FCC to ascertain impact of net neutrality rules on telemedicine
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comment on how it should address “managed” or “specialized” services such as telemedicine, in regards to new legislation that would establish net neutrality laws that restrict how broadband Internet providers may manage their networks. The FCC’s draft rules, released for review at www.fcc.gov, establish that Internet providers can not deprive users of their right to choose between network providers or prevent customers from connecting to the Internet with any legal Web-connected device. Internet providers would also be required to disclose information concerning network management and other practices “as is reasonably required for users and content, application and service providers to enjoy the protections specific in this rulemaking.” The proposed net neutrality rules apply to all broadband Internet platforms, including mobile wireless broadband. Critics, such as AT&T and Verizon Wireless, believe the rules could “burden the industry with unnecessary harmful regulations” and “stop the promise of life-saving services such as telemedicine.” The FCC will accept public comment until Jan. 14, 2010. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/...   http://policyblog.verizon.com/BlogPost...

GE launches $250 million equity fund for health IT
General Electric has launched the “GE Healthymagination Fund,” a $250 million equity fund geared toward promising health information technology, life science technology and medical diagnostic projects and companies. According to GE Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt, projects eligible under the health IT segment of the fund include electronic health records (EHRs), clinical information systems, healthcare information exchanges, and value-added data services. The fund is part of GE’s broader $6 billion Healthymagination campaign, designed to help healthcare providers adopt EHRs, improve access to healthcare, increase healthcare effectiveness, and reduce healthcare costs. More details on the fund are available at www.healthymaginationfund.com   http://www.genewscenter.com/content/...

Musical iPod to become mobile medical tool
Medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific is taking the musical iPod into the medical world. An upcoming iPhone application will allow physicians to carry, access, and sort through their patients’ medical data through a mobile version of its Latitude patient heart monitoring system. Boston Scientific Research and Development Director Joseph Weber said the mobile advantage is unmistakable to doctors, for when they are “waiting in the OR to be prepped for the next implant but can’t sit down at a computer,” or when a patient’s family calls with a question, but the office hasn’t opened yet. The device is still in prototype, with an unannounced development schedule, according to Weber. http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kate-rockwood/bizzy-body/...

WellAWARE, AMAC to offer joint senior health monitor
Wellness monitoring system maker WellAWARE Systems and American Medical Alert Corp. (AMAC) are collaborating on a sensor-based remote patient monitoring product for seniors, the companies announced. The system, which combines AMAC’s personal emergency response system (PERS) technology with WellAWARE’s wellness monitoring solution, will provide a 24-hour, electronic safety-net for at-risk individuals, while keeping caregivers and healthcare providers in close continual contact during potentially life threatening situations, according to AMAC Executive Vice President Frederic Siegel. The product is being piloted at The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (Good Samaritan), headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD. Good Samaritan residents may activate the device for two-way voice contact with AMAC’s 24-hour response center for immediate assistance if needed, Siegel added. http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/ir/?Module...

Telehealth eases treatment of COPD for doctors, patients
Telemedicine technologies are very useful tools for the treatment and monitoring of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a Medical Connectivity article in the October 2009 issue of Telemedicine and e-Health. For example, according to a study by researchers at the Veterans Administration’s Medical Center (VAMC) in Milwaukee, patients believed to have COPD typically experience a “2 or 3-day ordeal” as they travel to VAMC and undergo diagnosis. In addition, some of the patients who made the long journey ultimately did not have the disease, said study coauthor Ralph Schapira, M.D. In contrast, VAMC efforts to use a respiratory therapist or registered nurse at a remote site, with patients staying closer to home, has proven very successful: in 90 percent of cases, doctors reached a final diagnosis after the first consultation. Telemedicine also resulted in significant changes in medication, diagnostic procedures or lifestyle for many patients. And, the 684 patient visits during the study period, saved more than 294,000 miles of travel and 748 work days during the seven-year study period, Schapira said. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/tmj.2009.9943

Handheld ultrasound device could be new stethoscope
General Electric is developing a handheld ultrasound device that Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt said will become “the stethoscope of the 21st century.” The Vscan, a cell phone-sized unit capable of making digital medical images, will allow physicians to more quickly and accurately diagnose patients, according to Immelt. It could also evolve into a self-use device that a patient can carry, use to scan an injury and transmit the images to medical professionals for diagnosis. Although there is no price or development timeline established yet, the fact that GE – which normally creates multimillion-dollar medical scanners – wants to enter the portable market is a sign that it believes there is a lot of potential there, experts note.  http://www.gereports.com/vscan-pocket-sized-ultra-smart-ultrasound-unveiled/

CDC expands health IT efforts against swine flu
In response to the rapidly spreading pandemic H1N1 flu, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been aggressively expanding their information technology toolkit to provide better, faster, and more in-depth data on the swine flu virus. In September, CDC began securely exchanging public health data daily via the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN), gathering flu symptom data from healthcare providers in Indiana, New York, and Washington state. According to Dr. Charles Magruder, senior adviser for health information exchange activities at CDC, the agency worked with Harris and Cisco Systems to upload flu symptom data from three state health departments in a timely fashion. Researchers then aggregate and analyze the information looking for trends and make the results available to state public health officials. The data includes clinical information on patients’ symptoms, lab results, geographic information, age, and gender, Magruder said. http://fcw.com/articles/2009/10/26/cdc-expands-flu-tracking-efforts.aspx

Health IT could see 50,000 new jobs in near future
The government’s piece of the stimulus package aimed at boosting the adoption and use of healthcare information technology is expected to result in a war on talent, according to a panel of health IT experts at the Sixth Annual Connected Health Symposium in Boston. Panel members like Andrew Vaz, national director of life sciences for Deloitte Consulting, believe demand for IT “will explode” in the next few years as companies try to fill an expected 50,000 new jobs created by the stimulus package. John Glaser, chief information officer of Partners HealthCare in Boston, said new workers will be needed at all levels, from pulling wire to overseeing installations. Doctors and other healthcare providers will also need help getting started, he added. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/war-talent-about-begin-healthcare-it

‘Freephone’ service can help maintain safety of elderly
The Police Service of Northern Ireland, in conjunction with ntl, Telewest Business, and Fold Telecare, have launched a 24-hour “freephone” service that can help identify visitors before people answer their doors. “Quick Check” will be featured in an upcoming television campaign advising older and more-vulnerable people on ways to stay safe in their homes, according to Elaine McWilliams, director of the Belfast Community Safety Partnership. The service, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, is geared primarily towards the more vulnerable members of the community – the elderly – but can be used by everyone, McWilliams said. Under the system, a Quick Check team member will take the details of the company from which the caller claims to be visiting. The operator will then contact the organization to determine if the caller is genuine. If there is something suspicious the operator will contact the police. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/community-telegraph/...

National Cancer Institute plans HIE for cancer research
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has issued a request for proposals from contractors for ways to develop a health information exchange for cancer research. According to the institute, federal researchers want to create a standard data exchange for federal researchers who use the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (CaBIG). CaBIG is an open-source information network that allows researchers to share, integrate, and analyze cancer data. Data standards that NCI wants to standardize include Case Report Forms, which capture and report clinical trial data to FDA; Health Level Seven, which relates to electronic messaging and data modeling; and Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes, which governs data exchange standards for clinical and laboratory observations. Proposals are due to NCI by Nov. 18. https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode...

AAAS develops online social networking program for scientists
To help scientists and science trainees who hope to translate laboratory research into clinical medicine and to help minority scientists navigate their career paths, the American Association for the Advancement of Science has developed two online social networking sites. The networks consist of CTSciNet, a community for people pursuing careers in clinical and translational research; and MySciNet, a network focused on nurturing diversity in the scientific workforce, according to Jim Austin, principal investigator for the CTSciNet project. The new social networks offer free, secure virtual communities for scientists at all career stages, Austin said. Users can post and respond to questions on career-related, academic, scientific, or social subjects; join virtual groups on specific topics or for specific organizations; read articles on navigating a career path; and pass along articles and hyperlinks from outside resources. http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2009/1020networks.shtml

Doctors now online twice as long compared to 2004
Physicians are now spending twice as much time online as they did in 2004, according to a report from New York-based Manhattan Research. In addition, two-thirds of doctors now carry a smart phone, and the adoption rate is expected to top 80 percent by 2012. According to Manhattan Research President Mark Bard, doctors were “barely aware” of the Internet in 2003 and spent only four hours online by 2004. But now, “most of us spend 40 hours a week online.” Nine in 10 U.S. physicians surveyed now agree that the Internet is essential to their practice, and 75 percent now go online daily for work, Bard said. As for consumers, 90 million U.S. adults went on online for health information in 2004. Today, the number is 160 million, and most e-health consumers use the Internet after seeing a doctor. http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/physicians-have-doubled-their-time-online-2004