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October 14, 2008

California prepares effort to link state's prison system with IT network
California prison officials expect to complete a massive, high-speed fiber-optic network that will link all 33 of the state's prisons by 2013. The state hopes to begin piloting the core of the network - a clinical data repository referred to as the "Rosetta stone" project - by March 2009 and plans to install the database at most of the state's prisons by the end of that year, according to Jamie Mangrum, Chief Information Officer of the state's California Prison Health Care Services. Telemedicine will be one of the first applications prison officials plan to focus on. "It's so costly and time-consuming to get clinicians to go to prisons or to transport prisoners to an outside facility for appointments," Mangrum said. "Telemedicine is such a good fit for that." http://www.govhealthit.com/blogs/ghitnotebook/350609-1.html

Louisiana, other states seek physician recruits for federal EHR project
Louisiana officials want to recruit 200 primary care physicians for a federally funded electronic health records demonstration project, but so far they only have 14 applicants. The reason: Hurricane Gustav, which slammed through the state on Sept. 1, one day before the start of the application period. However, six weeks remain for the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum (LHCQF) to meet its goal, according to LHCQF Executive Director Shannon Robshaw. But Louisiana is not the only state with slow turnout. The Maryland-Washington, D.C.-area has 20; Pennsylvania 15, and South Dakota eight. Eight other states are enrolled in the search for rural practices for the five-year program. Deadline for applying is Nov. 26. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/30667059.html and http://www.lhcqf.org/

State Department, IBM to build telemedicine bridge to rural Pakistan
A public-private partnership to expand telemedicine services to remote areas of Pakistan has been launched by the U.S. State Department, IBM, Medweb Inc., Motorola Inc. and other public and private groups. The Pakistan Telemedicine Project uses wireless broadband technology, videoconferencing and the Internet to connect the project's central coordinating facility at the Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi with a hospital in rural Attock District. "We've had patients show up who haven't been seen by a physician in 10, 20 or even 30 years," said Dr. Richard Bakalar, Chief Medical Officer at IBM. "Now these patients are hearing about this and coming from all over to register for these clinics." Other companies and organizations in the partnership include Wateen Telecom, USAID, the U.S. Department of Defense Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center. http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/25355.wss

Southeast Michigan physician groups launch health data exchange
Three Southeast Michigan physician groups have teamed up with Compuware Corp. subsidiary Covisint to establish a new Web-based health information exchange that will give participating doctors a central access point for calling up patient information stored electronically by other health providers, such as hospitals and laboratories. The new online network, called My One Health Information Exchange, is scheduled for launch in November and is the result of a partnership formed by United Physicians, Olympia Medical Services and Continuum Management Services, which combined represent more than 3,000 doctors in the region. Doctors using the exchange will be able to call up information on test results and drug prescriptions ordered by doctors at other institutions by logging into a secure online network, according to United Physicians Vice President John Vismara. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...

Britain's NHS, University of Nottingham study trends in disease risk factors
A project between Britain's National Health Service Information Centre and the University of Nottingham could provide a more accurate picture of trends in the most important disease risk factors. The Public Health Indicators summary reports on trends in obesity, smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol and ethnicity using anonymous data taken from the health records of more than four million patients. "The data can be used to identify patterns and wider health trends so that resources can be targeted to patients with the greatest need to help avoid further widening health inequalities," said QResearch project leader Prof. Julia Hippisley-Cox of The University of Nottingham. "With input coming directly from general practitioners spread throughout the country, it is much easier to analyze patterns and trends. This makes it a potentially powerful tool in understanding public health issues." http://communications.nottingham.ac.uk/...

IT adoption rate remains slow among hospitals, but slowest in West and Midwest
Adoption of information technology by hospitals and physician specialists remains extremely slow, with facilities in the East Coast being most accommodating, according to a study by researchers at Arizona State University. "Adoption of Health Information Technology for Medication Safety in U.S. Hospitals" notes that New England, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic-region-based hospitals and doctors have the highest IT adoption rates, while the West and Mountain states are far behind. Among states, Rhode Island leads the nation, while South Dakota was last. To combat the problem of slower adoption at some hospitals, the study authors recommend targeting intervention to specific facilities, such as those that are smaller or located in rural areas. They also recommend government-sponsored financial incentives for these providers to help them pay for the cost of the systems. http://asunews.asu.edu/20081006_businesshealthit

UK seeks comment on proposed EU patient mobility directive
The United Kingdom's Department of Health is developing a new European Union Patient Mobility Directive designed to clarify which rules will apply when an EU national wants to receive medical treatment in an EU member nation that is not their "home" country. Through early December, the Department of Health will seek the views of healthcare professionals, patient groups, health organizations and the public on ways to ensure legislative proposals do not adversely affect the ability of the National Health Service to plan and manage services; how to help patients make informed decisions about their away-from-home medical care; and proposed measures for EU cooperation on healthcare. Comment will be accepted until Dec. 3, with a draft Directive to be drawn up and discussed at the Council of EU Health Ministers in Brussels on Dec. 15-16. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/... http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/...

EHRs could result in legal issues for less-than-cautious doctors
Electronic health records can make doctors vulnerable to new legal liabilities, legal experts note. Depending on the EHR system design and type of user error, a physician can face legal issues if they are not careful in the systems' use. Although some safeguards exist, many are currently lacking, according to Jonathan Tomes, President of Overland Park, KS-based consulting firm EMR Legal Inc. "There are currently very few standards for EHRs, and the certification process is just now getting under way," Tomes said. "It still allows behavior that would disqualify the EHR as a legal record if challenged in court." There's also the question of whether an EHR is legal, period: Just because an EHR creates something that looks like a medical record doesn't mean that document fits the legal definition of one, according to Reed Gelzer, M.D., co-founder of Revere, MA-based Advocates for Documentation Integrity and Compliance. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/10/13/bisa1013.htm

Privacy concerns remain major issue among consumers regarding EHR use
Confidentiality issues remain a major stumbling block in the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by U.S. residents, according to a survey by Washington, D.C.-based Employee Benefit Research Institute. According to the study of 1,000 U.S. adults age 21 or older, only 12 percent of respondents reported feeling "extremely" or "very" confident that their electronic records would remain confidential. On the other hand, better than 6 in 10 (62 percent) said they had doubts. But 55 percent of respondents acknowledged that it was important for healthcare providers to use EHRs instead of paper ones. Another 25 percent said it was "somewhat" important for the healthcare providers to use EHRs. In general, 51 percent of respondents believe that there are some good things about the healthcare system, but major changes are needed. http://www.ebri.org/pdf/PR_814_07Oct08.pdf

iSoft to introduce RadCentre radiology IT system to the Netherlands
Health information technology specialist iSoft plans to launch its RadCentre radiology information system in the Netherlands this autumn. The product, a Web-based extension module that enables fast online communications with referring physicians within the hospital or primary care, is already used by more than 200 healthcare organizations across Europe, according to iSoft Chief Executive Officer Gary Cohen. The software also offers highly specialized modules for nuclear medicine and radiotherapy. Installations range from small practices to large university hospitals with hundreds of workstations at multiple locations. http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/...

Rivulet, IntelliDyne strike deal toward supplying government healthcare IT market
Herndon, VA-based information technology provider Rivulet Communications has signed a deal with Falls Church, VA-based videoconferencing systems provider IntelliDyne LLC to provide telemedicine for government and military health organizations. "Rivulet and IntelliDyne view this agreement as a strategic alliance that will enhance the capabilities and extend the market reach of both companies," said Edward Kennedy, Rivulet's Chief Executive Officer. "Rivulet's technology will augment IntelliDyne's ability to meet an organization's end-to-end information technology needs." IntelliDyne CEO Robert Grey said the partnership will "foster a unique approach to telemedicine, enabling clinical and diagnostic applications to take advantage of high-quality video communications on existing networks." http://www.rivulet.com/press_releases/...

• 2008 5th Annual Connected Health Symposium
  October 27-28, 2008 - The Conference Center at Harvard Medical, Boston, MA
  Who Provides, Who Decides, Who Pays: Consumers, Clinicians and Business Models in the Connected Care Era

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In the Current Issue of the peer reviewed publication Telemedicine and e-Health

Diabetes Management Assisted by Telemedicine: Patient Perspectives
Paula M. Trief, Jonathan Sandberg, Roberto Izquierdo, Philip C. Morin, Steven Shea, Rebecca Brittain, Elizabeth Banks Feldhousen, Ruth S. Weinstock
Telemedicine and e-Health. September 2008, 14(7): 647-655.
Telephone interviews were conducted with 33 elderly patients with diabetes prior to the study and at 6- and 12-month intervals once they were enrolled in the study. The study permitted computer-based case management, including teleconferencing, and the ability to upload data and access educational materials using a Web-enabled home telemedicine unit. The patients were eager to participate and were encouraged by their physicians. This approach to diabetes intervention has shown merit and provides an opportunity to better manage one's health status. Full Article

Published 10 times a year in print and online, Telemedicine and e-health 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.

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