HHS to launch $235 million health IT grant program
The Department of Health and Human Services is establishing a $235 million grant program to help healthcare providers improve their use of health information technology and data exchange services. According to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the Beacon Community Program (BCP) will give “communities of healthcare providers” a chance to provide more-efficient, more-complete care to their patients. BCP includes $220 million for health IT grant programs in 15 communities, and $15 million for technical assistance to those communities, and an evaluation of the program. To qualify for the program, applicants must be a non-profit or government entity serving a diverse geographic area, build off existing health IT infrastructure and demonstrate cost savings, have higher-than-published electronic health record adoption rates, and work with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s effort to expand use of health IT. Additional information and applications will be available soon at http://healthit.hhs.gov. http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009...

Royal Philips, Vodafone expand presence in mobile home health
Hoping to capitalize on a growing European mobile home healthcare market, Royal Philips Electronics and Vodafone Group PLC have each announced plans to expand their presence in the field. Netherlands-based Royal Philips has secured a 10-year, $302 million [USD] loan from the European Investment Bank to finance research and development in image-guided intervention and home healthcare. According to Rick Harwig, Philips’ chief technology officer, the R&D will involve small- and medium-sized enterprises, research institutes, and universities throughout Europe. Meanwhile, Berkshire, England-based Vodafone will launch a new unit to work with pharmaceutical companies and government entities to provide healthcare services via mobile phone technology. According to Vodafone Chief Executive Vittorio Colao, the new division will formally open for business at the start of 2010.   http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/...    http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=451191

First EHR products certified under preliminary ‘meaningful use’ rules
Four electronic health record (EHR) products have become the first ones certified by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) as meeting the preliminary federal recommendations for “meaningful use.” According to CCHIT Executive Director Alisa Ray, certifications were awarded to ABEL Medical Software for its ABELMed EHR product through the CCHIT Certified 2011 program; and to eHealth Made EASY’s eHealth Made EASY version 3, IOS Health Systems’ Medios product, and Kaulkin Information Systems’ KIS Track product, through the Preliminary ARRA 2011 program. Under the federal economic stimulus package, users of certified products may qualify for incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid when they begin in 2011. http://www.cchit.org/media/news/2009/...

ATA releases remote mental health services delivery guidelines
Guidelines for the delivery of remote mental health services are now available from the American Telemedicine Association. The guidelines are designed to form the standard of care for such services and will be the basis for the development and practice of uniform, effective, safe and sustainable telemental health practices, the association said. They will also serve as an operational reference and an educational tool to aid in providing appropriate care for patients. The guidelines, available for free from the association’s Web site at www.americantelemed.org, focus on the use of two-way, interactive videoconferencing in the delivery of telemental health services, and comparison of outcomes between various approaches used in its delivery. http://www.americantelemed.org/...

BRIT Systems adds Web-based EMR tools to Roentgen product
Dallas-based BRIT Systems has developed new Web-based tools for its popular Roentgen Files designed to expand workflow capabilities for radiology groups and departments that do not have an electronic medical record (EMR). According to BRIT Systems President Shelly Fisher, the new Roentgen RIS EMR tools include computerized physician order entry, creating and sharing of Continuity of Care Records, patient portals, enhancements to capturing patient allergy and drug information, and patient communication tools. Roentgen RIS also generates reports that are compatible with personal health records, such as Google Health, Fisher said. She noted that the company’s near-term goal is to provide a system that can provide a set of tools normally associated with an EMR that can also communicate with EMRs and patient-centric health information systems. http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/10881

Konica Minolta introduces new generation of Xpress CR
Wayne, NJ-based Konica Minolta Medical Imaging USA has unveiled a next-generation version of its popular Xpress Computed Radiography system. According to Kinolta Medical Digital Products Marketing Manager Darren Werner, the Xpress CR 210 offers a more-compact, higher-performance design, and sharper, more-efficient imaging. The unit is capable of processing up to 100 plates per hour but has a compact footprint of less than 23 inches by 23 inches, and should enable users to expand imaging services to mammography and improved pediatric care, Werner said. http://www.konicaminolta.com/medicalusa/products/cr_solutions/xpress_cr/index.html

ONC to reorganize, add five health IT-related offices
In an effort to better support implementation of the federal economic stimulus act’s health information technology provisions, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health IT plans to create five new offices. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the reorganization will help ONC more effectively handle its role as a leading force in the implementation of health IT matters. Offices will be created for a yet-to-be-appointed Chief Privacy Officer, Chief Scientist, Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy, Deputy National Coordinator for Operations, and Economic Modeling and Analysis officer. All five offices will report directly to National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-28755.htm

India considers e-health cards for all newborns
India’s Union Health Ministry is considering a plan to issue electronic health cards to every newborn child to make the health information available to any physician at the click of a mouse. According to Union Minister of State Health Dinesh Trivedi, the Indian Health Information Network Development (I-HIND) project would store every new child’s birth, blood group, and vaccination schedules. Such a system has other advantages: Parents who need a birth certificate, for example, would be able to download one from the common health network instead of approaching civic officials for a copy; and diseases such as HIV can be more easily tracked, Trivedi said. No timeline for implementation has been established. http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/...

Internet is consumers’ tool in healthcare price shopping
An increasing number of Americans are comparing medical prices online, largely due to the growing number of uninsured persons, growth in high-deductible health insurance plans, and rising copayments, according to a report in The New York Times. In response, more health plans have begun posting health provider price information online for their members, while several companies such as PriceDoc.com, OutOfPocket.com and HealthcareBlueBook.com have launched Web sites to provide consumers with better medical price information. States are also taking part, with at least 33 of them now requiring hospitals to publicly disclose their prices, the Times noted. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/health/28patient.html?_r=1

H1N1 flu outbreak could lead to greater dependency on telework
An increase in the number of H1N1 flu outbreaks nationwide will make companies in all professions more dependent than ever on the ability for their employees to work remotely – something that could pose a challenge for information technology organizations that usually don’t have large numbers of remote workers. But according to a report in Information Week, there are many steps companies can – and should – take to be prepared for supporting remote staff. Desktop management tools, virtualized desktop infrastructures, and hosted desktop environments can be configured in advance to support telework, allowing users to be productive even when they didn’t anticipate working out of the office. Other factors to consider when preparing for staff to work remotely include assessing whether specific jobs can be performed from outside the office and whether employees’ homes or remote work locations have broadband access, the report notes. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009...

Widespread use of teleradiology may be on decline
Despite an increase in the number of radiology practices involved in teleradiology, growth of external, off-hours (EOTSs) use of the services could be on the decline, according to a report by researchers at the American College of Radiology (ACR) in Reston, VA, Yale University’s Department of Diagnostic Radiology, and the Department of Radiology and Radiological Science at Johns Hopkins University. According to the study, the number of radiology practices using EOTSs increased from 15 percent to 44 percent from 2003 to 2007. But data taken from recent reports by Scottsdale, AZ-based Nighthawk Radiology Services, one of the industry’s largest providers, indicates that use of EOTSs has been static and could be on the way down, according to ACR’s Dr. Rebecca Lewis. Findings from the full study appear in the American Journal of Roentgenology. http://medimaging.net/?option=com_article...    http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/abstract/193/5/1333...

Slow health IT adoption mutes decade’s progress in patient safety
It has been 10 years since the Institute of Medicine published its historic “To Err is Human” report on patient safety, and although significant strides have been made, major challenges remain, according to a new analysis by HealthAffairs.org. The report, by Prof. Robert Wachter, associate chair at the University of California at San Francisco’s Department of Medicine, notes that many states and hospitals have tried to improve patient safety by developing common medication coding systems, publishing hospital errors on public Web sites, mandatory adverse event reporting, and other efforts. But health information technology adoption is lagging behind, mostly due to safety hazards and implementation challenges. Still, the federal economic stimulus package’s health IT provisions could lead to future improvements in patient safety, Wachter said. http://www.healthaffairs.org/press/novdec0903.htm