Tidbits

-According to security vendor, MS Lab Inc., the company is still detecting malware distribution related to Xerox MFPs. The trojan poses as an automatic message from Xerox WorkCentre Pro MFPs, to look like a scan to email. Cybercriminals are behind this attack, and hope end users are tricked into opening up the email message and clicking on the attachment labeled; “Scan from Xerox WorkCentre P9275821”, which would then launch an executable file to steal data from end user’s computer. Since this is not the first time that this has been attempted, it would indicate that it must have a high rate of success.

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-FMAudit of Jefferson City, Missouri, announced version 3.2 of its managed print services software, that it claims has 180 new features

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-According to some authors, Google Docs will soon have a new feature that will allow users to print documents to any Internet-connected printer, anywhere in the world. For it to work, users will have to install small piece of software on a computer that’s on the same network as the printer. The computer has to be turned on and connected to the Internet for the print service to work.

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-Artifex Software Corp., maker of print drivers, announced version 9.0 of its Ghostscript drivers featuring:
o PostScript Level 3 compatibility
o PDF 1.7
o PCL 5e, 5c & XL
o Microsoft XPS
o PostScript to PDF conversion
o XPS to PDF conversion
o ICC based color rendering workflow
o Stores two separate color space settings
o Support for optional content to the PDF interpreter
o Claims to have 100 OEM customers

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-In an interview, Toshiba’s VP of Marketing, Bill Melo said that its Professional Services Group focuses on:
o Document Output Management
 Optimization of customer’s fleet of printing devices and their document workflow
 Assessment conducted
 Consolidation of hardware
 Move customer to managed print services instead of traditional copier lease
 Reduce total customer spend
 Minimize customer disruption
 Solve needs of security and compliance
o Managing Print Infrastructure
 Pull printing (aka “follow you” printing)
 Reduce waste
 Claim that 30% of print jobs in typical office are abandoned on exit tray
o Document Capture and Workflow
 Digital storage
 Archival and records management
 Fujitsu scanners
 Solutions from Nuance eCopy, Docuware and Drivve
o Security
 Fastest growing area
 Securing documents
 Hard drive encryption
 Securing sent documents

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-Lexmark, whose CEO last week announced his is departing, now announced that it is combining its laser and inkjet divisions into one, called Imaging Solutions and Services or ISS, led by Executive VP, Marty Canning, reporting to new CEO, Paul Rooke.

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-Former IKON executive, Jim Gallagher, was hired as VP of Sales for McGrath Systems, a human capital management firm

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-Apple sued Motorola, alleging that the company’s smartphone lineup and operating system it uses infringe on iPhone patents

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-Hewlett Packard’s VP of Healthcare Business, Mike Humke, is being replaced by Matt Smith. While Mr. Humke was named as on of the “Top 25 Channel Sales Leaders” by Computer Reseller News, no reason was given for his dismissal.

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-According to the Department of Health & Human Services, more than 5 million Americans have been affected by HIPAA data breaches since, 9/2009.

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-Xerox copier history trivia:o The first Xerox copier, the 914, was introduced in September, 1959, and put on sale in March, 1960
o Main competitors were 3M Thermofax and Kodak Verifax (thermal coated paper machines), which sold for $350 each, with copy sheets costing 19 to 25 cents each
o Cost for Xerox to build 914 was $2000 each
o Xerox only rented the devices, with monthly fee including a set amount of copies, and then overages were 5 cents each
o Machine weighed 650 pounds
o Top speed of one copy for every 26.4 seconds or 136 copies per hour
o Max original size of 9”x14”
o By 1962, had placed 10,000 machines

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-The Flagstaff, AZ fire department reported that a fire in the University of Northern Arizona Student Union was caused by an overheating copier.

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-The 2010 HIMSS (health information management systems society) Security Solutions Survey found:o 50% spent 3% or less of their IT budgets on security
o 14% of hospitals have yet to conduct a risk analysis
o 33% of clinics have yet to conduct a risk analysis
o 31% have encrypted data on laptop computers
o 16% have not encrypted any laptop computers
o 69% have plan in place to respond to a data breach
o 33% of hospitals have fulltime chief security officer
o 8% of clinics have fulltime chief security officer
o 38% have designated a staffer to handle security responsibiities

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-A document management survey conducted by Version One revealed:
o 86% of senior IT professionals are still reliant on paper records
o 51% stated that they are “very reliant” on paper based records
o 1% stated that they “hardly ever” rely on paper
o 13% stated that they are “occasionally reliant” on paper
o 32% would switch to document management system (DMS) to improve customer service
o 20% said that assurance that electronic documents are legally admissible would be key driver for eliminating paper
o 48% want to be assured that DMS would provide enough security

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-Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has sued health insurer WellPoint Inc. for $300,000, alleging the firm took too long to notify Indiana residents affected by a HIPAA data breach, affecting 32,000 people. The breach was related to a website that inadvertently exposed personal financial info and SS#’s.

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-Fuji announced it has opened a new research and development lab for printing technology, called the R&D Square in Yokohama, Japan. Other details mentioned:o In 1985 is made its first laser printer for relabeling by other vendors
o In 1986, launched first printer that it marketed on its own, called the Fuji Xerox 4105
o In 2001, purchased laser printer business from NEC Corp.
o Its other R&D lab for printers is the Ebina Center in Kanagawa, Japan
o Tadahito Yamamoto is President and Representative Director
o Has developed new technology called “SLED”
o SLED is “Self-scanning Light Emitting Device”
 features an electronic pulse each time the opening is only one point of light-emitting LED light, LED light points, one by one, move to the front.
 A line of LED light-emitting operations signal to control an input.
 Each SLED chip has a total of 57 LEDs
 In conventional LED printer, to offer up to 1200dpi, it needs to double the drive chip and twice the signal line, but the multi-chip Fuji ASIC drive can operate 14, 592 light points
 Traditional LED technology print images with color transitions that are not natural

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-Survey results from Medical Group Management Association (MGMA):o Hospitals with EHR systems reported $49,916 greater total medical revenue after operating cost per physician than practices using paper
o After 5 years of use, practices reported an operating margin 10.1% greater than practices in their first year of EHR

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-Canon will spend $184 million to build a new inkjet printer plant in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. It will employ 5,000 workers, and make 5.5 million units per year.

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-Sharp announced it paid $305 million to complete acquisition of Recurrent Energy of San Francisco, which develops solar projects. (however, the company apparently still has not yet spend any R&D for production print products for its copier dealers and branches to sell)

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-Sharp gave out details of its last quarter’s financials:
o Company slashed its full year profit projection by 20%
o Warned of “increasingly severe business condition”
o Net profit of $175.2 million for last 6 months
o Revenue up 16.7% to 1.5 trillion yen
o For full fiscal year expects net profit of 30 billion yen
o Big decline in demand for large size color LCDs
o No mention made of its office equipment division

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-More reason why healthcare firms should use biometric finger vein reader options:o 100 times more accurate than finger print scans
o Nearly impossible to hack
o Scanner converts subcutaneous vein pattern into thousands of zeroes and ones
o All data encrypted and hidden behind firewall
o Encrypted to AES 128 bit
o You can not leave your vein pattern at a crime scene
o Prevents medical records overlays and merging
o Prevents identity theft
o Prevents lack of ID for unconscious patients

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-Results of survey conducted by CompTIA:
o 34% of healthcare providers report using EHR system
o 16% report using a partial EHR system
o 29% are evaluating their options
o 20% have not yet started research

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-A skin printer? The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine announced they have developed an inkjet printer that deposits skin cells directly onto a wound to help it heal faster.

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-Allscripts CEO, Glenn Tullman stated that the federal government will spend as much as $27.4 billion between 2011 and 2021 to encourage health professionals to install EHR systems.

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-EHR federal government timeline:
o Fall of 2010 = certified EHR technology available and listed on ONC website
o January, 2011 = Registration for EHR incentives begin
o January, 2011 = State Medicaid providers may launch the programs
o April, 2011 = Attestation for EHR incentive programs begins
o May, 2011 = incentive payments begin
o November 30th, 2011 = last day for hospitals to register and attest to receive incentive payment for FY2011
o February 29, 2012 = last day for physicians to register and attest to receive incentive payments for CY2011
o 2014 = Last year to initiate participation in program
o 2015 = Medicare payments are reduced for those that have not installed EHR system and shown meaningful use
o 2016 = last year to receive incentive payments and last year to initiate participation
o 2021 = last year to receive incentive payment

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-Microsoft launched a beta version of Microsoft Office 365, which is a cloud based package that offers a complete set of business functions

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-A study conducted by Reboew & Co., found that the Jefferson Parish public school system of Louisiana could have saved more than $258,000 had all of its principals acquired copiers under the state contract rather than negotiating their own leases. The school board is now considering whether to take legal action against the dealers who sold to the schools without acknowledging the state contract.

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-According to The Ponemon Institute, hospitals spent $6 billion annually because of patient data breaches, and Federal regulations (i.e. HIPAA) have not improved the safety of patient records. Research showed:
o hospitals are not protecting patient data
o hospitals admit to being vulnerable to data breaches
o breaches are occurring frequently and often go unreported
o only a small percentage of healthcare organizations rely on security technology

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-Former employee, Cam Giang, pled guilty to stealing personal information (name, date of birth and Social Security numbers) from 218 coworkers while at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Mr. Giang was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.

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-ScImage Inc. of Los Altos, CA announced that it has developed software to integrate EMR software systems with Konica Minolta ImagePilot digital radiography systems, using HL7 communications and web-viewing technologies.

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-According to survey conducted by KLAS, the most popular EHR providers for community hospitals:
o For small hospitals of 1 to 150 beds = Meditech
o 151 to 300 beds is Cerner
o 300+ beds is Epic

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-Scientists from the University of Oxford have shown that they can improve a person’ math abilities for up to 6 months by applying an electrical current to the human brain.

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