Obama urges Democrats, GOP to reach for health IT’s ‘low-hanging fruit’
During the official launch of his healthcare reform effort last week, President Barack Obama said he considers healthcare information technology a vital element of his economic stimulus act, and hopes Democrats and Republicans will work together for the greater good. Referring to healthcare IT as the “low hanging fruit” to which all lawmakers can reach, the President also released a report containing comments from more than 9,000 people who participated in neighborhood meetings nationwide. Obama encouraged lawmakers to “make decisions based on evidence, data and what works” instead of relying on “dug-in positions.” Obama’s stimulus plan, the first serious effort to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system in 15 years, includes $19 billion to advance healthcare IT. http://healthreform.gov/video/obamaforumcc.html

Google Health upgrades personal health records tool, offers new privacy measures
In response to concerns that people may not have up-to-date details on a patient’s medical situation, Google Health has introduced a new feature that lets participants share their online records with specific doctors, friends, and family members. The new feature includes several built-in security measures to address patient privacy, according to Sameer Samat, director of product management at Google. Users may choose who can view their histories, after which the link to the patient’s profile will work only in conjunction with those people’s e-mail addresses. E-mailed links also have a lifespan of only 30 days. And users may choose what information they wish to share about a patient. But Google admits that some employees will have access to users’ records, as Google Health is not regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal law designed to protect patients’ privacy. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/google-health-helping-you-better.html

Worcester Polytechnic earns $750,000 grant to examine benefits of EMRs 
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA have been awarded a three-year, $750,000 grant to study how electronic medical records and other information technology tools benefit medical facilities. The grant, offered by the National Science Foundation, will help researchers formulate best practices to guide future health IT rollouts in other medical facilities, according to Diane Strong, Ph.D., professor of management at WPI. “Adapting to computer systems will be a learning process for primary care organizations, for physicians, and even for patients,” Strong said. “From what we observe, we will develop new ideas and new concepts for healthcare delivery, such as better ways of organizing work flow and decision making, to take advantage of the new opportunities enabled by these IT systems.” The researchers will study two medical organizations in the U.S. and one each in Canada and Israel that are in various stages of HIT implementation. http://www.wpi.edu/News/Releases/20089/medrecords09.html

ATA presents stimulus package and telemedicine funding videocast on March 11
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) will present a live broadcast, “Telemedicine Funding in the 2009 Economic Stimulus Bill: The Latest Information from Funding Agencies,” on March 11 at 1 p.m. EST. The session will also be available as a free videocast for ATA members and available for purchase by non-members at 2 p.m. EST that day. The session will summarize a meeting earlier in the week by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program of the Department of Commerce, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Office of Rural Development of the Department of Agriculture regarding telemedicine-related grants. All three agencies have stimulus money, and telemedicine has the opportunity to compete for those funds, according to ATA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Linkous. Registration is required for viewing. http://www.americantelemed.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1#videocast

States could play vital role in formation of Health Information Exchanges
State governments will play a key role in the formation and use of health information exchanges (HIEs), according to a new Report to the State Alliance for e-Health. “Public Governance Models for a Sustainable Health Information Exchange Industry” notes that effective health IT and health data exchange adoption by states will improve the U.S. healthcare system. The report also recommended three conceptual models for public governance that could result in the practice of sustainable health data exchange (HDE): government-led electronic HDE; a public, electronic HIE with strong government oversight; and a private sector-led electronic HIE with government collaboration. Rational, legal structure, and financing and accountability considerations are given for each model. http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0902EHEALTHHIEREPORT.PDF

September EHR interoperability deadline between DOD, VA should be easy to meet
A September deadline for full interoperability of the electronic health record (EHR) systems for the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs appears to be more than feasible, according to Rear Adm. Gregory Timberlake, director of the DOD and VA Interagency Program Office. The Congressional deadline, included in the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2008 fiscal year, calls for cross-compatibility of EHR data between the two agencies. Timberlake said current efforts will include additional classes of data: prescriptions, lab results, radiology results, and notes for therapists, nursing and physicians, all of which came at the request of clinicians. Full interoperability is also proceeding well because the two agencies are working well together, he added. “I have been impressed by the efforts of the IT people to get to understand what clinicians need,” Timberlake said. http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/03/05/dod-va-health-info-exchange.aspx

Computerized records have their downside to medical care, too
As helpful as they are, computers may not be the best thing to happen to medical care, according to Dr. Anne Armstrong-Coben, an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Columbia University. If anything, the computer can depersonalize medicine and possibly increase medical errors. Armstrong-Coben’s opinion column, “The Computer Will See You Now,” recently published in the New York Times , notes that computers and their pre-programmed forms unintentionally prevent doctors from making a crucial connection with their patients. “In the past, I could pick up a chart and flip through it easily,” Armstrong-Coben said. “Looking at a note, I could picture the visit and recall the story. Now a chart is a generic outline, screens filled with clicked boxes.” She proposes use of a hybrid electronic record, one where records are kept on tablets, “allowing the provider to write or draw, and to face the patient.”   http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/opinion/...

Nation’s down economy has telemedicine consultations on the rise
An increasing number of companies are beginning to offer telemedicine consultations, and their popularity is on the rise among uninsured persons and others impacted by layoffs and the recession because they cost less than most in-person consultations. Providers of such services include American Well, SwiftMD and TelaDoc, which typically allow patients to talk with doctors via online chat or video. For most of the services, patients need a computer with Internet access and a Web cam. Consultation records are stored in a personal electronic health file. Availability of electronic consultations is limited due to varying physician-licensing regulations from state to state, but the services, when available, can reduce rising healthcare spending by limiting trips to emergency departments and helping people detect illnesses earlier, according to Hawaii Medical Service Association Vice President of Marketing Michael Stollar. http://online.wsj.com/article/...

Indian government launches $125 million pan-African e-network project
The government of India has launched the pan-African e-network project, a joint initiative with the African Union designed to eventually connect all 53 countries to satellite and fiber-optic networks. The $125 million [USD] project is considered to be Africa’s biggest information and communication technologies (ICT) project, with online education and telemedicine programs expected to extend infrastructure development to rural areas and other underserved communities, Indian Minister of Education Daphrose Gahakwa said. Thirty-three countries have signed onto the pan-African project thus far, he said. The project will provide telemedicine services through online consultations between medical practitioners in Africa and specialists in India. Indian universities will also offer online access to participating countries in different courses of study selected by the African Union. http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2009/...

New federal CIO to emphasize IT’s role in cutting costs and improving data access
President Barack Obama’s new chief information officer plans to use technology to reduce operating costs, make agencies more accountable and increase the public’s access to government information. Last week Obama named Vivek Kundra federal CIO at the White House to direct the policies and strategic planning for the government’s investments in information technology, and to establish an enterprise architecture that would allow federal computer systems across government to communicate and share information. “Going through [agency budgets] line item by line item, ensuring resources are spent effectively and that we hold agencies accountable will be a big part of my role,” Kundra said. He added that he will work closely with all federal CIOs to “fundamentally revolutionize [the way] technology is used in public sector, and reject the view that public sector has to ride behind the private sector in IT innovation.”http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090305_9385.php

VISICU, Providence bring eICU services to Alaska residents
Baltimore-based VISICU, the telehealth unit of Dutch healthcare giant Royal Philips Electronics, has implemented an eICU program at Providence Alaska’s Health Park in Anchorage, AK. The new around-the-clock eICU center combines early warning alerts and remote monitoring technology to connect off-site critical care specialists to ICU patients and their care teams in the medial center. Providence plans to expand the program to surrounding hospitals to supplement local care. Alaska has 2.06 physicians for every 1,000 patients, far below the national average of 2.38, according to the American Medical Association. “Here in Alaska, community and rural hospitals do not have the staffing capabilities to deliver advanced medical care,” said Providence Chief Executive Officer Al Parrish. “With the implementation of the eICU Program at Providence Alaska Medical Center, this enhanced medical service can now be provided locally to the sickest of patients. We will save additional lives with the eICU.” http://visicu.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=63

Duesterhoeft named president of Honeywell HomMed
Terry Duesterhoeft has assumed the role of president at Brookfield, WI-based telehealth and remote patient monitoring device maker Honeywell HomMed, the company announced. Duesterhoeft has served as vice president of sales and marketing, and led marketing and product development and sales since joining Honeywell HomMed in October 2006, according to the company. Prior to Honeywell HomMed, he held leadership roles in venture-backed startups, including co-founder and chief marketing officer of XStor Medical Systems in Mountain View, CA, and vice president of strategic marketing at Zonare Medical Systems Inc., also in Mountain View. He also held several marketing and product development executive roles at GE Medical Systems, including global marketing manager with the ultrasound business during its exponential growth to a $1 billion industry.