Advertisement

December 30, 2008

Social Security Administration to give NHIN trial run in early ’09
The Social Security Administration (SSA) will be the first government agency to use the new Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) when it begins electronically issuing medical records to disability applicants in early 2009. In October 2007, several government agencies, including the departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, SSA and the Indian Health Service, began trial implementations of an NHIN Cooperative. SSA’s use of the network marks the onset of NHIN’s production phase, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. SSA will use the network to access records managed by MedVirginia, a Richmond, VA-based health information exchange. The agency also plans to add Kaiser Permanente and the North Carolina Healthcare Information and Communications Alliance to its network. Leavitt said making information available when and where it is needed will increase healthcare quality, and reduce costs and medical errors. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/nhin-pr-alt.pdf

AHRQ seeking bids for up to $50 million in health IT contracts
In January, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will seek bids for up to $50 million in health information technology contracts, including program management and planning, technical assistance and content development, dissemination and marketing, and Web portal management and design. AHRQ plans to award three to six contracts per subject domain, each with a base period of one year and four option years. Bidders may submit proposals for any number of domains. Initially, the grants are expected to total $25 million, with the potential of expanding to $50 million if the program gains federal partners, according to AHRQ. The agency plans to award contracts to a mix of large and small businesses, with the first contracts awarded by the end of May 2009. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-268.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-269.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-08-270.html and http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-HS-08-014.html

USDA to offer $30 million in telemedicine grants for FY 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering an estimated $30 million in grants to promote telemedicine education and improve healthcare in rural areas of the United States. The deadline is March 24 for the USDA’s Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant Program, which features awards of $50,000 to $500,000 each for programs that provide access to education, training and healthcare resources for rural Americans. Grants may be used to fund telecommunications-enabled information, audio and video equipment, and related advanced technologies which extend educational and medical applications into rural locations. The awards are made for projects where the benefit is primarily delivered to end users that are not at the same location as the source of the education or healthcare service. Eligible groups are incorporated organizations or partnerships; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; state or local government; consortiums; or other legal entities, including private corporation organized on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis. http://www.usda.gov/rus/telecom/dlt/dlt.htm

Draft PHR function standards unveiled by international healthcare body HL7
International healthcare information technology standards organization Health Level 7 (HL7) has published a new draft standard that defines the functions needed to create and manage an effective personal health record (PHR) system. The Personal Health Record System Function Model (PHR-S FM) also offers guidelines designed to facilitate health information exchange among different PHR and electronic health record systems, according to HL7. The draft standard will allow the industry worldwide to work with a stable standard for up to two years while it is being refined into an American National Standards Institute-accredited version. Parts of the standard are already in use by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The draft standard may be downloaded from the HL7 Web site at www.hl7.org and http://www.hl7.org/documentcenter/...

COACH, HIMSS offer new health informatics credential for Canadian physicians
In spring 2009, the Canadian Organization for Advancement of Computers in Health (COACH) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) will begin offering a new credential designed to demonstrate competency among Canadian physicians in the health informatics field. The new credential will combine the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems and Canadian Supplement Credential, according to COACH director Alison Gardner. Credential applicants – with at least a Bachelor’s degree and three years of healthcare experience – must pass an exam to qualify. The exam will be offered at designated AMP assessment centers, or during the e-Health 2009 Conference in Quebec City, Quebec next May. “ The credential will clearly indicate to employers that a candidate has been found to meet respected measurements of what it means to be a competent health informatics professional,” said Roger Girard, chief information officer for Manitoba eHealth. http://www.coachorg.com/career...

Michael J. Fox Foundation awards $1 million for Web-based Parkinson’s research
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) has awarded $1 million to four research teams working on Web-based clinical assessments to improve care and trials of new treatments for Parkinson’s Disease. The funding, awarded under the Foundation’s “ Developing and Validating Web-Based Clinical Assessments for Parkinson’s Disease” program, seeks to drive creation and testing of Web-based tools that allow a patient with a personal computer and Internet access to participate in clinical research from his or her own home, potentially increasing participation in clinical studies, according to MJFF. Grant recipients were the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, for an online motor and cognitive analysis system; Brown University and Memorial Hospital of Providence, RI, for a Web-based assessment of visual and spatial symptoms of Parkinson’s disease; Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for wearable sensors and a Web-based application for at-home monitoring of Parkinson’s patients; and Hospital General Yague in Burgos, Spain, for Spanish language Web-based clinical assessments. http://www.michaeljfox.org/newsEvents...

Advertising trade group adopts new Internet health data privacy guidelines
Advertising trade group The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) has crafted a new version of its privacy guidelines to address how advertising networks use health data about Internet users. The guidelines, which take effect in January, place a stricter protection on gathered information that indicates an Internet user has a certain disease – such as a community page for cancer patients, where anyone visiting the page could be assumed to have the disease – versus cases where an individual might be researching a medical topic, according to NAI Executive Director J. Trevor Hughes. The guidelines would not apply to anyone searching a Web page that describes a disease or treatment. The effort is an attempt by NAI’s members, which include Google, Microsoft and AOL, to demonstrate that the Web advertising industry is capable of self-regulation, keeping the government out of the picture. http://www.networkadvertising.org/networks/...

Multilingual dermatologists sought for Africa Teledermatology Project
The Africa Teledermatology Project is seeking U.S. dermatologists who have been abroad, speak French, Spanish or Portuguese, and understand problems and diseases for which they can provide long-distance consulting services to clinicians in other countries. The Africa Teledermatology Project provides much-needed dermatology consultations to English-speaking African countries, including Uganda, Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, Burkina Faso and Lesotho. The plan is to branch out into French-speaking Africa and into Central and South America, according to Dr. Carrie Kovarik, M.D., project and site coordinator with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). AAD launched the project in 2007 with the goal of “reaching underserved areas around the world.” Volunteer dermatologists have handled more than 500 consultations in the past two years, she said. Interested persons may find more information at http://africa.telederm.org.

Clinical pharmacists reduce expenses related to prescription drugs
Clinical pharmacy services can cut the cost of prescription drugs by nearly 5 percent and save money throughout the healthcare system, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Every dollar spent by hospitals or health systems to provide clinical pharmacy services resulted in $4.81 in savings through lower drug costs, reductions in adverse drug events and medication errors and other savings, said Glen Schumock, the study’s senior researcher and director of UIC’s Center for Pharmacoeconomic Research. Unlike traditional pharmacy services, in which a pharmacist dispenses medications, clinical pharmacists make recommendations to physicians regarding drug therapy or sometimes even help write the prescription. Such services have been available since the 1970s but have only recently become common, Schumock said. http://tigger.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/newsbureau...

Online physician community technology to track influenza, other outbreaks
New technology by online physician community Sermo Inc. is evaluating 100,000 physicians’ ability to track and potentially prevent the spread of influenza and other infectious diseases. The Sermo FluMonitor will allow physicians to report geographically based clinical observations in real time, according to Dr. Adam Sharp, Sermo’s chief medical officer. Such an instant exchange of information could have broad implications, such as better preparedness in staffing and supply requirements, and earlier treatment. “This endeavor has the potential to be an extremely useful resource in tracking disease and saving lives,” Sharp said. “Until now, this type of tracking mechanism was simply not possible.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently distributes information 10 to 14 days after lab-confirmed diagnoses, which is too large a window of opportunity to allow disease to spread, according to Sharp. http://www.sermo.com/news/media/press/flu_monitor

Scotland adds telemedicine capability to regional medical care sites
Scotland’s National Health Service (NHS) in Lothian is introducing telemedical services to area hospitals to improve their ability to care for stroke victims. The $88,000 [USD] project, a joint initiative with the Scottish Centre for Telehealth and the Scottish Telestroke Network, calls for installation of videoconferencing equipment in casualty departments across the region, linking the sites to Western General Hospital, the area’s largest hospital. This will ensure that accident and emergency medics can call on Western’s stroke specialists when needed, according to Prof. Martin Dennis, NHS Lothian’s leading stroke expert. The health service has long stressed that Western has some of the globe’s best stroke care specialists, but that victims are often sent to other facilities and not provided with access to those experts due to geographic distance. http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/news/mediaroom/...

VivoMetrics joins Continua Health Alliance to advance personal telehealth
Patient monitoring system provider VivoMetrics Inc. has joined the Continua Health Alliance, a coalition dedicated to finding new ways to connect patients, doctors and treatments through personal telehealth. According to VivoMetrics President and Chief Executive Officer Howard Baker, joining Continua means the ability to help advance the creation and use of interoperable personal telehealth devices. “As members, we can share in the development of design guidelines and product certifications that will help deliver on the promise of remote patient monitoring to, as Continua puts it, ‘continuously protect and enhance health, regardless of location,’” Baker said. VivoMetrics makes the LifeShirt, a continuous, integrated and wearable remote patient monitoring system that allows healthcare professionals to collect lab-quality physiology data from patients in real-world settings where they live and work. http://www.vivometrics.com/docs/PressReleases/...

• 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 Deployments Within NATO Military Forces: A Data Analysis of Current and Projected Capabilities
David M. Lam, Ronald K. Poropatich
Telemedicine and e-Health. November 2008, 14(9): 946-951.
NATO has worked on standards for telemedicine, and this report reflects a survey recently conducted to assess implementation or anticipated implementation of telemedicine in deployed forces. Sixteen nations responded, indicating a sound and growing influence of telemedicine for consultation, with the most activity being in teleradiology. This detailed analysis is of great interest in planning multinational activities in telemedicine. 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.

 Forward Alert to a Colleague 

For advertising
Contact us to maximize your print and/or online opportunities

Telemedicine and e-Health is the Official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.
To learn more, click here.

This email was sent by: The Mary Ann Liebert Companies
140 Huguenot Street, 3rd Floor, New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215, USA
Phone: 914-740-2100 (Toll Free in USA/Canada) 1-800-M-LIEBERT    Fax: 914-740-2101    Email: info@liebertpub.com