June 13, 2008

E-prescribing by doctors skyrockets, but more barriers must be overcome
Use of electronic prescribing is on the rise but faces barriers that can be overcome with careful management, according to a pair of new reports issued by The Center for Improving Medication Management (CIMM) and The Center for Health Transformation (CHT). CIMM's report, "Electronic Prescribing: Becoming Mainstream Practice" notes that more than 35 million e-prescriptions were issued in 2008, up 170 percent from 2007. But the expected total number of physicians using the process by the end of this year will comprise only 6 percent of all eligible doctors, meaning there is a long way to go toward mainstreaming the method, according to CIMM. Meanwhile, CHT's white paper, "Electronic Prescribing: Building, Deploying and Using E-prescribing to Save Lives and Save Money," concludes that e-prescribing is "an intelligent, efficient technology" that eliminates the inefficiencies of a paper-based system.
For details, visit http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/... and http://www.healthtransformation.net/galleries/...

Kaiser, Microsoft work out e-data transfer pilot project
Kaiser Permanente and Microsoft Corp. have agreed to pilot health data transfers between the two companies' online health platforms. The move is an escalation of Microsoft's jump into the healthcare field with the launch of its HealthVault public records system in October 2007. The pilot program allows Kaiser's 156,000 employees access to their clinical information and health management tools and could be expanded to include the insurer's 8 million members, according to Kaiser Vice President of Online Services Anna-Lisa Silvestre. The technology is expected to improve patient-doctor data exchange, and improve personal health records and applications, Microsoft Health Solutions Group Vice President Peter Neupert.
For details, visit https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/...

European Union to double R & D investment in robotics
The European Union plans to double its investments in research and development for robotics, pledging to spend almost $616.3 million [USD] by 2010. The European Commission is also asking the European industry to intensify efforts to produce critical components such as gears, in order to face production competition from other parts of the world, according to Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media. Nearly one-third of all industrial robots are produced in Europe, and the current $6.2 billion [USD] world market is expected to grow by 4.2 percent annually through 2010. A good portion of that market is from service robots, many of which are used in medical applications. The segment expected to average between 10 percent and 15 percent annual growth through 2010.
For details, visit http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/view/1193/27/

CMS selects communities for national EHR incentive demo
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has selected 12 communities to participate in a national demonstration project that provides incentive payments to physicians for using electronic health records (EHRs). The five-year, first-ever project is designed to improve quality of healthcare to nearly 4 million Americans, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. "Communities" chosen for the project include whole counties, states and multi-state regional areas. Selected were the states of Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Louisiana, Maryland/Washington D.C., Oklahoma, and Virginia, as well as multi-county regions designated as Jacksonville, FL, Pittsburgh, PA, and Madison, WI, and a multi-state area designated as South Dakota. During the project term, up to 1,200 EHR-using primary care practices will receive bonus payments of up to $58,000 per physician or $290,000 per practice, according to Leavitt. Recruitment of physician practices will begin this fall.
For details, visit http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/06/20080610a.html

Tasmania will invest $17.3 million in e-health through 2012
Tasmania will invest $17.3 million [USD] in health information systems over the next four years in an effort to stay current electronically. The government has also allocated $467,000 [USD] toward a technology transformation program to revamp services used to provide services to Tasmanian residents. The health funding includes money for messaging and patient administration software, electronic client management technology and medical imaging equipment. "This will help develop integrated health information systems and related infrastructure in the department to support reform in health service delivery," Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett said. "This is about being at the cutting edge of technology, and the government delivering the best services possible to Tasmanians."
For details, visit http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP:...

eHealth, NFIB unveil online physician platform for small business
Mountain View, CA-based insurer eHealth Inc. and the National Federation of Independent Business have launched eHealth BusinessHSA, an online insurance platform for small businesses that cannot afford group health insurance. The program is also designed to match patients up with Web-based doctors in 35 states and the District of Columbia. An estimated 47 million Americans do not have health insurance, 28 million of whom are workers primarily employed by small businesses or self-employed, according to NFIB President Todd Stottlemeyer. "We designed BusinessHSA to open up possibilities - to give these employers an innovative, easy and cost-effective alternative to group health insurance," said Gary Lauer, president and CEO of eHealth. BusinessHSA is available to all small businesses through the www.ehealthcom/BusinessHSA Web site, and to NFIB members at www.NFIB.com/BHSA.
For details, visit http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/...

Britain transfers operation of NHS health information program
NHS Choices Portal, the British government's national patient portal for health information services, is being transferred to the National Health Service's Connecting for Health network. The move is part of the government's ongoing NHS Informatics Review, an internal review designed to improve national implementation of the project, according to NHS Choices Director Gary Ashby. The goal, he said, is to make Choices a "one-stop shop" for consumers in terms of electronic records access. "The intention was provide people with new ways to encourage [use of] NHS services," Ashby added. Roughly 50 people per day are signing up to NHS Choices in its current form, he said.
For details, visit http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/...

Chicago veterans use real-time video for long-distance care access
Nearly 500 Chicago-area veterans are currently using telemental health services at six Veterans Affairs community outpatient clinics to help treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. Veteran use video technology to remotely communicate with doctors at the facilities. The services, which have seen a major increase in use in the past two years, has allowed doctors to reach thousands of patients who might not have sought treatment otherwise since their debut in 1977. Nationally, projections show that 36,000 to 40,000 people will seek telemental health care by year's end. The service "stands up reliably to face-to-face service," said Adam Darkins, chief consultant for care coordination for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "There is a slight remoteness about it, but it's all about relationships. It's really working out."
For details, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...

HIMSS foundation launches institute for e-Health policy
The Healthcare Information Management and System Society is launching a new eHealth Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. to provide educational opportunities in the for public- and private-sector stakeholders who make, and are impacted by, e-health policy decisions. Neal Neuberger, president of Health Tech Strategies, LLC, in McLean, VA, will lead the not-for-profit institute. Neuberger is best-known as the co-founder of the Capitol Hill Steering Committee for Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics in 1992. "Policy decisions made in Washington, D.C., have a tremendous impact on e-health initiatives across the nation," said Carla Smith, HIMSS executive vice president. "These policy decisions often have a direct effect on whether or not healthcare organizations can correct health disparities using information technology in rural and underserved communities, enable workforces through technology training, and provide needed staffing and financial resources to e-health."
For details, visit http://www.himss.org/ASP/ContentRedirector...

Entrees accepted for European 2009 pharmacy IT award
Projects are now being accepted for the 2009 FDBE/GHP/UKCPA Information Technology Award, designed to encourage, support and promote IT initiatives and best practice in the use of IT in hospital pharmacy. The award, sponsored by First DataBank Europe, The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and the United Kingdom Pharmacy Association, is open to pharmacy departments and individuals, and includes a cash award of $4,865 [USD]. Projects may be related to patient care, clinical services, medicines management, decision support, electronic prescribing, or any other IT application that improves pharmaceutical services. Deadline for entries is Dec. 31, 2008 and the award will be presented in spring 2009. Application materials will be available soon at www.ukcpa.org or www.ghp.org.uk.
For details, visit http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/view/1192/26/

Australia faces three-year delay in EHR system implementation
Plans to provide every Australian with a portable electronic medical record have been delayed by at least three years due to problems developing a national e-health system, according to federal officials. Health officials blame the delay on lack of coordination between local and national governments, as well as resistance from doctors and pathologists. Senior clinicians say it will now be 2012 at the earliest before even a limited electronic health record (EHR) is available nationally. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said it will be at least the end of the year before crucial decisions are made on whether the new target date is achievable. The federal government first unveiled plans for an EHR system in 2000 and has spent more than $150 million toward that effort.
For details, visit http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP://...

Austria's Sozialversicherung kicks off Euro 2008 health Web site
The Austrian social security system Sozialversicherung has launched a new Web site to provide soccer fans with information on how to seek health advice in the country, during the ongoing three-week Euro 2008 tournament. Fans from 16 nations are expected to follow their teams to Austria for tournament, which kicked off on June 7 and runs through the end of the month. The site may be accessed by logging onto http://www.sozialversicherung.at/ecguide/. The Web site is available in 34 European languages. The site includes information on where to go if a fan becomes ill, a first aid dictionary for the most important health phrases, and answers to common questions on legal insurance status, precautionary documents to take, and who should be contacted in case of an emergency in Austria.
For details, visit http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/... and http://www.sozialversicherung.at/expert/e...