Healthcare technology posts record $126.2 billion quarter in merger activity
Healthcare technology accounted for nearly 99 percent of all medical industry merger activity during the first quarter of 2009, totaling to more than $126.2 billion in deals – the highest amount ever – according to a new mergers and acquisitions report from Irving Levin Associates. The merger activity value for the healthcare technology segment, and the $127.4 billion for the medical market overall, broke the market record of $118.4 billion set in the fourth quarter of 1999, according to the Norwalk, CT-based investment research firm. The news wasn’t all perfect, however: the number of industry deals overall dropped 13 percent from year to year, including a 35 percent reduction in healthcare technology mergers and a 40 percent decline in deals in the e-health market. The e-health sector also dropped 31 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008. But the situation should improve, according to Irving Levin managing editor Stephen M. Monroe. “Not every quarter can be a record breaker,” Monroe said. “[But] the increasingly large and central role that healthcare plays in the economy will help ensure robust [mergers and acquisitions] activity in the industry.” http://www.levinassociates.com/pressroom/...

EHNAC to launch accreditation program for third-party EHR system providers
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) has launched an accreditation program for third-party service providers of electronic health record (EHR) systems, gauging each service’s degree of privacy, confidentiality, technical performance, business processes, resources and security. EHNAC is seeking participants to beta-test the Application Service Provider Accreditation Program for EHRs this summer, according to EHNAC Executive Director Lee Barrett. Participants are also sought for EHNAC’s health information exchange accreditation program. Full launch of both programs is scheduled for January 2010 after beta testing and criteria versions have been adopted. Interested candidates should contact EHNAC at info@ehnac.org. Draft criteria for both programs will be available online at www.ehnac.org for public review, with comments accepted from Aug. 14 to Oct. 12, 2009.    http://www.ehnac.org/pr_2009-0420.html

Aurora Health develops medical research tool that blends robotics, EHR databanks
Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care has unveiled a research program that combines robotics with the ability of physicians to share medical data through an online database, reducing study repetition and allowing researchers to build on previous findings. The Open-Source Robotic Biorepository & Informatics Technology (ORBIT) tool will use a robot to extract DNA from blood samples of volunteer patients, bar-code the vials and store them in a freezer, according to Aurora Health Executive Vice President Sue Ela. ORBIT may also contribute to the study of pharmacogenomics, a branch of science in which genetic markers are analyzed to better predict who may benefit from or suffer an adverse reaction to a drug, Ela added. Recruitment of patients for a clinical trial can take years, and ORBIT’s databanks could significantly shorten the process, she said. Patient recruitment for ORBIT is being rolled out at 13 hospitals and 120 clinics in eastern Wisconsin and will be expanded over time. http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/...

Tiny nation of Bhutan introduces not one, but two new telemedicine networks
In an effort to deal with a shortage of medical specialists, Bhutan’s Ministry of Health has collaborated with India in starting up two telemedicine projects in the 700,000-population south Asian nation. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Telemedicine Network and Bhutan Rural Telemedicine will combine real-time videoconferencing and dial-up Internet-based services, according to Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinley. Bhutan physicians will receive advice from specialists in India, and will also be able to attend to patients in other parts of the country. “Doctors and specialists will be able to keep in touch with their peers and keep up with medical advancement in technologies,” said Gaki Tshering, head of the Information Communication Technology Unit at the Ministry of Health. http://www.futuregov.net/articles/2009/...

Utah unveils first open-source, Internet-based infectious disease tracking system
Utah public health officials have deployed the nation’s first open-source, Web-based infectious disease tracking and management system to speed up outbreak responses and help prevent duplicate, error-prone data entry, according to the state’s epidemiology department. The Collaborative Software Initiative TriSano™ system makes statewide disease information available immediately to the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and the state’s 12 local health departments, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Robert Rolfs. CSI TriSano™ replaces the old paper system of reporting infectious diseases such as influenza, cryptosporidiosis, Salmonella infections and whooping cough. Before [CSI], health departments would “enter a case into its own database, then print a hard copy and send it to UDOH,” Rolfs said. “The cases would trickle in so slowly from around the state. It could be weeks or months before we could detect a trend.” http://csinitiative.com/news/view/utah...

Alaska bill to develop electronic medical records awaits Gov. Palin’s signature
A bill that starts the process of implementing an electronic health information exchange (HIE) system in Alaska has been sent to Gov. Sarah Palin’s desk for signing. The legislation, Senate Bill 133, was approved unanimously in the Senate last week. According to bill sponsor Sen. Joe Paskvan (D-Fairbanks), the HIE system would electronically link labs, clinics, pharmacies and hospitals, and reduce the risk of drug interactions, misdiagnoses and administrative costs. It also would allow individual Alaska residents to keep copies of their medical records. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services estimates the program will cost the state $27.5 million to create, with almost $25 million coming from federal stimulus funding. Health department deputy commissioner Bill Streur said the administration does not have a position on the bill, but notes that the state will have to convert to an electronic HIE system by 2014. http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/533140.html

Illinois prisons consider using telemedicine services to improve care, cut costs
Illinois Department of Corrections officials are considering use of telemedicine to treat prison inmates and combat rising medical costs. Already used in rural parts of Texas and other states, telemedicine is drawing a cautious response from the state’s largest public employee union, which represents correctional officers, nurses and other workers within the Texas prison system. “We don’t know what they might be looking at,” said Anders Lindall, spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union. “At face value, we don’t believe telemedicine in a prison setting is a good idea.” Although there is no timeline for implementation or estimate on how much the state could save through use of telemedicine, state officials acknowledge the annual cost of prison care has risen significantly, from $1,605 per inmate in 2001, to $2,593 per inmate in 2009. Any cost reduction would be helpful, according to Corrections Department spokesperson Derek Schnapp. http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/...

A regular diet of vegetables and phone calls could effectively treat bladder cancer
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego Medical Center are evaluating whether phone call-prompted diet intervention may be an effective way to treat bladder cancer. The six-month pilot, “The Dietary Intervention for Bladder Cancer Study,” will provide participants with phone-based dietary counseling or informative print materials to guide their nutritional decisions. According to Kellogg Parsons, M.D., urologic oncologist at UC San Diego Medical Center and Moores UCSD Cancer Center, dietary counseling has proved beneficial in weight loss, smoking cessation, and breast and prostate cancer prevention programs. In theory, the concept could also work with bladder cancer treatment: cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale contain nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties; reminding a person to eat such vegetables regularly could prevent the disease or reduce chance of its reoccurrence, Parsons notes.  http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/health/...

Republic of Cameroon inaugurates nation’s first telemedicine center
The Republic of Cameroon’s first telemedicine center has gone operational, providing improved healthcare services to the African nation’s 18 million-person populace. The service, known as Genesis Telecare, is the result of a public-private partnership between Genesis Futuristic Technologies and the Ministry of Public Health, according to Prof. Fru Angwafor III, Cameroon’s public health secretary general. During the project’s pilot phase, hospitals in the cities of Douala and Yaounde will be connected to rural hospitals nationwide. More than 200 sites are expected to connect to the network in the next two years. http://www.africanews.com/site/Cameroon...

InterSystems Corp. named Frost & Sullivan’s A-P healthcare IT company of year
Cambridge, MA-based InterSystems Corp. has been named “Healthcare IT Company of the Year” in Frost & Sullivan’s 2009 Asia Pacific Excellence in Healthcare Awards due to successful product implementations in 10 countries in Asia and Australia, Frost & Sullivan announced. InterSystems has implemented database integration technology programs in China, India, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, according to Frost & Sullivan. The company has also had a positive social and economic impact on local and national communities in the Asia Pacific region, Frost & Sullivan notes. “This award acknowledges not only the strength of our technology, but our ability to work in partnership with clients to ensure successful implementation and adoption of our technology,” said Joerg Klingler, managing director for InterSystems Asia Pacific.   http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/...

U.S. doctors’ use of smart phones for healthcare reference rises to 64 percent
The number of physicians using smart phones jumped to 64 percent in 2009, up from 30 percent in 2001, according to a study by New York City-based Manhattan Research. In addition, the number of doctors using iPhones doubled from 2008 to 2009, the study notes. According to “Taking the Pulse^® v9.0,” physicians are spending more time online overall and are using both computers and smart phones to access the most up-to-date online medical and pharmaceutical resources. “Physicians have always been advanced in terms of their mobile use,” said Monique Levy, senior director of research at Manhattan Research. “Nevertheless, growth in smart phone ownership in the last year is remarkable. Mobile is delivering on its promise to allow doctors to be ‘always on’ – which is partly why so many doctors say the Internet is essential to their practice.” http://www.manhattanresearch.com/newsroom/...

Aging populace could turn telemedicine into key investment of the near future
The world’s aging population will make telemedicine and home security issues into attractive business opportunities over the next few decades, according to international investment specialist Tom Bulford. The UK-based “Penny Sleuth” - The Penny Shares Expert predicts that savvy investors could make “big money” from telemedicine and home security, which have emerged out of the information technology age and are poised for rapid growth. The percentage of persons over age 65 is expected to climb from 17 percent now in Europe to 23 percent by 2024; in the U.S. the percentage will rise from 13 percent to 20 percent during that time. “The silver years await us all,” Bulford said. “...this will put a massive strain on the public services that have traditionally looked after old people. [And] the biggest worry for the elderly is their health and their security.” http://www.fleetstreetinvest.co.uk/small-cap/...