Computer games are virtually making a place for themselves in telemedicine
Virtual reality computer games are heading from the desktop to the doctor’s office as a new way to train medical students and provide improved patient care to those suffering from chronic diseases, according to efforts at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) in Augusta. Dental students at MCG’s School of Dentistry will soon be using a Virtual Dental Implant Training Simulation Program designed to help them in diagnostics, decision making, and training protocols. The implant simulation game uses multiple scenarios and patients that allow students to tailor treatment, according to project director Dr. Roman Cibirka. Meanwhile, researchers at MCG’s School of Allied Health Sciences are using the Nintendo Wii to help treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including depression. In an eight-week pilot study, 20 Parkinson’s patients spent an hour playing the Wii three to four times per week. They ultimately improved their fine motor skills and saw depression levels nearly disappear, according to program director Dr. Ben Herz. “I think we’re going to be using virtual reality and games a lot more because it provides a controlled physical environment that allows patients to participate in the activities they want or need to do,” Herz said. “Sixty percent of the study participants decided to buy a Wii for themselves. That speaks volumes for how this made them feel.” https://my.mcg.edu/portal/page/portal/News/archive...  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/...

New patient monitoring device could make cardiac care an at-home affair
Researchers at the University of Houston and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute have developed a health monitoring program that could make home-based heart care management an option for many Americans. The device, the BlueScale, simultaneously records patient information – including weight, heart rate, blood pressure and cardiac output – in less than 10 seconds. It resembles a standard bathroom scale connected to a bicycle-like handlebar and is meant to “offer congestive heart failure patients both peace of mind and significant healthcare costs savings,” according to Steve Xu, co-creator of the device with fellow UH MBA student Nithin Rajan. Five million Americans suffer from congestive heart failure, costing society more than $30 billion annually. Up to two-thirds of the hospitalizations are preventable with proper management in the home, the inventors note. The BlueScale has also won a spot in the finals of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Innovation Showcase – the “iShow” – giving the researchers a shot at up to $10,000 in seed funding from ASME and a chance to pitch the product to venture capitalists. http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/...  http://files.asme.org/asmeorg/Communities/...

Latest ‘LifeShirt’ provides physicians with 24/7 patient vital signs monitoring  
A Ventura, CA remote patient monitoring (RPM) device manufacturer has developed a new version of a wearable garment that continuously transmits various vital signs to healthcare providers. The newest prototype of the LifeShirt^®eliminates the need for patients to operate multiple monitoring devices at specific times or to manually transmit vital sign data to those remotely managing their care, according to Howard R. Baker, president and chief executive officer of VivoMetrics^® . The system passively and continuously collects electrocardiogram (ECG), respiratory, and temperature data in context with posture and activity levels and automatically transmits that data via cellular networks or Bluetooth to their healthcare providers. “The challenge for us is quite clear. If patients and providers aren’t completely comfortable with monitoring technology, they won’t use it,” Baker said. “The key to strong adoption and sustainability in the RPM space will be highly dependent on both patient and provider compliance.” The first prototypes of the device have been assembled and tested, and the company expects to begin collecting clinical data later this year, Baker added. http://www.vivometrics.com/news/press-releases/...

Ontario expands telemedicine network through formal partnership with First Nations
Officials in Northern Ontario are expanding an agreement between the province’s largest telemedicine program and one of the country’s biggest telemedicine providers in an effort to create an extensive medical network across Ontario. According to Dr. Ed Brown, chief executive officer of the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN), the agreement formalizes a decade-long partnership with Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Telemedicine, a product of First Nations Telemedicine in Canada. “Together, OTN and KO Telemedicine actually have the largest, most active and most advanced telecommunications network in the world,” Brown said. The resulting “K-Net” is now linked to nearly 700 other sites across Ontario, a vast expanse equal to nearly half the size of Europe. http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/...

NQF seeking public comment on draft report on improved EHR data measures
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is seeking comment on the drafting of a quality data set regarding ways to improve electronic health record (EHR) data measures. Washington, D.C.-based NQF’s proposed report, “National Quality Forum Health Information Technology Expert Panel Report: Health IT Enablement of Quality Measurement – the Quality Data Set (QDS) and Dataflow,” offers nine recommendations on bolstering EHR management strategies, including development of a measure authoring tool, establishing an implementation timeline, hosting the quality data set on a public site, and improving stakeholder communication. NQF will accept public comments until June 30 and NQF member comments until July 7. The agency’s report can be found at www.qualityforum.org. http://www.qualityforum.org/...

Kaiser debuts its ‘most wired’ mobile health vehicle in rural Hawaii
Kaiser Permanente has introduced the nation’s “most wired” mobile health vehicle to help provide care to rural locations in Hawaii, according to company officials. The first-of-its-kind, 500-square-foot, 10-wheel medical vehicle is expected to serve 12,000 residents during its first year, according to Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Executive Director Susan Ganz. The vehicle has the full capabilities of the healthcare provider’s comprehensive electronic health record system, as well as a digital mammography unit, Ganz said. “This island of Hawaii’s health disparity issues surrounding cancer prevention screenings, and its challenging geography, made it the logical location for Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s mobile health services,” she said. The vehicle will provide access to state-of-the-art digital mammography and video telemedicine regardless of the van’s proximity to a clinic or hospital, Ganz added. http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/pressreleases/...

Microsoft, University of Miami examine link between Web care and diabetes
Microsoft and the University of Miami are partnering on a study to determine whether software and primary care can improve the healthcare of diabetics. According to Robert Schwartz, chairperson of UM’s Family Medicine and Community Health department, the two groups are testing what might happen if diabetics have access to doctors or nurses through an online portal. Potential outcomes include increased prevention of diabetes and better wellness checks, Schwartz notes. The study will focus on 25 patients with diabetes in Overtown, FL, and will use Microsoft’s HealthVault online personal health record tool. “Considering that diabetes is one of the leading illnesses in the United States, the ability for patients to more accurately track and manage their condition can have a meaningful impact on their personal health as well as the cost containment for our customers,” said Jack Hersey, general manager for U.S. Public Sector Health at Microsoft. “These types of solutions can be replicated and implemented in any hospital or clinic in the country.” http://www.miamiherald.com/business/...   http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/...

New Jersey bill would outlaw use of non-CCHIT-certified health IT products
A bill pending in the New Jersey legislature would ban the use of health information technology products that are not certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), with anyone violating the regulation being fined up to $5,000 per incident. A.B. 3934 by Assembly members Herb Conaway Jr. (D-Burlington) and Upendra Chivukula (D-Middlesex) would affect all healthcare providers, including ones who do not treat many Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries. Analysts note that it is not clear how the state would enforce the law, if approved. It is also not certain how the bill would affect health IT products, such as practice management software, that CCHIT does not certify. http://www.fierceemr.com/story/...  http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/...

Maine health insurers required to cover telemedicine services under new law
Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci has signed into law a bill that requires health insurance plans in the state to cover telemedicine services. L.D. 1073 by Maine Rep. Anne Perry (D-Calais) requires health insurance providers to cover services provided through interactive audio, video or other electronic media “just as it would cover services provided through in-person consultation,” according to Baldacci. “Telemedicine offers opportunities to increase the accessibility of health care, ensure that appropriate medical information is available, reduces medical errors and reduces health care costs,” Baldacci said. “This bill makes sense and I am pleased to sign it.” The bill goes into effect in mid-September. http://www.maine.gov/tools/...   http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb...

‘Opting out’ is not an option for patients using UK’s Summary Care Record
Some managers in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) have threatened to refuse treatment to patients who do not want a Summary Care Record, the UK version of the electronic health records (EHRs). Doctors are telling patients that opting out of EHRs could jeopardize their ongoing care, according to a report in Computerworld UK . Such incidents go against the ethics of the Summary Care Record, according to the British Medical Association. The moves would hurt the relationship between doctors and patients, and most likely result in legal actions, the BMA notes. It is “not fair to patients and it means their ‘consent’ is not valid,” added Helen Wilkinson, co-founder of the Big Opt-Out campaign, which assists people who do not want to be part of the Summary Care Record. “Many others don’t understand the implications of the care record anyway, because they’re not told about it when their record is created.” http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm...

House legislators consider bill to create registry for patients with artificial joints
Legislators have introduced a bill that would create a national database of patients who have received artificial hips and knees to help detect defective devices and ineffective surgical practices. The bill, H.R. 2813 by Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ) and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), has the support of makers of artificial joints and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. They note that the United States is the world’s largest user of such products, but has long lagged behind other countries like Australia, Sweden and England in making use of joint registries. That has resulted in an untold number of unnecessary surgeries and the waste of hundreds of millions of dollars. “The simple, practical step of registering hip and knee replacement devices ensures not only that patients get the high-quality care that they deserve, but also that financial gain never stands in the way of healthy outcomes and patient safety,” Doggett said. If the bill is approved, the database will be jointly managed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Consumers Union. http://pascrell.house.gov/apps/list/press/...

Increasing numbers of Americans get their health advice from the Web
More than 6 of every 10 U.S. residents currently use the Internet to look up health information, up from 1 in 4 in 2000, according to a report by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, and the California HealthCare Foundation. When dealing with health or medical issues, 57 percent of all adults consult the Web in addition to using other sources such as an actual health professional, or a friend or family member. And slightly more than half of all health inquiries are on behalf of someone other than the person typing in the search terms. Among the 6 in 10 who use the Internet for health information, 60 percent of them say their most recent search had an impact on their health or the way they care for someone else. http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/...