FDA approves new hand-carried ultrasound system
Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.’s new Viamo laptop ultrasound system has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for marketing in the United States, the company announced. According to Toshiba Vice President of Marketing Girish Hagan, the Viamo allows physicians to easily conduct high-resolution bedside ultrasounds on immobile patients, and can also be used for general radiology, pediatric, emergency OB/GYN, and vascular exams. The unit, which operates on a simple touch-screen interface, is the first hand-carried ultrasound unit in the industry to feature advanced radiology capabilities. It uses parts that are interchangeable with other Toshiba systems, resulting in a savings on healthcare costs, Hagan said. Full Story

IBM acquires Initiate Systems, expands health IT presence
Technology giant IBM Corp. is expanding its presence in the health information technology market with the acquisition of Chicago-based health IT software maker Initiate Systems Inc. Privately held Initiate Systems provides master data management software solutions for information sharing among healthcare and government organizations, according to Arvind Krishna, general manager of Information Management at IBM. The transaction will help IBM offer clients “a comprehensive solution for delivering the information they need to improve the well-being of patients at a lower cost,” Krishna said. Most of the 300-employee firm’s 2,400 customers are in Canada or North Dakota. The acquisition is IBM’s 30th analytics-related deal; financial terms were not released. The deal is expected to close during the first quarter of 2010.  Full story

Tunstall’s telehealth monitoring center wins Code of Practice accreditation
Doncaster, United Kingdom-based Tunstall Response has received the Telecare Services Association’s 2009 Telecare Code of Practice accreditation as a result of “the high quality of telecare monitoring and support it provides thousands of older and vulnerable people in the UK,” the company announced. According to Tunstall Response Director Chris Dodd, Tunstall Response, a division of international telehealth services provider Tunstall Group, is a 24-hour patient monitoring station that services more than 100,000 persons, regularly handling calls on everything from users who have become ill and require assistance, to those who have experienced an unexpected fall or injury. The Telecare Code of Practice, a nationally recognized and independently assessed accreditation, works in conjunction with various UK government departments, including the Department of Health. Full Story

Telemedicine robot goes right to work saving stroke victim in Ireland
In a national first, physicians at Midland Regional Hospital (MRH) in Mullingar, Ireland have used a telemedicine robot to help treat an elderly stroke victim. The 81-year-old woman’s treatment was the first in a six-month pilot program involving the RP-7 Telemedicine Robot, according to MRH Professor and stroke physician Sean Murphy. An on-call physician, Prof. Des O’Neill at Tallaght Hospital in neighboring Tallaght, guided the on-site team in Mullingar after he assessed the patient using the remote technology, which also allowed him to assess the patient’s scans. O’Neill directed the MRH physician in administering clot-busting drugs to the patient. The RP-7 is manufactured by Santa Barbara, CA-based InTouch Technologies Inc. The use of telemedicine will provide faster treatment to patients, which will ultimately save lives, Murphy said. Full Story

FCC to promote use of wireless devices in healthcare
The Federal Communications Commission plans to promote use of wireless devices and applications in healthcare as part of a forthcoming national broadband plan. According to Dr. Mohit Kaushal, digital healthcare director of the FCC’s Omnibus Broadband Initiative, the FCC will analyze health IT applications enabled by broadband, including electronic health record systems, videoconferencing, and remote monitoring. Availability of spectrum or radio frequencies is one of the biggest issues hindering expanded use of mobile devices, Kaushal notes. Despite this, many medical care providers have already begun incorporating mobile technology into their everyday routines, and there are approximately 5,000 mobile health applications among all mobile devices and smartphones.  Full Story

mHealth takes center stage in Telemedicine and e-Health
Medical applications for mobile devices are dramatically reshaping the role of telemedicine, according to a pair of articles in the January/February issue of Telemedicine and e-Health. “mHealth: The Next Generation of Telemedicine?” by C. Peter Waegemann of mHealth Initiative Inc. identifies mobile devices as the fastest-adopted technology in human history, while “Medical Apps for Smartphones” provides an overview of the top iPhone medical apps and the benefits they offer to the medical industry. The articles are available with a subscription to Telemedicine and e-Health. Further Information   Further Information

VirtualHealth sells Secure eHealth division to Wound Management
Lexington, KY-based VirtualHealth Technologies Inc. (VHGI) has completed the sale of its secure data and messaging division, Secure eHealth LLC, to Fort Worth, TX-based Wound Management Technologies Inc., the companies announced. The transaction, first announced in January, includes all assets related to VHGI’s prescription drug monitoring business, according to VHGI President Jim Renfro. VHGI specializes in next-generation solutions that connect healthcare providers to the rest of their community securely and efficiently; WMT creates commercialized cell and drug therapies to treat diabetes and other chronic diseases. Newly named Secure eHealth President Robert Tapales said the deal “could not have come at a better time” for the company, due to the surge in interest in collaborative healthcare, cloud computing, and sharing of critical healthcare information. Full Story

Mobile devices becoming increasingly vital for European doctors
European physicians are increasingly adopting use of mobile devices as they become more advanced, according to a report by New York City-based research firm Manhattan Research. Half of all physicians now use the devices to check their e-mail online, while nearly 4 in 10 search the Internet on a mobile Web browser. And when it comes to mobile activity for Web content, European physicians are more likely to conduct straightforward tasks such as reading medical news or checking treatment guidelines. But as physicians’ mobile proficiency increases and as browsing capabilities improve, doctors will perform more-complex, interactive activities such as social networking and patient monitoring, according to the report. The findings mirror earlier studies on U.S. physicians and their growing dependence on mobile devices, Manhattan Research President Joe Farris said. Full Story

Twitter-based ‘On Call’ advice site for doctors launched
Consumers and even physicians with medical questions will soon have the opportunity to ask advice from multiple doctors globally via the Internet. Similar to popular social media site Twitter, the “Truth On Call” Web site allows persons to text-message questions to large groups of people. Currently in beta testing and available only to healthcare specialists, financial industry representatives, and the media, the service will eventually link U.S. physicians with those in developing nations, according to site co-founder Rosina Samadani. Physicians who wish to participate as advisors in the service may sign up at the Truth On Call Web site. The service is expected to be open to the general public at a cost of $50 per question per physician by summer.   Full Story

Most adults now use Internet to obtain health information
More than half of all adults used the Internet for health information in 2009, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics. In the “Health Information Technology Use Among Men and Women Aged 18 to 64” survey, researchers found that 51 percent of adults ages 18 to 64 went online for health data. In other findings, 6 percent filled prescriptions online; 5 percent used e-mail to contact their physician; and 3 percent made medical appointments through the Internet. The study also noted that women were more likely than men to use the Internet for these purposes, as were adults ages 18 to 49, compared to older adults. Full Story

HIMSS/ASQ site showcases health IT ‘Stories of Success’
A new Web site from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is showcasing case studies on the successful use of health IT tools in medical facilities nationwide. The “Stories of Success” site features 16 “real world” case studies of organizations that have used electronic health programs to boost effectiveness, efficiency, quality and patient safety, according to Dr. Louis Diamond, chair of the HIMSS National Priorities Partnership/The Joint Commission Work Group overseeing the project. ASQ Health Division Chair-elect Joseph Fortuna, M.D. said the agencies will issue a call for a second series of case study candidates in March. Full Story

Presenters sought for workshop on telemedicine legal issues
The Information Society and Media Directorate General European Commission is seeking participants and presenters for its one-day workshop on “Telemedicine & Legal Aspects,” to be held on March 2 in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop is designed to share good practice initiatives involving telemedicine and pertinent services, particularly in telemonitoring and teleradiology. Short abstracts of 500 words or less will be accepted until Feb. 18, followed by a confirmation of speaker participation on Feb. 23 and submission of final presentations on Feb. 26. All submissions and workshop questions should be sent to events@eurodyn.com. The workshop is open to all e-health and telemedicine stakeholders; registration is free. Full Story

Ronald Paulus, MD, MBA, Executive VP for Clinical Operations and Chief Innovation Officer for the Geisinger Health System, has spearheaded an agreement with Philips VISICU to launch the eICU Program within six months that will provide intensive care monitoring between the Geisinger Medical Center (Danville) and the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (Wilkes-Barre)…Roger Baker, Chief Information Officer for the Veterans Affairs Department recently halted more than 40 IT projects due to the information technology budget freeze ($3.3 billion) that is expected to last until 2011…Dr. Catherine Bernard, Chair of the Emergency Department at Aspen Valley Hospital (Aspen, CO), has launched a telemedicine consultation service, The Colorado Digital Online Consultant (CO-DOC), that connects specialists in Denver hospitals with the smaller, remote hospital physicians via real-time video hookups… J. Gregory Fitz, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost for the South Western Medical Centre in the University of Texas, recently announced an e-health agreement with Dr. Richard Sezibera, Health Minister for the African country of Rwanda…Dr. Maurice Ramirez , founder and CEO of High Alert International, will be traveling to Haiti with telemedicine equipment to expand relief efforts after the destructive earthquake…Aneesh Chopra, White House Federal Chief Technology Officer, officially launched Text4Baby, a free mHealth service that provides health information through SMS text message to pregnant women and new mothers during their babies’ first year…Tammi DeVore, Senior Healthcare Marketing Manager for Mobility Product Management, and John Hamilton , AT&T Industry Solutions Practice Manager for Healthcare, announced the launch of Apple iPhone-based web portals at three hospitals: Doylestown Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Mt. Sinai Medical Center (Toronto, Canada)…Margaret Hamburg, FDA Commissioner, announced plans to implement “Predict,” a computer-based monitoring system for imported food and drugs, which the FDA plans to have implemented at all U.S. ports by early summer 2010…Kevin Souza , director of the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine Office of Educational Technology is spearheading an $11 million construction of a first-of-its-kind telemedicine Teaching and Learning Center for medical, dental, pharmacy, and nursing students.