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October 17, 2008

President Bush signs bill to crack down on rogue Internet pharmacies
President Bush on Wednesday signed into law legislation that will help the federal government target rogue Internet pharmacies that sell controlled substances such as Vicodin or Ritalin. The bill, H.R. 6353/S. 980, requires online pharmacies to display information on their Web sites that identify the business, pharmacists and other physicians associated with the site. The bill also increases penalties for pharmacies that illegally distribute drugs online. But the new law has limitations: it is only aimed at pharmacies based in the U.S., does not address non-controlled prescription drugs such as those for erectile dysfunction or hair loss, and it does not create new requirements for Internet search engines, credit card companies or package delivery businesses whose services are used in online pharmacy transactions. http://wsj.com/article/... and http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/... and http://energycommerce.house.gov/...

Federal government awards $18.9 million for expanded health IT use
More than two dozen community health centers will share $18.9 million in grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designed to help the facilities implement electronic health records (EHRs) and other elements of health information technology. Twelve health networks, clinics and other organizations will receive $14.3 million in grants specifically for EHRs, while another 10 will receive a total of $3.8 million for HIT projects such as e-prescription use, health information exchanges and data warehouses, according to HRSA Administrator Elizabeth Duke. Six grants totaling $700,000 will go toward planning for health IT projects. "These funds continue our efforts to help health center grantees access and use the latest technology to improve the care they deliver," Duke said. "Health information technology has the potential to transform care for underserved communities and its expansion is a priority for all Americans." A list of grant recipients can be found at http://hrsa.gov and http://newsroom.hrsa.gov/releases/2008/expandhit.htm

CDC issues $27.8 million for Web-based, emergency preparedness programs
In an effort to help emergency response teams cope with a pandemic or other emergencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $27.8 million to seven universities and a public health research firm. Almost $17 million will go to the Manassas, VA-based life sciences research firm American Type Culture Collection for development of a secure, Web-based system that improves access to virus programs, test kits and testing substances. And nearly $11 million goes to Emory University in Atlanta, Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Washington in Seattle, to create sustainable preparedness response systems. http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r081008.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r081006.htm

City of Nottingham uses RFID technology to aid in dementia care
A British city council is using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to help dementia patients keep track of a major necessity: their clothes. Because seeing another resident in their clothes can cause confusion and distress to people with dementia and their families, the Nottingham City Council has launched a city-wide program where RFID buttons are distributed to 142 dementia care residents, according to council member Dave Liversidge. The buttons, developed by telecare specialist Tunstall, securely store data related to the individual residents. The technology also enables health and social care professionals to address the risk of infections and other skin-related issues and allergies, which is a concern for staff when washing residents' clothes together. "The RFID buttons help us ensure that we meet those standards by being able to care for residents' clothes according to their individual wishes," Liversidge said. http://www.tunstall.co.uk/news.aspx?PageID=14&NewsID=135

Cigna becomes medical advice provider - with help from Facebook and iTunes
Philadelphia-based Cigna University, the educational arm of medical health insurance provider Cigna, has launched a series of free online courses, games and podcasts about health issues through the popular social networking site Facebook, as well as iTunes and Cigna's own http://itstimetofeelbetter.com. According to Cigna Chief Learning Officer Karen Kocher, the programs are meant to educate and engage people to make more confident healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. "Today, individuals don't have the knowledge to make decisions about health," Kocher said. "The mission is to educate." Various quizzes assess the risk of such ailments as osteoporosis, gum disease and heart disease. Kocher adds that Cigna is also offering a reward designed to appeal to users' altruism: For every three questions a user answers correctly, Cigna is donating clean water for a day to one child in India. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/... and http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/CIGNA/29572286735

Teleradiology becomes big export from India; more remote medicine on way
Bangalore, India, already known for extensive outsourcing, is becoming a global center for telemedicine thanks to a pool of Western-educated doctors, extensive outsourcing infrastructure, lower costs and a convenient time zone to diagnose medical conditions. U.S. hospitals are taking advantage by increasingly turning to the nation's teleradiologists to read x-rays, CT scans, MRIs and other medical images of American patients to help keep their own costs down. And teleradiology is just the beginning in India, according to radiologist Arjun Kalyanpur. "There are other possibilities, such as telecardiology, telepathology, teledermatology, and robotic telesurgery," he said. While this trend is expected to continue to rise for the next two or three years, there are concerns that it might lead to dangerous misdiagnosis because regulation hasn't caught up with technology, experts note. http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/...

UK launches $8.7 million patient safety research program; plans to issue grants
United Kingdom officials have launched an $8.7 million [USD] research program designed to increase service quality and patient safety through better ways of planning and providing health services. The new Health Services Research program will fund specialist sub-set groups that fall outside of established National Institute for Health Research funding streams, according to public health minister Dawn Primarolo. Grants will be provided for both primary and evidence synthesis on topics proposed directly by researchers, on an ongoing basis. The program may also advertise calls for research proposals on specific topics. The first call for expressions of interest will take place in January 2009, Primarolo said. More details are available at www.hsr.nihr.ac.uk. http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/view/1358/27/

Arkansas set to unveil statewide trauma database Web site in November
A Web site providing up-to-date status information on Arkansas' 108 hospitals should be operational by Nov. 1, providing the first key element for a statewide trauma system, according to hospital officials. The Arkansas Department of Health is contracting with Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS), to design and manage the "trauma dashboard," which will give hospital officials a quick way to see where they can transfer patients needing specialized emergency care, according to Dr. James Graham, chairman of the Governor's Trauma Advisory Council. Emergency room personnel currently have to call hospitals individually to find one best able to treat a patient - a process that can take hours, Graham said. The dashboard is being paid for with $52,000 in computer hardware and software funds designated by Gov. Mike Beebe. http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/240156

States take leading role in promoting adoption of interoperable healthcare IT
State governments are leading the way to promote adoption of interoperable healthcare information technology systems, with at least 35 states having initiatives in various phases of maturity, according to the director of the New York Department of Health's Office of Health IT Transformation (OHITT). Some states, such as New York, with its $200 million in funding for adoption and building of health IT exchanges, are well along in the process. But there are still "thousands of silos of health information across the nation and no consensus on how to communicate among them," HITT director Lori Evans said. "And that's got to change. Health information is a public good, it is not a private access." http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/...

Survey says 2011 ICD-10 deadline out of reach for most of healthcare industry
Most healthcare professionals believe the industry will need additional time to meet the Department of Health and Human Services' October 2011 deadline for adoption of the ICD-10 code sets for electronic transactions, according to a new survey by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Twenty-three percent of survey respondents said the healthcare industry will need a one-year extension to implement the code sets, which are more-efficient updates of the 30-year-old ICD-9s used to identify diseases and procedures during electronic health transactions. Another 30 percent believe the industry needs one to three more years to meet the deadline, and 16 percent say a greater-than-three-year extension is needed. The biggest barrier to implementation is lack of readiness on the part of the vendor community, insurers and clearinghouses, according to the survey. http://www.himss.org/content/... and http://nachimsonadvisors.com/Documents/I...

European Union, Carestream Health attempt Ebay-like online radiology service
The European Union's e-TEN project is attempting to create an Ebay-style online market for radiology services. Called R-Bay, the service will test the concept and technical components needed to develop the Web-based radiology market, with services tested in six field trials scattered among e-TEN's 11 European partners. Supporters hope the project will enable the sale and purchase of remote viewing, consulting and second opinion radiology services across the EU. Radiology services will be tested in e-interpretation, e-processing, e-archiving and e-training. Rochester, NY-headquartered Carestream Health will provide the project's technical infrastructure, focusing on enabling the reporting of images from hospitals in Denmark, Finland and Czech Republic by clinical providers in Estonia, Lithuania and the Netherlands, according to Ulf Andersson, marketing director for Carestream Health Northern Europe. http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/... and http://www.r-bay.org/modules/tinycontent/?id=1

National EMR system support grows, but most Americans still have doubts
The concept of a national electronic medical records (EMRs) system appears to be gaining favor with the American public, but more than half still won't say they support such an idea, according to a study by Farmington Hills, MI-based research firm Morpace Inc. The company's survey of 1,171 adults age 18 or older showed that 48 percent support the creation of a nationwide EMR system, while 23 percent do not like the idea. The balance remains undecided, although that could be partially due to lack of knowledge of the concept, according to Morpace Vice President of the Health Care Practice Susan Semack. "Four years ago President Bush signed an Executive Order mandating creation of a nationwide system of electronic medical records to facilitate the continuity of health care, but most people are not aware of this," Semack said. Those opposed cite privacy issues as their main reason, she said. http://www.morpace.com/ht-electronic-medical-records.html

• 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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