GE Healthcare, Intel work on telemedicine house that tracks health habits of elderly
Research giants GE Healthcare and Intel are collaborating on a “health home” that will allow physicians to track the daily movements of the independent elderly in hopes of discovering and treating serious health issues before they occur. The project, currently underway in Budapest, Hungary, consists of the use of wireless sensors throughout an occupant’s home that are designed to monitor everyday habits in a search for health-indicating deviations, according to GE General Manager for Home Health Agnes Berzsenyi. Subtle behavior changes, such as the number of times a person opens a refrigerator, could indicate a serious health problem such as mental impairment. Physicians would be alerted to the habit changes and could take appropriate action, Berzsenyi notes. Algorithms to track habits are currently being developed, with trials planned at sites in Chicago, Britain and the University of Szeged in southern Hungary. The system should be ready for launch within several years and will cost users about the same as a monthly cable service bill, Berzsenyi said. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/...

Military health services target youth through social networking tools like Twitter, YouTube
The nation’s Military Health System has begun using social networking tools such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube in an attempt to entice a larger group of 18-to-24-year-olds into using its health information services. The agency’s site at www.health.mil prides itself on being a modern-looking, easy-to-use portal filled with health data such as the latest vaccination requirements and health maintenance tips, according to Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, MHS director of strategic communications. But in the site’s two-year existence, only 8 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds, who make up the bulk of the 1.4 million troops on active duty, actually visited the site. Incorporating social media sites has increased health.mil’s viewing by thousands per month starting in March, Kilpatrick notes. In addition, sites like Twitter have given family members of military personnel a faster way to connect with MHS doctors. According to Brenda Powell, founder of Social Networking Girls, a Malibu, CA-based consulting firm, MHS’ use of social media is the right approach, because young troops prefer to access information from media-rich sites rather than traditional text-heavy ones. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/... http://www.health.mil/ http://twitter.com/healthdotmil

Transition to EHRs to double demand for file analysts, help cut unemployment rate
The switch to electronic health record keeping could soon make a dent in the nation’s jobless rate, experts note. According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), the conversion of paper medical records into electronic databases will result in a new job growth area: analyzing each file to make sure patient records are accurate and complete. The association estimates that the medical industry will need about 75,000 more people to help get everyone online – about double the number currently available. And, the transition will not affect only doctor’s offices and hospitals. Dentists, rehab facilities, and long term care sites will also need to make the switch, said Claire Dixon-Lee, PhD, RHIA, FAHIMA, staff liaison with AHIMA’s Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education in Chicago. Persons in that field can make a starting salary of anywhere from $25,000 annually with an Associate’s degree, to $45,000 or more with a Bachelor’s degree or some field experience, Dixon-Lee said. http://cbs2chicago.com/local/medical.records...

Telemedicine proves its worth saving victims’ lives and limbs in U.S., UK
Telemedicine is literally turning into a life and limb saver for patients with unexpected illnesses, as evidenced by two recent medical cases in California and the United Kingdom. Use of the medical technique recently helped a Roseville, CA man keep his leg after a sudden infection sent him to the hospital for two weeks. Lester Mundel sought emergency care after pain in his leg became so intense he could hardly move, according to David Streeter, an intern at Sonoma Valley Hospital in Sonoma, CA. Streeter, concerned about what he saw in Mundel’s leg, sought a second opinion from Javeed Siddiqui, an infectious disease specialist at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, 72 miles away. Streeter used a Smartphone to send Siddiqui images of Mundel’s leg; Siddiqui determined the leg was infected with necrotizing fasciitis, the “flesh-eating” bacteria. Streeter said the Smartphone, combined with telemedicine availability, has proven invaluable. “I essentially have an infectious disease specialist in my back pocket at all times,” he said. Meanwhile, five community nurses from Turriff Medical Practice in northeast Britain became the nation’s first to use a vacuum pump to successfully treat an elderly woman’s ulcerated left leg. The 10-month treatment was performed at the woman’s home and prevented need for amputation; the staff learned to use the pump via a telemedicine clinic at the department of tissue viability at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Scotland. http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/... http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk...

Canadian government awards $10 million to get medical tech innovations to public
Four Canadian colleges and a medical professional training school (CEGEP) are sharing a $10 million [USD] award from the government’s College and Community Innovation program designed to get new medical innovations from the campuses into the local marketplace. The five schools – La Cité collégiale in Ottawa, Ontario, Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver, B.C., Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Hamilton, Ontario, Sheridan College in Toronto, and Cégep de Lévis-Lauzon in Lévis, Quebec – will each receive $2 million over five years, according to Dr. Suzanne Fortier, president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, which administers the program. “Our government is investing in science and technology to create jobs, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life of Canadians,” said Gary Goodyear, state minister of science and technology. “Colleges and CEGEPs play a vital role in building innovative communities. This funding will help them work with their local businesses to move their research out into the marketplace.” http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Media-Media/...

Health IT spending to hit $14.4 billion by 2014, but capital project dollars stay tight
Hospitals will spend $14.4 billion on information technology systems through 2014, but capital spending will be relatively unchanged from the $1.7 billion currently spent until federal stimulus funding starts up, according to a forecast by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). According to Mike Davis, executive vice president of HIMSS Analytics, hospitals will face a tough road in terms of funding during the near term, as banks are not lending to the hospitals. Hospital endowment funds, a source of funding for capital acquisitions, have also lost 20 percent to 30 percent of their value in some cases, he said. The market may improve by year’s end. Meanwhile, some deep-pocketed IT vendors have extended financial solutions to hospitals, Davis added. http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/...

CCHIT unveils proposal for three certification options to increase EHR accessibility
The Certification Commission for Healthcare IT (CCHIT) has a proposal that offers three different certification paths for health information technology firms, healthcare providers and open-source developers. CCHIT’s proposal would create EHR Comprehensive (EHR-C), which most closely resembles the organization’s current EHR certification effort and provides a “rigorous certification of comprehensive EHR systems that significantly exceed minimum federal standards”; EHR-Module (EHR-M), a more flexible certification option for vendors whose products might be more specialized than a comprehensive system; and EHR Site (EHR-S), geared toward providers who take a do-it-yourself approach to EHR and assemble systems from noncertified components. “We need to serve a more diverse spectrum of providers and offer a wider range of EHR technology options from which to choose,” said CCHIT Chairperson Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D. http://www.cchit.org/about/news/releases/... http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/06/17/...

Cardinal Health awards $1 million in grants for health IT patient safety programs
Dublin, OH-based Cardinal Health Foundation has awarded $1 million in grants for new health information technology programs at 35 hospitals, health systems, and community health clinics nationwide. The grants of up to $35,000 per facility are for programs designed to improve patient safety and patient care through use of health IT and other efforts, according to CHF Chairperson Shelley Bird. “Medication safety and healthcare-associated infections are two of the largest patient safety issues that healthcare organizations face every day,” Bird said. “The human toll and financial burden is escalating.” Recipient programs must address two of the National Quality Forum’s priority areas: eliminating healthcare associated infections, and medication safety and reconciliation, including prescribing correct medication, and assuring medical information is properly communicated and understood. A list of recipient programs can be found at www.cardinal.com. http://www.cardinal.com/...

NHR-troubled Australia could learn a lot from successful Sweden, analyst says
When it comes to implementing a national e-health system, Australia should take a cue from Sweden, according to the man overseeing creation of that Scandinavian country’s national health records (NHR) program. Kerry Stratton, managing director of healthcare for software developer InterSystems in Australia, said Australia is falling behind the rest of the world in using information technology to improve the healthcare sector. The nation, he said, lacks political will and unity over developing a records program and needs to “get on with it.” In contrast, Sweden, which hired InterSystems to build its NHR program in March 2008, started looking at the possibility of such a system in 2006, “driven by the need to put key clinical information in front of doctors and nurses at the point of care.” http://www.itnews.com.au/News/...

Meeting terms of ‘meaningful use’ definition not as hard as it looks, NYC official says
The United States is capable of developing an electronic health record (EHR) system that could help prevent 1 million heart attacks annually and reduce the number of medication errors by 50 percent over the next five years, according to New York City Health Department Assistant Commissioner Farzad Mostashari. Farzad said EHRs can also reduce the number of hospital re-admissions by 50 percent, and provide patients with access to their own medical information as well as health departments nationwide. All of these are “achievable goals” and would be an example of meeting the definition of “meaningful use” of EHR systems as required by the 2009 American Recovery and Investment Act. The meaningful use term, which still must be finalized, allows the government to offer clinicians up to $44,000 each to install an EHR system by 2015. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/...

Welch Allyn implements rural telemedicine project in distant kingdom of Bhutan
Medical diagnostic equipment manufacturer Welch Allyn and its distributor, Samden Technologies, have implemented a rural telemedicine project in the southern Asian Kingdom of Bhutan, the companies announced. According to Dr. Biren Sahoo, country manager for Welch Allyn India, 95 percent of critically ill patients in remote locations can benefit significantly from the company’s basic telemedicine model. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Bhutan’s 700,000 residents live in locations with little or no access to hospitals or physicians. Once considered to be one of the most isolated nations in the world, Bhutan recently has made strides to balance its ancient culture and tradition with modernization through the development of the Internet, mobile phone networks, and cable television. The rural telemedicine project connects Bhutan’s basic healthcare centers to physicians at seven regional hospitals and the National Hospital in Thimpu, according to Sahoo. http://www.welchallyn.com/pressroom/...

Second top exec at eHealth Ontario resigns over consulting contract scandal
The chairperson of the association overseeing development of Ontario’s provincial e-health program has resigned as a result of the agency’s financial mismanagement controversy. Dr. Alan Hudson became the second top official to leave eHealth Ontario in a week, following former president Sarah Kramer’s resignation in mid-June. In recent weeks, the agency has come under fire for awarding $5.5 million in untendered contracts since September 2008, several of which went to business interests or friends of senior officials at eHealth Ontario. Hudson has been replaced as chairperson by board member Rita Burak. Burak has held several senior positions in the Ontario government, including Secretary of the Cabinet, Clerk of the Executive Council, and Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. http://www.timescolonist.com/news/... http://www.news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2009/...