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June 20, 2008

Health insurers, medical groups push physicians toward e-prescriptions
With fewer than 10 percent of U.S. physicians and pharmacies currently using electronic prescription technology, private health insurers have begun offering financial incentives or assistance to small and rural medical practices to encourage them to take up the service. WellPoint, the nation's largest health insurer by membership, offers higher payments of 1 to 6 percent to e-prescription plan-using doctors in Ohio and the Northeast, while Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA subsidizes costs for up to one year through the corporation's eRX Collaborative. State and national program are also being established to help physicians with problems they could face during the transition phase. And, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Physician Assistants recently endorsed Get Connected, a new program that offers free clinical software evaluations and advice.

Reorganization in place for DoD's health IT programs
A new Defense Health Information Management System (DHIMS) is being created from the consolidation of offices that provide information technology and electronic products support for the Department of Defense's Military Health System (MHS). The offices are being consolidated to improve product organization and oversight, according to MHS Lt. Col. Denise Green. The new office "brings MHS business systems and analytical tools under one umbrella," according to Green. The action combines the Executive Information and Decision Support Program Office, the Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support program, and the Resources Information Program Office. The three offices oversaw 30 different IT and electronic support products, Green noted.

Australian telemedicine program has benefits - and its share of stress
Telemedicine places additional stress on emergency room physicians but is of great benefit to regional health professionals, according to a study from the University of Sydney's Health Informatics Research and Evaluation Unit. In the 18-month study, conducted in the emergency departments of an 85-bed district hospital and a 420-bed metropolitan hospital, doctors admitted that having a telemedicine-based critical care unit on hand gave them the ability to treat more patients than would normally walk through the door. But specialists who provided advice to rural physicians through the unit found themselves under additional stress. "What they actually said was that they can now often see and hear the patient, so it's like being in a room with the resuscitation going on," said University of Sydney Prof. Johanna Westbrook, the study's co-author. "But they don't have any power to take any action."

Online doctor, hospital ratings mean little to patients
A new Harris Interactive poll has determined that although more than 80 percent of the state's adults turn to the Internet for health-related information, less than 1 in 4 have looked at physician ratings sites. In addition, only 2 percent of those surveyed changed their physicians based on information posted on one of those sites, according to the poll commissioned by the California HealthCare Foundation. The survey also found that only 1 percent of respondents changed their hospital or health plan based on results at the ratings sites. But despite patients' apparent lack of passion for physicians' ratings sites, doctors and hospitals should still take heed, according to Newbury, MA psychologist John Grohol, who runs the patient feedback site Psych Central (http://psychcentral.com). Word-of-mouth, Grohol said, is considered the best and most critical advertisement, and that communication is increasingly happening on the Web.

Telepresence expected to take big foothold in Asia by 2014
Telepresence systems are now being used more than videoconferencing and are expected to be the market of the future in Asia, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan. The company's "Asia Pacific Telepresence Market" report notes that the Asia-Pacific's six sub-regions - 14 countries - earned $17.7 million [USD] in 2007. Revenue in the same region is expected to reach $33.8 million [USD] at the end of 2008 and $144 million [USD] by the end of 2014. Growth is attributed to telepresence systems' high-quality images and sound, simplicity and tightly integrated services element. "These features enable users to work productively without experiencing communication fatigue for longer hours due to the natural feel of the solution," according to the report.

Eastern European hospitals head for private financing
Public hospitals in Eastern Europe are increasingly seeking out private finance companies to gain financial autonomy and be able invest in medical imaging equipment, according to a report from Frost & Sullivan. The result will be huge market growth over the next seven years. "Eastern European Medical Imaging Modalities Markets" notes that the market's earned revenue of $299.8 million [USD] in 2007 and estimates the market will more than double to $631.5 million [USD] by 2014. The public sector, previously fraught with issues such as lack of transparency in revenue collection, is moving towards a more favorable environment for private investment, the report notes. Meanwhile, major medical imaging modality vendors, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), are positive about the private sector, as it is a more attractive source of revenue than the public sector.

Face-to-face mental health therapy gives way to Internet
A growing number of people are trading in face-to-face mental health therapy and turning to the Internet for therapy via instant messaging, e-mail exchanges or videoconferencing. Those embracing the concept prefer it because there is no need to drive, find a baby sitter or miss work, the patient has a layer of anonymity, and more people can get help. On the down side, mental health coverage rarely includes Internet counseling, the therapist loses many visual cues during an online session, and Internet therapy is not appropriate for every patient.

Canadian home care seeks new focus on IT to meet health needs
Home care in Canada needs to realign its priorities to develop information technology that improves quality of patient care, according "Integration Through Information Communication Technology for Home Care in Canada," a study by the Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA). Although the government increasingly recognizes the value of home care in meeting the health needs of an aging population and the role it plays in relieving pressure on hospital beds and emergency rooms, there has not been a shift in strategic thinking and funding decisions related to technology to adequately support the sector, according to the report. For the home care provider, IT improves the ability to see more patients, decreases paperwork and allows access to the right information at the right time, enabling collaboration with other providers, the study notes.

Royal Dutch Pharmaceutical Society strikes $5.1 million IT outsourcing deal
The Royal Dutch Pharmaceutical Society (KNMP) plans to outsource its vital information technology services to London-based communications provider BT under a five-year, $5.1 million [USD] deal. The deal, according to KNMP Business Innovation Manager Niek den Toom, will "enable us to focus on our core objectives - promoting good facilities for the provision of drugs, practicing pharmacy as science and representing the interests of our members." KNMP, which began in 1842, has 5,000 members, representing more than 90 percent of Dutch pharmacists. The agreement calls for BT to handle a variety of office automation and shared storage duties, including remote and on-site desktop management, managed IP telephony and business continuity consultancy services.

AMA wants end to 'antiquated' rules to electronic prescribing
The American Medical Association's House of Delegates has approved a resolution calling for an end to government barriers to electronic prescribing. Resolution 230 states that physicians should not be required to enroll in e-prescribing to participate in Medicare and Medicaid, and that Medicare and Medicaid payments should not be predicated upon use of e-prescribing. The resolution also called for initiating discussions with the Drug Enforcement Administration to allow e-prescribing of controlled substances. The federal government's "antiquated" rules are one reason e-prescriptions are not widely embraced by physicians, the resolution notes.

UK's telecare plan is key to helping carers gain lives of their own
Nearly 5.2 million in-home care providers in England and Wales - known as "carers" - could get to have lives of their own thanks to telecare, according to the British government's newly published Carers Strategy. The strategy outlines a 10-year, $502.2 million [USD] program that provides short breaks for carers, helps them re-enter the job market and establishes more training for general practitioners. There are more than 5.2 million carers in England and Wales, more than half of whom provide more than 20 hours of care per week. More than 1 million provide more than 50 hours of care per week. And demand for such care is expected to rise as the number of people over age 85 rises by more than 50 percent in the next 10 years.

'Casino Royale' telemedicine scene doc becomes James Bond film advisor
An Aberdeen, Scotland doctor who helped design a telemedicine treatment scene in the 2006 James Bond movie "Casino Royale" has been hired by the Bond film producers to provide remote medicine services to the cast and crew of the movie series. Dr. James Ferguson, an emergency consultant at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), devised a dramatic scene in "Royale" in which a poisoned Bond is remotely diagnosed by physicians and treats himself with their advice. Ferguson is a huge fan of James Bond flicks and thought ARI telemedicine treatment would be perfect for the action hero, who has appeared in 23 big-screen movies since 1962. Over the years, the super agent has been in many life-threatening situations, but none as realistic as this one, producers note. Now, "we will be providing medical advice when they are filming in remote areas," Ferguson said. "And if (Bond actor) Daniel (Craig) or somebody else gets ill in deepest, darkest Chile, or wherever, they can give us a shout."

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About the Journal

The journal, Telemedicine and e-Health is published 10 times a year in print and online. It 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.

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

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