June 6, 2008

California to launch online database to stop drug abusers
California's attorney general is creating an online prescription drug database designed to improve the state's clunky process for verifying a patient's prescriptions and prevent access by drug abusers. The office plans to place the prescription-tracking database on a secure Web site that healthcare providers can access instantly to obtain immediate information and make it tougher for patients to go from doctor to doctor to fill multiple prescriptions. "We have a horse and buggy system today," Attorney General Jerry Brown said. "The doctors or the pharmacists can't really keep track - in real time - of abusers of prescription drugs." Brown didn't offer a timetable for implementation, but he said the $3.5 million needed will have to come from private sources because the state lacks the money.
For details, visit http://caag.state.ca.us/newsalerts/release.php?id=1568

Congress may add e-Rx element to Medicare bill
An effort to compensate doctors for using electronic prescriptions may be tucked into Medicare legislation to help improve its passage. Under the proposal, physicians participating in Medicare would receive a 2 percent bonus for using e-prescriptions, beginning in 2009. Those who do not begin using the technology by 2011 would receive a 1 percent pay cut, growing to a 2 percent cut by 2013. Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Max Baucus (D-MT) is expected to add the measure to a Medicare spending bill. Proponents say the bill could go a long way toward helping doctors convert to the digital age, as 86 percent of physicians are in the Medicare program.
For details, visit http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008...

E-health 2.0 needs better awareness from healthcare providers
Healthcare providers need to raise their awareness of how e-health 2.0 is transforming the delivery of healthcare, according to a report from e-Health Insider. "Web 2.0 in the Health Sector: Industry Review with a UK Perspective" examines the use of Web 2.0 technologies in healthcare systems in the U.S., United Kingdom and Europe. "Organizations, such as Patient Opinion, RateMDs and Patients Talking, are utilizing Web 2.0 technologies to improve healthcare delivery, facilitate provider transparency, and enhance individual's overall health experience," according to the report. "However, those who ignore the trend to e-health 2.0 risk missing out on the early stages of an economic and technological tectonic shift." Those who tap the potential of the technology, it says, will be better placed to develop new ways of interacting with patients with more immediacy.
For details, visit http://www.hesmagazine.com/... and http://www.e-health-insider.com/img/...

Telehealth can transform UK health and social care
Telehealth has the potential to "radically transform" health and social care in the United Kingdom, according to a panel of experts and community services directors speaking at the recent "Meeting Tomorrow's Challenges" conference. According to the panel, telehealth "supports the national drive for integration and a more flexible, integrated approach to health and social care delivery within the community setting, keeping people healthy, safe and in control within their own homes." The British government has also made a commitment to promoting telehealth, through an earlier announcement of its $61 million [USD] Whole System Demonstrator program, which will highlight the potential of using telecare and telehealth solutions to provide more effective, integrated care and support for those with complex health and social care needs, the panel noted.
For details, visit http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/view/1183/26/

Kingdom of Jordan heads to Texas for EHR demo
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan wants to get involved with open source electronic health records (EHRs). Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, TX was all too happy to give them a guided tour. In 2006 the 320-bed county-run facility began using Open Vista, a commercialized version of the VistA solution used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over the past two decades. MMH Director of Information Systems David Whiles said the hospital welcomed the opportunity to share its experiences with very receptive Jordanian officials. "The ability to roll out a comprehensive, reliable electronic health record in less time and with less investment than anyone thought possible is good medicine anywhere in the world," Whiles said.
For details, visit http://www.medsphere.com/press/20080602

Britain's NHS begins national GP data extraction
Britain's National Health Service (NHS) Information Centre is beginning consultations with stakeholders for a new data extraction system that will record and analyze local general practitioner activities to improve patient care, and target NHS resources more effectively. GP Extraction Service (GPES) will be a centrally-managed primary care data extraction and analysis tool which will obtain information from all NHS GP practices in England, according to NHSIC Chief Executive Tim Straughan. "GPES will provide very real benefits for patients," Straughan said. "We are, however, aware of the importance of ensuring the system integrates seamlessly with existing GP databases. And we take extremely seriously the need to protect the confidentiality of patient data." Britain's NHS has been under public scrutiny in recent months for data breaches late last year.
For details, visit http://www.ehiprimarycare.com/news/... and http://www.ic.nhs.uk/gpes

Doctors resort to 'vaccine against libel' to keep reps intact
Physicians worried about unfavorable reviews by patients are asking them to sign a contract where they promise not to post anything online about their experience, good or bad, without the doctor's approval. Greensboro, N.C.-based Medical Justice Inc., which specializes in helping doctors fight malpractice suits, designed the contract as a "vaccine against libel." according to Dr. Jeffrey Segal, a physician who runs the company. "Reputation is everything," Segal said, noting that in many cases customer complaints are not the fault of the physician, but with the healthcare system in general. But the doctor takes the brunt of the patient's unhappiness. Critics note that asking patients to sign the contract could violate their First Amendment rights, especially if they're using a publicly funded healthcare program.
For details, visit http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/06/09/bica0609.htm

Pro-tech cooperation needed among doctors, patients and developers
Physicians, patients, technology developers and policymakers must collaborate to speed the adoption of technology within the healthcare industry, according to a study from the American College of Physicians. The paper notes that healthcare is the fastest-growing industry overall, but most physicians offices and hospitals still maintain records on paper. Implementing e-health activities effectively, according to ACP, lies in adoption of universal technical standards for exchange of electronic health information, and in a more fundamental concern of economic support for health information technology. Physicians are also reluctant to embrace technology for security reasons; ACP recommends use of secure Web messaging rather than standard e-mail to "ensure the highest levels of privacy and confidentiality that are currently available for electronic communications between physicians and their patients."
For details, visit http://www.acponline.org/meetings/internal_medicine/2008/media/ehealth.htm?hp

HealthSprint plans major expansion into India by 2010
Healthcare Information Technology services company HealthSprint plans a major expansion into India within the next two years, hoping to be connected via Internet portal to more than 1,000 hospitals, 2,000 pharmacies and 2,500 diagnostic centers, according to company founder Dr. Brahmesh D. Jain. The company is currently linked with 150 hospitals throughout India. Jain said the company's goal will be to extend its services to many rural areas that lack healthcare or access to bigger-city care. "The idea is to provide a laptop, a scanner and a printer to rural hospitals, which will help to communicate the healthcare data to microinsurance companies and tertiary hospitals," Jain said.
For details, visit http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/...

China Medicine raises $8 million for 'panic button' expansion
China Medicine On-Line Ltd., a Hong Kong-based telemedicine services provider, has secured $8 million [USD] in funding from Infinity Equity, to be used toward expansion of its "panic button" services, according to CMOL officials. China Medicine, China's leading national integrated healthcare network, supplies panic, "urgent situation" buttons to more than 80,000 customers, most of whom are age 65 or older. CMOL wants to expand service to a total of 1 million customers, including in 10 additional cities, within the next five years, CMOL Chief Executive Officer Ren Hai Bi said. Infinity Equity will allocate the funds in two phases of $4 million. The panic button market is expected to grow from $700 million to more than $1 billion in that time, according to Infinity Equity Life Science Director Dr. Bella Ohana.
For details, visit http://www.pehub.com/article/articledetail.php?articlepostid=12523

'Home Telehealth and Patient Monitoring' market report out June 21
The $5.6 billion home telehealth and remote patient monitoring market will grow by nearly 70 percent for at least the next three to five years, according to an upcoming strategic report published by Insight and Intelligence. Through interviews with industry leaders, surveys, use of government and other agency databases, and reviews of published literature, "Home Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring" reveals that the healthcare provider market segment - companies that offer telemedicine services to healthcare providers - consists of a number of small- to medium-sized companies with average annual revenue of approximately $6.6 million and combined average revenue growth of 72 percent. Consumer companies - which provide services directly to the consumer, such as wireless providers - tend to be larger, with combined average annual revenue of approximately $121.3 million and an even more explosive combined annual revenue growth of 118.5 percent to 193.5 percent. "Home Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring" will be available June 21.
For further information and pricing, contact dmitchell@liebertpub.com