March 28, 2008

ATA Final Program now available online
The Final Program for the American Telemedicine Association's 2008 conference in Seattle, WA is now available online at http://www.americantelemed.org.. . The 116-page program to ATA's annual meeting includes profiles, plenary sessions, workshops, presenters and exhibitors at the world's largest scientific meeting and exposition focusing exclusively on telemedicine. Abstracts for the meeting will be published in Telemedicine and e-Health and will be given out at the registration desk to all attendees. ATA 2008 is April 6-8 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.
For details, visit www.americantelemed.org and www.americantelemed.org/conf/2008/opener.htm

California delays plan to track Rx drugs
In a reprieve for the pharmaceutical industry, the California State Board of Pharmacy has voted to delay a requirement that all prescription drugs be electronically tracked as a way to prevent counterfeiting. The California plan, which requires every bottle of pills sold to a pharmacy to have a unique serial number encoded in a bar code or a radio-frequency identification tag, was to take effect Jan. 1, 2009; the board's vote postpones the plan until Jan. 1, 2011. The vote was a response to statements from drug manufacturers, distributors and retail pharmacists, who said there was no way they would be ready by next January and would be forced to stop selling drugs in California.
For details, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/business...

Louisiana considers videoconferenced mental health exams
The Louisiana House of Representatives is considering a new mental health telemedicine bill that would allow emergency mental health exams to be conducted by videoconferencing. House Bill No. 653, by Rep. John Labruzzo (R-Metairie), would allow a healthcare provider, parish coroner or authorized physician to conduct the exam immediately if the person is considered to be "dangerous to self or others, or is gravely disabled." The bill is set for review by the House Committee on Health & Welfare when the 2008 regular session starts on March 31.
For details, visit http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/...

Scientists invent, unveil portable 'lab-on-a-chip'
Two companies specializing in microelectronics and medical diagnostics have produced the world's first "lab-on-a-chip," a portable device for detecting all major forms of flu, including bird flu, at the point of need. Unlike other existing methods that take days and weeks, the new device, VereFlu, can give genetic information about an infection within two hours, according to the device's creators, STMicroelectronics of Switzerland and Veredus Laboratories of Singapore. It is also portable, freeing the diagnostic process from the lab. The "mini-lab" allows the diagnostician to analyze patient samples such as blood, serum and respiratory swabs on a single disposable thumbnail-sized chip. This method also reduces the risk of sample cross-contamination that can occur in the conventional lab setting, according to STMicroelectronics officials.
For details, visit http://www.st.com/stonline/stappl/...

'SnowWorld' program helps burn victims play through pain
Researchers at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL have a new way to help burn victims deal with the pain of recovery: video games. The school has introduced SnowWorld, an interactive virtual reality video game designed to distract patients from their pain as they enter into a polar landscape of gently falling snowflakes, snowmen, penguins, igloos and icy rivers. Dr. Richard Gamelli, chief of Loyola's Burn Center, believes the theory is solid. "Think of a toothache," Gamelli said. "During the day it's less painful because you have more demands on your attention. However, when night comes and things quiet down, your pain can flair up because you have far less to focus on."
For details, visit http://www.lumc.edu/Template/luhs/...

College students give thumbs up to online records storage
In an online survey of more than 500 students at 31 colleges and universities nationwide, 56 percent said they favored the idea of storing their health records online because it was more convenient and gave them easier access. The survey, conducted by the Arlington, VA-based Center for Student Health and Life (CSHL), noted that a "vocal" minority was concerned about the privacy and security of their information, and who would have access to it. Some of the concerns might be addressed through education, and extremely strong privacy protection and security, according to CSHL. The health records segment was part of a larger Web survey on ways to improve student health, conducted from Dec. 24, 2007 to Jan. 6, 2008.
For details, visit http://www.cshal.org/research-and-survey-data/...

Greece expands telemedicine program
A year after implementing its first telemedicine program at a handful of regional medical offices, the Inter Municipality Health & Welfare Network (IMHWN) is performing a wide-scale launch of the system in 16 municipalities throughout Greece. The Greek telemedicine system is based on mobile telecommunications technology and offers multiple benefits to all participants, according to IMHWN officials. Patients can practice preventive medicine, while at the same time geographical limitations are abolished and the sense of security felt by patients is strengthened thanks to direct access to specialist doctors. Meanwhile, doctors in the regions can provide specialist healthcare services in remote areas where there is no direct access to a central hospital, while also having the opportunity to communicate and work with the specialists from Athens Medical Centre, IMHWN notes.
For details, visit http://www.hospitaliteurope.com/default....

New Web site will e-mail docs of medication warnings
Non-profit medical expert organization iHealth Alliance is launching an online network designed to e-mail physicians of significant label changes, warnings and recalls regarding various medications. The Health Care Notification Network (HCNN) is meant to provide doctors with faster notification of such changes, which typically get tossed as junk mail or buried in stacks of marketing materials on the physicians' desks, according to Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Currently, physicians receive most medical notifications by regular mail. The site is being operated by Medem Inc., a private for-profit firm in San Francisco. Drug makers will pay to use the new system, which will be free for doctors and won't include any drug-company marketing materials. The HCNN site will archive alerts for one year.
For details, visit http://www.hcnn.net/webPages/press_releases.aspx

Wearable computers - the next frontier in patient monitoring?
Remote patient monitoring has entered a new frontier: wearable computers. According to a report by Dublin, Ireland-based Research and Markets, wearable computing has long captured the imagination of the media and the public but has failed to translate into commercially successful products. But now, according to "Healthware Wearable Computers in Healthcare," healthcare providers have identified a role for wearable computers in remote patient monitoring. "While we are a long way from a Utopia where clothing continually monitors our health, a growing number of wearable computers are being used in telemedicine applications and clinical trials," the report notes. Healthware services would also provide a steady revenue stream, based around older subscribers, at a time when shifting demographics leaves fewer subscribers for youth-orientated services, the report notes.
For details, visit http://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Releases/...

EMC wins $31 million Finland patient record contract
The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA) has selected Hopkinton, MA-based EMC Corp. to build a new centralized national patient record archive for secure storage of more than 5.3 million health records in what will become Finland's largest database. The new KanTa archiving system aims to deliver an electronic prescription service later this year, followed by the completion of a comprehensive patient record and image archive in 2009, according to KELA Chief Information Officer Markku Suominen. The project, valued at approximately $31.4 million [USD], will serve as many as 300,000 professionals within the Finnish public healthcare and pharmacies, as well as private medical clinics. KELA will have separate environments for production, test and development, to ensure there is minimal disruption to users, Suominen said.
For details, visit http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/3589/emc_...

DRC to supply patient simulation training for Army
Dynamics Research Corp. (DRC) has been awarded an $849,000 contract by the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) in Fort Detrick, MD. The one-year contract will support human patient simulation training for U.S. Army Reserve medical units. DRC, based in Andover, MA, will provide a training support package to include performance assessment material and after-action review strategies. DRC specializes in developing flexible, interactive training products and services to support mission-critical government needs, according to James Regan, DRC's chairman and chief executive officer. The focus of these products is on state-of-the art multimedia instruction and Web-based distance learning systems that allow users to effectively train anywhere, he said. The simulation training will take place at the Center for Medical Education and Innovation in Riverside, OH.
For details, visit http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix...

British Telecom expands into Singapore telehealth market
British Telecom (BT), a global provider of communications solutions and services, has completed a $146 million [USD] acquisition of Singapore-based telehealth provider Frontline Technologies, BT officials announced. The new company will start operations immediately under the brand name of BT Frontline. BT Frontline will provide information technology consulting, IT infrastructure services, systems integration and IT outsourcing to local, regional and multinational customers with a presence in healthcare, financial services, transportation, manufacturing, telecommunications, education and public sectors. Integration of the two companies is expected to take two years, although there is not much overlap between the two, according to Allen Ma, president of BT Asia-Pacific.
For details, visit http://www.frontline.com.sg/doc/...