Major study to examine link between cell phones and user health
In the largest study of its kind, the Cohort Study on Mobile Communications (COSMOS) research team from Imperial College in London hopes to settle a longtime debate over whether mobile phone use results in long-term health problems such as cancer. According to co-principal investigator Dr. Mireille Toledano, the international study will run for 20-30 years and follow the health of at least 250,000 participants aged 18-69 in five European countries. More than 6 billion cell phones are in use worldwide, and the technology has become indispensable in everyday communication efforts, Toledano said. COSMOS is inviting 2.4 million United Kingdom mobile phone users to participate in the study. Participants will complete an online questionnaire about their mobile phone use, health and lifestyle. Researchers will monitor participants' mobile phone use and any health problems they might develop, such as cancers and neurological diseases, for at least the next 20 years. They will also analyze whether any changes in the frequency of symptoms, such as headaches and sleep disorders, are related to mobile phone usage. Full Story

UCLA engineer invents world's smallest telemedicine microscope
An engineer at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed what is believed to be the world's smallest telescope for use in telemedicine applications. According to assistant professor of electrical engineering Aydogan Ozcan, the self-contained telescope - weighing about 46 grams, or as much as a large egg - uses LUCAS (Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell Monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging) technology to generate holographic images of microparticles or cells to capture their images, instead of relying on lenses to magnify objects. This technology can be used to image blood samples or other fluids, even in Third World countries, Ozcan said. The only required external attachments are a USB connection to a smart-phone, PDA or computer, which powers the microscope and allows images to be uploaded, converted into results and sent to a hospital. The lensless microscope could also be digitally integrated as part of a telemedicine network that connects various mobile healthcare providers to a central lab or hospital, he said. A paper on the device appears in the journal Lab on a Chip. Full Story

VA halts fiscal spending on two-thirds of IT programs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has placed a halt on spending actions at two-thirds of its information technology programs. According to VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker, 188 of VA's 280 IT programs have been suspended from spending for fiscal year 2010 while the department reevaluates their continued value and effectiveness. The actions will result in "significantly more" than the $54 million in savings the department projected earlier, he notes. This is the second round of IT program suspensions, re-evaluations, restarts and terminations under VA's Program Management Accountability System. In July 2009, the department suspended 45 IT projects, 12 of which eventually were terminated. No word was given as to how many may be terminated this time around, but Baker said most are likely to restart. "I am in no hurry to spend money until I know it can be spent wisely," he said. Full Story

Proteus receives FDA clearance for Raisin wireless health monitor
Redwood City, CA-based Proteus Biomedical Inc. has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its Raisin Personal Monitor (RPM), a miniature wireless personal, wearable health status-recording device, in the United States. According to Proteus President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Thompson, the RPM remotely records and analyzes heart rate, physical activity, body position and patient-logged events. The information is then communicated via Bluetooth to any computerized device, such as a mobile phone for emerging mobile health applications. The monitor attaches to a patient's skin with an adhesive layer and is worn like a bandage, Thompson said. The product represents the company's first component of its patient-centric, "anywhere, anytime" mobile health products, he said. Full Story

Robotic therapy restores partial movement to stroke victims
Robot-assisted therapy has allowed stroke victims to regain some ability to use their arms, even if the stroke had occurred years earlier. The study, conducted at four Veterans' Affairs hospitals in Baltimore, Seattle, West Haven, CT, and Gainesville, FL, found that patients who used the robotic devices developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 12 weeks experienced a "small but significant" gain in arm function, Providence lead researcher Albert Lo said. Another group of patients who received high-intensity therapy from a therapist, which matched the number and intensity of the robot movements, showed similar improvements. The robotic treatment did not increase total healthcare cost per patient and could ultimately increase access to care for stroke patients, the researchers note. Full Story

Hospitals, doctors to benefit from 'smarter' medical world
"Smart" medical devices will dramatically change the way hospitals care for and do business with patients in coming years, according to a report by Tempe, AZ-based software provider Indidge Systems. These changes - including improved wireless patient monitoring devices, intraoperative MRIs and automated surgical evaluations - will also result in improved outcomes, lower costs, and reduced readmission rates, as well as help hospitals recruit and retain physicians, according to Steve Ronstrom, president and chief executive officer of Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, WI. Expect in-suite imaging to be a huge patient safety and physician liability safeguard, as doctors will be easily able to determine whether their surgeries were successfully performed. And, virtual and artificial medicine is expected to make huge strides. But medical providers must be willing to invest in the technologies to make them happy. "The answer for our economy is to make investments in technology, not just walk away from it," Ronstrom said. Full Story

New brain dual-imaging technique may offer clues to development of autism
Researchers at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital have developed a process that combines two complementary analytical brain imaging techniques to provide a more-comprehensive and accurate picture of the neuroanatomy of the autistic brain. The study, the first of its kind, provides critical insight into autism and possible markers for the disease for use in early therapy and therapeutic strategies, according to lead researcher Dr. Krista Hyde. Autism affects an estimated 1 in 166 people; afflicted persons have difficulties with social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviors, which can lead to isolation and emotional problems. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in Ottawa, Ontario. Full Story

HHS offers grant program to establish e-prescription monitoring
The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is offering a new grant program aimed at helping states establish or improve prescription monitoring programs for controlled substances. The program, part of the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005, will award its first grants by September. HHS currently is seeking public input for program criteria. Thirty-five states already have controlled substance prescription monitoring programs in place; the new program is designed to operate in conjunction with a recently released proposed rule from the Drug Enforcement Administration that, if approved, would allow e-prescription of controlled substances. Full Story

Ultra-powerful magnetic tool detects defects in fetal heartbeats
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed an ultra-powerful magnetic detector that can help screen high-risk pregnant patients for rare but very serious fetal heart rhythm problems. According to Dr. Ron Wakai, professor of medical physics at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, the detector measures magnetic signals coming from the tiny beating hearts of fetuses, and allows pediatric cardiologists and obstetricians from around the country to gather additional data and offer their patients the best treatment options. The passive detector is positioned over the pregnant woman's abdomen, where it picks up the faintest magnetic signals and sends the information back to a computer in an adjacent room. The safe, non-invasive test takes about an hour, Wakai said. Full Story

New drug contracts could improve Jamaican telemedicine services
Jamaica's Ministry of Health has successfully negotiated better payment terms for 719 vital drugs now available to the nation's public health system that will help bring the benefits of telemedicine to the country. According to Prime Minister Bruce Golding, the Ministry has issued 35 contracts worth $28.2 million [USD] between the Health Corporation of Jamaica and approved local pharmaceutical distributors. Each contract is up to 18 months in length and will help make specialist medical skills and services available throughout the nation. "We are never going to be able to put a cardiologist in every hospital and all of the specialist skills in every clinic," Golding said. "We no longer need to. The available technology would make it so simple." Full Story

Researchers consider ways to make wireless medical devices hacker proof
As researchers continue to warn that hackers could gain access to and remotely control medical devices that transmit wireless signals, others are attempting to create devices that would keep those devices safe for users, according to a report from CNN. New techniques to make devices such as insulin pumps, pacemakers and cardiac defibrillators hacker proof include specialized system passwords that could be tattooed on a user's skin for access by doctors, as well as increased encryption standards for wireless devices. Additional safety regulation by the Food and Drug Administration is another possibility, although the agency has not committed to such an action yet, CNN notes. Full Story   Further Information

Major challenges ahead for those trying to attain 'meaningful use' status
Healthcare providers trying to qualify for incentive payments under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package will face 10 major challenges to meeting first-stage criteria for "meaningful use" of electronic health records (EHRs), according to a new report from Falls Church, VA-based Computer Sciences Corp. Those challenges, according to report authors Walt Zywiak, Jane Metzger, and Michele Mann, range from data capture to quality performance and data privacy. Less than 6 percent of healthcare providers currently have the health information technology capacity to qualify for first-stage criteria, the report notes. The federal stimulus package offers Medicare incentives to hospitals and doctors that implement and make meaningful use of EHR systems starting in 2012. Full Story

• ATA 2010: 15th Annual International Meeting & Exposition
  May 16 - 18, 2010 - San Antonio, TX
  Click here for exhibiting Information 



• e-Health 2010: From Investment to Impact
  May 30 - June 2, 2010 - Vancouver, Canada
  e-Health 2010



• Seventh Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference & Exhibition
  July 19-20, 2010 - San Diego, CA
  Networks, platforms & applications for technology-enabled participatory medicine. Special focus on remote monitoring, home telehealth, mhealth and ehealth for chronic care management and wellness promotion. Featuring an aging services educational track. Supporting organizations include: AAHSA, CAST and DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance. www.tcbi.org
  

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