Global spending on IT poised for heavy gain in 2010
The tech recession is unofficially over, according to an analyst from Cambridge, MA-based Forrester Research, who notes that tech spending will climb by more than 8 percent in 2010. If true, that would be almost a 100 percent reversal from downtrodden 2009, in which global spending dropped by almost 9 percent, according to analyst Andrew Bartels. “All the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech spending rebound,” he said. All fields of technology are poised to grow at a combined rate that will be twice that of the nation’s gross domestic product, and information technology in general is expected to be one of the brightest spots in the United States’ economy. Forrester’s quarterly market report forecasts an expected 6.6 percent spending increase, to $568 billion this year, up from an 8.2 percent decline in 2009. In addition, demand for new health IT professionals is expected to be far higher than in 2008 or 2009, the report notes. http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/...   http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/...

‘Nanoburrs’ offer gentler, longer-term heart disease treatment
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School have developed targeted nanoparticles that can help fight heart disease in previously untreatable patients. According to Omid Farokhzad, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and co-author of a study on the project, the “nanoburrs” cling to artery walls and slowly release medicine over several days. These particles – similar to others developed to seek out and destroy tumors – provide an alternative to drug-releasing stents that are not suitable for certain patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition, patients will not have to endure repeated surgically invasive injections directly into the area that requires treatment, because of the particles’ ability to deliver drugs over a long period of time, study lead author Juliana Chan said. The paper appeared online ahead of print on Jan. 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://web.mit.edu/press/2010/nanoburrs

Medical device companies mobilize Haitian relief effort
Medical device companies – including those in the telemedicine field – have mobilized to send and deploy emergency medical equipment to Haiti following the catastrophic earthquake that hit the island Jan. 12. Relief providers include Johnson & Johnson, Roche, 3M and GE, which have thus far distributed more than $5 million in equipment-related aid. Other agencies, such as Boston-based Partners in Health – which has provided healthcare services to Haiti residents since 1987 – are relying on tools such as PIH’s Web-based electronic health record system to monitor patient status, and an online medication supply management program to track medication stock at warehouses and hospitals. Such satellite-serviced systems proved invaluable right after the quake, as they were still operational when all communications services in Haiti were otherwise down, PIH Informatics and Telemedicine Director Hamish Fraser said. http://www.medicaldevicestoday.com/2010/01/...   http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti

Health IT-backed ‘participatory medicine’ improves patient attitude
Patients can become more involved in decisions about their medical care through use of health information technology-backed “participatory medicine,” according to a report by American Medical News. The article notes that information technology is proving to be a more-workable solution for patients and a potentially more financially advantageous one for patients and doctors, thanks to communication improvements through e-mail, home health monitoring devices, online patient portals, personal health records, and social networking Web sites. Other benefits include improved research on medical conditions and procedure costs via the Internet, and more office time for sicker patients, the report notes. Transition to such a participatory model would require technology investments, staff acceptance, and workflow adjustments. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/01/18/bisa0118.htm

Philips to introduce mobile breast cancer screening vehicle
Royal Philips Electronics plans to introduce a mobile breast cancer screening vehicle specifically adapted to the requirements of patients and healthcare providers in the Middle East, during the upcoming Arab Health 2010 show. The Mobile Mammography Screening Unit, operated in conjunction with medical diagnostic provider Smit Mobile Equipment, takes into account the patients’ desired level of privacy and the region’s often severe weather conditions, according to Diederik Zeven, general manager of Philips Healthcare for the Middle East. The vehicle’s state-of-the-art screening equipment provides excellent image quality, and a streamlined intuitive user interface makes working with the system comfortable and efficient for the radiographer, allowing for a quick and easy patient exam, Zeven said. In Saudi Arabia, more than 20 percent of total cancer cases are breast cancer. The Arab Health show is Jan. 25-28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. http://www.ehealthserver.com/philips/...   http://www.healthcare.philips.com/wpd.aspx?p=/...

MedApps, Meridian partner on CHF readmission rate pilot
Remote health monitoring service provider MedApps Inc. is partnering with Meridian Health in an attempt to show that daily monitoring of discharged heart failure patients can reduce readmission rates and emergency room usage. According to MedApps Inc. Chief Executive Officer Kent Dicks, the company will use its HealthPAL wireless EMR connectivity tool and Web-based HealthCOM portal on congestive heart failure patients discharged from Meridian Health hospitals in New Jersey. The systems will monitor patient vital signs and symptoms for 30 days after discharge to help Meridian care managers identify complications and symptoms so patients can get the necessary outpatient care before requiring hospital readmission.   http://public.medapps.net/Pages/PR-MedApps-Meridian-CHF-Pilot.aspx

Competitive Technologies unveils chemical-free pain treatment unit
Fairfield, C.T.-based Competitive Technologies Inc. has launched its non-invasive Calmare Therapy Treatment (CTT) medical device at its first U.S. hospital. CTT, which uses a biophysical rather than biochemical approach, is designed to treat high-intensity oncologic and neuropathic pain, including pain resistant to morphine, without the adverse and harmful side effects linked to narcotic painkillers, according to CTT President John B. Nano. Calmare Therapy Treatment was developed in Italy by CTT’s client, Prof. Guiseppe Marineo, and has been approved in the United States and Europe for marketing. Calmare Pain Relief Managing Member Robert Smith said the company plans to open pain treatment clinics featuring CTT at 10 other U.S. cities over the next two years. http://www.competitivetech.net/news/100113.html

Cyberonics’ epilepsy treatment approved for sale in Japan
Houston-based Cyberonics Inc. has received approval from the Japanese government to market its Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy System in Japan. According to Cyberonics President Dan Moore, VNS uses a surgically implanted medical device to deliver pulsed electrical signals to the vagus nerve to treat refractory epilepsy and conventional treatment-resistant depression. The system is approved for sale in the United States and other countries, but Japan represents a significant gain – the nation is one of the world’s biggest medical device users, Moore said. The product will be distributed by Tokyo-based Nihon Kohden Corp. http://www.cyberonics.com/PressRelease_detail.asp...

Merlin.net patient care product achieves pair of industry firsts
St. Jude Medical Inc. has become the first medical device manufacturer to achieve ISO 27001 privacy certification for its Merlin.net Patient Care Network, the St. Paul, MN-based company announced. The network is also the first to successfully complete a second Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Connectathon testing process. According to Eric S. Fain, M.D., president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division, ISO 27001 certification is a “stringent worldwide information security standard,” while the IHE Connectathon success demonstrates the network’s ability to connect to third-party EHR systems using defined industry standards. Recent legislation and a changing healthcare environment have made hospital efficiency a key issue for customers and connectivity a major priority for St. Jude, Fain said. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....

Army tests effects of virtual reality upon PTSD victims
The Department of Defense National Center for Telehealth and Technology is conducting a study to determine effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) on patients suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to Dr. Greg Reger, chief of Telehealth and Technology (T2)’s Innovative Technology Applications division in Fort Lewis, WA, T2 is studying 120 PTSD candidates and their responses to interactive, computer-generated environments that are tailored to the experience in which their particular stress occurred. The four-year program will gauge the effectiveness of VRET on active-duty service members returning from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, compared to traditional “imaginal” prolonged exposure therapy, and a control group that waits five weeks for any type of treatment. T2 is conducting the study in partnership with the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, and the Department of Psychology at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis. http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/01/19...

Ohio considers mandatory database use for prescriptions
Ohio law enforcement, legislators, and pharmaceutical officials are considering drafting a law that would require closer monitoring of prescriptions in an attempt to reduce prescription abuse. According to Ohio State Board of Pharmacy Executive Director William Winsley, the law, if written and passed, would require doctors, nurses, dentists and others with the ability to write prescriptions to consult a state medical database before prescribing narcotics to sufferers of chronic pain. Ohio would become the second state in the nation, following Nevada, with such a requirement, and the law would be broad enough to affect everyone from emergency room personnel to urologists. Ohio is one of 34 states nationwide with a computer monitoring program that provides prescription information to authorized users, but only 1 in 8 doctors currently use the system, according to the pharmacy board. http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/...

One-eighth of prescriptions for kids are wrong, study warns
Errors were made on more than 1 of every 8 prescriptions written for children in the United Kingdom during 2004 and 2005, according to a new study by researchers at the University of London’s School of Pharmacy. According to study co-author Ian Wong, 13.2 percent of prescriptions written for children at the five hospitals and 11 pediatric wards covered in the study had mistakes ranging from incorrect dose to wrong medication. Even more mistakes (19.1 percent) were made by the nurses who had to administer the drugs, the report notes. Most mistakes were caught by pharmacists who cross-checked the prescriptions, and most of the errors that did get through “led to no long-term harm.” But some of the mistakes could have been lethal, Wong noted. The authors recommended widespread introduction of electronic prescribing systems, in which computers would check the calculations and alert doctors to possible errors. The study appears in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. http://adc.bmj.com/site/misc/...