CMS awards $73.2 million contract for Web site modernization project
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has awarded Fairfax, VA-based CGI Federal Inc. a five-year, $73.2 million contract for modernization of three CMS Web sites that allow Medicare beneficiaries to learn information about their healthcare programs. According to George Schindler, president of CGI Federal, the three sites - Medicare.gov, cms.hhs.gov, and MyMedicare.gov - garner more than 500 million page views each year and act as the agency's online communication channels for beneficiaries and providers. They also represent a critical component of the agency's mission to provide quality care. For several years, CGI has worked with CMS to help it "better meet the agency's mission of education, outreach and service" and "increased transparency, participation, and collaboration," Schindler said. The site revisions will impact more than 44 million healthcare beneficiaries, providers and other stakeholders, he added. Full Story

EHRs help patients lower cholesterol, reduce heart attack risk
Use of electronic health records (EHRs) has helped patients reach lower cholesterol goals that were considered nearly impossible to meet, according to a study by researchers at Kaiser Permanente. According to study author Kari Olson, a clinical pharmacy specialist at Kaiser Permanente Colorado in Denver, 43 percent of "at risk" patients enrolled in Kaiser's Collaborative Cardiac Care Service program successfully lowered their LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels to less than 70 mg/dL. The usual success rate is 15 percent to 30 percent. Olson attributes the success in part to the Kaiser team's improved ability to monitor patients' health with EHRs. The study suggests that a combination of care coordination, technology, close monitoring and follow-up "may ultimately get more people to the aggressive cholesterol targets over the long term," Olson said. Full Story

Northrop Grumman to receive $34 million for new 'meaningful use' database
Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded a $34 million contract from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a database that tracks incentive payments to participants in the federal health information technology adoption program. According to Amy King, Northrop Grumman's vice president of health IT programs, the one-year deal - with five and one-half year option periods - calls for the company to design, create and maintain a "national level repository" that helps ensure accurate payments to doctors, facilities and state agencies eligible for incentives under the HITECH Act. HITECH grants increased Medicare and Medicaid payments to physicians or hospitals that demonstrate "meaningful use" of electronic health records. Full Story

Implantable biofuel cell could power medical devices
Scientists at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France have developed an implantable glucose biofuel cell that may one day be capable of powering medical devices. According to lead researcher Philippe Cinquin, such a device would have limitless potential in the surgical world: Unlike batteries that supply power to implants, a power-generating device may not have to be surgically removed and replaced, because glucose is a potentially limitless source of energy. The device, which uses enzymes to harvest energy from glucose and oxygen found naturally in the body, was successfully implanted into the abdominal cavities of two rats and lasted for about three months. Newcastle University Chemical Engineer Eileen Yu said the technology could be used for a range of applications, such as neural and bone-growth stimulators, drug delivery devices, insulin pumps, and biosensors. Full Story

Colorado could be nation's next medical technology hotbed
A Boulder, CO-based investment firm hopes to turn Colorado into the nation's next hotbed of medical device development. Boulder BioMed LLC's goal is to "accelerate commercialization of innovative medical technologies and spin them off to larger companies," according to company president Jim Kasic. Inventors typically don't know how to commercialize their products, Kasic said. And Colorado is poised to have a lot of inventors: the nine-county Denver metropolitan region's medical device and instrument sector is the nation's 11th biggest. In addition, the medical device market is expected to grow dramatically during the decade. For example, Kasic believes the market for bone-anchored hearing aids will double within five years. That's all good news for his company - Boulder BioMed has earned about half a million dollars since its launch in late 2009. Kasic expects annual revenue of $5 million within three years. Full Story

New Medweb cloud computing service to lower telemedicine costs
San Francisco-based telemedicine product provider Medweb has unveiled a cloud computing service that shares computing power resources to provide a lower-cost telemedicine solution for healthcare facilities. According to Medweb Chief Executive Officer Pete Killcommons, Medweb's Telemedicine Cloud is a HIPAA-compliant, encrypted cloud computing service that enables healthcare facilities to provide sub-specialty care to patients without the risks or costs associated with patient transport. The product also offers computer-based patient assessment protocols and integrates medical imaging, information management and security. Removing cost-related barriers to telemedicine use will help facilities expand access to specialty clinicians and enhance quality of patient care, Killcommons said.  Full Story

HHS to study patients' health IT perceptions and preferences
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is conducting two surveys to learn more about patient perceptions and preferences on health information technology. In one, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT plans to survey 840 primary care practice patients and 42 practice staff members to help policymakers understand how physicians' use of electronic health records affects patient satisfaction, medical care coordination and doctor-patient communication. In the second survey, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation will evaluate the satisfaction levels of 500 Medicare beneficiaries participating in personal health record (PHR) pilot programs to better understand benefits and difficulties users have with PHRs. Further Information   Further Information

Telemedicine to transform healthcare within 10 years, Intel survey finds
Nearly 9 in 10 healthcare decision makers believe telehealth will transform medicine over the next 10 years, according to a survey by research firm Penn Schoen Berland. The national study revealed that telemedicine solutions are being used by two-thirds of healthcare professionals, with an 87 percent satisfaction rate. Respondents who use the technology cite improved patient outcomes as the biggest perceived advantage to telehealth adoption. Other benefits include more-complete clinician access to patient data and early identification of health issues. Half of the respondents not currently using telehealth say they plan to implement the technology by next year. But the survey, sponsored by Santa Clara, CA-based technology maker Intel, also reveals reimbursement and fear of technology as the top perceived barriers to telehealth implementation, according to Intel Digital Health Group Sales and Marketing Director Mariah Scott.  Full Story

Cardiocom hits market with pulse oximeter for at-home patients
Minneapolis-based Cardiocom has released a new pulse oximeter with improved vital signs monitoring for at-home patients. According to Cardicom President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel L. Cosentino, the pulse oximeter offers better integration with the company's existing telehealth platform. In addition to the oximeter, Cardiocom designs and manufactures telehealth communication devices and vital sign peripherals including a blood pressure system and weight scale. The pulse oximeter, specifically suited for the home telehealth environment, was registered with the FDA in late 2009. Full Story

Seeking 'global brand,' Inverness Medical plans name change to Alere
Waltham, MA-based medical device manufacturer Inverness Medical Innovations Inc. plans to change its name to Alere Inc., pending shareholder approval during its 2010 annual meeting on July 14, the company announced. According to Inverness Chief Executive Officer Ron Zwanziger, the company already uses Alere - Latin for "nurture" - for its health management services division. Inverness has made more than a dozen acquisitions since 2007, and placing them all under one banner will "create a globally recognizable brand" and "bring healthcare closer to home," Zwanziger said. The $3 billion company specializes in products for near-patient diagnosis, monitoring and health management, point-of-care diagnostics, infectious disease research, cardiology, oncology, drug abuse and women's health. Full Story

Auditory implants may be more effective on young than elderly
Cochlear implants are more effective on younger persons than the elderly, according to a study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. In the study, researchers examined 28 patients aged 65 and older and 28 aged 18 to 64 who received cochlear implants over a nine-year period. One year after implantation, 55 of the 56 total patients showed improvement on hearing testing, but the older patients performed worse than younger patients on some speech perception tests. Lead researcher Dr. David R. Friedland said the elderly patient may have a prolonged adaptation phase and would reach levels attained by younger users at one-year post-implantation at a later point. Or, elderly patients may have limited processing of the high-rate auditory nerve stimulation  used in cochlear implants. The results may help clinicians set realistic expectations for post-implantation results in older patients, which are a growing percentage of cochlear implants, according to the study. Full Story

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