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December 12, 2008

Obama adds health IT improvements to nation’s economic recovery plan
President-elect Barack Obama’s $1.2 trillion economic recovery plan includes several health IT projects that would provide hospitals and physicians with access to electronic health records and other new medical technology. The projects would be part of a yet-to-be completed bill that Democrats hope to have in place soon after Obama is sworn in as President on Jan. 20. Obama said his chief goal is to modernize U.S. hospitals, which are now 15th in the world in terms of broadband adoption rate. “We will make sure that every doctor’s office and hospital in this country is using cutting-edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year,” he said during a radio address. In his presidential campaign, Obama called for the federal government to invest $50 billion in health IT. http://www.govhealthit.com/online/news/350702-1.html

With quality on mind, states’ enacted legislation on health IT triples since 2005-06
As states move at an unprecedented rate to get their healthcare systems wired and connected, lawmakers are in a full sprint trying to keep up: 370 bills relating to health information technology were introduced in an 18-month period between 2007 and 2008, with more than one-third of them passing, according to a new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Specifically, 132 bills containing health IT provisions were enacted in 44 states and the District of Columbia – three times as many bills enacted compared to the same period from 2005 to 2006, NCSL notes. Most bills relate to financing and planning efforts, although 35 dealt with e-prescribing, electronic records and health information exchanges. Six states enacted comprehensive measures aimed at protecting patient privacy while facilitating the exchange of health data. http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2008/...

‘Brain drain’ prevention effort gets $1.2 million boost from Gates Foundation
A $1.2 million [USD] grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will help international e-health advocacy groups determine how to improve approaches to e-health education and attempt to solve the world’s shortage of health information professionals. Representatives of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), European Federation for Medical Informatics, and the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics met this week in London to discuss the launch of “20/20,” an attempt to train 20,000 HI professionals globally by the year 2020. The Gates money is intended for “scalable” approaches to e-health education, including a replicable blueprint for training informatics leaders, such as physicians, medical records specialists, computer scientists and medical librarians. The effort will provide education in research, knowledge management, translation bioinformatics and public health. AMIA President Dr. Don Detmer said the project is needed to prevent a brain drain in various nations. http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/...

Social networking sites become disease treatment havens for victims and doctors
Patients are increasingly turning to social networking Web sites for information on disease treatment and as a place to share their own experiences about healthcare, according to a report on CBS Evening News. Sites such as PatientsLikeMe are already seeing the upturn: the two-year-old venture has signed up 23,000 participants in five chronic-illness categories, with members charting their medical histories in minute detail, and sharing their private information with the world. Drug companies are tapping into the membership base for volunteers for clinical trials; for example, Novartis used the site to speed the start of a 1,200-patient study on new medicine for multiple sclerosis. “We were in a real crunch in terms of finding eligible patients,” said Trevor Mundel, head of development for Novartis. “We saw an immediate uptick in interest once we partnered with them.” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/...

E-prescribing encourages physicians to choose lower-cost drugs for patients
Physicians who use an electronic prescribing system are more likely to assign lower-cost medications and reduce overall drug spending, according to a report by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. The study evaluated 17.4 million prescriptions filled by more than 1.5 million patients between October 2003 and March 2005. Use of the least-expensive, tier 1 drugs increased by 3.3 percent when e-prescribing was used, while use of more-expensive tier 2 and tier 3 drugs dropped by nearly 2 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, according to the study. The less-expensive drugs netted a saving of 70 cents per patient per month, or about $845,000 annually, for every 100,000 persons filling prescriptions. Such savings are projected to grow exponentially as availability and use of e-prescriptions increases, to about $4 million per year per 100,000 patients, the study notes. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208180244.htm

For impoverished nations, telemedicine is often spelled ‘text message’
Telemedicine is taking on a different feel in the world’s impoverished nations, with health workers relying on the spread of cell phone networks and simple text messaging to treat long-distance patients. While the method lacks the visual element of traditional telemedicine, it is the only viable option in many areas of the globe, according to Josh Nesbit, a student of international health and bioethics at Stanford University. Nesbit helped set up a communications project to help a tiny hospital in Namitete, Malawi, better serve the 250,000 people living within a 100-mile radius of the facility. The project relies on text messaging, plus a single laptop using a GSM modem and running FrontlineSMS, a mass messaging program that is free to non-profits. Dozens of volunteer health workers, each covering a different community, are given cell phones with prepaid airtime credit for communicating with the hospital. The volunteers report on the condition of patients, keeping already scarce nurses and doctors available for the very sick. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/12/03/db.malawicellphones/index.html

California takes aim at migrant farm workers with new PHR program
California Department of Managed Health Care officials hope a new personal health record (PHR) program will help the state’s migrant farm workers start to keep tabs on their health. The state has awarded nearly $6 million in grants this year to clinics and community groups for projects that improve healthcare delivery systems for underserved populations. That includes a $500,000 pilot program in San Joaquin County, which over the next seven months hopes to create more than 5,000 medical records in Spanish, according to Raul Meyreles, executive director of La Cooperativa Campesina de California. “We’re pretty confident this kind of program can work, and there’s a good possibility it may expand to other parts of California and maybe other parts of the country,” Meyreles said. http://www.ihealthbeat.org/features/2008/...

Americans showing increased interest in creating their own online PHRs
With the advent of free online personal health record (PHR) services, more than 1 in 4 American adults say they are likely to create their own PHRs to track their medical history and medications, according to a survey by research consulting firm Morpace Inc. According to the Farmington Hills, MI-based company, older Americans age 55 and up are just as likely to create a PHR as younger ones. Interest is being driven by the emergence of PHR products from Internet giants Google and Microsoft, and traditional online health service companies such as WebMD and Revolution Health. In addition, more people – 56 percent now compared to 50 percent just two months ago – are familiar with the Federal government’s plans to create a national electronic medical records system by 2014, according to the survey. http://www.morpace.com/Morpace...

Patient photographs make radiologists more mindful of proper care
Having a snapshot of a patient present during a radiological exam can remind the radiologist that the test subject is also a person, and improve the doctor’s performance, according to new Israeli research. According to Dr. Yehonatan Turner of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, doctors who saw a patient’s picture when they opened up an electronic file were more meticulous and more aggressive in searching for suspicious findings. In the study, exams on 318 patients who underwent computed tomography were reviewed by 15 radiologists. Three months later, 81 of the exams with unexpected abnormalities initially spotted by the radiologists when a picture was included in the file were shown again to the doctors without the photograph present. Eighty percent of the doctors missed the incidental findings the second time around, Turner said. http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/4377/...

AHIC successor group to get new name as it moves into private sector
The successor to the federal advisory group American Health Information Community (AHIC) – often referred to as “AHIC 2.0,” “AHIC Successor” or “A2” – is getting ready to take on a name of its own in January. The organization will announce its new name during its Jan. 8 board meeting, according to interim chairperson Dr. John Tooker. A2 is a nonprofit organization which formed in mid-2008 to carry on the duties of President Bush’s health information technology interoperability unit, which this year is transitioning from federal to private-sector status. Other to-be-announced elements of the newly named group include membership dues and plans to solicit first proposals for standards projects. http://www.govhealthit.com/online/news/350707-1.html

Military unveils prototype of new personal health record system for families
The Military Health System has developed a prototype of a new personal health record (PHR) system to help members of the military and their families manage their health information. According to Charles Campbell, CIO of the Military Health System, the prototype, known as MiCare, will replace MHS’ existing TriCare Online PHR and will feature demographic information, medication lists, allergies data, lab and radiology results, appointments and patient visit documentation. Health records from civilian healthcare providers can also be stored in the PHR system. TriCare beneficiaries may choose Microsoft HealthVault or the Google Health PHR system. The initial pilot site will be Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/...

England’s Electronic Prescription Service prepares to enter phase two
England’s Department of Health has published statutory directions for the second release of its Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), which is scheduled to go live in early 2009. The EPS will enable prescribers – such as general practitioners and practice nurses – to send prescriptions electronically to a patient’s chosen dispenser, such as a pharmacy. The directions mean GPs in the program’s 17 early adopter primary care trusts can use business processes introduced in the new release, including issuing prescriptions with electronic signatures, electronic cancellation of prescriptions and electronic repeat dispensing. http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/4387...

• 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.
  
  
• Med-e-Tel - The International eHealth , Telemedicine and Health ICT Forum
  April 1-3, 2009 - Luxembourg
  In its 7th edition and with a proven potential for global networking, Med-e-Tel 2009 will attract healthcare providers, industry representatives, researchers, and government officials from 50 countries around the world. The event showcases new technologies and solutions, and its comprehensive conference program focuses on a wide range of current telemedicine and ehealth experiences, business cases and research results. Med-e-Tel is organized in collaboration with the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth and several other national and international stakeholder organizations. Details are available at www.medetel.eu, where also a library with presentations and abstracts from previous events can still be found.
  
  
• 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.

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

A Web-Based e-Learning Course: Integration of Pathophysiology into Pharmacology
Mimi M.Y. Tse, Lisa W.L. Lo
Telemedicine and e-Health. November 2008, 14(9): 919-924.
A Web-based course for nursing students in pathophysiology and pharmacology was developed and evaluated. One hundred and nineteen first-year nursing students participated in the course. At the conclusion of the course, the students completed a questionnaire on their e-learning experience. The students expressed favorable feelings about this approach. It was deemed more flexible, convenient, and the students were able to better understand. 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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