Fiscal 2011 budget includes major funding gain for health IT
Health information technology funding could receive a sizeable increase if President Obama’s proposed federal budget for fiscal 2011 goes through. The President’s $3.8 trillion budget proposal, released Monday, includes $78 million for programs to help adoption of health IT – a 28 percent increase from a year earlier – as well as $32 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to advance the use of health IT to enhance patient safety. Another $1 million would go to the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation for review of electronic health record adoption and economic factors affecting health IT, according to the proposal. The budget is based on passage of national healthcare reform legislation, and will lead to a $150 billion federal deficit over the next decade. Full Story   Further Information

Power-generating rubber film could bring new life to pacemaker users
Researchers at Princeton University have developed a power-generating rubber film that can use body movements to power devices such as pacemakers and cell phones. According to Princeton lead researcher Michael McAlpine, the material, made of ceramic nanoribbons embedded onto silicone rubber sheets, generates electricity when flexed. The lead zirconate titanate (PZT) or piezoelectric material converts roughly 80 percent of the mechanical electricity applied to it into electrical energy. The researchers see numerous applications for such a product: for example, placed against the lungs, sheets of the material could use breathing motions to power pacemakers, eliminating the need for surgically implanted batteries. Shoes could also be made of PZT, to power mobile electrical devices. And, microsurgical devices could benefit from PZT’s ability to flex when an electrical current is applied to it, McAlpine said. A paper on the material was published online on Jan. 26 in Nano Letters, by the American Chemical Society. Full Story

Market for depression treatment devices heating up
Electrode devices that stimulate nerves are becoming an alternative to drugs used to treat depression, leading to a competition among device companies to make the most-effective stimulator, according to a report by independent research firm Kalorama Information. “Electrical and Magnetic Neurostimulation” notes that 10 percent to 30 percent of patients diagnosed with depression do not respond to conventional drug treatments, a fact that has “attracted the notice of pharmaceutical, medical device and microelectronics companies.” The findings should also encourage regulatory agencies to become more receptive to newer approaches, which would increase demand for anti-depression devices, said Kalorama Information analyst Mary Ann Crandall. Between 15 million and 20 million Americans suffer from depression, Kalorama estimates. Full Story

Canadian Society of Telehealth affiliates with Telemedicine and e-Health
The Canadian Society of Telehealth (CST) has named Telemedicine and e-Health an official journal of the CST. CST is the first Canadian non-profit health association devoted to telehealth. The organization promotes all applications of telehealth to deliver health services and transmit health information over long and short distances. CST members will be entitled to a discounted subscription to Telemedicine and e-Health, which will include a subscription to this News Alert. Information will be forthcoming from CST leadership. 

Shimmer wireless sensor platform earns CE mark from EU
Dublin, Ireland-based Shimmer Research has received CE certification from the European Union for its Shimmer wireless sensor platform, the company announced. The certification, which allows marketing of the product in Europe, includes the company’s ECG, EMG, and motion-capture products, according to Shimmer Research Vice President of Business Development Kieran Daly. The platform offers “a wide range of wireless sensing possibilities,” from physiological and kinematic motion, to tilt and vibration sensors. The product has performed equally to, or better than “gold standard” traditional wired units, Daly said. Full Story

Traumatic injury deaths could be reduced by telemedicine
More than half of all injury-related deaths in rural Ontario, Canada from 2002-2003 occurred before patients reached the hospital, but many could have been prevented through use of telemedicine services, according to a study by researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. According to lead investigator Dr. Avery B. Nathens, limited access to early, high-quality trauma care in many smaller Ontario hospitals may be a significant factor in the number of traumatic injury deaths. Time and distance also played a role, Nathens admits, as 90 percent of the province is rural. All 3,486 subjects in the study group ultimately died, but those who actually made it to an emergency department were “potentially salvageable.” The finding, Nathens said, highlights the higher risk of death associated with delayed access to trauma care. The study was published online in December in The Journal of Trauma. Full Story

Use of telemedicine in state prisons continues to expand
In a twist on the phrase “captive audience,” state prison systems nationwide are becoming the ideal launch points for telemedicine projects, according to report by HealthLeaders Media. The report notes that more than half of all states use telemedicine to provide care to inmates, following a 2006 report by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. California’s Department of Corrections has had such a system in place for 10 years and saved taxpayers $13 million, or about $800 per virtual visit in 2009, state prison healthcare services director Bonnie Noble said. Officials in various states cite advantages ranging from lack of need to guard and transport inmates long distances to see specialists, to faster evaluation of inmates who often suffer from relatively minor conditions that can be easily treated within the prison setting. Full Story

New project in Britain literally puts telehealth on the map
More than one-third of primary care trusts (PCTs) in Britain use telehealth programs, according to a new online survey device launched by the Department of Health’s Telecare Local Integrated Network (LIN). LIN has created a Google map for PCT telehealth that shows which areas have begun to form some type of remote monitoring program. While the map has not been audited or validated, it should “prove useful in demonstrating progress and providing opportunities for sharing learning on progress on remote monitoring for heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes,” the health department said. More than 5,000 telehealth remote units are believed to be active in Britain, covering heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. Full Story

Social media is in use, but not in plans, at most hospitals
Ninety percent of hospitals and health systems currently use social media to some degree, but only 30 percent actually have a plan in place as to how to best use that tool, according to a survey by Atlanta-based research firm Greystone.net. The survey also shows that budgeting for social media is still relatively rare among hospitals and health systems, although many plan to change this in the future, according to Greystone.net Executive Vice President Mike Schneider. Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are the most-popular types of social media and also considered the most effective in terms of driving traffic to the Web site. But those results aren’t stellar: 92 percent of respondents entered social media to attract new patients, but only 1 in 8 say they have experienced any sort of success, according to the survey. Full Story

EHRs, CPOEs to gain hospitals’ budget approval in 2010
More than 7 in 10 U.S. healthcare executives believe electronic health record systems are likely to be approved for use in their hospitals during 2010, according to a survey by Alpharetta-based research firm StatCom. Half of the survey’s 440 respondents also said that computerized physician order entry systems are also likely to receive such approval this year; more than 3 in 10 predicted that patient flow and logistics technology will get a thumbs-up in hospitals during 2010. But, almost three-fourths of respondents also said the U.S. healthcare system is “in a crisis” and will not be helped by healthcare reform legislation because it will affect quality of care and hospitals’ profit margins, the survey notes. Full Story

Stronger federal oversight of EHR market needed, analysts say
The federal government may not be doing enough to ensure that taxpayer money won’t be wasted on electronic health record (EHR) systems from companies that might eventually go out of business, according to a report by the Huffington Post Investigative Fund. Industry consultants note that doctors have little expertise in buying EHRs and do not know what protections they should stress in their contracts. Many sellers of the technology have limited track records, and the industry in general is “very volatile,” said Steven Lazarus, president of Denver-based consulting firm Boundary Information Group. A product that a doctor buys now could be bought or changed within two years, he said. Analysts also expect a wave of consolidations in the market in coming years, the report notes. Full Story