Telemedicine videoconferencing set to enter high-speed, high-definition world
The potential next generation of telemedicine has made its debut in Europe, with three hospitals in Norway, Italy, and Spain linking up a high-speed, higher-definition videoconferencing network to simplify surgeries and medical training. Telemedicine has traditionally been hindered by poor image quality and a need for expensive equipment. But the GEANT academic network enables the sharing of high-quality, real-time DVTS video images of surgery for training and diagnosis with equipment that may be used on a standard PC, according to Dai Davies, general manager of Cambridge, England-based Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe (DANTE), the research group that operates GEANT. St. Olav’s University Hospital in Norway, Monaldi Hospital in Italy and Hospital Clinica Barcelona recently demonstrated how an endoscopic surgery can be transmitted through the network for training purposes. The project is set to become very popular very fast, as more than 100 hospitals worldwide have expressed interest in using telemedicine for surgical training, according to Dr. Shuji Shimizu at the Telemedicine Development Center of Asia (TEMDEC) in Fukoka City, Japan. TEMDEC expects the picture will literally become clearer in a few years, when the project’s DVTS video is replaced by High Definition imaging. http://www.dante.net/server/show/ConWebDoc.3145

Health IT spending by American hospitals to approach $7 billion by 2014
U.S. hospitals will spend nearly $4.7 billion on health information technology products and services in 2009 and almost $6.8 billion by 2014, according to a study by the research division of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The report from Chicago-based HIMSS Analytics, “Essentials of the U.S. Hospital IT Market,” notes that health IT will account for nearly half of total hospital capital budgets this year – a total that is actually down from 2007, but one that will increase during the second half of this year due to federal budget incentives. The annual growth rate in health IT through 2014 is expected to be at least 5 percent, according to the report. Strong adoption of electronic medical records and market consolidation are also expected to continue over the next five years, the report adds. http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/...    http://www.himssanalytics.org/docs/...

When it comes to ‘meaningful use’ criteria, no EHR product is perfect, study notes
As the health information technology industry waits for release of a formal definition for “meaningful use” – and the resultant allocation of federal stimulus funding to qualified implementers of electronic health record (EHR) systems – no health IT vendor has the “perfect” EHR product on the market, according to a report by research firm KLAS. But a few come close. The Orem, UT market analyst’s report, “Meaningful Use Leading to Improved Outcomes,” evaluates nine health IT vendors on how compatible their products will be with whatever “meaningful use” standard is finally adopted. In general, vendors Cerner, Eclipsys and Epic are the most successful with regard to physician adoptions of EHR systems, while Meditech, Cerner and McKesson have the largest numbers of bigger facilities using such systems. “Other vendors deliver functional solutions but face a variety of challenges that have hindered deployment,” the report notes. Those challenges include insufficient integration among certain product offerings. New versions of vendor offerings may address these issues, but KLAS notes that it has not evaluated these product upgrades. Other vendors evaluated in the study were CPSI, General Electric, QuadraMed and Siemens. http://www.klasresearch.com/Klas/Site/...

Polycom, AMD Global introduce on-the-go visual and voice telehealth system
Polycom Inc. and AMD Global Telemedicine Inc. are collaborating on an integrated voice and video system that allows doctors to provide telehealth services wherever they go.The AMD Dynamic Encounter Network (ADEN™) allows for capture, control, transmission and management of medical device data and offers “a secure, easy-to-use, real-time view of the patient being seen,” the companies note. ADEN is unified communications ready, requires no special data network configuration and works on virtually any network. Caregivers need only an Internet connection and browser to access the system, and telemedicine providers may expand networks with little additional overhead. “Our joint customers will have the most flexible, easy-to-use telemedicine solution that the market has long been waiting for; one that can be used anywhere, anytime, allowing for ultimate flexibility in telemedicine today,” Polycom Global Director of Healthcare Ron Emerson said. http://www.amdtelemedicine.com/press...

Healthsense receives Wi-Fi certification for eNeighbor^® Remote Monitoring System
Mendota Heights, MN-based Healthsense Inc. has become the first aging services company to receive Wi-Fi certification for its eNeighbor^® Remote Monitoring System, the company announced. The eNeighbor system, which operates on a standard Wi-Fi network, includes a personal emergency response system, advanced remote monitoring for automatic fall detection, and telehealth devices to remotely monitor chronic conditions, according to Healthsense President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Bischoff. “Unlike many proprietary wireless networks, just about any device or technology can be run on a standard Wi-Fi platform,” Bischoff said. “That’s critically important for senior living providers because it means they know their investment will not become obsolete after only a few years.” Certification was given by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a global nonprofit association promoting the growth of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). http://www.healthsense.com/images/stories/pdfs/wifi_pr.pdf

MedApps receives FDA clearance to market HealthPAL system in U.S.
Scottsdale, AZ-based patient data device maker MedApps Inc. has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its remote health monitoring system in the United States, the company announced. The MedApps system, which links patients, families, and healthcare professionals by “providing a convenient way to remotely collect, transmit, store and report timely and accurate health information [from] anywhere,” features the HealthPAL, a small portable health device that collects and transmits data to a secure central server or stored to an online personal health record such as Microsoft’s HealthVault™ or Google Health. The system also gives physicians the chance to monitor and treat patient conditions early on, when associated expenses are lower, according to MedApps Chief Executive Officer Kent Dicks. It is also easy to use, which makes patient compliance higher, he noted. http://public.medapps.net/Pages/...

Continua Health Alliance gives green light to Bluetooth, ZigBee as device standards
The nonprofit coalition that sets the standards for many telemedicine and e-health programs has selected Bluetooth 3.0 as its preferred communications standard for devices such as activity monitors and heart-rate sensors, and short-range wireless technology ZigBee Health Care for use in low-power sensors such as motion detectors and bed-pressure sensors. The Continua Health Alliance will incorporate both specifications into version two of its interoperability Design Guidelines, which are due to appear during the first half of 2010. Standardized devices make it easier for healthcare providers to incorporate wireless communications into patient care without worrying about interoperability, according to Gartner Group analyst Wes Rishel. Minneapolis-based Nonin Medical Inc. has the first Bluetooth Continua-certified product with its Onyx^® II fingertip pulse oximeter, a device that “contributes to Continua’s mission to establish an ecosystem of interoperable personal telehealth solutions,” Continua President Rick Cnossen said. http://www.continuaalliance.org/static/...   http://en.nonin.com/news/press-releases...

European Commission seeks proposals on study to benchmark e-health deployment
The European Commission has issued a call for proposals for a study that will gauge the deployment of e-health services throughout Europe. Results of the study will be used to develop a standardized survey on the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and e-health solutions in European hospitals. The study also aims to identify the main challenges, gaps, and best practices that will support further e-health policy development after 2010. The study will cover all 27 European Union member nations, along with Norway, Iceland, and Croatia. Interested parties should submit proposals by Aug. 10 to the European Commission office in Brussels, Belguim. http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/...

College of Radiology to launch national online mammography database in July
In July the American College of Radiology (ACR) will launch a National Mammography Database (NMD) that will allow mammography facilities to compare their practice performance and outcome data to practices similar to their own. The Reston, VA-based college hopes the site will help implement successful quality improvement programs to improve patient care, according to Carl D’Orsi, M.D., chairperson of the Committee on the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS)^® , a quality assurance tool originally designed for mammography. “One of the best methods to improve life-saving early breast cancer detection is through a national approach to breast imaging, with data we can only achieve through a unified mammography database,” D’Orsi said. The NMD will leverage data that mammography practices are already collecting under federal mandate. The data will be compiled to provide benchmarks on individual practice processes and patient outcomes such as cancer detection rates, positive predictive values, and recall rates. http://www.acr.org/HomePageCategories/...   https://nrdr.acr.org/portal/NMD/Main/page.aspx

Specialists On Call begins emergency pediatric telemedicine services in California
Westlake Village, CA-based Specialists On Call (SOC) Inc. has launched an emergency pediatric telemedicine service to address the state’s growing specialty physician shortage. The nation’s largest private provider of emergency telemedicine on-call services to hospitals said the new service will extend care to 10 million children. Specialists On Call already handles more than 6,000 emergency neurology consultations nationwide. “Since most California hospitals lack both the physical resources and the pediatric specialists needed to treat the state’s growing pediatric population, we are able to make a substantial clinical and financial difference for all parties involved,” said SOC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joe Peterson. The service will reduce pediatric healthcare disparities and improve emergency transport practices, the company added. http://www.specialistsoncall.com/index.php?option=com...

Telemedicine’s long-distance treatment may create false hopes, researcher claims
The increased psychological distance of telemedicine may re­sult in false optimism by clinicians and consequently create false expectations of treatment outcomes, according to new research by Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. According to research author Dr. Bridget Kane, there is a tendency to attribute higher educational value to teleconference discussions. But results show there is also a tendency for more errors and less criticism of patient management decisions suggested during the teleconference. People are more likely to offer an opinion during a teleconference – even when the answer is wrong – compared to when they are meeting in the same room, Kane said. http://www.imn.ie/index.php/...   http://www2.telemed.no/ttec2008/...

Head of Ontario EHR agency resigns amidst allegations of financial mismanagement
The president and chief executive officer of Ontario’s lead agency in creation of a provincial electronic health records system has resigned following extensive allegations of overspending. Sarah Kramer, who has headed up eHealth Ontario since October 2008, stepped down after the organization’s board of directors revoked her appointment as president and CEO, according to Ontario Health and Long Term Care Minister David Caplan. “The current uncertainty surrounding eHealth Ontario threatens to delay initiatives that are crucial to our government’s plan to modernize and improve our healthcare system,” Caplan said. In recent weeks, the agency has come under fire for spending $5.5 million on untendered contracts since September 2008, several of which went to business interests or friends of senior officials at eHealth Ontario. Kramer also received a $114,000 bonus on top of her $380,000 salary even though she had been on the job for only three months at the time, and many consultants were paid sums of up to $2,700 a day for invoices containing charges for snack foods and daily newspapers. Kramer will receive $317,000 in severance but will be required to pay some of it back if she finds a job elsewhere in the next 10 months, Caplan spokesperson Steve Irwin said.  http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Head...