Health monitoring market will have nearly one-half billion users by 2014
Healthcare monitoring applications are expected to be one of the biggest drivers of machine-to-machine and embedded devices over the next several years, helping the market reach 412 million users globally by 2014, according to a report by Hampshire, United Kingdom-based analyst firm Juniper Research. According to Juniper Research Senior Analyst Anthony Cox, healthcare monitoring is in its infancy, but is “poised to achieve significant revenues” with the use of short-range technologies such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Several iPhone applications can already potentially be linked to body monitoring devices, and future devices such as machine-to-machine designed heart monitoring units, and ancillary applications that link iPhone, body sensor and healthcare applications are not far behind, Cox said. Full Story

HHS to award $50 million for national health IT research center
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to award $50 million in task orders to create a national Health Information Technology Research Center (HITRC) to promote electronic health records. According to Joshua Seidman, acting director of the meaningful use division of the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the HITRC will help 100,000 priority providers “adopt and meaningfully use digital record systems.” Financial assistance will be provided to 60 health IT regional status centers nationwide, with the first selected centers announced within a few weeks, he said. The extension centers awards are funded with $598 million provided under the economic stimulus law. Full Story

New diabetes sensor could herald ultra-low cost detection devices
Researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville have developed a sensor that can help monitor diabetics’ glucose levels through breath moisture, as well as use a patient’s saliva to detect breast cancer. According to Fan Ren, a professor of chemical engineering and part of the project’s investigative team, the sensor can be combined with existing wireless technology used for making chips in cell phones and other devices, and therefore be inexpensively mass-produced. The medical prospects for the 100-micron sensor are far-reaching: from non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, to quick asthma attack prediction, to inexpensive, non-cumbersome breast cancer detection. The sensor is not as acutely sensitive as those relying on nanotechnology, but production costs range from 20 cents to $40 per chip, making it extremely cost-efficient for all users, Ren said.   Full Story

Government launches mobile device version of MedlinePlus Web site
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has launched a Web site designed to meet the information needs of an on-the-go public. According to NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, the Mobile MedlinePlus site at http://m.medlineplus.gov offers mobile device users much of what is available at the institute’s main Web site at http://medlineplus.gov. Typical information includes side effects for new prescriptions, illness symptoms and disease summaries, and an illustrated medical encyclopedia. NLM developed Mobile MedlinePlus in recognition of the rapid growth of the mobile Internet audience, which doubled in size from February 2007 to February 2009, Lindberg said. Over the next five years, it is expected that more people will connect to the Internet through mobile devices than by notebook or desktop computers, experts note.   Full Story

NUVANT mobile heart rhythm monitor cleared for sale in U.S.
Wireless cardiovascular device maker Corventis Inc. has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its NUVANT Mobile Cardiac Telemetry (MCT) System within the United States, the San Jose, CA-based company announced. According to Corventis President Ed Manicka, Ph.D., the NUVANT MCT System uses the PiiX wearable multi-sensor platform to detect non-lethal arrhythmias. Sensor readings are wirelessly transmitted to trained cardiographic technicians for review. Physicians may effectively manage patients from anywhere in the world. Cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heart rhythms, can lead to sudden death or stroke; each year more than 2.2 million Americans experience some type of irregular heart rhythm. Full Story

USDA awards $314 million to 11 states for broadband projects
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials will offer almost $314 million in economic stimulus funds to bring broadband service to 14 rural communities in 11 states. The total award, consisting of grants and loans, marks the largest round of government funding for broadband since the start of the $7.2 billion national high-speed network and adoption program in February 2009, according to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Recipient states are Alaska, Alabama, California, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia. A complete list of projects and award amounts can be found at www.usda.gov. Applications for the third and final round of broadband funding are due March 15.    Full Story

Medical Acoustics’ ‘Lung Flute’ receives thumbs-up from FDA
Buffalo, N.Y.-based Medical Acoustics LLC has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Therapeutic Lung Flute (TLF), a product that uses low-frequency sound waves to help clear a patient’s lungs of mucus when they cough. Designed for use by at-home chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) sufferers, the handheld TLF requires a patient to blow into the device, upon which the Mylar reed inside vibrates at a frequency that shakes apart sputum and allows the patient to cough it up. According to Medical Acoustics President Terence Cryan, the FDA approval is “very good news” for the more than 16 million Americans diagnosed with COPD. The company plans to begin selling the device on or after Feb. 1; U.S. orders will require a prescription from the patient’s physician.  Full Story

Virtual colonoscopies effective in screening older patients
Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), or the virtual colonoscopy, is an effective way to screen older patients for colorectal cancer, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The study, published in the February issue of Radiology, notes that CTC performed among subjects ages 65-79 produced low referral rates for colonoscopies similar to other screening exams covered by Medicare, and also does not result in “unreasonable” levels of additional testing from extracolonic findings. According to study lead investigator David H. Kim, M.D., previous CTC tests on younger subjects produced “excellent” results, and the new study showed “no significant difference in the way CTC performs in older patients as opposed to younger patients,” Kim said. Colorectal cancer is the third-most frequently diagnosed cancer and second-leading cause of cancer in American men and women. Full Story

Postsurgical monitoring device helps cut patient ICU transfers
Anesthesiologists at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH have dramatically decreased the number of rescue calls and intensive care unit transfers involving postsurgical patients through use of low-perfusion pulse oximetry finger probes. According to study lead author Andreas H. Taenzer, M.D., the finger probes, which measure oxygen in the blood, notified nurses when physiological abnormalities were detected. The abnormalities, Taenzer said, are often the first sign that “a more-serious sign may be developing.” Over two years, probe use decreased emergency calls from 3.4 to 1.2 per 1,000 patients, while intensive care unit transfers declined from 5.6 to 2.9 per 1,000 patient days. The study appears in the February issue of Anesthesiology.  Full Story

UK air ambulance firm introduces ‘Ferrari of the sky’
Hospital officials with the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance company (WNAA) in the United Kingdom have introduced a super-speed, state-of-the-art medical helicopter designed to transfer injured persons to medical facilities faster than ever thought possible. The aircraft – nicknamed the “Ferrari of the sky” – can take off in less than a minute and has a top speed of almost 200 miles per hour. It is the fastest civilian helicopter that you can buy, according to WNAA Chief Executive Andy Williamson. The aircraft includes a new patient monitoring system and generation stretcher, designed to reduce lifting and improve patient comfort. The aircraft is also capable of carrying heavier loads, meaning additional casualties or doctors can be carried on board, Williamson said.  Full Story

CMS names medical imaging accrediting agencies
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has designated The American College of Radiology, The Joint Commission, and the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission as the official accrediting organizations for medical imaging facilities. The designation gives the three organizations the ability to accredit providers of advanced medical imaging as required by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. Under that act, providers of CT, MRI, PET and nuclear medicine exams who bill Medicare must be accredited by Jan. 1, 2012. Full Story

‘Meaningful use’ could pose problems for small, mid-sized practices
Small- and medium-sized physician practices will have a tough time meeting requirements set by the federal government’s new “meaningful use” rule, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The proposed regulations, released at the end of 2009, dictate how healthcare providers can demonstrate the proper use of electronic health records needed to qualify for incentive payments under the federal economic stimulus package. According to AAFP Center for Health Information Technology Director Steven Waldren, M.D., the government’s meaningful use regulations “dictate objectives that align with AAFP’s mission,” but the criteria and timeline may make it more difficult for physicians in small- and mid-sized practices to qualify for the incentive payments. The government is currently accepting public comment on the proposed rule through the end of February, after which it will develop a final rule.   Full Story