Telemedicine and e-Health News Alert for December 28, 2007

The Telemedicine and e-Health News Alert will not be published on Tuesday, Jan. 1 because of the New Year holiday. The next issue will be published on January 4, 2008.

As of Jan. 1, neurobehavioral exams are billable to Medicare as telehealth services
In an agreement with the American Academy of Neurology, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has elected to add neurobehavioral status exam code 96116 to its list of covered Medicare telehealth services, effective Jan. 1, 2008. Previously, CMS determined that, if the eligibility criteria and conditions of payment are satisfied, the use of a telecommunications system may substitute for a face-to-face, "hands on" encounter for consultation, office visits, individual psychotherapy, pharmacologic management, psychiatric diagnostic interview examination, end stage renal disease related services, and individual medical nutrition therapy. The federal agency decided not to include subsequent hospital care of neuropsychological testing on the list of telehealth services, noting that further study is needed.
For complete story, visit http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM5628.pdf

CML Healthcare buys American Radiology for $151 million
CML Healthcare, Canada's largest provider of medical imaging services, is buying American Radiology Services for $151 million, the companies announced. The transaction, which merges CML with one of the United States' largest medical imaging service providers, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2008. ARS, based in Baltimore, operates 17 fixed-site outpatient centers in Maryland and Delaware, and provides radiologist coverage in 11 Maryland hospitals. The company also provides teleradiology services to 25 hospitals throughout the U.S. ARS had an estimated $142 million in revenues in fiscal 2007. CML, based in Mississauga, Ontario, provides medical imaging services across five provinces throughout Canada.
For complete story, visit http://www.cmlhealthcare.com/web/presspop.cfm?newsID=5482

Veteran's Administration unveils Polytrauma Telehealth Network for war veterans
In an effort to treat Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans who require specialized long-term rehabilitative care, the Veterans Administration has developed a state-of-the-art Polytrauma Telehealth Network, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "Enhancing Access of Combat-Wounded Veterans to Specialist Rehabilitation Services: The VA Polytrauma Telehealth Network," published in the January 2008 issue of The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, is designed to "meet what are often conflicting requirements in providing severely wounded veterans with timely and convenient access to specialist rehabilitation care, and to enable them to return to their local communities," according to the report.
For complete story, visit
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WB6-4RFH4P9-17&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_
urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=4c844372ec15ec19eba7c6fca8028c23

European Commission considers revising patient-drug company information rules
Legislation that would relax rules on how much information drug companies can provide to patients could be tabled until next year by the European Commission because the matter requires additional discussion, according to the commission. Existing rules strictly control information that drug companies can offer patients and restrict them to media such as patient information flyers inside drug packaging. But the Internet is gradually eroding away at those restrictions because drug information is readily available to consumers, leading some in the European industry to consider easing up on the regulations. While acknowledging that there is an "emerging consensus" that change is needed, Christian Siebert, the European Commission's Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, said the ban should be maintained.
For complete story, visit http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/3327/ec_may_reconsider_patient_
information_rules&cid=0&ei=2ABzR4HmFZWmoAO6z8z7Dg

Healthcare information exchanges continue work and grow in U.S.
Nearly 1 in 4 health information exchanges (HIEs) in the U.S. are operational and transmitting data, almost 1 in 6 are just starting up, and a mere 4 percent of them have stopped working, according to the eHealth Initiative's annual survey of HIEs at the state, regional and community levels. Survey results for 2007 indicate that at least 125 communities across the U.S. continue to bring together multiple stakeholders to focus on the secure exchange of health data to improve health and healthcare for patients. Increasingly, such efforts involve all stakeholders within the system, including clinicians, community health centers, consumers, employers, health plans, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, public health agencies and government. The eHealth Initiative is a non-profit organization working toward improvement of healthcare information quality, safety and efficiency.
For complete story, visit http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/news/2007HIESurvey.mspx

German pharmacies become wide-open affair with new iPhone service
Any German residents who have trouble finding their pharmacist will have a harder time getting lost now, courtesy of the new Web 2.0 iPhone service unveiled nationwide this holiday season. The new service, offered by Apotheken.de - one of the country's largest German language pharmacy Web sites - offers locations for nearly all 21,000 pharmacies in Germany. The service also details which pharmacists are on duty in certain areas of the country at any given time. Web 2.0 iPhone is one of Germany's first iPhone-specific medical services. Other major online pharmacy services, such as Careon and ADV, are developing their own iPhone-compatible products.
For complete story, visit http://www.ehealtheurope.net/news/3333/iphone_service_locates_open_pharmacies

State health IT projects could offer major ground-floor opportunity for vendors
It could be a busy year for health IT contractors in 2008: according to a new report from Reston, VA-based Input Inc., at least 10 state health IT projects totaling more than $35 million will be up for grabs. The Oregon State Health Record Bank, an online database of health records that improves costs for Medicare beneficiaries, will top the list with a $5.5 million project. All projects are "dedicated to designing and developing innovative health IT system infrastructure," according to Input Inc. Projects examined in the report provide a variety of opportunities in terms of impact and contract value, ranging from Web portals to electronic health record systems.
For complete story, visit http://www.input.com/corp/press/detail.cfm?news=1344

Bahamas health officials consider expanding nation's telemedicine program
Health officials in the Bahamas are discussing the possibility of expanding the country's Telemedicine Pilot Programme to include cardiology, dermatology and pediatrics. The talks began less than two weeks after the pilot program was launched at the Accident & Emergency Department of the Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, New Providence. Health officials hope to establish several clinics covering the new areas of specialized care within the next few months. According to Dr. Hubert A. Minnis, the minister of health and social development, inclusion of cardiology, pediatric and dermatology clinics within the TPP would be a major time-saver - and possibly life saver - for all involved.
For complete story, visit http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=15257

Health systems in rural Philippine provinces about to go automated
Sultan Kudarat and Sulu, two of the most rural provinces in the Philippines, are about to take a step into the 21st century by gaining automated health systems, according to the nation's National Telehealth Center. The two provinces in Mindanao will have emerging open source software for health centers from the Community Health Information Tracking System (CHITS) installed by early spring, according to project manager Dr. Alvin Marcelo. CHITS software collects routine health data from existing programs within the nation's field health service information system and integrates them into a "unified, comprehensive computerized information system."
For complete story, visit http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/gen/2007/12/17/news/sultan.kudarat.
sulu.to.automate.rural.health.systems.html

iPoint-media strikes telemedicine deal with Primary Care Trust
Newbury, United Kingdom-based iPoint-media and Southampton City Primary Care Trust are teaming up to offer a telemedicine-based medical care program for people suffer from chronic diseases. According to iPoint, the new service, expected to be rolled out in early 2008, will allow Southampton patients to access health care via Internet and 3G mobile, where they can post test results directly to their health care provider, access a blogging area where they can communicate online with clinical staff, record or upload video messages for observing medical staff, interact with clinical specialists in live audio or video calls and schedule appointments. The service will also help patients reduce the number of required visits to their local clinics and hospitals.
For complete story, visit
http://www.ipoint-media.com/Dec17_2007.shtml

Nigeria to become major player in IT world, Intel chairman says
More than 1 billion people worldwide use the Web today. There's a strong belief that a good portion of the next billion will come from Africa, and Nigeria, the continent's largest country, is expected to be at the forefront of that IT boom, according to the head of the world's largest computer chip maker. During his recent visit to Nigeria as part of the "Expanding What's Possible" tour, Intel Chairman Craig Barrett announced the company's comprehensive set of digital inclusion projects aimed at improving education, health care and economic development for Nigeria's 140 million residents. The program includes a pilot telemedicine project bringing pediatric care to a rural hospital serving 4.5 million people, and efforts to train 150,000 teachers and donate more than 3,000 computers to local schools.
For complete story, visit
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20071031corp_a.htm?iid=search and http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3639&Itemid=0

Florida doctor accused of trafficking $85 million in drugs on Web
An Orlando, FL doctor accused of illegally filing $85 million in prescriptions through Internet clinic sites has been arrested and charged with 92 counts of money laundering and drug trafficking, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Juan Antonio Ibanez, M.D. was arrested at his Orlando home by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service agents. Ibanez, who spent 25 years as a Florida physician, since 2003 has allegedly dispensed powerful painkillers such as hydrocodone over the Internet to patients who did not have legally required consultations from doctors. If convicted, the maximum penalty for each count of money laundering is 20 years in prison and four-to-20 years for each drug trafficking count. Law enforcement officials are still looking for Ibanez's accomplice, former Celebration, FL resident Barry Robert Brooks, who managed the duo's Web sites.
For complete story, visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/technology/orl-doctor2207dec22,0,720894.story