May 6, 2008

Remote patient monitoring cuts risk of heart failure
Remote patient monitoring can improve chance of heart failure and reduce hospital admissions, according to a pilot study by the Baltimore-based Center for Connected Health. One-hundred and fifty randomly selected patients from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, with an average age of 70, participated in the study. Sixty-eight patients received usual care for heart monitoring, 42 patients received standard remote care, and 40 declined to participate, according to Ambar Kulshreshtha, M.D., M.P.H., the study's lead author. Patients in the remote monitoring group had lower average hospital readmission rates (31 readmissions per 100 people) compared to patients in usual care (38 readmissions per 100 people) and non-participants (45 readmissions per 100 people). Patients in the remote monitoring group also had fewer heart-failure related readmissions and emergency room visits than usual care and non-participating patients.
For details, visit http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=405

Upcoming NHIN to be of value to all federal agencies
The upcoming Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) could have extensive value outside of government agencies, according to Federal Health Architecture officials. The NHIN's connection will be "open, flexible and extensive" once it becomes active early next year, according to NHIN Connect Program Manager David Riley. The gateway will support six core services: subject discovery (identification of the patient), document query, document retrieval, retrieval of an audit log, a messaging platform and an authorization framework. Three user agencies will have access upon start-up: the departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, the Indian Health Service and the National Cancer Institute, Riley said. But all 26 federal agencies that work with health records will have the opportunity to participate in future years.
For details, visit http://www.govhealthit.com/online/news/350337-1.html

European Commission encourages innovative e-health efforts
Noting that the European e-health market suffers from a "fragmentation of public demand" causing a lack of exchangeability of products and services, the European Commission's Information, Society and Media team has issued a new guidance document encouraging innovation-friendly procurement in e-health. The EC is asking member states to review current innovations when considering procurements "so that industry does not provide only customer-individualized solutions resulting in technological delay and lack of economy of scale." But the Commission is also calling on member states to take risks and deploy newly innovated systems. "This would improve the chances of having procurement of services that are already commercially available and procurement of R&D services providing solutions that outperform those available on the market," the EC notes.
For details, visit http://www.ehealtheurope.net/... and http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/...

Web site shows how drugs work in 'real' people
A Web site that offers real-time reports of side effects experienced by prescription drug users has been launched by a Princeton, N.J. consumer interest group in an effort to "bring patient empowerment to a new level." iGuard.org's free Web site is the first to allow patients to see how drugs work in real people, according to site creator and founder Dr. Hugo Stephenson. "Unlike other health and drug-safety sites, which provide static content, rewritten information found on package inserts, and forums for patient discussions, iGuard.org monitors how different drugs are working across its network of users by conducting random surveys on an on-going basis," Stephenson said. Community members can easily access pooled, anonymous information on side effects, safety and effectiveness so they know what to expect when starting a new treatment, Stephenson added.
For details, visit http://www.iguard.org/help/news/preleases.html

Australia calls on virtual doctors for ER medic shortage
To solve a shortage in rural trauma specialists, Australia is turning to four virtual doctors: telehealth consoles that will be installed in emergency departments at four Victoria-region hospitals. According to Telstra Corp., the nation's largest provider of local and long distance telephone services, mobile services, dialup, wireless, DSL and cable Internet access, hospitals in Bendigo, Swan Hill, Echuca and Mildura will receive Virtual Trauma Care consoles that will allow local doctors to confer with Melbourne-area trauma specialists. The company notes that this will reduce the need for hospital transfers and allow patients to be treated closer to home, and provide local physicians with experience handling more-complex trauma cases.
For details, visit http://www.6minutes.com.au/articles/z1/view.asp?id=171384

UHA grant helps turn community health center digital
A $200,000 grant by UnitedHealthcare of Arizona will help 70,000 Tucson-area medical care recipients move into the electronic age. Grant recipient El Rio Community Health Center will add $460,000 of its own funds to pay for an electronic medical record (EMR) system, making it one of the few small medical practices in Arizona to go digital with medical records. El Rio will connect its system to the Southern Arizona Health Information Exchange (SAHIE), according to center executive director Kathy Byrne. Electronic records are a good business solution to rising healthcare costs, as opposed to a solution that relies on charity, according to SAHIE project director Kalyanraman Bharathan. At least three large groups - Arizona Community Physicians, Carondelet Medical Group and University Physicians Healthcare have already made the switch. But most small medical practices aren't yet considering EMRs due to cost.
For details, visit http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/business/236890.php

New mental health telemedicine resource on tap for Alaskans
Care providers in rural Alaska can meet their patients' mental health needs through a free behavioral health videoconference from the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) and Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network. "Mid-level primary health-care providers are the first contact for people who need behavioral health treatment," said Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Chief Executive Officer Ron Adler. "These videoconference lectures and consultations let providers around the state ask behavioral health specialists about medication and treatment options." There's a clear need for mental health services among Alaskans, especially in remote communities, according to Adler: the suicide rate for rural Alaskan children is nine times the national average; the adult rate is four times the national average.
For details, visit http://thearcticsounder.com/news/show/2102

IBA, General Healthcare strike $10.6 million deal
The United Kingdom's largest health information technology company has secured a six-year, $10.6 million [USD] deal as a strategic health IT partner for the UK's largest provider of independent healthcare services. Oxfordshire, England-based iSoft Group PLC, a subsidiary of IBA Health Group Ltd., will also be the preferred supplier of clinical IT systems for Middlesex, England-headquartered General Healthcare Group (GHG). GHG will license and implement iSoft's patient management systems for its 47 BMI Healthcare private acute care hospitals in the UK and its Netcare centers throughout South Africa, according to Paul Richards, managing director of iSoft UK and Ireland. Officials from both groups say the deal is instrumental in giving physicians the most flexibility in how they access and share information.
For details, visit http://www.isoftplc.com/text/home/nm_latest_3273.asp

Insurance data site adds healthcare and Internet focus
One of the insurance industry's primary information sources is turning its attention toward healthcare and Internet. San Jose, CA-based InsuranceSpecialists.com has launched a section of its site dedicated to the convergence of affordable healthcare and the Web, according to Chief Executive Officer Jon Davidson. He notes the emergence of telemedicine as a medical care resource, and the arrival of insurers such as Aetna and Cigna toward providing telehealth coverage, as proof that the public interest is there. "We're going to see greater strides in the area of telemedicine with insurance coverage keeping pace with that development," Davidson said. The addition of healthcare data completes the site's recent overhaul, where it now includes medical, auto, homeowner and life insurance data.
For details, visit http://keralanext.com/news/?id=462569 and www.insurancespecialists.com

Army selects Forterra for next phase of telemedicine project
San Jose, CA-based Forterra Systems, a market and technology leader in creating private virtual worlds, has been selected for the new phase of the Army Small Business Innovation Research Commercialization Pilot Program (CPP). This project follows previous medical simulation training work by Forterra on behalf of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materials Command's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. Forterra's software platform forms the basis of a virtual environment for training medical first responders, with the potential for rapid transition to operational Army units and civilian applications of the technology by the larger medical community, according to Dr. Mike Macedonia, vice president and general manager of Forterra Federal Systems.
For details, visit http://www.forterrainc.com/...

IP address auction set for June 25-26 in Amsterdam
An upcoming auction conducted by Chicago-based Ocean Tomo Auctions will have Internet protocol (IP) assets available in 40 main categories, including domain names, patents relating to wireless electronic payment systems, video compression technology and encryption technologies. The IP assets on auction will be grouped into 15 categories, including online and mobile commerce; digital media systems and management; computer systems and software; lighting technology; information management and data systems; fluid handling; location-based systems and logistics; security and authentication systems; communications; messaging; electronics and handheld devices; smart cards; manufacturing and automation; telemedicine; and domain names. The auction is set for June 25-26 in Amsterdam.
For details, visit http://www.oceantomo.com/press/...

D-Link to bring e-health, e-learning process to Nigeria
E-health and e-learning projects may be easier to come by in Nigeria: D-Link International of Singapore plans to become the first company to manufacture computer networking components in the African nation. D-Link plans to build a networking component manufacturing plant - the first of its kind in Africa - within the next few years as part of the nation's seven-point Millennium Development Goals, according to D-Link President Tony Tsao. The goals call for full IT development, including e-service delivery to hospitals, clinic access to rural communities, and prison and police activity monitoring within Nigeria by 2020. "All these benefits would improve information and communication technology access in Nigeria and reduce the 'Digital Divide' disadvantage to rural Nigeria," according to a government statement.
For details, visit http://www.vanguardngr.com/...

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