VA, DOD to receive, use joint ‘Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record’ system
President Obama’s administration plans to create a life-long electronic health record (EHR) system that will “seamlessly connect” the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the President announced last week. Both departments have their own EHR systems, but they are not compatible with each other, the President noted. VA hospitals are officially paperless, but military hospitals still use a combination of paper and electronic records. Obama added that the two systems often contain records that are incomplete, incomprehensible or easily misunderstood. There are also extensive backlogs, particularly with disability claims, due to the incompatibility. The new, Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record “will contain [veterans’] administrative and medical information from the day they first enlist to the day that they are laid to rest,” Obama said. The new system will be part of the Defense Department’s $47 billion healthcare budget for fiscal year 2010, the President added. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/... and http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/...

To spread the IT word, European Union unveils Virtual Academy for Health
The international consortium of the European Union project has launched the Virtual Academy for Health for the exchange of knowledge on health information technology for learning and collaboration among policy makers, students, researchers, healthcare professionals and citizens. The academy, which includes an online forum held every two weeks with experts on e-health, is the result of changes in the field of innovation in European health systems, according to the EU. “Initiatives of the EU and the World Health Organization have pinpointed the necessity of fostering cooperation and exchanges across boundaries in the healthcare sector, so as to enhance the quality, access, openness and innovation of healthcare education,” the EU notes. “It is fundamental to federate and further encourage these innovations by providing a virtual meeting point for the multiplication of their impact.”http://www.ehealthnews.eu/content/... and http://hrzserv10.zki.hs-magdeburg.de/moodle/

Public’s use of search engines could help health officials track disease outbreaks
Evaluating Internet users’ online searches could be a faster way for public health officials’ to identify disease outbreaks compared to traditional surveillance techniques, according to research by the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI). The research indicates that searches for the term “listeriosis” spiked about one month before Canadian health officials announced a public outbreak of listeria, a food-borne bacterial infection. The 2008 outbreak resulted in 60 infections, including 21 deaths. OHRI research chair Kumanan Wilson, the study’s co-author, said access to such search trends could help health workers respond faster to an outbreak. But despite that possibility, researchers also note that search-term surveillance should not replace the traditional disease-reporting methods. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/ and http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/...

Simulation center expands scope, courtesy of $4 million in federal funds
A $4 million allocation by the federal government is allowing the NationalCapitalAreaMedicalSimulationCenter to expand its services with the opening of the Wide Area Virtual Environment (WAVE), a virtual reality area that allows teams of students to take part in mass casualty drills, biochemical attacks and other medical training scenarios. The Silver Spring, MD-based WAVE, one of the only facilities of its kind in the world, is part of the UniformedServicesUniversity of the Health Sciences. WAVE is one of the world’s most advanced medical education and training simulation centers, with approximately 8,000 simulations each academic year, according to Gil Muniz, Ph.D., the center’s deputy director. Congressperson Chris Van Hollen, who helped acquire the $4 million in funding, added that the center’s training and simulations “are critical components of our regional readiness and ability to respond to man-made or natural disasters.”http://usuhs.mil/vpe/releases/Release09-02-05.pdf

India starts up first phase of e-learning and e-health National Knowledge Network
India has inaugurated the initial phase of its National Knowledge Network (NKN), a project designed to digitally interconnect all educational institutions in India and promote the concepts of e-learning and e-health. All libraries, universities and laboratories will be connected for the purpose of sharing data and educational resources, according to India President Pratibha Patil. “International connectivity of the NKN will facilitate collaborative research at the international level in specialized areas like bio-technology, genetics, energy systems, weather and eco-friendly technologies, among others,” Patil said. The government has already allocated $20 million [USD] for the network in the nation’s 2008-09 budget. The ministry of human resource development and state governments are also expected to share in set-up and connectivity costs. http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-18783.html

Recovery Act’s HIT component holds key to improving Americans’ healthcare
Electronic information systems are essential to improving the healthcare of Americans, but also face significant challenges – ones that can be addressed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, according to the recently appointed national coordinator for health information technology. David Blumenthal, M.D., notes that the Obama administration and many healthcare experts believe health IT is the direction to take in improving overall healthcare for citizens, and the nation’s economic woes have actually helped move the effort along. But few U.S. doctors or hospitals are jumping on board due to cost, perceived lack of financial return, challenges in maintaining the system, and privacy concerns among physicians and consumers. Blumenthal’s comments appear in a perspective from the April 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMp0901592

Colorado nonprofits share $2 million in health IT grant awards
Twelve Colorado nonprofit organizations have been awarded a total of $2 million in health information technology grants from the state’s health foundation as part of its “Healthy Connections” program. Grant recipients included Federally Qualified Health Centers, critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, community-based health information exchanges, an independent clinic, a community mental health center and a statewide association of school-based health centers, according to Colorado Health Foundation (CHF) President Anne Warhover. “It’s increasingly clear that health information technology is a key strategy in improving our healthcare system,” Warhover said. “[CHF] is working to ensure that Colorado’s healthcare safety net is positioned to take advantage of HIT’s potential to improve healthcare quality and reduce costs.” CHF launched Healthy Connections in 2007 to increase use of IT in safety net clinics and create the infrastructure needed for healthcare providers to share information electronically. http://www.coloradohealth.org/yellow.aspx?id=3592

Australian state adds $547 million in funding, speeds up timetable on health IT projects
Financially strapped hospitals in New South Wales, Australia are receiving $547 million [USD] in funding for health information technology upgrades and an accelerated timetable for implementation, in an effort to modernize healthcare facilities. The new funding comes on top of another $230 million [USD] allocated by the government for health IT projects planned through July 2011, according to special commissioner Peter Garling. The various programs – which include critical infrastructures, hospital and community information systems, and a statewide electronic health record (EHR) system – are also slated for completion within four years, not the original 8-to-15-year timeframe, Garling noted. The NSW Government has agreed to adopt almost all of Garling’s recommendations, but has yet to announce funding for the various projects. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25299889-15306,00.html

Sam’s Club offers EHR systems for small physician practices in three states
In a precursor to going national, Sam’s Club, eClinicalWorks^® and Dell have launched an electronic medical record and practice management package for small physician practices in Virginia, Illinois and Georgia. The first-of-its-kind partnership eliminates traditional barriers to entry, including cost and complexity, and will help increase adoption rates and improve overall patient care, according to Sam’s Club Senior Vice President Charles Redfield. The all-in-one technology solution is scalable for growing practices. For a three-provider practice, it will cost less than $25,000 for the first provider and up to $10,000 for each additional provider, a fraction of the cost of traditional programs, according to Redfield. The eClinicalWorks software will enable physicians to access the system via a secure Internet connection. Dell will provide necessary hardware and site assessment, on-site technical set-up and training, as well as integration of the eClinicalWorks software with the operating system, and hardware warranty support. http://www.eclinicalworks.com/2009-4-6.php

Illinois hospitals turn to video translators to break language barrier
Several Illinois hospitals have begun using video translators to help doctors and staffs communicate with a growing number of non-English speaking patients, and reduce risk of medical errors. The Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (MCHC), a trade group for area hospitals, and Emeryville, CA-based Paras and Associates have launched the effort in three hospitals in Chicago and a fourth in Salem; 25 other facilities are considering adopting the technology. The system, known as the Illinois Video Interpreter Network, features electronic translators versed in healthcare terminology that can translate 150 languages and that are available 24 hours  per day, according to MCHC Director of Development Michael King. “It’s clearly a cost-saving technology for hospitals because it helps reduce the whole issue of medical errors,” King said. “Individual patients who may not have someone available to speak English will not have to resort to the 8-year-old son who speaks Cantonese and may not know anything about the condition of his father or mother.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-thu-notebook-hospital-interpapr09,0,2221808.story

Telecom industry’s broadband efforts could save Europe from economic doldrums
The telecom industry has the potential of stimulating an economic recovery in Europe over the next one to two years, especially if countries are successful in universally adopting high-speed broadband, according to a senior researcher from the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, Belgium. Senior Research Fellow Andrea Renda notes that although the economic crisis has hit the telecoms sector hard, many service providers report positive forecasts for 2009. The telecoms sector accounts for 4 percent of the European Union’s Gross Domestic Product, but the communications and technologies industry represents more than 25 percent. This should be a major economic stimulant, but too much red tape exists to allow an influx of private investment, according to Renda. EU institutions need to clarify the conditions for sharing broadband infrastructure, and the European Commission needs to consolidate the industry across national borders. There are more than 2,000 telecoms operators serving the EU’s 27 states, compared to “six or seven” major players serving all 50 U.S. states, Renda notes. http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2009/04/europe-must-help-telecoms-help-the-economy/64590.aspx

Outgoing national health IT coordinator Kolodner to call it a day with change of guard
Current National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Robert Kolodner said he will retire from government service once his successor, David Blumenthal, takes office within a few weeks. Kolodner, in federal service since 1979, said he plans to explore various opportunities for working in health IT once he leaves office. Kolodner has served as health IT coordinator for more than two years and said he was happy to have “made real” the vision for national health information developed by Dr. David Brailer, the nation’s first health IT coordinator. “It’s been an incredible honor to be a public servant,” Kolodner said. “There is nothing else I’d rather have had the chance to do.” Under Kolodner’s watch, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT developed key features of the Nationwide Health Information Network, including technical standards for healthcare interoperability, a system of health IT product comparison, and electronic health information transfers among organizations at the national, regional, and state levels. Blumenthal has the skills to build on those accomplishments, Kolodner said. http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/04/06/...