I have started a new blog called www.smartmoneytech.com to support my recent book launch. This blog will focus on the principles identified and discussed in my book. I want the blog to foster open discussions and idea sharing about ways to improve your personal finances, but with one twist, I want to highlight ways to leverage your Smartphone to accomplish this task. There are thousands of apps available today that can be used to improve your life. I will introduce some of my favorites and ask readers to do the same.
Why don't you join the fun! www.smartmoneytech.com
Thanks
Tom
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
My first book gets Published! Mobile Money Machine
One of my 2014 goals was to publish my first book. I spent a lot of time and effort developing the content and going through the publishing process. I decided to publish on Amazon through the Kindle Direct Publishing program. Please check it out if you have any interest in saving money using your Smartphone. Here is a copy of the cover for Mobile Money Machine and the description on what's in the book.
Mobile Money Machine, How
to Use Your Smartphone to Make REAL MONEY NOW!
Mobile Money Machine, How
to Use Your Smartphone to Make REAL MONEY NOW!
More than a billion people globally have a
Smartphone in their hands today. How
many of them see this powerful device as a source of revenue versus just
another expense? How many are using
their phones to make extra profits around the clock and around the globe? Everybody, regardless of their current job or
lifestyle has free time throughout their day.
How would you like to fill that free time with money making
opportunities? How about making money
every day for things you do every day?
There are countless opportunities to use your
Smartphone to gain a strategic advantage in almost everything you do and every
transaction you execute. I will teach
you how to rethink your day to day spending for the things you need in your
life, not only to reduce your costs, but also how to profit from it and to
create a new self sustaining investment account. I will share my three essential strategies
for both buying thing you need; as well as, for selling things you don’t. Further, I will show you how to “fill in the
gaps” of time that you have in your day to make that extra money that will really
add up at the end of the month.
Key Topics Covered:
- 3 essential
strategies that will shape your thinking about transactions
- Over a
dozen powerful buying/selling apps to load on your Smartphone
- Proven
revenue generating ideas that leverage the mobile Internet
- Fill the
gaps with “Micro-Consulting”
- Building
your own digital storefront
- Paid
online “niche” surveys
- How to
position yourself to profit from the growing mobile world
- Learn
about being a “Virtual Assistant”
- How to
automate your life
- The
International scene
- Other neat
little tips and tricks to grab some quick cash!
Cerner Health Conference 2014
I had a great time at the Cerner Health Conference which was held the first week of November 2014. It was filled with long days visiting with vendors, connecting with colleagues and sitting in on user presentations. I had the opportunity to be interviewed as part of the Cerner leadership series and I also gave a presentation in their Client Solutions Gallery. I will post links to both below and share some of the photos from the event. I can't believe how many people clog the halls trying to get to their next session.
Photo of me with a big picture of me!
Same quote but on a wall poster.
Client Achievement Gallery Presentation:
View video
Having some fun at a vendor booth! I didn't win the Ghostbusters replica.
Here is my quote from our success with the Meaningful Use Stage 2 program.
Client Achievement Gallery Presentation:
View video
Client Leadership Interview:
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Interview with Next Wave Connect
I had a great time speaking with Zachary B. Fountain-Metz from Next Wave Connect about Meaningful Use and Patient Portals. Here is the link to the blog page.
http://nextwaveconnect.com/blog/everybody-every-time-sit-tom-johnson/
Also, they have recorded our conversation for listening if you prefer that method.
http://goo.gl/p3AYvm
Thanks again Zac.
http://nextwaveconnect.com/blog/everybody-every-time-sit-tom-johnson/
Also, they have recorded our conversation for listening if you prefer that method.
http://goo.gl/p3AYvm
Thanks again Zac.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Small Hospital, Big Focus on Stage 2
Tom Johnson, CIO of DuBois Regional Medical Center'I know the measures very well. I get down into the details and make sure the reports are right.'
DUBOIS, PA | September 12, 2014
If Tom Johnson, CIO of DuBois Regional Medical Center, had to pick one word to describe his hospital's success – particularly on the meaningful use front – it would be "focus." He's the kind of guy who likes to keep his eye on the ball.
The word "focus" crops up often as he describes the IT team's approach to work. And, it's likely focus that got DuBois Regional to the head of the line when it was time to attest to meaningful use, Stage 2. The 250-bed hospital, part of a small, integrated delivery network in Northwestern Pennsylvania, was first to attest among a handful of hospitals that attested early. Though more hospitals have attested to date, the number could still be counted on a couple sets of hands.
"For us it's our No. 1 mission," Johnson told Healthcare IT News. "It's top priority and the focus for us." Johnson said. "So, I don't know that all hospitals are going to agree that meaningful use is their No. 1 focus. Literally, it's our competitive advantage because our patients are the beneficiaries of all this improved safety, improved quality, improved efficiencies."
[See also: Stage 2: Rubber meets the road.]
He points out that being a small hospital in a small network probably gives it an advantage when it comes to achieving Stage 2. Huge health systems are probably juggling many projects.
"We're not starting companies, and building new and innovative products," he said. "Our focus is delivering patient care and doing the best job that we can with it. So, we're able to align our IT projects with all the other projects in our hospital, and integrate them all together. So, everybody is literally working on this – with one focus throughout our entire hospital."
There were some items that were challenging. One of them was the patient portal, engaging patients and families in their care and the HIE, or health information exchange. "Those are the ones that took the bulk of the time, effort and focus to really position us to be the first hospital to attest in the country, which we were," Johnson said.
Providing the focus are about 30 IT staffers, among them a hard-core group of six people "that really made all of this happen," Johnson said. "So, not a lot of people, but highly focused and motivated people."
"Myself as the CIO," Johnson continues, "I know the measures very well. I get down into the details and make sure the reports are right. I talk to the end users. It's very important to me as well, personally. Getting involved, leading by example, and getting everyone focused and working together is important for us, so we make it a priority."
[See also: Will Stage 2 climb inspire or derail?.]
There are a number of core measures for meaningful use, and some have to be achieved at a certain percentage. Then, there are so-called menu items from which to choose a certain number.
"So, they might have six optional items," Johnson said. "We try to do all six because we know we're eventually going to have to do them. And, we don't just do 5 percent, or 10 percent. We try to do 100 percent. It's very hard to do something 5 percent of the time if you're going to do it well and reliably.
The way Johnson and is team like to handle a new IT project is to write up policies and procedures, get leadership to adopt them, and give it 100 percent.
"That's the right thing to do for patients," Johnson said. "That's the right thing to do for sustainability. If you do something 5 percent of the time, you check the box. Come back in three months and see if you're still doing it. Probably not."
Dubois Regional and one other hospital of the four-hospital IDN have a Cerner EHR. One hospital has a Meditech system and another has a Siemens system. Both are expected to switch to Cerner, Johnson said, so all the hospitals will operate on the same platform.
"So, that's the direction we're heading, but it's not been contracted," he said.
Colleagues and others in the IT field ask Johnson: How much more did it cost than Stage 1? Are you going to be able to do Stage 3? How many additional staff did I hire?
"The answer to that is "almost nothing," he said. "We've made very little investment, hired no additional people, and we're well positioned for Stage 3, whatever that's going to be."
Johnson sure makes it sound easy.
"It's like everything else in life, he said. "If you're focused and your well positioned to do it. Then, it's just your ability to execute on it."
Link to Full Article: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/Small Hospital
The word "focus" crops up often as he describes the IT team's approach to work. And, it's likely focus that got DuBois Regional to the head of the line when it was time to attest to meaningful use, Stage 2. The 250-bed hospital, part of a small, integrated delivery network in Northwestern Pennsylvania, was first to attest among a handful of hospitals that attested early. Though more hospitals have attested to date, the number could still be counted on a couple sets of hands.
"For us it's our No. 1 mission," Johnson told Healthcare IT News. "It's top priority and the focus for us." Johnson said. "So, I don't know that all hospitals are going to agree that meaningful use is their No. 1 focus. Literally, it's our competitive advantage because our patients are the beneficiaries of all this improved safety, improved quality, improved efficiencies."
[See also: Stage 2: Rubber meets the road.]
He points out that being a small hospital in a small network probably gives it an advantage when it comes to achieving Stage 2. Huge health systems are probably juggling many projects.
"We're not starting companies, and building new and innovative products," he said. "Our focus is delivering patient care and doing the best job that we can with it. So, we're able to align our IT projects with all the other projects in our hospital, and integrate them all together. So, everybody is literally working on this – with one focus throughout our entire hospital."
There were some items that were challenging. One of them was the patient portal, engaging patients and families in their care and the HIE, or health information exchange. "Those are the ones that took the bulk of the time, effort and focus to really position us to be the first hospital to attest in the country, which we were," Johnson said.
Providing the focus are about 30 IT staffers, among them a hard-core group of six people "that really made all of this happen," Johnson said. "So, not a lot of people, but highly focused and motivated people."
"Myself as the CIO," Johnson continues, "I know the measures very well. I get down into the details and make sure the reports are right. I talk to the end users. It's very important to me as well, personally. Getting involved, leading by example, and getting everyone focused and working together is important for us, so we make it a priority."
[See also: Will Stage 2 climb inspire or derail?.]
There are a number of core measures for meaningful use, and some have to be achieved at a certain percentage. Then, there are so-called menu items from which to choose a certain number.
"So, they might have six optional items," Johnson said. "We try to do all six because we know we're eventually going to have to do them. And, we don't just do 5 percent, or 10 percent. We try to do 100 percent. It's very hard to do something 5 percent of the time if you're going to do it well and reliably.
The way Johnson and is team like to handle a new IT project is to write up policies and procedures, get leadership to adopt them, and give it 100 percent.
"That's the right thing to do for patients," Johnson said. "That's the right thing to do for sustainability. If you do something 5 percent of the time, you check the box. Come back in three months and see if you're still doing it. Probably not."
Dubois Regional and one other hospital of the four-hospital IDN have a Cerner EHR. One hospital has a Meditech system and another has a Siemens system. Both are expected to switch to Cerner, Johnson said, so all the hospitals will operate on the same platform.
"So, that's the direction we're heading, but it's not been contracted," he said.
Colleagues and others in the IT field ask Johnson: How much more did it cost than Stage 1? Are you going to be able to do Stage 3? How many additional staff did I hire?
"The answer to that is "almost nothing," he said. "We've made very little investment, hired no additional people, and we're well positioned for Stage 3, whatever that's going to be."
Johnson sure makes it sound easy.
"It's like everything else in life, he said. "If you're focused and your well positioned to do it. Then, it's just your ability to execute on it."
Link to Full Article: http://www.healthcareitnews.com/Small Hospital
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Western PA HIMSS Feature
Here the recent feature from the Western PA HIMSS website. It was nice of them to put me on the homepage of their members site.
Chief Information Officer, Penn Highlands Healthcare
Operating as a healthcare organization today means finding a sustainable balance between multitudes of items, including superior patient care, cost saving measures, and regulatory demands. Across the country, hospitals and medical practices have been scrambling towards Meaningful Use Stage 2 attestation since the beginning of April. For Stage 2 attestation, hospitals must prove that their implemented EHR increases patient engagement, is capable of transmitting care summaries across multiple settings, and comply with greater requirements around e-prescribing and lap results, according to CMS.
So far, Stage 2 attestation results have been underwhelming at best, with only 78 hospitals attesting as of August 1, according to CMS data. One area hospital, however, can proudly say they were able to attest in April.
Penn Highlands Dubois attested for Stage 2 on April 7, one of, if not the first hospital in the nation to do so. This accomplishment was made possible due to foresight, dedicated planning, and a hardworking team, according to Penn Highlands CIO, Tom Johnson. “We started our preparations when the HITECH came out back in early 2009,” said Johnson. His organization worked on Stage 1 since early in 2010 and focused its efforts on “exceeding every measure, shooting for 100% in every category, including all the operational measures.” Ultimately, Johnson credits the organization’s team of leaders and IT professionals for the success. “Their creativity, knowledge and passion for their work is really what made this all happen,” according to Johnson.
As hospitals across the organization continue to grapple with meeting Stage 2 objectives, we congratulate Johnson and Penn Highlands Dubois on their well-deserved accomplishment!
Link to their website http://wpa.himsschapter.org/
WPA HIMSS Member Spotlight
Tom Johnson, MBA, CPAChief Information Officer, Penn Highlands Healthcare
Operating as a healthcare organization today means finding a sustainable balance between multitudes of items, including superior patient care, cost saving measures, and regulatory demands. Across the country, hospitals and medical practices have been scrambling towards Meaningful Use Stage 2 attestation since the beginning of April. For Stage 2 attestation, hospitals must prove that their implemented EHR increases patient engagement, is capable of transmitting care summaries across multiple settings, and comply with greater requirements around e-prescribing and lap results, according to CMS.
So far, Stage 2 attestation results have been underwhelming at best, with only 78 hospitals attesting as of August 1, according to CMS data. One area hospital, however, can proudly say they were able to attest in April.
Penn Highlands Dubois attested for Stage 2 on April 7, one of, if not the first hospital in the nation to do so. This accomplishment was made possible due to foresight, dedicated planning, and a hardworking team, according to Penn Highlands CIO, Tom Johnson. “We started our preparations when the HITECH came out back in early 2009,” said Johnson. His organization worked on Stage 1 since early in 2010 and focused its efforts on “exceeding every measure, shooting for 100% in every category, including all the operational measures.” Ultimately, Johnson credits the organization’s team of leaders and IT professionals for the success. “Their creativity, knowledge and passion for their work is really what made this all happen,” according to Johnson.
As hospitals across the organization continue to grapple with meeting Stage 2 objectives, we congratulate Johnson and Penn Highlands Dubois on their well-deserved accomplishment!
Link to their website http://wpa.himsschapter.org/
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Trip to the HIMSS Innovation Center Cleveland, OH
On September 5th I will be traveling to Cleveland, Ohio to be on a distinguished panel of experts to discuss Big Data. We will also get the opportunity to tour the new HIMSS Innovation Center. See the invite/agenda below.
Join the Western PA Chapter and Northern Ohio Chapter of HIMSS for a day at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland, OH for a day of "BIG DATA and Healthcare" presentations, panel discussions and networking. WPHIMSS will provide transportation (as needed) from Erie, Pittsburgh and Altoona/Johnstown.
The formal tour will enable us to take part in an interactive learning experience where we'll:
AGENDA:
Join the Western PA Chapter and Northern Ohio Chapter of HIMSS for a day at the Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland, OH for a day of "BIG DATA and Healthcare" presentations, panel discussions and networking. WPHIMSS will provide transportation (as needed) from Erie, Pittsburgh and Altoona/Johnstown.
The formal tour will enable us to take part in an interactive learning experience where we'll:
- Learn about innovative Information Technology products and services that can positively transform the quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, and access to care;
- See simulated clinical scenarios in which health information is securely and appropriately shared;
- Learn how health information technologies can improve patient care; and Participate in state-of-the art use of Information Technology in health and healthcare practices.
AGENDA:
- 7:30am: Leave Erie, Pittsburgh or Altoona/Johnstown (if taking the provided transportation)
- 10:30am: Arrive at the Cleveland Innovation Center
- 11:00am: Chapter Presidents Welcome
- 11:15am: Keynote Speaker: Anil Jain, MD in HIMSS Conference Room
- 12:15pm: Lunch on showcase area on HIMSS Floor
- 1:15pm: Keynote Speaker, Sridhar Srinivasan, IBM, Vice President and General Manager, Big Data Platform – Healthcare, Life Sciences and Government
- 2:15pm: Panel Discussion
- Moderator: Rasu Shrestha
- Panelists: Tom Johnson, Patrick Mergler, Daniel Wolf, Anil Jain, and Sridhar Srinivasan
- Moderator: Rasu Shrestha
- 3:45pm: Brief overview of the Center presented by John Paganini
- 4:00pm: Tour of Center and Networking
- 5:00pm: Depart Cleveland
- 8:00pm: Arrive in downtown Pittsburgh
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