Users, vendors treating healthcare patching ills

摘要

There continues to be plenty of finger-pointing over who should fix the broken process for patching Windows-based patient-care systems, but some users and vendors are at least trying to deal with the problem directly. As outlined in a Network World story earlier this month (www.nwfusion. com, DocFinder: 2594), hospital IT and network professionals say their hands are tied when it comes to patching patient-care systems that increasingly are based on Microsoft software and that are often networked to simplify information sharing. IT professionals say device makers don't want customers fussing with their systems out of fear that the products will not conform to rules laid out by the Federal Drug Administration, which says the device makers are exaggerating the extent of FDA rules. While device makers are largely mum on this topic, those that do talk acknowledge they could do more to smooth the process but also say healthcare IT shops need to re-evaluate how they set up their networks.