Advanced telemonitoring could make heart failure treatment available outside hospital
New telemonitoring systems that allow the symptoms of heart failure to be remotely assessed are likely to provide patients with individualized treatment for heart failure while they are outside the hospital, according to a study by a researcher from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. “Assessment of Symptoms in Clinics and Trials” by Prof. John Cleland notes that management of heart failure is most effective when tailored to the individual patient’s needs, but such services are typically not available outside a hospital setting. “Current services provide, at best, only a crude attempt to deliver long-term, personalized healthcare,” Cleland notes. “But telemonitoring provides a strategy which could radically change this situation.” Unlike first- and second-generation home monitoring devices, which measure symptoms, weight, heart rate and rhythm, and blood pressure, newer implanted or ingested systems can potentially – and more accurately – measure heart, lung and vascular functions, empowering the patient to make their own decisions about medical care. Including voluntary services and informal carers can “increase rather than decrease social inclusion,” Cleland said. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/...

UnitedHealth, American Well to offer 24-hour service linking patients to physicians
Health insurer UnitedHealth Group is collaborating with American Well Corp. on the first nationwide service that will allow people to talk to a doctor at any time on the phone or online via two-way video, secure chat or a corporation’s healthcare portal. The service, to be offered nationwide to 60 million patients covered by UnitedHealth’s OptumHealth subsidiary, combines OptumHealth’s eSync Platform, which sends a patient’s healthcare information to doctors, and American Well’s Online Care Platform, which allows patients and doctors to talk in real time. Users would have 24-hour access, according to Rob Webb, chief executive officer for OptumHealth Care Solutions. “There’s a difference between having access to online health information and being able to talk live with your doctor or other available credentialed clinicians who understand your needs,” Webb said. “What we’re rolling out with American Well is the ability for someone to speak with a doctor or clinician anywhere, any time — whether it’s from home, at work or while traveling.” It could also be a sign of things to come: A recent Gartner Predicts report indicates that by 2013, 25 percent of patient encounters in North America, Western Europe, and Asia/Pacific will be virtual. http://www.optumhealth.com/News/PressReleases/Article/144/

Verizon Wireless, LifeWatch sign deal for wireless heart monitoring service
Mobile telecommunications giant Verizon Wireless has signed an exclusive, multimillion dollar deal with telehealth service firm LifeWatch Corp. to be the wireless service provider for the Rosemont, IL company’s line of patient cardiac monitors. Financial terms of the deal, which marks the first time Verizon Wireless has signed an exclusive deal for a patient monitoring service, were not disclosed. LifeWatch’s ACT Ambulatory Cardiac Telemetry service uses a secure, wireless network to send data to a doctor or hospital. Up to 7,000 people on any one day may be on the monitor; up to 60,000 people have been with the service since it started in January, according to LifeWatch AG Chief Executive Officer Dr. Yacov Geva. “Telemedicine is absolutely critical for our patients, not just in terms of coverage,” Geva said. In choosing Verizon, LifeWatch rejected two other broadband service providers, he added. http://www.lifewatch.com/siteFiles/1/545/6438.asp

Lack of an EHR costs Arizona jail system $13 million in legal fees and settlements
An Arizona jail system faced with hundreds of lawsuits for mistakes in managing inmate medication could turn into the perfect testing ground for use of electronic health records (EHRs) – if local government officials are willing to use them. Officials at Maricopa County Correctional Health Services (CHS) still rely upon traditional paper files to keep track of more than 10,000 inmates across six facilities and are less than successful in the effort, according to an investigation by the Arizona Republic . Since 1998, the county has paid out more than $13 million in legal fees, settlements and jury verdicts to inmates and families for injury and death claims. Lack of an EHR system was also a factor when CHS lost its accreditation, which makes the service even more vulnerable to lawsuits, according to the Republic. County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox said the county will continue to struggle in its mission to treat inmates – and protect taxpayers – without an electronic records system. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/...

Health IT proposals could save Obama administration $1.7 trillion over 10 years
Six major healthcare industry groups have offered the Obama administration a series of recommendations that could save the U.S. up to $1.73 trillion in healthcare spending over the next 10 years by using health information technology to improve care for chronic diseases, streamlining administrative tasks and reducing unnecessary care. In a 28-page letter to the President, the healthcare groups say they have “made solid progress” toward transforming the U.S. healthcare system. The recommendations include improvements in utilization of care, adding innovative approaches to the cost of doing business, simplifying administration of care, and finding more efficient approaches to health promotion and disease prevention. Groups involved include the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the Service Employees International Union. The organizations say it is not clear how the proposals would be enforced. http://online.wsj.com/article/... and http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/...

IBM promotes IT-friendly, patient-doctor-focused medical home healthcare concept
IBM is backing a new model of healthcare – the “medical home” – that emphasizes the patient’s relationship with his or her physician, and the use of electronic health records and health information exchanges to ensure proper patient care. According to IBM’s study “Patient Centered Medical Home: What, Why and How?”, the current “broken and disconnected” U.S. healthcare system supports minimal communication between providers and “places little focus on patient education and management.” For example, many physicians who participate in medical homes have electronic medial record systems, but they are out of date with limited functionality and interoperability, according to the study. But when properly used, a medical home can provide patients with flexible scheduling and improved communication channels, such as e-mail, phone, or even computer portals where they can manage their personal health records, monitor their own issues, and even make appointments. “It’s a new world – and healthcare organizations are key players in an economy that demands increased value, better outcomes, sustainability and accountability,” said Paul Grundy, IBM’s global director of healthcare transformation. “A smarter healthcare system can improve the level of care by enhancing doctor-patient communication, which is the basis of any healthcare system.” http://www.ehealthserver.com/ibm/... and http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/...

Doctors, hospitals look for tech support from IT vendors to counter financial crunch
Physician practices and hospitals are asking information technology vendors for creative ways to keep their technology projects going during the recession, but vendors have few answers for them, according to a report from Orem, UT-based research firm KLAS. The report, “Executive Reaction to the Stimulus Package,” notes that 1 in 4 healthcare providers hope to gain a better return on investment by seeing vendors provide better training and support. But very few vendors have answered the call, according to KLAS Executive Vice President of research and strategy Jeremy Bikman. “Simply put, the solutions providers are requesting the most are the options vendors are pursuing the least,” Bikman said. Microsoft, Epic and GE received the highest ratings from providers for trying to support their customers with creative solutions, while Agfa, Kronos and Meditech received the lowest scores. Other vendors referenced in the study include Cerner, CPSI, Eclipsys, Lawson, McKesson, QuadraMed and Siemens. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/...

FDA asked to improve e-data privacy and security of new safety monitoring system
The Food and Drug Administration’s forthcoming product safety monitoring system lacks sufficient privacy and security protections, and the agency has yet to develop a comprehensive plan to modernize its information technology infrastructure and systems, according to separate reports by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Sentinel Initiative, designed to electronically track the benefits and adverse reactions from medications and medical products that the FDA approves for public use, does not have health information privacy and security polices developed and could present various challenges for the FDA as it continues forward, according to GAO. FDA has agreed with recommendations to develop the policies before the system goes online in 2010. Meanwhile, GAO has also recommended that the FDA modernize its IT infrastructure and systems, citing 16 different projects that should undergo renovation. The FDA said such an effort is underway. http://fcw.com/articles/2009/...    http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09523.pdf

CCHIT releases new guide with criteria for EHR certification under ARRA
A guide with new criteria for electronic health record (EHR) certification has been published on the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT)’s Web site at www.cchit.org . The “Concise Guide to CCHIT Certification Criteria” features qualifications for EHR systems under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The criteria relate to office-based, hospital-based, enterprise and emergency department EHRs. They also include add-on EHR features for pediatrics and cardiology and specifications for stand-alone electronic prescribing systems. http://www.cchit.org/certify/

Specialists on Call telemedicine program earns Computerworld Laureate honors
A telemedicine service by Westlake Village, CA-based Specialists On Call Inc. has been named a Laureate Award finalist in the annual Computerworld Honors Program. The service allows doctors and private practices access to a clinical team of specialists through a consolidated teleconferencing picture archiving and communication system and electronic medical record system. Specialist On Call Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joe Peterson said the company “provides patients in critical need with immediate access to the specialty physicians who can help them...time of day or location shouldn’t be a significant driver of the quality of healthcare.” Each year, global technology companies, individuals and organizations around the world whose “visionary applications of information technology promotes positive social and economic progress” are nominated for a Laureate Award, according to Computerworld Honors Program Chairperson Bob Carrigan. http://www.specialistsoncall.com/index.php?option=com...

Functional e-health system could have kept H1N1 flu virus to minimum in Australia
A national e-health system could have helped Australian health authorities better deal with a recent outbreak of the novel influenza A H1N1 virus because the online processes would have helped coordinate a response to the pandemic, according to visiting medical academics. Authorities have faced criticism over the handling of H1N1 flu cases, with suggestions that hospitals and general practitioners were unprepared and were not keeping the public properly informed of developments. “One of the keys to protecting the public is finding out who is sick, who is healthy, who has died, and where they live, work, shop or go to school,” said Professor Fiona Stanley, director of Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in West Perth, Western Australia. Insurance trust New South Wales Health also faced sharp criticism after more than 2,000 passengers were allowed to disembark from cruise ship Pacific Dawn in Sydney last month, despite 130 people displaying flu-like symptoms at the time. Subsequent testing has revealed no cases of H1N1 flu virus on board, according to Carnival Australia Chief Executive Officer Ann Sherry. http://www.skynews.com.au/health/...