New virtual world takes on new education topic: HIV/AIDS
Researchers from a production company that specializes in electronic medical rehabilitation are testing a technique in which they use virtual reality to inform the public about HIV/AIDS. The Virtual Worlds Story Project (TVWSP) from San Francisco-based Linden Labs and Second Life, is a series of “Story Quests” that draw participants into a 3D virtual environment in which they experience life as “Uncle D,” an HIV-positive person. According to Jena Ball, co-developer of TVWSP, the project is designed to educate people about HIV, as well as make them “passionate about saving lives.” Stories, such as those available through TVWSP, are the best way to do that, Ball said. Second Life already includes popular programs on physical and mental health, in which disabled participants may enter the 3D world and engage in everyday activities that they may not otherwise be able to do.  http://www.positivelypositive.ca/hiv-aids-news/...   http://www.tvwsp.com/premiere.html

IBM to build cross-platform EHR network in Quebec
In another sign of computer industry giants shifting their attention to e-health, IBM has signed a $3.3 million deal to build an electronic health record (EHR) network in Quebec, Canada, the company announced. Under the five-year agreement, IBM subsidiary LGS Group will create an EHR network that uses the Cross-enterprise Document Sharing format widely in use throughout Canada, according to Raymond Carrier, project manager for Quebec’s health and social services agency. The network is expected to improve physicians’ access to patient medical records. IBM will maintain three digital imaging repositories throughout Canada to store the images. The new registry is expected to be in place during 2010. The move follows Dell’s recent announcement that it is acquiring Perot Systems and its e-healthcare related programs.  http://www.ibm.com/news/ca/en/2009/09/29/...

E-health effort to combine EHR and genetics research
Scientists at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research are developing a project that combines patients’ electronic health record data with personal genomic information to help design improved healthcare treatments. The Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative will use DNA samples and other medical data from 100,000 patients nationwide, according to Clay Marsh, director of the Center for Personalized Health Care at Ohio State University (OSU). OSU is one of five research groups working together on the study; other project partners include Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J.; Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia; Helix Health in Stamford, CT; and Virtua Health in Marlton, N.J. Study participants, who are still to be recruited, will have secure access to their data and also will be able to give their physicians access to their information, Marsh said. http://www.coriell.org/images/pdf/informationweek...

Philips introduces combined Lifeline-cordless phone product
Royal Philips Electronics has introduced a home healthcare product that combines its Lifeline Medical Alert Service with a senior-friendly cordless phone. According to Philips Lifeline Vice President of Product and Service Innovation Rob Goudswaard, the Philips Lifeline Cordless Phone Communicator will provide physically-, visually- or hearing-disabled seniors with 24-hour access to medical care at the push of a button. Philips Lifeline is the only medical alert service to offer a senior-friendly cordless phone option, Goudswaard said. The device features easy-to-dial, large buttons for seniors with dexterity and vision challenges, easy-to-read, large, high-contrast displays for caller ID and dialing, and easy-to hear, high sound quality, and extensive volume range audio for the hearing-impaired. The Cordless Phone Communicator is the latest in a series of enhancements introduced by Philips Electronics to help seniors “age in place” within their homes, Goudswaard added. http://www.prweb.com/pdfdownload/2985884.pdf

Bilingual BlackBerry EMR application unveiled in Canada
Home care products provider MedShare has signed an agreement with Canadian governmental software maker Qualicode Inc. to provide a bilingual mobile emergency medical record (EMR) BlackBerry application to the province of Quebec. The MedShare for BlackBerry application will serve Qualicode’s predominantly French-speaking customers and will offer home care workers the same mobile technology that other MedShare customers are using, according to MedShare President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Billings. Several of Canada’s largest home agencies use the English-based version of the product to increase administrative efficiency and support healthcare workers with access to patient information, diagnosis, clinical documentation tools and other services, Billings said. Qualicode supplies software solutions to more than 70 percent of the public and private healthcare providers in the province. http://www.medshare.com/PressReleases/...

Availability of telehealth interpreter services on rise
Five Missouri public and state organizations are combining the potential of videoconferencing and interpreters to provide telehealth services to non-English speaking state residents. The Missouri Telehealth Network, University of Missouri Institute of Public Policy, Center for Health Policy, Language Access Metro Project, and the Missouri Primary Care Association are providing free interpreters to telemedicine-using healthcare providers to help doctors communicate with patients when needed, particularly in specialty areas such as dermatology, psychiatry, and autism. According to Dana Hughes, policy analyst at UM’s Truman School of Public Affairs, the effort will help eliminate language and cultural barriers among an ever-diverse – and non-English-speaking – populace. Since its launch in 2008, more than one-third of Missouri’s counties have linked onto the network. The total is expected to expand to nearly half by the end of this year, according to Hughes. http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2009/0916-medical-interpreters...     http://telehealth.muhealth.org/news/news_news.html

EHRs can improve care for rural diabetics
Electronic health records (EHRs) can improve care for patients with diabetes by nearly 100 percent over a one-year period, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services. The report, which centers on a series of patient medical exams conducted at Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello, WA, found that 31 percent of patients had received a foot exam and 37 percent had received an eye exam in 2007. But one year later, when EHRs were used to track exam status, the numbers increased to where 86 percent had received foot exams and 63 percent eye exams. The report notes that the findings indicate ways in which health information technology can improve patient care coordination, patient safety, and quality of care in the nation’s rural areas.  http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/10/20091001a.html     http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/ruralsuccess/index.html

Telemedical link between prison, hospital a first for India
Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad, India has been telemedically linked to a hospital and college in an effort to provide improved healthcare and education for prisoners, government officials report. Sabarmati has become the first prison in India to have a telemedicine facility, according to Inspector General of Police Keshav Kumar. The linkage is being coordinated with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)’s Space Application Centre and Apollo Hospitals, both of which will provide the telemedicine service at no charge, Kumar said. The service will also connect the prison to Gujarat Vidyapith College, which will provide inmates with vocational skills via a virtual classroom. Prisoners tend to suffer from lifestyle-related health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, added Kumar. All of the conditions should receive improved treatment through the program. http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx...

FDA making progress on new health IT infrastructure
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made significant progress in improving its information technology infrastructure over the past two years, according to an update by the FDA Science Board’s Subcommittee on Information Technology. The positive word comes after an earlier report in 2007 in which the science board said it did not think the agency would be capable of developing a new IT infrastructure or of functioning adequately with its existing system. But in 2008, the FDA launched a 10-year data center migration program effort, and that has gone a long way toward changing the board’s image of the FDA, according to Dr. Sangtae Kim, director of the IT subcommittee. The board’s final report will be released in November. http://www.govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?nid=72132

Data mining not a bad thing when it comes to health records
More than three of every four healthcare executives believe data mining from electronic health records (EHRs) will be their companies’ most valuable resource during the next five years, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. Most of the 732 healthcare provider groups, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical firms surveyed said they already use EHR data to some degree, and many executives expect EHR data mining will also help them detect fraud, evaluate drug efficiency, indentify health patterns, and reduce medical errors. Nearly nine of every 10 surveyed executives also said the healthcare industry needs improved guidelines for EHR use and data sharing. Three of four executives added that the government needs to implement regulatory standards on the use of health data. http://www.informationweek.com/news/...     http://www.pwc.com/us/en/healthcare/publications/...

Australia releases new national e-health transition strategy
Development of e-health priorities and standards in Australia are a must in coming years if e-health is to be adopted nationwide, according to the new strategic plan from the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA). The agency’s e-health transition plan for 2009-2012 says lawmakers must “urgently develop the essential foundations required to enable e-health,” which will form the “backbone of Australia’s e-health systems.” The government must also coordinate the progression of priority e-health solutions and processes, and accelerate adoption of e-health through communication programs, incentives and implementation support, the plan notes. http://www.nehta.gov.au/about-us/strategy

E-health incentive plan may not benefit dentists
Dentists may not receive all the benefits that other healthcare professionals stand to gain from the HITECH Act, according to a report from the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF). Under HITECH, the health information technology component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), physicians could receive up to $44,000 each for implementing and using electronic health record (EHR) systems. But dentists – while technically included among HITECH’s “eligible professionals” – may not feel much of an impact from the bill because incentives are not lined up the same way, CHCF notes. Dentists who treat a significant number of low-income patients are most likely to gain from the stimulus package. But in general, most dentists are in small practices and have little or no interaction with other parts of the healthcare system, making use of EHRs irrelevant, the foundation reports. http://www.californiahealthline.org/Features/2009/...