2010 June | Cary F. McGovern

CRC Fire Video — KOB — TV News on YouTube

Posted on Jun 30, 2010 in Records Management News

Watch the newest CRC Fire Update here:

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CRC Fire in Albuquerque Update and Video: HVAC unit blamed for Broadway fire

Posted on Jun 30, 2010 in Records Management News

KOB-TV News — Kayla Anderson, Eyewitness News 4; Taryn Bianchin, KOB.com

The Albuquerque Fire Department has announced the cause of a huge fire at a downtown business complex last Wednesday.

Investigators say the fire was sparked by a faulty rooftop air conditioner on the south end of the building and was aided by the evening’s high winds, eventually causing about $10 million in damage.

As the fire continues to smolder six days later, firefighters remain at the complex vigilant over flare-ups. The Albuquerque Fire Department calls it the biggest fire in recent memory.

“The tar caught on fire and was dripping tar balls from the roof into the occupancy,” said Albuquerque Fire Department Chief James Breen.

As numerous fires started inside the building, the greatest damage was inside TMM Business Records Storage. The business had high racks full of medical records which quickly caught fire. What didn’t burn is wet and weighing down the storage racks. Firefighters are worried the racks will collapse, so they still can’t go inside.

“It’s not safe to put firefighters on the inside. As a result of that, we can’t actually access some of the smoldering material that’s deep inside the structure,” Breen said. He says the Albuquerque Fire Department called in federal agents to find out where the fire began and what sparked it.

“From interviews, from eyewitnesses, from the 911 call, from the first responders– which would be the fire department actually arriving– the scene itself, all these factors come together,” explained Jake Gonzales, with the Albuquerque office of the ATF. He says they determined the fire started on the roof, with the heating ventilation and cooling unit. The unit was last inspected in April and got a clean report.

It’s estimated the fire cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. The city is now working with the owner of the building to get the medical records out. Even though they’re wet, officials believe they can be salvaged. They hope to reach an agreement on how to save the records by

Watch the Video and read more here …

http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1630698.shtml?cat=500

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Small physician practices inch closer to adopting electronic health records

Posted on Jun 30, 2010 in Records Management News

After dismissing it as too expensive for years, doctors in small or solo practices are now closely evaluating their options to buy sophisticated electronic medical record-keeping systems due to a combination of government pressures and new products in the market.

However, independent physicians remain in a tough spot — knowing there are strong incentives to make the switch, but nervous about such a large investment in a software system during tough times, particularly when the options are tough to sort through.

“You’ve got to start doing something, but who knows which is the right one?” said Dr. Stephen Rockower, a partner in Capitol Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation LLC, a four-doctor practice in North Bethesda. “I tend to be one of the more computer-savvy people out there, and you know, I’m confused.”

Vendors have quoted prices from $24,000 to $120,000, and “they basically all look the same,” he said.

Anne Sommi Edmondson, Director of Marketing at Unifi Technologies

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