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December 5, 2008

Switch to electronic business apps could save healthcare $30 billion annually
The healthcare industry could save nearly $30 billion annually by switching from paper-based business processes to electronic ones, according to a new Healthcare Efficiency Index. The index, launched by Nashville-based revenue cycle management firm Emdeon, notes that the healthcare industry currently saves nearly $24 billion each year by using electronic data interchange for claims payment, claims remittance, claims status, claims submission and eligibility verification. But processing all transactions electronically would save the industry $53.3 billion, according to Emdeon Chief Executive Officer George Lazenby. "Healthcare is a human concern that touches all of us," Lazenby said. "Every dollar spent on unnecessary administration is a dollar that cannot be spent on preventive care or covering an uninsured family. Think what we could do with $30 billion every year." http://emdeon.mediaroom.com/index... and http://www.ushealthcareindex.com

UnitedHealth enters online health info market with free consumer Web site
Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. has launched a new consumer-oriented health Web site to help them seek and manage healthcare information online. The site at www.myoptumhealth.com is the first such free site from a major health insurer that is aimed broadly at consumers, not just health plan members or employees of large corporate clients. The site includes tools to check symptoms, a search engine for finding specific health or disease information, and a repository where consumers can maintain their personal medical information. The move puts UnitedHealth in company with WebMD, the Mayo Clinic, Revolution Health and other health information portals trying to capture a piece of the fast-growing online market for consumer health. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/... and http://www.myoptumhealth.com/portal/

UNICEF, other health officials establish online HIV/AIDS database in Asia
United Nations health officials have unveiled a new online database on HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region. The database, launched by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is aimed at lowering the number of men in Asia who pay for sex and end up spreading the disease. More than 75 million Asian men regularly buy sex from 10 million Asian females, according to Anupama Rao Singh, head of UNICEF's East Asia-Pacific Regional office. "We cannot overlook the threat of HIV's continued transmission through the sex trade," Singh said, "because the implications on HIV trend among women and children are grave." The site (www.aidsdatahub.org) contains consistently updated information on core HIV/AIDS indicators and national response in 24 countries and regions in east, southeast, and south Asia. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/... and http://www.aidsdatahub.org/

Kaiser develops laboratory to test effectiveness of new tech products
Healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente has developed what it says is a unique laboratory to test effectiveness of a growing number of health-related devices for hospitals and patients. The company's Sydney R. Garfield Health Care Innovation Center in Oakland, CA has examined products from nearly two dozen companies, including Intel, Hewlett Packard and Cisco Systems. Kaiser executives say they hope to identify technologies that can help patients, while also reducing hospital-related expenses by making medical services more efficient. Typically, companies develop a product and ship it out to hospitals without getting much consultation from medical experts about how it will work in practice. "Rising healthcare costs are a major concern," said Kaiser physician Dr. Yan Chow. "The costs are only going to go up and up, and become increasingly unaffordable. We believe that technology will be part of the answer." http://www.mercurynews.com/technotebook/ci_11127170?source=rss

PACS market becoming crowded as it aims for smaller medical facilities
The Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) has taken a liking to smaller community hospitals and outpatient facilities, according to a new report from Oak Brook, IL-based research firm KLAS. As a result, the market is becoming a crowded and competitive one, according to KLAS research director Ben Brown. "Large and small vendors are now looking to smaller community hospitals to grow their PACS market share," Brown said. "Based on that shift, it is no surprise that over the last two years, 64 percent of new community hospital purchases have occurred in hospitals with under 100 beds." Much of the growth in PACS adoption could be at outpatient facilities, according to Brown, where only 20 percent of some of the specialists have taken on the technology. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/printStory.cms?id=10462

Saudi Arabia readies nation's largest electronic health system
Saudi Arabia's largest electronic health system has gone fully operational following a series of successful tests, according to the Arabian Company for Trade and Industrial System (Alcantara). Automatically accessible to all Armed Forces hospitals, the system helps eliminate duplication of patient records and streamline procedures, allowing for speedy and efficient administration, according to Alcantara President Khalid Al-Sulaimani. Alcantara's service contract covers 26 hospitals and 100 polyclinics. A technical team of local experts, and German and Swedish technicians and doctors, is preparing to implement the system's second and final phase, which includes systems for the radiology, heart disease treatment, intensive care, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, nutrition and dialysis units. Work is expected to be completed by the middle of next year, Al-Sulaimani said. http://www.tradearabia.com/news/HEAL_153220.html

Prescription drug researchers move toward 'real world' clinical trials
Pharmaceutical researchers are increasingly moving toward conducting pragmatic or "real world" clinical trials to discover how treatments affect patients with complex conditions. Thousands of medical studies are completed every year, typically using carefully selected patients with few medical problems other than the one under study, making it easier to get one clear result. But they may not look at effects over the long term, assuming that if a treatment helps initially, patients will be better off. Many doctors now want to insert a reality check on large pragmatic clinical trials, according to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine oncologist Dr. Steven Goodman. A group of advocates, including medical researchers, medical societies and insurers, is lobbying Congress to pay for an Institute for Comparative Effectiveness Research that would assess treatments and identify gaps in evidence. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/...

Britain's 'Consent to View' program to undergo first trials
Five British general practitioner (GP) practices have become the first to implement the country's Consent to View model from its Summary Care Record (SCR) program. Under Consent to View, physicians request the right to view or share a patient's medical records. Last September, Britain's National Health Service (NHS) Connecting for Health office agreed to implement the program on a trial basis. Nearly 15,000 patients from the five practices, all based in South West Essex, are receiving information on how SCR works and the implications of their participation in a 16-week consultation period. The first wave of practices is expected to be followed by a larger one in February 2009, covering about one-third of the population in South West Essex, according to Barbara Stuttle, Deputy Chief Executive for the region's National Health Service office. http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/4368/...

Sharing of EHRs carries 2-to-1 approval rating among pharmacy patients
Patient opinion is divided on whether pharmacists should have access to electronic health records, although those in favor of the idea still carry a 2-to-1 advantage, according to a survey by Britain's Patients Association. The survey notes that 50 percent of respondents are willing to share electronic records with a physician, while 25 percent oppose the idea. But the survey also reveals that less than 30 percent of respondents feel their pharmacists pay attention to privacy and confidentiality of customers at all times, and only 14 percent believe the pharmacy location itself lends itself to patient privacy. "For the scheme to be successful, there will need to be greater reassurance about confidentiality and accuracy, as well as a much greater level of safekeeping than exists in all respects currently," according to the survey. http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/4355/... and http://www.patients-association.org.uk/dbimgs/...

Online healthcare ratings still second to family opinion on healthcare providers
When it comes to finding the best healthcare providers, people still rely more on the opinion of friends and family than Internet research, according to reports by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the California Healthcare Foundation. And although increasing numbers of sites that rate healthcare services are appearing on the Web, fewer people use the ratings when they make decisions on insurance plans, hospitals or doctors. "Virtually no patients look at them," said Dr. Bryan Liang, Executive Director of the Institute of Health Law Studies at California Western School of Law in San Diego. "The basic problem of these kinds of ranking systems is that patients do not choose on the basis of scores. They choose on the basis of personal familiarity and experience with the health care entity or provider." http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/...

AMD Global, Cherokee Health bring telemedicine to Tennessee schools
AMD Global Telemedicine and Cherokee Health Systems have partnered to deploy telemedicine devices at 17 elementary and middle schools in rural Sevier County, TN. The county school system's medical assistance response team (SMART) includes use of a secure, two-way video link with a student and the school nurse on one end, and a medical provider on the other, according to AMD Global Telemedicine President Steve Normandin. The system allows children to stay in school while receiving treatment, leading to better performance in class. It also helps parents remain at work instead of losing valuable time to lengthy, time-consuming doctor's appointments. The service is being very well received, Normandin added. "It's about looking out for the best interest of the students," he said. "It's an ideal alternative for school administrators and staff, parents and of course the students themselves." http://www.amdtelemedicine.com/press...

CT scans as useful as surgery in diagnosing coronary blockage, Johns Hopkins notes
Computed tomography (CT) scans may be considered expensive, but they apparently are worth it: according to a study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the newer, more-powerful 64-CT scans can easily and correctly identify people with major blood vessel disease and are nearly as accurate as invasive coronary angiography. Study results show the scan can pinpoint with 91 percent certainty the precise artery blocked. The finding is likely to quell concerns about the value of the costly scans, according to Johns Hopkins cardiologist Joao Lima M.D., the study's lead author. The CT scans could also reduce as much as one-fifth of the 1.3 million cardiac catheterizations performed each year nationwide that show no blockages. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2008/11_26b_08.html

• Home Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring for Hospitals & Health Systems Forum
  January 21-23, 2009 - Philadelphia, PA
  Home Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring for Hospitals & Health Systems is a three-day industry forum highlighting the latest trends, best case studies, hands-on experiences, and innovative strategies from America's top telehealth hospitals, facilities and other prestigious organizations.
  A special discount is being offered to the first 15 people who register early; mention the code MLP when registering. To learn more, contact Gia Bosch at (414) 221-1700, ext. 130, or gbosch@acius.net.
  
  
• The World Health Care Congress 2nd Annual Leadership Summit on Consumer Connectivity
  February 23-24, 2009 - The Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa
  This Summit will offer compelling strategies for providers, insurers and employers to revolutionize health care through the integration and adoption of eHealth applications and personal health management tools.
  
  
• ATA 2009 - Focus on Hot Topics and Outcomes
  April 26-28, 2009 - Las Vegas, NV
  Recognized throughout the world as the primary forum for the telemedicine industry, ATA's peer-reviewed oral and poster presentations and certificate courses set the standard for medical education on the topics of telemedicine and telehealth. The ATA Expo offers over 100,000 square feet of the latest in telemedicine products and services.

To showcase your event here, please email us at events@telemedicinealerts.com

In the Current Issue of the peer reviewed publication Telemedicine and e-Health

Medication Compliance—Helping Patients Through Technology: Modern "Smart" Pillboxes Keep Memory-Short Patients on Their Medical Regimen
Alan Naditz
Telemedicine and e-Health. November 2008, 14(9): 875-880.
See if you recognize this all-too-common scenario: An elderly person has a variety of pills, tablets, and capsules to take every day for one or more medical conditions, and they can not keep track of which medications to take when. Or worse, they forget that they have taken the pills and take them again. Or they simply do not want to take them because they are "not that sick" or can not afford to refill prescriptions as often as they should. Full Article

Published 10 times a year in print and online, Telemedicine and e-health covers all aspects of clinical telemedicine practice, technical advances, enabling technologies, education, health policy and regulation and biomedical and health services research dealing with clinical effectiveness, efficacy and safety of telemedicine and its effects on quality, cost and accessibility of care, medical records and transmission of same.

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Telemedicine and e-Health is the Official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.
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