Social Security plans $750 million creation of new EHR database by 2014
The Social Security Administration (SSA), home to the world’s largest repository of electronic health records (EHRs), plans to build a $750 million mega-data center and develop new software to reduce a massive backlog of disability claims within the next five years, according to SSA commissioner Michael Astrue. The SSA’s EHR volume is expected to grow significantly in the next few years as baby boomers retire and EHRs are standardized, according to Astrue. But the agency’s existing, three-decade-old data center is nearly out of space. SSA is relying on emergency backup methods such as hard disks, tape, and a system at a commercial facility to ease the load. It is currently constructing a $72 million backup facility in Durham, N.C. to handle critical workload. That facility won’t be online until August and won’t be fully functional until 2011. The new workflow system will use artificial intelligence techniques to search e-medical records for diagnoses that support a disability applicant’s claim, Astrue adds. http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/...

Obama selects Kansas Governor Sebelius as head of Health and Human Services
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is President Barack Obama’s nomination for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS), the President announced Monday. If confirmed by the Senate, Sebelius, 60, will oversee DHS and become the public face of Obama’s $1 trillion effort to establish a universal healthcare coverage plan. The two-term governor is also a former state insurance commissioner, experience that Democrats say will help Sebelius when discussing health reform. Supporters believe she is up to the task, but critics say she lacks experience on Capitol Hill. Sebelius is the President’s second choice for DHS secretary; original nominee Tom Daschle, the Senate Majority Leader, withdrew in January after disclosing personal tax problems. http://www.kansascity.com/637/...

Scotland health service rolls out chronic care telemedicine program
In an effort to reduce hospital admissions, trips to the doctor and prevent small ailments from becoming life-threatening ones, chronically ill patients in Lothian, Scotland are being given computers that let them send daily health reports to their physicians. The program, the largest telehealth system in Scotland, uses touch screen technology and can undertake various health tests, including blood pressure, breathing, weight and blood glucose and oxygen levels. Four hundred patients have been selected for the initial rollout, which is being funded by the National Health Service in Lothian and the Scottish Government. Similar-sized trials in other nations have reduced hospital admissions by 30 percent, according to Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon. “Using technology in innovative ways like this can transform people’s lives,” Sturgeon said. “By harnessing all that new technologies can offer us, we can also make care quicker and safer, and invest in a twenty-first century health service to be proud of.” http://www.allmediascotland.com/...

Maryland, Arizona take steps toward launching health information exchanges
Health information exchanges (HIEs) are holding increasing popularity with healthcare institutions nationwide, with medical care groups in Maryland and Arizona announcing plans to develop HIEs within the coming months. The Chesapeake Regional Information System for Patients, a Maryland-based coalition of healthcare institutions, has submitted plans to create a statewide health data exchange that emphasizes governance, privacy and technical architecture. The coalition includes Erickson Retirement Communities, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, MedStar Health, and the University of Maryland Medical System. Meanwhile, the Yuma Community HIE would involve healthcare organizations in southwestern Arizona, including Yuma Regional Medical Center, the Regional Center for Border Health, Sunset Community Health Center, and Yuma County Health Department. Yuma Community is surveying the public about its interest in having their medical data shared among healthcare providers. http://crisphealth.org.105.webhostforasp.net/... and http://govhealthit.com/articles/...

Mental illness treatment, telemedicine work well together, researchers note
Telemedicine is becoming an effective tool in helping physicians treat mental illness, according to researchers at the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in Chennai, India. Volunteers with SCARF began a tele-psychiatric facility four years ago after a study showed that nearly 80 percent of chronic mentally challenged patients in rural areas were not treated for their diseases, according to Dr. R. Thara, SCARF director. “Initially, we began the project to cater to tsunami-affected zones like Nagapattinam and Cuddalore,” Thara said. “We knew several people there would require treatment and it was difficult to send doctors from here every week. Thus began our telemedicine facility.” The program works well because psychiatry, unlike other forms of medicine, does not require the doctor to touch or feel the patient, she added. So far, more than 800 people have benefited from the facility. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/...

National cardiac device registry needs updating, additional funding to stay useful
Researchers are renewing their call for an updated national cardiac device registry of patients who receive cardiac devices, but it may take some effort before their preference is realized, according to experts at the American College of Cardiology and the Heart Rhythm Society. The two groups currently operate a national registry launched by Medicare in 2004, but it receives limited financial support, according to Mayo Clinic cardiologist Stephen Hammill, who oversees the effort. In addition, medical device companies, which helped cover the initial $3 million needed to start the program, have since reduced their support. The registry also has technical programs that make it hard to merge its information with Medicare records. Researchers have now begun revising the registry to make it more compatible with Medicare data, and the Food and Drug Administration has since asked for an expansion of the registry to track effectiveness and reliability of defibrillator leads. http://www.kaisernetwork.org/Daily... and http://www.heartrhythmjournal.com/article/...

European Commission presses for tougher, continent-wide telemedicine regulations
The European Commission is considering proposals that would tighten the regulation and assessment of telemedicine systems, possibly delaying approval of such products by up to a year, according to the head of the EC’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Health unit. The new standards would be similar to ones in place for medical devices in Europe. While not likely to be popular with manufacturers, “systematic assessment is essential to win the confidence of clinicians,” said Dr. Gerard Comyn, ICT director. “At the moment, we have such assessments for medical devices but not for critical clinical software.” There is also a strong need for a sound legal and regulatory framework to help stimulate use of telemedicine throughout Europe, according to Comyn. “One of the reasons there is no scaling up of today’s services is the lack of trust,” he said. “The technology and know-how to deploy telemedicine services is out there, [but] the regulatory framework isn’t.” http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/...

North Carolina assigns online quality ratings to adult care homes
North Carolina’s Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) has begun posting star ratings for the state’s adult care facilities on its Web site to help consumers decide where to place themselves or their loved ones. The ratings, from zero to three stars, are based on results of each facility’s 2009 health inspection. After initial posting, they will be updated monthly. In 2010, DHSR will add a fourth star to the rating. Ratings may be viewed at www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/acls/star/search.asp . “This is an excellent tool to help potential residents, their families and loved ones to make informed decisions as they evaluate the commitment of any home to providing quality care,” said DHSR’s acting director Jeff Horton. “There’s a dual benefit in that the star ratings also provide an incentive to the providers and the staffs in their homes to achieve a four-star rating by providing four-star care.” As of mid-February, 62 certificates had been issued; DHSR expects it will take at least 12 months for the 1,200-plus facilities in North Carolina to be inspected and placed online. http://www.ncdhhs.gov/pressrel/...

Free personal health records on tap for students at Indiana University
Indiana University Health Center in Bloomington, IN has contracted with Web technology firm NoMoreClipboard.com to provide every student with a free personal health record (PHR) account sometime in 2009. The PHR will allow a student to manage and exchange with their doctors health information about medical history, insurance, immunizations, medications and other relevant data, according to IU Health Center Associate Director Pete Grogg. Students will also be able to send their PHRs directly from NoMoreClipboard.com to hometown physicians, enabling those doctors to access the information when needed. “There will be a time when everyone will have a personal health record,” said William Cast, M.D., the Chief Executive Officer of Fort Wayne, TX-based NoMoreClipboard.com. “This will offer students a bonus that they can carry away from college.” http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/9372.html

E-health becoming a silent success in New South Wales, expansion planned
The New South Wales Department of Health has quietly become one of Australia’s success stories when it comes to implementation of e-health programs, with plans being made to establish the programs statewide over the next few months. The region’s electronic medical record (EMR) system was first established at St. George Hospital in South Eastern Sydney in October 2008, involving 2,300 clinicians across its emergency department and various medical wards, and more than 300 outpatient clinics, according to Bryn Evan, chief executive of healthcare provider Ascribe. The system is next up for introduction to the Illawarra Area Health Service and its 1.3 million members by May, followed by the Northern Coast Area Health Service. “Adoption of an EMR on this scale is the most groundbreaking IT project undertaken in Australian healthcare,” Evan said. “It is the first step in a journey to provide electronic information that better supports clinicians and brings improved care to patients.” http://www.networkworld.com/news/...

Telemedicine, clot-busting drug can have ‘Lazarus’ effect on stroke patients
Improved telemedicine services, combined with increased used of a clot-busting treatment throughout Scotland could have a dramatic, “Lazarus” effect on stroke patients, according to a report from The Stroke Association. The nonprofit group’s report, “Getting Better,” urges the Scottish government and health boards to ensure that thrombolysis is made available nationwide. Thrombolysis involves use of an anti-clot drug, alteplase, which dissolves a blockage or clot in an artery. One in 10 stroke patients could benefit from the drug, according to the report. Strokes are the third most common cause of death in Scotland. At the same time, rural areas need improved patient monitoring to help identify those patients who are at higher risk of strokes. “Thrombolysis has potentially dramatic effects in preventing deaths and reducing brain damage,” said Dr. Keith Muir, senior lecturer in neurology at the University of Glasgow. “We need to look at which services are right for which parts of the country, whether that involves acute services, telemedicine or rapid transfer of patients to the nearest hospital providing the treatment.” http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/...

Hielix launches free HIE development tool for small business
Tampa, FL-based exchange healthcare information exchange (HIE) firm Hielix has launched a free online tool that allows interested groups to create their own HIEs, the company announced. The Hielix HIE Framework, available at www.hielix.com/hie-framework, allows a broad range of healthcare stakeholders to achieve consensus on many issues that derail implementation, including a single business model, operational process, success metrics, ongoing governance and more, according to Hielix Chief Executive Officer Patti Dodgen. “The single biggest hurdle to success in seamlessly exchanging healthcare information is creating consensus among stakeholders across a wide range of operational issues,” Dodgen said. “Whether e-prescribing, or using electronic health records, regional health information organization or other HIE-related services, the framework can help stakeholders create an operationally sustainable business model and realistic roadmap to delivery.” http://www.hielix.com/component/content/...