Ways and Means Committee passes health IT funding package; House review next
The House Committee on Ways and Means has approved a portion of the government’s $825 billion economic stimulus package that includes $20 billion for healthcare information technology, according to Committee Chairperson Charles B. Rangel (D-NY). House Resolution 598, which passed by a vote of 24 to 13, will be combined with parts of the recovery package from other House committees into H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will be sent for consideration by the full House of Representatives this week. H.R. 598 provides payment incentives to encourage the widespread adoption of health IT and establish standards for interoperability and privacy. The investment in health IT is a critical step toward modernizing American healthcare, cutting red tape, eliminating redundant care and reducing health insurance premiums for millions, according to Rangel. http://waysandmeans.house.gov/News.... and http://waysandmeans.house.gov/... and http://waysandmeans.house.gov/...

New Senate bill requires online disclosure of doctor payments and gifts
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Herb Kohl (D-WI) have introduced legislation that requires pharmaceutical and medical device makers to publicly report on a new Web site all payments and donations to doctors that exceed $100 per year. The Physician Payments Sunshine Act of 2009 would establish penalties as high as $1 million if drug and medical device manufacturers fail to report their monetary payments to the Department of Health and Human Services. “Shedding light on industry payments to physicians would be good for the system,” Grassley said.  “Transparency fosters accountability, and the public has a right to know about financial relationships.” In 2007, Grassley and Kohl introduced a similar bill, S.2029, which stalled during the 110th Congressional session.   http://grassley.senate.gov/news/... and http://grassley.senate.gov/private/upload/12209.pdf

HHS gives official thumbs-up to new sets of EHR interoperability standards
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has officially recognized three new healthcare information technology interoperability standards designed to speed nationwide adoption of electronic health records. The newly recognized sets of standards are ISO4 Emergency Responder Health Record Version 1, ISO5 Consumer Empowerment and Access to Clinical Information via Portable Media Version 1, and ISO6 Quality Version 1. The three standards, which took effect Jan. 16, help diverse systems communicate with each other and are mandatory for all federal agencies implementing any type of healthcare IT system. IT-related interoperability standards are not new to HHS; in 2008, the agency recognized standards for personal health records and biometric surveillance data. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-1068.pdf

Web- and social media-based technology become key tools for European doctors
European physicians are more reliant than ever on technology, with the Internet and social networks becoming crucial tools in the doctors’ everyday business activities, according to a survey by advisory firm Manhattan Research. “Taking the Pulse^® Europe v8.0” notes that 80 percent of the 1,000 European practicing physicians surveyed consider the Internet “essential” to their practice. Two-thirds of respondents are interested in joining a physician-only social network, and 2 of every 3 doctors surveyed use Wikipedia as a medical reference at least once per month. They are also recommending the site to their patients. Physicians surveyed were from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. http://www.manhattanresearch.com/newsroom/...

New VA Secretary vows to make department into ‘a 21st century organization’
Retired four-star Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki has been sworn in as the nation’s seventh Secretary of Veterans Affairs following last week’s confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Shinseki said he wants to “make the Department of Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization focused on the nation’s Veterans as its clients.” He also plans to develop, within 90 days, a budget for 2010 that “realizes the vision of President Obama to transform VA into an organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.” Other key goals include streamlining the disability claims system and leveraging information technology to accelerate and modernize services. A former Army Chief of Staff who retired from military service in August 2003, Shinseki’s decorations include three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. He succeeds Dr. James B. Peake, the Veterans Affairs Secretary from 2007 to 2009. http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1648

BCBS of Tennessee awards $1.8 million for rural pre- and postnatal telemed project
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation has awarded a $1.8 million grant to the Community Health Network and Regional Obstetrical Consultants to develop a telemedicine-based healthcare program for rural pregnant mothers and their children. The three-year pilot project will connect doctors in 11 small cities in Eastern and East-Central Tennessee with high-risk obstetrical specialists in Knoxville and Chattanooga, according to Dr. Steve Coulter, President of Government and Emerging Markets for BCBS of Tennessee. “Tennessee ranks near the bottom of the list of all states in the category of health care for mothers and their babies,” Coulter said. “For that reason, we have joined the Governor and other leaders in the state in supporting programs that are designed specifically to improve perinatal outcomes. This program will do that, especially in the underserved areas of our state.” Three facilities are currently online; nearly a dozen more are expected be added over the next 12 to 18 months. http://www.communityhealth.net/index.php?page=CHN-ROC-1-22-09

Nigeria, India deliver $100 million telemedicine plan to African continent
African has begun a continent-wide, $100 million telemedicine program designed to “give specialized care even at the doorstep of the common man,” according to officials from the project’s base hospital in Nigeria. The PAN-African e-Health Programme will ultimately connect 53 nations by satellite and fiber-optic network, according to Dr. Tope Alonge, deputy chairperson of the Medical Advisory Committee at University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. African countries requiring information on medicine or expert management will be able to link with the hospital if they have a problem they cannot solve on their own, according to Alonge. The five-year project is being supported by the government of India at a cost of $100 million [USD], according to Project Coordinator Saikat Kumar Dutta. “This is part of India’s commitment to socio-economic development of Africa and help to bridge the continent digital divide,” Dutta said. http://www.egovonline.net/news/news-details.asp?...

Massachusetts faces financial questions about launch of mandatory EHR program
Five months after passage of a law requiring healthcare providers to switch from paper to electronic health records (EHRs), Massachusetts officials are still scratching their heads over how the changeover will be funded and implemented. Per the legislation signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in August 2008, doctors and health facilities must begin using EHRs and a statewide health information exchange by January 2015. State officials allocated $25 million annually for creation and operation of the new network, but budget cuts have reduced that to $15 million per year. “It’s certainly not enough money to get the whole state wired,” said David Szabo, director of the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium, a statewide health data exchange advocacy group. There is also debate as to how the money will be spent: some say the entire amount should go to one or two of the neediest communities; others feel the money should be sprinkled across the commonwealth, according to Szabo. http://www.masshightech.com/stories/2009/01/...

Broadband is not a priority for all Americans, according to Pew Internet survey
Many Americans who do not have broadband say they aren’t interested in ever getting it, but national e-health and e-government plans could ultimately boost demand for the Web, according to a survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project. Nineteen percent of dial-up users say “nothing” will get them to upgrade the service, not even lower prices, according to the survey. In addition, one-third of persons who do not regularly go online say they simply lack interest in the Internet. Nine percent say it’s too difficult to access the Web, and another 7 percent say they “don’t have time.” The report also notes that efforts to bring broadband access to rural and poorer areas will have limited success, as most of the nation’s older and poorer consumers don’t see the need. But one-third of existing broadband subscribers can be considered “low-hanging fruit” that will adopt faster service once it becomes available, according to Pew Internet. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/273/report_display.asp and http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/...

Privacy, access issues force postponement of national EHR system in Netherlands
Implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) system in the Netherlands has been postponed due to privacy and access concerns by consumers. Dutch Health Minister Dr. Ab Klink said more than 330,000 persons have opted-out of the system since its official introduction in November 2008. Doctors and hospitals also have strong objections to the plan, Klink said. No timeline has been set for reintroducing the system. The Netherlands becomes the latest European nation to experience a delay in starting up an EHR program; earlier in the month Germany announced it was temporarily withholding implementation of its Smart Card –based secure patient information program due to technical problems, while safety and security issues have delayed the United Kingdom’s EHR service for more than two years. http://articles.icmcc.org/2009/01/23/...

Purdue researchers take ultra-microscopic approach to disease detection
Researchers at Purdue University have developed an ultra-accurate, microscopic and electronically driven biosensor to detect blood glucose and eventually various diseases in the body, according to Purdue engineering professors. The device, which resembles a cube-shaped tetherball, uses hollow structures known as single-wall carbon nanotubes anchored to gold-coated “nanocubes.” The nanotube acts as a tether and ultra-thin wire to conduct electrical signals. The nanotube’s tremendously tiny size – about 25,000 times thinner than a human hair – makes it suitable for use in places traditional glucose detection sensors are not used, according to Marshall Porterfield, an Associate Professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue. “Depending on where in the body you might want to sense glucose, you would need to detect different concentrations,” Porterfield said. He added that the same system could be used in biosensors to detect other types of molecules for medicine and scientific research. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/hp/FisherBiosensor.html

CMS extends and expands use of Health Hero® Network’s Health Buddy® Project
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is extending and expanding use of Health Hero® Network’s Health Buddy® Project after a successful three-year run at medical groups in Washington and Oregon. Health Buddy® is a telemedicine-based system which keeps chronically ill but self-care managed persons in daily contact with caregivers. CMS is extending the project, launched in 2006 in partnership with the American Medical Group Association, to Jan. 31, 2012. The agency adds that Health Buddy® could be expanded to an additional site in 2010. Health Hero officials say the project’s success signals “a new era of telehealth that will reshape an American healthcare landscape strained by an aging population, a reduction in caregivers and shrinking financial resources.” https://www.healthhero.com/press...