Study on use of telehealth strategies for heart failure after hospitalization named best paper of 2008
A study on the value of post-hospital, home telehealth processes for heart failure patients originally published in Telemedicine and e-Health has been named best research paper of 2008 at the American Telemedicine Association’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Awarded “Best Paper, 2008” by the editorial board of Telemedicine and e-Health, “Evaluation of Home Telehealth Following Hospitalization for Heart Failure: A Randomized Trial” is only the second study to compare telephone and videophone to traditional care to deliver a home-based heart failure intervention program. Intervention resulted in a significantly longer time to readmission with no effect on readmission rates or mortality. The paper by Bonnie Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N., Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital in Columbia, MO; Marcia Ward, Ph.D., and Trudy Burns, Ph.D., College of Public Health, the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA; John Holman, M.A., Annette Ray, B.S.N., R.N., and Melody Scherubel, R.N., Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice, Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Michael Kienzle, M.D., Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa in Iowa City, and Gary Rosenthal, M.D., Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice, Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa in Iowa City, was published in the October 2008 issue of Telemedicine and e-Health and may be viewed online at www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/tmj.2007.0131.

Legislation proposes shutdown of over-budget or overdue IT projects
Congress is considering legislation by a Delaware lawmaker that would require government agencies to report when their information technology projects are going over budget or in danger of not being completed on time. The legislation could also lead to the shutdown of some extremely behind schedule or cost-heavy IT projects. Senate Bill 920 by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), “The Information Technology Investment Oversight and Waste Prevention Act of 2009,” would also require agencies to develop Web sites to provide information on the cost, schedule and performance of all major IT projects. If a project is running more than 40 percent above original estimates, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress, can consider terminating the project. Carper notes that nearly one-third of all federal IT investments are poorly planned at inception. The bill’s goal is to prevent the improperly defined project requirements that lead to cost overruns and poorly performing IT projects, according to OMB Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_... and http://www.govexec.com/nextgov/042909/Carper_2.pdf

Joint DOD-VA military EHR system well underway, VA chief architect assures
A joint military lifetime electronic health record (EHR) system for the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are on a fast track to completion, according to VA chief enterprise architect and acting deputy assistant secretary Scott Cragg. Cragg, recently appointed lead official on the joint EHR project, said the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record will remain on its original schedule, one with “extremely aggressive” timelines. An exact timeframe for development and implementation has not been announced. In April, the White House announced the initiative, which allows for a streamlined transition of healthcare records between DOD and the VA “from the day an individual enters military service throughout their military career, and after they leave the military.” http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/04/28/... and http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office...

With EHR process, hospitals should place earlier emphasis on doctor feedback
Implementation of electronic health record (EHR) systems will be best accomplished if hospitals change their priorities and begin documenting physicians’ notes earlier in the reporting process, according to a white paper by Falls Church, VA-based consulting firm Computer Sciences Corp. “Core Measures: All About the Data” notes that hospitals typically place electronic problem lists and physician documentation at the end of the process, but medical and surgical core measures rely heavily on this information early on. Hospitals should also speed their efforts to document medication reconciliation to provide complete information on medications for use in core measure reporting, the paper suggests. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, certain states and other services require hospitals to use a set of national quality performance measures for pay-for-performance programs and other projects.   http://assets1.csc.com/health_services/downloads/...

Computer technology, health IT firms launch first virtual classroom in Turkey
A half-dozen computer technology and health IT providers have joined in an effort to create the Republic of Turkey’s first virtual classroom, opening the door for an era of e-learning in the Eurasian country, the companies announced. The project by Cisco Systems Inc., Intel, Polycom, Oracle, Smarttech and Sebit allowed 80 schoolchildren in two schools located nearly 30 miles apart in and near Ankara, Turkey, to share a science lesson through broadband technology, according to Fatos Yarman, president of the nation’s Educational Technologies Directorate of the Ministry of National Education. Students also used various wireless access tools such as Internet Protocol (IP) phones, ClassMate PCs, smart boards and video, and online and community-generated learning content. The e-learning showcase “defines what Turkey’s 21st century learning environment could look like” on all levels, the companies note. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/prod_042209b.html

‘Meaningful use’ definition should focus on medication management, report suggests
The federal government’s definition of “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHRs) should deal with the improvement of medication management and coordination of care, according to a new report by the New York City-based think-tank, the Markle Foundation. The organization proposes that the meaningful use definition, which must be in place by 2011-12 when federal incentives begin under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, read simply as something that “demonstrates that the provider makes use of, and the patient has access to, clinically relevant electronic information about the patient to improve medication management and coordination of care.” The report, prepared by the Markle Foundation’s Connecting for Health initiative, is endorsed by more than 60 organizations representing technology vendors, healthcare providers, payers and professional associations. http://www.markle.org/downloadable...

Washington University-St. Louis researchers invent smartphone-based ultrasound probes
Computer engineers at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) have developed USB-driven ultrasound probes that are compatible with a Microsoft Windows mobile-based smartphone, effectively turning the phone into a handheld medical imaging device. Researchers had to optimize every aspect of probe design and operation, from power consumption and data transfer rate to image formation algorithms, to make the USB ultrasound probes work with smartphones, according to William D. Richard, Ph.D., WUSTL associate professor of computer science and engineering. It is now possible to build smartphone-compatible USB ultrasound probes for imaging the kidney, liver, bladder and eyes, endocavity probes for prostate and uterine screenings and biopsies, and vascular probes for imaging veins and arteries for starting IVs and central lines. The device could become the essential computer of the Developing World, where trained medical personnel are scarce, but up to 90 percent of the population has access to a cell phone tower, Richard said. http://news-info.wustl.edu/tips/page/normal/13928.html

VA’s newest VistA program could be affordable EHR option for U.S. hospitals
The open-source electronic health record system used by the Veterans Health Administration for the past two decades could also be a low-cost option for non-VA hospitals that want such a system but have been unable to afford one, according to government officials. The newest version of the Veteran’s Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) system, OpenVistA, could be installed in non-military hospitals in one-third the time and one-third the cost of the “big name proprietary systems,” according to Medsphere Chairperson Kenneth Kizer, the VA’s former undersecretary of health and overseer of the VistA project. This could be a vital option for many hospitals, which cannot afford a traditional program due to its $20 million to $100 million implementation cost. A recent survey in the New England Journal of Medicine notes that less than 1 of every 50 non-VA hospitals in the U.S. have a full-blown EHR system.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124104350516570503.html

Thailand, Nepal join world’s telehealth fraternity with first telemedicine services
Patients and doctors are able to link up online for the first time with the addition of new telemedicine services to the nations of Thailand and Nepal, according to officials in both countries. In Thailand, customers of Samitivej, a leading private hospital in Southeast Asia, may now contact doctors through the facility’s new home care service, according to Raymond Chong, managing director and chief executive officer of Samitivej Public Co. Ltd. “We are living in the world of mobility,” Chong said. “While we move around, we can still have access to information and services. Healthcare should not be an exception.” Meanwhile, officials at New Delhi, India’s Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals have launched a telemedicine service at Om Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, allowing that nation’s residents to consult Indian doctors for expert advice on various health problems, according to Apollo Hospitals Chairperson Dr. Prathap C. Reddy. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/05/01/... and http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=18151

New York City to integrate substance abuse screening tool into city EHR
New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) plans to add a substance abuse screening tool to its existing electronic health record (EHR) system. The department would make the new tool available to more than 1,000 providers in underserved areas of the city, according to DHMH officials. Each medical visit “will become an opportunity to reduce patient problems with drug use,” the agency notes. The tool will be integrated into the city’s Primary Care Information Project, which is attempting to become the nation’s largest community-based EHR network, with an emphasis on prevention. City officials created the system in cooperation with EHR developer eClinicalWorks. http://govhealthit.com/articles/2009/... and http://www.drugabuse.gov/...

Entra Health launches industry’s first FDA-cleared Bluetooth^® blood glucose meter
San Diego-based healthcare technology firm Entra Health Systems has launched the healthcare industry’s first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved and Conformite Europeene (CE)-certified Bluetooth^® blood glucose meter, bringing telehealth monitoring capabilities to personal diabetic care, the company announced. Entra Health’s MyGlucoHealth meter uses a real-time online data collection network to upload and manage blood glucose readings via a mobile phone or PC computer. This eliminates patients’ personal logbooks, improving data accuracy and removing the opportunity for incomplete or “manufactured” readings, according to Entra Health Chief Executive Officer Richard Strobridge. The product is also a money saver for the industry by encouraging diabetics to test themselves regularly. Those who test infrequently can cost up to 10 times more to care for due to complications, emergency room visits and hospitalizations, according to Entra Health Chairperson John Hendel. http://www.entrahealthsystems.com/news/Entra_Health_Launch.html

Federal judge leaves Vermont law banning prescription data-mining intact
A federal judge has upheld a Vermont law that bans data-mining of prescription drug information for marketing purposes, clearing the way for the law to be enacted by as early as July. Vermont District Court Judge J. Garvan Murtha rejected arguments from several data-mining companies that the 2007 state law violated the U.S. Constitution. The companies filed suit two years ago to prevent the law from taking effect. Murtha wrote in his 61-page ruling that marketing for new prescription drugs causes overall healthcare costs to increase by fueling a demand for expensive brand-name medications. Vermont is the third state to pass and survive a legal challenge to a prescription data-mining law; similar laws in New Hampshire and Maine were also upheld by higher courts in 2008. http://www.timesargus.com/article/...