The paraphrased responses, in no particular order: not using them and don’t ever plan to; been using for about a year but it’s been a painful transition; and they are the greatest thing in the world. The latter seemed particularly efficient as she zipped off a prescription to the pharmacy while we were wrapping up our conversation.

E-prescribing is the focus of a new national report. According to the Center for Studying Healthy System Change, few doctors were e-prescribing advocates or using the advanced features that are available. The caveat is that the survey represents 2008 use, a year before federal incentives before put into place and prior to additional government emphasis on all things electronic in health care delivery.

Here’s a portion of the study release and link to the full report.

Even when physicians have access to e-prescribing, many do not routinely use the technology, particularly the more advanced features the federal government is promoting with financial incentives, according to a new national study released today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).

Slightly more than two in five office-based physicians reported that information technology (IT) was available in their practice to write prescriptions in 2008, the year before implementation of federal incentives, according to the study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). And, among physicians with e-prescribing capabilities, about a quarter used the technology only occasionally or not at all.

The study also found that  fewer than 60 percent of physicians with e-prescribing capability had access to three advanced features included as part of the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs—identifying potential drug interactions, obtaining formulary information and transmitting prescriptions to pharmacies electronically—and less than a quarter routinely used all three features.

“Adoption of e-prescribing remains low, particularly among the half of all physicians who work in solo or two- to five-physician practices, said study author Joy Grossman, Ph.D., an HSC senior researcher. “And, among physicians with e-prescribing capabilities, many do not use the technology routinely, and even fewer use advanced e-prescribing features routinely.”

• Daniel W. DeHayes, a co-founder of the group and professor emeritus at the IU Kelley School of Business, noted that the 150 different member companies through the years (there are currently more than 45 businesses involved) have generated nearly $60 billion in sales revenue and currently account for more than 30,000 Hoosier jobs.
• William L. Haeberle, also a Kelley professor emeritus, was recognized for his "intellectual and sovereign leadership" for 15 years.
• Butler University President Bobby Fong shared insights on the subject of excellence: "Enduring excellence is a matter of values. Excellence depends on a firm and consistent commitment to mission. Excellence means identifying the things you do well. Excellence resides in your people and the culture you build to sustain them."

The manufacturing, retail and service sectors each make up one-third of the Alliance membership. Groups like it are excellent examples of business leaders learning from each other — as well as outside experts. While Indiana often seems to feature too many organizations working separately toward similar interests, the Alliance does not fall into that category. Congratulations to all involved and best of luck in your next 20 years.

Inside Higher Ed has an in-depth report on their proposal. Here are some key excerpts:

While Merisotis and Jones did not set a time limit, they generally praised as models programs that take a year, maximum, to finish – quite a contrast from the two-year norm for many associate degrees – assuming students enroll full time. If anything, the model Merisotis believes community colleges around the country should emulate is a rather old idea – that of a traditional vocational school.

In a handful of states – Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin – there are technical institutions separate from community colleges. In Tennessee, for instance, 13 community colleges offer associate degree programs, whereas 27 “technical centers” offer only one-year certificate programs in high-demand fields. These institutions, like for-profit trade institutions, focus on getting students a credential and getting them out out in a short period of time.

Jones: "There’s nothing wrong with directed choice. … I call it kind of back to the future. They didn’t invent this yesterday; They’ve been doing this [in Tennessee] for 20 years. Some of the rest of us kind of discovered it – that they were on the right track for 20 years. Block scheduled, cohort-based, integrated – it’s highly effective.”

Jones and Merisotis believe the government should encourage the development of short-term, quick-hit programs like this at community colleges around the country with the $2 billion Community College and Career Training Grant program, which passed as part of the health care/student loan reconciliation bill earlier this year.

Additionally, Jones and Merisotis say that Congress should extend unemployment benefits so that anyone receiving them can attend college, as long as they are enrolled full-time in a one- or two-year degree program. Finally, they suggest that the government create a new program of “education stipends” to offset the tuition and living costs of going to college, essentially making the completion of a program the “job” of the recipient. 

I made three road trips this time around. Below is a quick takeaway from each visit and a link to the full stories, where you can find out more about a trio of the 70 companies recently honored for having workplaces that many of their employees think are also really cool.

• Energy Systems Group in Newburgh: Company president Jim Adams didn’t even know his HR department had registered to participate in the program for the first time, a true sign that authority and decision-making are diversified and not driven from the top down. And you’ll want to learn how humor is incorporated into presentations at the annual company meeting.
• Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company of Fort Wayne: This quote from chairman and president Mark Robison says it all. "If we’re just an insurance company insuring churches, what difference are we? We’re paid by the tithings of someone else — parishoners and church-goers. Their sacrificial gift allows me to have a job. We have to make sure we’re worthy of that sacrificial gift."
• Draper Inc. in Spiceland (that’s just south of New Castle on State Road 3): No layoffs in more than 108 years for one of the few manufacturers on the list. Family and community are more than just words for this organization. A health care clinic and wellness park are among the benefits.

BizVoice magazine offers this column explaining the current amnesty program. Below is information from the AG’s office regarding free education sessions that will help you play by the rules.

The Office of the Indiana Attorney General will offer three free unclaimed property reporting education sessions in June that will provide the essentials of reporting and compliance for office managers, accounting practitioners, and other legal and financial professionals responsible for the unclaimed property function in their organizations. Sessions will last approximately one hour, with additional Q&A time at the end. Attendees will have the opportunity to refresh their knowledge, clarify questions about the amnesty program, be advised of new legislative changes and learn new software tools.

The agenda will include:

• Introduction to unclaimed property: basic definitions and rules of jurisdiction

• Identifying unclaimed property: property types, dormancy periods and effective due diligence

• Preparing your report: registration, common reporting errors and advantages of electronic reporting

Sessions will take place at the Indiana Government Center from 10-11 a.m. Dates are June 2 (conference room 2), June 9 (conference room 4) and June 16 (conference room 2). Participants must RSVP no later than 48 hours prior to each session. Once registered (include preferred date in subject title) with byuan@atg.in.gov, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with additional information. Include attendee name(s), title, company, phone number and e-mail in your registration message.

Traci Dossett, VP of operations, explains what’s so great about Software Engineering Professionals, the Carmel company that won the Best Place to Work in Indiana award in the small/medium category earlier this month. Centier Bank of Merrillville took home the honor in the large company category.

But you could substitute Georgia for the name of any other state. No matter the location, other key elements in the study also apply:

• Main headline: Making the Connection: Why High School Graduation and Work Readiness Matter
• How about this quote: "The best economic stimulus package is a high school diploma."
• Or this pullout, in which the specific state numbers may vary, but the message is the same: "Approximately 50.7 percent of Georgia’s high schools are dropout factories — schools in which less than 60 percent of the freshmen class graduate on time."

The message is far from new. Even some of the factors contributing to the shortfall in Georgia have been cited in Indiana and elsewhere. They include sections on Early Life Experiences, Academic Achievement in Every Grade and Transition to Work or Postsecondary Education.

One of my favorite tools, and one you think would have an impact due to its straightforward approach, compares educational attainment to unemployment rates and average wages. We presented a similar chart in our lead story in the March-April BizVoice on higher education collaboration. The numbers, from the Georgia report:

• Less than a high school diploma, 14.6% unemployment, $23,608 approximate annual earnings
• High school grad, no college, 9.7% unemployment, $32,552 earnings
• Some college/associate’s degree, 8.0% unemployment, $37,752 earnings
• Bachelor’s degree and higher, 4.6% unemployment, $59,124 earnings

Read the study from Georgia here. It’s a shame these points have to be continually made instead of a total emphasis on improving our education systems to meet the glaring needs.

As we have the last two years, we’re going to highlight some of those companies, organizations and communities in the July-August BizVoice magazine. (Check out the last two years: 2009 and 2008 issues). There are good stories to tell, and we’ve got excellent writers on staff who will do just that.

But the growth of green was closely followed by "greenwashing," defined as misleading information about environmental practices or benefits. Recently, Energy Star products that may not be as efficient as advertised and green buildings that don’t always live up to that label have been in the news. Are there other "not so fast on the green claims" that are out there? Let us know your thoughts and any leads would be appreciated.

It will be another great "going green" issue, but if some green initiatives are leaving you feeling blue, we want to report on those too.

At no time is that term more perfectly suited, however, than when writing for our Best Places to Work in Indiana issue. We’re "telling stories" of people that truly enjoy their time in the workplace and companies that make that possible. They are genuine and speaking from the heart when they use words and phrases like "family," "special culture," "service to each other," "close team" and more. (In 25-plus years, trust me I’ve seen and listened to many who were more auditioning than being authentic).

It’s really a privilege to be able to bring these stories to our readers. I’m sure you will enjoy the offerings this time around. Seventy companies are on the 2010 Best Places to Work list. While we can’t sit down with each and every one, we profile a variety in different locations and types of businesses, as well as gain the comments of many more in stories that focus on workplace communications, teamwork and respect.

The awards dinner is May 6. BizVoice will go in the mail that day and be available online after the event (can’t reveal those final rankings ahead of time). And if you think your company or another organization should be in the running as a leading employer, learn more about the annual program here.

The candidate has been selected to come in for a face-to-face interview. Depending on the role, this is a one- to two-day process that includes a plant tour, customer business center tour, between two to six hours of interview time with both the hiring manager and the HR department lead, as well as several one-hour sessions with other members of the interview team (normally people who will interact with the person in this position).

During this phase, everyone has an assignment. The people conducting the tours are “soft selling” the company and helping us gauge how the candidate conducts himself or herself in a non-interview setting. You would be amazed at some of the feedback we get. The six-hour interview with the hiring manager and HR lead is conducted in a very structured way, although it is very conversational. We are looking for behavioral patterns, starting with high school and progressing through the candidate’s most recent roles.

This culminates in a detailed interview report (generally between four to eight pages long). The report is written by the hiring manager, who is expected to provide a summary of the candidate’s personal life and work history, and describes the candidate’s behavioral patterns – both strengths and weaknesses. They are also required to make a call on the candidate’s talent level, fit for the role and potential next roles. If we cannot see candidates moving to that next role, we will more often than not pass on hiring them.

How do we know this works? Our human resources team has developed metrics around our success rate of hiring “A” level talent. The HR team goes back to the hiring manager after six months and asks if the new hire is performing well, and if he or she is still considered an “A” talent. This is repeated at one year. Currently we get it right about 70% of the time.

For more on this topic, you can consult our ePub, The Interviewing Guide - 2nd Edition. Authored by attorneys from Ogletree Deakins, this online guide is now available for just $49. The book is also available in our Hiring & Firing/Leave Issues Package.