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December 19, 2008

IT industry predicts strong healthcare spending growth for 2009
Nearly 60 percent of information technology health leaders responding to a recent straw poll predict that the healthcare industry will see strong IT spending growth in 2009, and 60 percent also believe that overall spending within their customer base will possibly grow or at least remain the same in the coming year. The poll, from Las Vegas-based CDW Corp., finds the IT market holding more optimism than other segments. Thirty-four percent of respondents believe the sector’s greatest growth potential lies within the budgets for virtualization, while 32 percent expect increased budgets for security. But all is not perfect: 78 percent of respondents say the weak economy will be their companies’ biggest obstacle in the next 12 months. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/... and http://newsroom.cdw.com/news...

FDA to test safety of prescription drugs with computer simulations
In an effort to get an earlier read on the safety and efficiency of new drugs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to use new computer technology to simulate how drugs in development should work, prior to late-stage clinical trials. The technology, developed by Foster City, CA-based Entelos Inc., will enable researchers to obtain computer-generated test results in a matter of days or weeks instead of years, according to FDA Associate Director Robert Powell. Similar drug simulators have been used before, but they’ve been limited to analyzing data generated in actual clinical trials. “What this study is about is trying to anticipate bad scenarios before they occur,” Powell said. “Regulators won’t kill a drug based on a simulation, but the findings could be used in discussion with drug companies to influence decisions such as the design of clinical trials.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122949011730913799.html

California Health Care Foundation to open state telehealth center in January
California healthcare officials are establishing a statewide telehealth center designed to coordinate services throughout the nation’s most-populous state and plan to have it open by the start of the new year. The California Center for Connected Health (CCCH) will be led by Sandra Shewry, former director of the California Department of Health Care Services, who will serve as the new group’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Numerous pilot programs have demonstrated the effectiveness of telehealth in improving healthcare access and quality,” said Dr. Thomas S. Nesbitt, Executive Director of the University of California at Davis. “CCCH’s formation is an opportunity to make California a model for integrating telehealth into the state’s health care system.” The California Health Care Foundation is providing $5.5 million in initial financing for the new operation, which will be based in Sacramento. http://www.chcf.org/press/view.cfm?itemID=133813

EC recommends European drugs carry barcodes to cut down on counterfeiting
To enable “total traceability” of all medicines bought in pharmacies or online, medicines sold across Europe should carry barcodes and other security mechanisms, according to a series of proposals unveiled by the European Commission. Under the new proposals, products must employ mandatory safety measures such as seals and barcodes that only certified manufacturers will be able to use, according to Gunter Verheugen, the European Union industry commissioner who oversaw the package of pharmaceutical recommendations. He said the measures are needed to address a growing problem of counterfeit drugs. More than 2.5 million drug packages were seized at the EU’s external borders last year, five times more than in 2005. http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news... and http://ec.europa.eu/pharmaforum/docs/final...

Computerized tracking system can reduce seniors’ death rate by one-third
A nurse-managed, computerized system that keeps track of seniors and their health problems can reduce their death rate by up to 33 percent, according to a study by Oregon Health & Science University. The Portland, OR-based college’s three-year study examined nearly 2,300 patients at 13 primary care clinics in Utah. One group of patients received standard healthcare, and a second received care that included nurse managers with computerized records to monitor patients’ conditions. Six out of 100 seniors receiving the higher level of care died within a year of participating in the program, compared with 9 out of 100 in the group receiving standard care. The study also found that seniors with chronic illnesses in the higher-care group had 4 percent fewer hospitalizations than the standard care group. The report estimates that reducing hospitalizations would save $17,000 to $70,000 per clinic. http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/news...

New software expands Britain’s ability to allocate organs for transplant
Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is preparing to expand its roll-out of a new software system designed to speed up the process of allocating organs for transplant. The new Electronic Ordering System replaces a fax- and phone-call based system for sending out information about available organs and allocating them to people needing transplants, according to Sue Falvey, Director of the NHS Blood and Transplant division. The system uses computer graphics to show donor transplant coordinators what organs are available, information about the center offering them, and whether those offers have been taken up or expired. Already in use in Cambridge and Manchester, the system will next be introduced in Leeds, Falvey said. “This is a very exciting development,” she said. “It has the potential for added functions, such as entering tissue types, which are used in a number of organ allocations, particularly kidneys.”
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/4410/software...

The more technology a dentist uses, the happier their patients are
Dentists who use online technologies are getting a better review from patients than the traditional office-only variety, according to a survey by Seattle-based Sesame Communications. The online services provider’s study of 23,000 dental patients in the U.S. and Canada – the largest such survey ever performed – notes that patients associate their dentists’ adoption of Internet-based tools with advanced clinical skills, treatment methods, materials and procedures. Patients also prefer e-mail to telephone calls, and enjoy the ease of online payments. “Patients have spoken, and they’re online,” said Sesame Communications Chief Executive Officer Frith Maier. “Patients are demanding online access and interaction on their terms. Doctors risk being left behind unless they get online.” http://sesamecommunications.com/thebuzz/news/120208.php

Papua postpones plan to implant HIV-positive persons with microchips
Lawmakers in Papua are postponing a plan to require micro-chipping of HIV-positive persons on grounds that it would violate human rights. Earlier this month, Papua’s legislative council announced that the human microchip project was all but approved by lawmakers. But the endorsement was postponed because “the legislative and executive branches had different perceptions on the use of microchips for people with HIV/AIDS,” council deputy speaker Komarudin Watubun said. “The executive sees it as violating human rights, while we councilors view it as an effort to build awareness within society.” The proposal was created in an effort to track the spread of the disease. As it stands, the 40-article bylaw requires microchips be implanted in people with HIV/AIDS who are deemed aggressive, or actively seeking sexual intercourse, Watubun said. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/...

Video games take a healthy turn, help players manage chronic conditions
Video games are becoming an increasingly popular way to improve health and manage chronic health conditions, according to a report by IConecto, a San Francisco-based company that designs and distributes custom e-games for insurers and employers. Health electronic games now represent 16 percent of the overall video gaming industry, amounting to $6.6 billion worldwide, according to the study. Most of that total comes from “exergames” such as Nintendo’s Wii Sports and Wii Fit systems, and brain fitness efforts that focus on cognitive training aimed at improving or maintaining mental function. Other health e-game categories cited in the report are targeted to people with chronic ailments such as diabetes, asthma, cancer or pain. “People understand that good games can be made that don’t have violence, or hateful portrayals of racial and ethnic groups, and aren’t even sedentary anymore because you’re up and off the couch,” said Debra Lieberman, Director of the Health Games Research national program at the University of California-Santa Barbara. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/E-games-catch-fun-way/...

CommonWell Project to address quality of life for assisted living-dependent elderly
The European Union is backing a new telecare project that uses technology to improve the quality of life for older people with long-term conditions and plans to pilot the program in Europe in early 2009. The CommonWell project seeks to address issues that affect patient independence, such as reduced agility, vision or hearing, in order to significantly improve the quality of life for older people and their families, according to Paul Timmers, head of the European Commission’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Inclusion unit. It will involve at least 400 patients and be piloted for at least 12 months. Such a project “should help make it possible to deliver cheaper and better healthcare with ICT,” Timmers says. “These kinds of solutions are ever more important to help Europe face demographic and financial challenges.” http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/...

AMD helps guide telemedicine to the shores of Greenland
Broadband – and telemedicine – has made its way to Greenland, offering the world’s largest island nation access to remote healthcare for the first time. An underwater cable from Canada is bringing the luxuries of high-speed Internet access and cable television to the country’s 56,000 residents. It also means persons living in distant parts of the largely coastal civilization may visit a doctor when needed, according to Dr. Birgitte Asmin Schurizek, Greenland’s Chief Medical Officer. “ Telemedicine means a great deal to us,” Schurizek said. “Geographic barriers and transportation challenges have made it difficult in the past to provide prompt and efficient medical care to our people. Greenland is eager to see the immense changes in care delivery and effectiveness this new program will provide.” In implementing the system, the country’s National Management of Health received assistance from North Chelmsford, MA-based AMD Global Telemedicine Inc., which helped Greenland technicians configure and test the system. AMD also supplied training for system operators. http://www.amdtelemedicine.com/press...

Internet use and tech-based consultations by doctors hits all-time high
Physicians are accessing online clinical resources more than ever, and 75 percent prefer to obtain information from professional Web sites rather than through Internet searches, according to a survey by online resource developer Epocrates Inc. The San Mateo, CA-based firm’s survey of 500 physician respondents noted that nearly all doctors are making technology part of their consultations, with 97 percent using a computer at their practice. Half check the Internet for drug dosing, side effects or treatment guidelines during patient visits rather than between visits or after hours. Ninety percent of respondents also agree that accessing information online improves patient satisfaction and communication. And 1 in 5 doctors report being able to save patients money 10 or more times in a four-week period, usually through prescription of a lower-cost generic drug. http://www.epocrates.com/company/news/111808.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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• IHE-Europe to hold Connectathon 2009
  April 20–24, 2009 - Vienna
  The Connectathon is a 'connectivity marathon' during which systems exchange information with complementary systems from multiple vendors, performing all of the transactions required for the roles they are implementing. At the IHE Connectathon, all companies which have implemented IHE's Technical Framework specifications in their products have the chance to test them with many other companies' products in a real interoperability environment.
  
  
• 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

Telemedicine for Urban Uninsured: A Pilot Framework for Specialty Care Planning for Sustainability
Roxana Maffei, Yelena Hudson, Kim Dunn
Telemedicine and e-Health. November 2008, 14(9): 925-931.
A pilot framework to plan and cost-justify telemedicine specialty care for uninsured and marginally insured is presented. An assessment tool, including three dimensions (clinical, business, and technical), was developed and presented to 10 Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-defined Federally Qualified Health Centers. A key objective was to determine whether such a tool could decrease avoidable emergency room visits. An initial pilot study shows great promise in reducing ER utilization for nonemergent conditions. 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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