CDC to standardize chronic disease tracking with national electronic MIS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to develop a national chronic disease tracking system to take the place of existing state systems. According to a report in the Federal Register, over the next three years the electronic management information system (MIS) will monitor data about tobacco control, diabetes prevention and control, healthy communities, and surveillance of state-based behavioral risk factors in all states and territories. The new MIS will replace two previously approved systems used by tobacco control programs, and diabetes prevention and control programs, which are being phased out. Chronic diseases - such as diabetes and cancer - are among the most common and costly health problems, but are also among the most preventable, according to CDC. Chronic diseases are responsible for seven of 10 deaths annually and account for 75 percent of the nation's health spending, according to the Health and Human Services Department. Full Story

Sensor-based cervical ring could help prevent premature births
Graduate students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD have invented a system designed to detect whether a pregnant woman may go into labor too soon. According to Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering student and project co-creator Karin Hwang, the CervoCheck is a small ring embedded with sensors that picks up electrical signals associated with uterine contractions. The ring is designed to be embedded in a woman's vaginal canal at a physician's office or hospital. The sensors can help doctors take action needed to delay preterm deliveries, giving developing fetuses more time to mature. Current technology only allows doctors to delay births by a few days. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 500,000 premature births occur each year in the United States alone. While the cervical ring has not yet been tested on human patients, the prototype has been tested on animals and the students have obtained a provisional patent. Full Story

Microsoft to end Amalga HIS in Asia, focus on HealthVault and Amalga Unified
Technology giant Microsoft plans to discontinue sale and production of its Amalga Hospital Information System (HIS) to new customers and focus instead on its Amalga Unified Intelligence System (UIS) 2009 for enterprise health customers, and the Microsoft HealthVault personal health records platform for consumer health, according to a report in e-Health Europe. The Amalga Hospital Information System product is sold primarily in Asia. According to e-Health Europe, Microsoft acquired HIS in 2007 as a tool for developing healthcare in emerging economies. However, the company has since learned that "an all-encompassing solution is not optimal to meeting the varied and dynamic needs of health organizations around the world." In contrast, Amalga UIS, when combined with HealthVault, puts people in control of their health information, and supports consumer engagement and patient-provider connections. Microsoft says it will continue to support its customers' use of Amalga HIS for five more years. Full Story

Physician-guided robot surgeries could one day be all-robot
Doctors could one day be the missing detail in physician-guided robotic surgeries, with totally robot-controlled surgeons a near-certainty in hospitals, according to feasibility studies by researchers at Duke University in Durham, NC. In the studies, researchers at Duke University's Ultrasound Transducer Group (UTG) have demonstrated that a robot - without any human assistance - can locate a man-made, or phantom, lesion in simulated human organs, guide a device to the lesion and take multiple samples during a single session. As the technology is further developed, autonomous robots could some day perform many more simple surgical tasks, resulting in significantly lower expenses for medical facilities, according to Kaicheng Liang, a former student in the laboratory of Stephen Smith, director of the Duke University Ultrasound Transducer Group at the Pratt School of Engineering and senior member of the research team. Duke researchers combined a version of an existing robot arm with an ultrasound system, which acted as the robot's eyes by collecting data from its scan and locating its target. The robot is controlled by an artificial intelligence program that takes real-time 3-D information, processes it and then gives the robot specific commands to perform.  Full Story

Health IT developer Ingenix, HIS provider Picis to merge
Eden Prairie, MN-based health information technology firm Ingenix has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Wakefield, MA-based health information solutions provider Picis, Inc. for an undisclosed sum. According to Ingenix Chief Executive Officer Andy Slavitt, the combination of "health intelligence" and clinical workflow will "provide substantial value to patients, physicians and hospitals." Picis is provider of enterprise software to the high-acuity areas of hospitals, which include the emergency department, surgical suites such as operating rooms and recovery rooms, and intensive care units. Ingenix is a health information technology and services company and focuses on health intelligence and analytics throughout the healthcare system. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the third quarter. Full Story

Iron Mountain unveils EMR management product for hospitals, doctors
Health information management specialist Iron Mountain has released a product designed to help hospitals, doctors and other healthcare providers make the switch to electronic medical records (EMRs). The Iron Mountain EMR Enablement Solution aims to offer healthcare organizations a complete set of tools for digitizing patient records, archiving electronic files, protecting records from disaster situations, and destroying outdated records. According to Ken Rubin, senior vice president and general manager of Healthcare Services for Iron Mountain, the process of converting paper records to electronic files can be unmanageable, given the volume of records and "the fact that many organizations retain records forever." The company's goal is to make the transition more manageable, while reducing the costs and risks of managing the information, he said. Full Story

Newest version of GE Healthcare Centricity software tackles 'meaningful use'
GE Healthcare IT has released an edition of its Centricity software designed to help hospitals and doctors switch to electronic health records in a manner that meets the government's definition of "meaningful use" and would thereby allow them to qualify for federal incentives. The Centricity Enterprise 6.9 includes new tools and enhancements designed to support clinical staff adoption, quality improvement and cost reduction. Enhancements include upgrades to computerized physician order entry and order workflow, configurable patient and assignment views, e-prescribing, eligibility and formulary checking. All software developments should help customers meet guidelines recently finalized by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, according to Laurent Rotival, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare IT. Full Story

WHO, International Health Terminology to standardize health classifications
A joint effort by the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization (IHTSDO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will match WHO classifications with standardized health terminology. The goal is to create an integrated classifications and terminology system that will improve patient information for health policy, health services management and research worldwide. WHO classifications are already used to gather information on diseases, disability and interventions of the population's health, and much of the data often comes from electronic health records, according to Martin Severs, chair of the IHTSDO management board. Tim Evans, WHO's assistant director general for information, evidence and research, said it was "essential to create health information standards as a common language worldwide." Full Story  Further Information

'Meaningful Use' information forum for healthcare experts goes online
Falls Church, VA-based Computer Sciences Corp. has launched an interactive, online community as a forum for healthcare professionals to share information on meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) technology. According to Mark Roman, president of CSC's Healthcare Group, the CSC Meaningful Use Community at https://community.csc.com will provide "accurate and timely" information on best practices for adoption of EHRs. Site members will also have access to CSC experts and other industry leaders for advice and information about the federal government's criteria and insights on EHR use, Roman said. Under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 hospitals and healthcare practitioners using EHRs and documenting their meaningful use are eligible for substantial financial incentives. Up to 50 percent of hospitals may not be ready by the initial deadline of 2011 to qualify for those incentives, according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Full Story    Further Information

CCHIT could have competitors in EHR product certification by fall
Multiple organizations are likely to be available to test and certify electronic health record products by late summer, in time for vendors to get products on the market in the fall. According to National Health Information Technology Coordinator Dr. David Blumenthal, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has received more than a half-dozen completed applications thus far. In June, ONC released its final rule for the temporary certification program, which details steps organizations must take to be authorized by ONC to test and certify that EHRs can perform the functions required for 'meaningful use.' Since 2004, the non-profit Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has been the only federally recognized certification body for EHRs and has reportedly certified more than 200 EHR products, or 75 percent of the marketplace. The final rule means CCHIT officially had to reapply for certification rights, something the organization completed July 20, according to CCHIT Executive Director Alisa Ray. ONC has 30 days to approve an application once it is submitted. Full Story    Further Information

Implementation of EHRs remains top priority for more healthcare professionals
Electronic health record (EHR) implementations are the top priority among healthcare information technology professionals, with 85 percent indicating that they are in the midst of an EHR project or plan to start one within the next 18 months, according to a survey by San Francisco-based research firm Embarcadero Technologies. Healthcare IT in general is of key importance to medical practitioners, with 61 percent of respondents citing EHR implementation as their top priority, followed by healthcare data warehouses at 52 percent and health information exchanges at 47 percent. Those in the healthcare field have also taken time to brush up on "meaningful use" and understand the EHR certification process, with 74 percent of respondents saying existing information on meaningful use and certification was adequate and their technical implementation questions have been answered, according to the survey. Full Story

Advisory panel sets requirements for compatible federal and state HIEs
A Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advisory panel has announced the minimum set of standards, services and data elements necessary for federal and state governments to electronically exchange information for deciding eligibility and enrollment across health and social services programs, Government Health IT reports. According to Steve Fletcher, Utah HHS chief information officer and a member of the advisory panel, the identified standards and core data elements are meant to simplify enrollment by various means, including electronic matching across state and federal databases, such as those at the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. The panel must finalize its recommendations to HHS by Sept. 30. Full Story

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