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September 12, 2008

Google, others eye satellite network to bring high-speed service to emerging markets
A plan to develop a system of 16 satellites to bring high-speed, low-cost Internet service to mostly Third World countries has attracted some A-list investors. Google, HSBC Holdings PLC, Allen & Co., and Liberty Global Inc. are pledging at least $60 million total toward entrepreneur Greg Wyler's $650 million project, designed to deliver Web connectivity to emerging markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East by late 2010. "Only when emerging markets achieve affordable and ubiquitous access to the rest of the world will we observe locally generated content, widespread e-learning, telemedicine and many more enablers to social and economic growth which reflect the true value of the Internet," said Wyler, whose Jersey, Channel Islands-based start-up O3b Networks Ltd. will manage the satellite system. "O3b" is Wyler's abbreviation for "the other 3 billion" people without access to modern communication. http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/...

Healthcare coalition urges passage of health IT legislation before adjournment
More than 175 healthcare industry stakeholders have signed a letter asking both houses of Congress to pass legislation that promotes creation of a national electronic health record (EHR) system, and to do so before Congress adjourns in the next few weeks. The letter, drafted by the Health IT Now Coalition - of which the American Telemedicine Association is a member - notes that bills exist in the Senate and House of Representatives that include provisions on a public-private standard for interoperability, financial incentives for healthcare providers to adopt and use IT, consumer empowerment through patient and provider education about EHRs, and appropriate privacy and security protections. "Private industry has come a long way in developing health information technology and progress is being made to bridge the public and private efforts towards our shared goals," the letter states. "Let's not wait for the uncertainty of the priorities of a new Administration to move legislation that already has bipartisan and broad public and private support." http://www.healthitnow.org/wp-content/...

Problems, successes with EHR implementation trends are global, study says
No matter where you try to implement electronic health records (EHRs), four common traits - funding, governance, standardization and interoperability, and communication - affect success of the project, according to a white paper by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). In "Electronic Health Records: A Global Perspective," a 16-member global enterprise task force reviewed EHR implementations at healthcare IT centers in 15 countries and North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. The programs were evaluated on aspects such as security, quality, finances and barriers to implementation. "Despite the local differences in the logistics of EHR implementation, all of the countries believed in the benefits of health IT and introduced this technology into their respective health systems," said Steve Arnold, M.D., global task force chair and president of Healthcare Consultants International in Lagrangeville, N.Y. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/printStory.cms?id=9927 and http://www.himss.org/ASP/...

Telepharmacies on the rise nationally after successful trial run in North Dakota
A telepharmacy project designed to compensate for closure of dozens of local pharmacies in North Dakota is catching on in other states. State lawmakers in 2001 approved a plan that lets pharmacy technicians use cameras to show out-of-area pharmacists the original signed prescription, computer-generated label, stock bottle where the pills are stored and the bottle the patient will take home. Patients then have a mandatory private consultation with pharmacists through real-time video and audio. The plan began in 2002 with 10 volunteer sites and has since expanded to 67, according to Ann Rathke, director of telepharmacy at North Dakota State University in Fargo. Other states later changed laws to allow for remote pharmacies, including Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. More are on the way, Rathke said. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5987278.html

Covisint, Minnesota coalition to create one of nation's largest HIEs
Detroit-based health information exchange developer Covisint and a Minnesota-based public-private coalition are teaming up to create one of the nation's largest e-health exchanges. The resulting not-for-profit Minnesota Health Information Exchange (MHIE) will serve 4.5 million Minnesota residents, or 90 percent of the state's population, according to Covisint Vice President of Healthcare Brett Furst. The exchange is expected to go live this November. Sponsors include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, HealthPartners, and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "This will help providers and health plans to provide more seamless care for patients," MHIE Interim Executive Director Mike Ubl said. "Immediate benefits include real-time, point-of-care access to health information and an infrastructure to deliver future services, such as e-prescribing, lab test results, immunization records and communicable disease reporting." http://www.covisint.com/news/pr/2008/2008.SEP.08.shtml

Canada Health Infoway plans $2 million telehealth project for rural residents
Trying to make the extremely rural seem a little more in touch with the mainstream world, officials with a not-for-profit Canadian investment firm announced a $2 million effort to expand telehealth service to the province of Manitoba. Canada Health Infoway will work with the existing Nunavut Telehealth Network to increase use of telehealth for consultations between providers and rural patients, and improve discharge planning between southern Canada facilities and those communities on the Nunavut network, according to Richard Alvarez, chief executive officer of Canada Health Infoway. "We're proud to invest $2 million in this worthwhile project," Alvarez said. "Like so many of Canada's 250 other electronic health record projects, today's expansion will remove barriers to patient care, save costs, and uncover vast health system efficiencies." http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/...

Merger possible between Web HINs Revolution Health, Everyday Health
Revolution Health Network and Everyday Health, two of the three most-visited online health information networks, may merge. While talks are still in the negotiation phase, sources close to RHN, founded by former America Online Chairperson Steve Case, and Everyday Health, owned by New York-based Waterfront Media, say a deal is likely, depending on what Case's role in the new entity will be. A successful merger would push the new company past WebMD in terms of total online traffic. WebMD has led the online health information industry for years, averaging more than 17 million visitors per month. Everyday is second, averaging almost 15 million, and RHN third at 11 million. The health information category as a whole has grown by 21 percent since 2007, four times faster than the U.S. Internet audience as a whole, according to Web-ratings firm ComScore. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/...

Germany studies role of computer technology and e-health in diabetes care
A new collaborative research project has been launched in Germany to examine how computer technology can help predict risk factors associated with diabetes. The Computer Assisted Diabetes Risk Management (CDRM) study will examine how different e-health solutions can improve diabetes care. The two-year study will focus on 1,200 people with type 2 diabetes in the Rhine-Neckar region of Germany and will utilize 24 primary care physicians and one diabetes specialist. During the study patients will have at least four health check visits at six-month intervals. Using e-health technology, the project authors hope to reduce long-term complications of diabetes and strengthen quality of life for people who suffer from the disease. Academic and industry participants include e-health vendor InterComponentWare (ICW), Roche Diagnostics, telematics company GeTeG, the Philipps University Marburg, and the University Medical Center Groningen. http://ehealtheurope.net/news/... and http://www.study-on-diabetes-management-systems.de/study(3).html

Telepsychiatry set for major growth due to national shortage of health counselors
Telemedicine's second-fastest growing sector - telepsychiatry - is poised for major growth nationwide due to a shortage of mental health professionals. Second only to the monitoring of chronically ill patients through videoconferencing, telepsychiatry has become extremely prominent in Texas, where 184 of the state's 254 counties have an inadequate number of counselors, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Other states can expect a similar problem. "Psychiatrists cannot possibly cover the 4,700 medical emergency rooms, inpatient units and intensive care units in the United States," said Avrim Fishkind, president of JSA Health, which specializes in emergency telepsychiatric evaluations for emergency rooms, rural mental health centers, schools and jails. "I just treated patients in four different Texas clinics that would have required me to drive over 600 miles in my car in a single day." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...

Tour of duty ends for unneeded telemedicine robot
A telemedicine robot donated to a U.S. Army base hospital in Landstuhl, Germany a year ago is being discharged back to the United States after doing little more than gathering dust. The RP7 mobile robot, which can roll to a patient's bedside and enable two-way, real-time communication between a physician and patient, is being recalled by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center in Fort Detrick, MD not because it didn't work, but because there was no work for it to do. "I have a doctor in the ICU 24 hours a day because we've been so busy," said Army Col. Stephen Flaherty, chief of surgery at Landstuhl Hospital. "It's been hard for us to see the role for it." But the unit will be eventually be redeployed to a new location, according to Qualcomm, the robot's donor. http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=&article=64416&archive=true

Vitalog to launch HealthCoach program pilots in UK, Belgium
Brussels, Belgium-based wellness promotion firm Vitalog is expanding its HealthCoach platform to Europe after a successful introduction in the United States, according to company officials. Vitalog will start pilots of the HealthCoach program this November in the United Kingdom and in Brussels this December. HealthCoach uses mobile and Internet technologies to deliver primary and secondary prevention services and tools for programs such as weight loss and management, reducing blood cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and smoking cessation. http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/39507/

XTend Medical, AmeriChoice begin remote diabetic patient monitoring program
Sun Valley, CA-based XTend Medical Corp. has signed an agreement to begin a remote diabetic patient monitoring program with AmeriChoice, a division of United Health Group, the nation's largest healthcare provider. "This agreement will allow diabetic patients to be remotely monitored and communicate results in order to effectively assist patients in managing their diabetes," said XTend Medical Chief Executive Officer Paul D. Lisenby. "We've worked hard to deliver the best cutting-edge telemedicine solutions to managed care companies, physicians, and patients, and now the company is poised to break through and offer additional healthcare companies seeking the very best in remote monitoring programs for diabetics here in the U.S. and globally." http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0431985.htm

• ATA 2008 Mid-Year Meeting
  September 15-16, 2008 - Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina,Tampa FL
  The 2008 Home Telehealth & Remote Monitoring Meeting serves as a forum for sharing scientific research findings, significant advances in related technology and applications, and groundbreaking programs, projects, or case studies.
  The UC Davis 2008 Pediatric Telehealth Colloquium will be held in conjunction with the ATA Mid-Year Meeting. The Colloquium, already established as a premier event for the pediatric telehealth community, is dedicated to the presentation of original research related to pediatric telemedicine by investigators in clinical science.
  
  
• 2008 National Telehealth Conference
  September 25-27, 2008 - St. Paul International Airport Hilton Hotel, Bloomington, MN
  Children's Physician Network
  
  
• 2008 AHIMA Convention and Exhibit
  October 11-16, 2008 - Seattle, WA
  The 2008 AHIMA Convention and Exhibit presents incomparable opportunities to connect with colleagues and learn from key leaders who influence change in health information management. Take advantage of the exceptional educational sessions, explore the exhibit hall and network with fellow HIM professionals.
  
  
• Canadian Society of Telehealth conference
  October 4-7, 2008 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  Joint meeting of Canadian Society of Telehealth and International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth
  
  
• 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

To showcase your event here, please email us at events@telemedicinealerts.com

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

Evaluation of Unmanned Airborne Vehicles and Mobile Robotic Telesurgery in an Extreme Environment
Brett M. Harnett, Charles R. Doarn, Jacob Rosen, Blake Hannaford, Timothy J. Broderick
Telemedicine and e-Health. August 2008, 14(6): 539-544.
A mobile surgical system and wireless telecommunication system were deployed in the high arid desert of Southern California. The mobile surgical system comprised a robot (slave) and control system (master). The robot and control system were separated by a distance of 30 meters. The wireless communication was supported with an unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV). Surgeons manipulated the robot using the UAV, which provided sufficient bandwidth. This represented the first time that a surgical robot and UAV were integrated together to support wireless, robotic telesurgery. 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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Telemedicine and e-Health is the Official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.
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