/PII (Personal Information/Personally Identifiable Information) such as name, address telephon...