Mercy unveils Epic Medical Records System - Kansas

“One more hospital making the transition.  Also the rural and surrounding areas will be connected to the same system to enter chart information from their locations as well.  The new system from Epic replaces older technology at Mercy called Meditech that only allowed for a partial electronic record, real time chart updates.   Epic is the system also in use at Kaiser Permanente.”
Article
The Medical Quack, 7 October 2008

No Place Like Home — Testing a New Model of Care Delivery

“Seeking ways to slow the growth of Medicare spending and to better coordinate the health care it finances, the federal government is preparing to test the concept of the “medical home” in the Medicare program. In response to a mandate in the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, the staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing a demonstration program that will operate for 3 years in rural, urban, and underserved areas in up to eight states. Congress has directed the agency to use the program to “redesign the health care delivery system to provide targeted, accessible, continuous and coordinated, family-centered care to high-need populations.” Reluctant to constrain the freedom of beneficiaries currently covered under the traditional fee-for-service model, however, Congress placed no limits on patients’ freedom to seek treatment, without a referral, from physicians not affiliated with their medical home and made virtually all practices eligible to participate in the demonstration program.”
Article
J. K. Iglehart, NEJM, Volume 359:1200-1202, September 18, 2008, Number 12

Hybrid Telemedicine Program Connects Rural Providers, Part 2

“Many regional health information organizations and telemedicine applications have fallen short of their potential. But by combining the two forms of technology, Louisiana health care providers are able to improve patient care in the state’s rural areas.”
Article
Jamie Welch, Andrew Hurd, HHNMostWired, 17 September 2008

Telepharmacy project expands across country

“As recently as three years ago, many elderly residents in this part of southeastern North Dakota were forced to order their medications by mail.
These days, customers have a real drugstore and can talk to a real person about their health needs — albeit via the Internet.
Thanks to the virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie, the days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America.”
Article
Dave Kolpack, USA Today, 12 September 2008

Hybrid Telemedicine Program Connects Rural Providers, Part 1

“Louisiana last year showed a slight improvement in terms of overall health: Its ranking among the 50 states by the United Health Foundation crept to 49th place from 50th. With 21 percent of Louisiana residents uninsured and 32 percent residing in medically underserved rural communities, the state faces undeniable challenges in providing access to quality health care.”
Article
Jamie Welch, Andrew Hurd, HHNMostWired, 10 September 2008

Telepharmacies change the way rural America gets meds

“The days of walking down to the general store for prescription drugs are returning to rural America, thanks to a virtual pharmacy system that has been tested on the frozen prairie.
As recently as three years ago, many elderly residents in this area of southeastern North Dakota were forced to order their medications by mail. Now, customers have a real drug store and can talk to a real person who’s connected to a pharmacist by the Internet.”
Article
Dave Kolpack, Houston Chronicle, 6 September 2008

Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, TOC, September 2008

Telemedicine can improve the health of youths in detention
“Young people in correctional care facilities often have physical or psychological disorders that contribute to their behavioural problems. In the US, the need for medical services in youth facilities far exceeds current resources, especially for paediatric mental health and specialty services. There is obvious potential for telemedicine to improve access to care and thus the level of health care for juvenile detainees. A few studies have indicated that in specific instances telemedicine has improved access to care, referrals, contact between providers, and has also reduced unnecessary referrals. The question remains, however, whether this improved access and timeliness to care has any effect on the major goals of the incarceration: treatment, education and rehabilitation. Further investigation of this linkage is needed.”
Abstract
Karen C Fox and Anna Lyn Whitt, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 275-276, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.008002

Emergency telepsychiatry
“Telepsychiatry can be used in two kinds of psychiatric emergencies: one-time clinical events and public health situations associated with mass disaster. Emergency telepsychiatry delivered by videoconferencing has the potential to improve patient care in many settings. Although experience is limited, it has been found to be safe and effective, as well as satisfactory to both emergency department staff and the psychiatric patients treated. The development of comprehensive and standardized guidelines is necessary. There has been little use of acute telemedicine in disaster situations to date. However, telemedicine is becoming part of routine emergency medical response planning in many jurisdictions. Emergency telepsychiatry has the potential to reduce emergency department overcrowding, provide much needed care in rural areas and improve access to psychiatric care in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.”
Abstract
Peter Yellowlees, Michelle M Burke, Shayna L Marks, Donald M Hilty, and Jay H Shore, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 277-281, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080419

Hageseth’s principle of extraterritorial jurisdiction and international telemedicine
“At what point does an international telemedicine transaction create a sufficient commercial nexus to allow one country the authority to impose its laws on a foreign telemedicine providers? Some light on this matter was shed by the US case of Hageseth versus Superior Court. The authority for extraterritorial jurisdiction is found in the US Constitution, which requires the states to cooperate in matters of law enforcement. Similar cooperation from foreign nations cannot be expected. Unless a defendant is charged with a capital offence, nations are rarely willing to extradite their citizens. As the unlicensed practice of medicine is not a capital offence, it is unlikely that an unlicensed telemedicine provider would be extradited to the US. Because low-volume unlicensed offshore telemedicine providers are unlikely to be extradited or to be subject to trade sanctions, they may be able to operate beyond the law.”
Abstract
Thomas R McLean and Alexander B McLean, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 282-284, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080416

The use of information and communications technology for health service delivery in Namibia: perspectives of the health service providers
“We surveyed health service providers in Namibia to find out how they used information and communication technologies (ICTs) to deliver health services to their patients. A structured questionnaire was administered to 21 health service providers in two regions of the country (one urban, one rural). There was overwhelming consensus among the health service providers that ICTs were very important, especially for medical services (100%). Ninety-one percent of health service providers viewed ICT as helping them to interact with other providers in other health institutions. The most commonly used ICT was the telephone, which was used in the admission areas of most health institutions (36%); the next most commonly used ICT was the PC (23%). The most commonly used channels for communication with patients were the telephone followed by TV. Some of the problems common to all health institutions in Namibia were poor budgetary resources and lack of basic infrastructure such as electricity or telephone lines. There is a need to promote ICT use for health service delivery and also to stimulate patients to use ICT to access health services and relevant information.”
Abstract
Meke I Shivute, Blessing M Maumbe, and Vesper T Owei, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 285-289, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.071204

Assessment of a remote monitoring system for implantable cardioverter defibrillators
“We conducted a multicentre study in five Italian hospitals to assess the feasibility of a remote monitoring service for the follow-up of implanted cardiac devices. The system was designed to monitor device performance as well as physiological aspects of the patient’s condition. Sixty-seven patients (mean age 64 years) affected by chronic heart failure and with a biventricular implantable cardioverter defibrillator for cardiac re-synchronization therapy (CRT-D) were enrolled for a three-month observation period. A total of 267 device recordings were transmitted through the ordinary telephone network, with a success rate of 99%. The telemonitoring service was more efficient than conventional face-to-face follow-up in terms of the time savings: both for physicians (4.7 minutes versus 15 minutes for remote and conventional monitoring) and for patients (6.6 minutes versus 116.3 minutes). In addition, a total of 23 clinical events occurred during the study, but only two cases required a clinic visit, thus reducing inappropriate hospital admissions. Finally, the service was well accepted by all the users.”
Abstract
Cristina Masella, Paolo Zanaboni, Francesca Di Stasi, Serena Gilardi, Patrizia Ponzi, and Sergio Valsecchi, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 290-294, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080202

Quality of diabetes care among patients managed by teleconsultation
“We studied a new teamwork-based teleconsultation model for treating patients with diabetes, where a specialist in diabetes care, a diabetes nurse and a patient attended by videoconference. The study series consisted of all the patients (n = 101) at three health centres in northern Finland whose care was provided by a single physician at a remote diabetes clinic. A total of 101 patients with diabetes (19 of type 1 and 82 of type 2) were studied at baseline and at 10–14 months after the first consultation. Mean HbA1c was 8.0% at baseline and 7.6% at follow-up (P = 0.007). The proportion of patients with poor glycaemic control decreased from 32% to 13%. Mean LDL cholesterol was 3.3 mmol/L at baseline and 2.7 mmol/L at follow-up (P < 0.001). The percentage of patients with optimum lipid levels increased from 20% to 50%. Mean systolic blood pressure was 146 mmHg at baseline and had decreased by 6 mmHg at follow-up (P = 0.004). The percentage of patients with poor blood pressure control decreased from 19% to 8%. The most common changes in medication were the introduction or modification of insulin treatment and the introduction of statin and antihypertensive drugs and acetylsalicylic acid. Although the study was uncontrolled, there were improvements in glucose and LDL cholesterol levels and blood pressure in patients who were managed by teleconsultation.”
Abstract
Tuula Nikkanen, Markku Timonen, Kirsti Ylitalo, Olavi Timonen, Sirkka Keinänen-Kiukaanniemi, and Ulla Rajala J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 295-299, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080313

Impact of telemonitoring at home on the management of elderly patients with congestive heart failure
“We studied the effects of home telemonitoring in elderly patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) on mortality and rate of hospitalization, compliance with treatment, quality of life and costs of CHF management, by comparison with a group receiving usual care. Fifty-seven elderly CHF patients were randomized to standard care or to home telemonitoring-based care and followed for 12 months. In the subjects who were monitored, weekly reports on their clinical status were obtained and their management was modified accordingly. Home telemonitoring was associated with improvements in the composite endpoint of mortality and rate of hospitalizations (P = 0.006), a better compliance with therapy, more frequent use of beta-blockers and statins, lower total cholesterol level and a better reported health perception score. The improved results with home telemonitoring in CHF were probably due to better compliance and to closer monitoring of the patients.”
Abstract
Roberto Antonicelli, Paolo Testarmata, Liana Spazzafumo, Cristina Gagliardi, Grzegorz Bilo, Mariaconsuelo Valentini, Fabiola Olivieri, and Gianfranco Parati, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 300-305, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.071213

Acceptability to primary care providers of telemedicine in diabetes case management
“We studied the perceptions of primary care providers (PCPs) about the telemedicine intervention in a trial of telemedicine for management of diabetes in medically under-served areas of New York State. A survey was mailed to 206 rural and 159 urban PCPs. The response rates were 25% and 22%, respectively. Eighty percent of respondents believed that a diabetes telemedicine case management system would help their practice. An overall satisfaction score (possible range 0–80) suggested good acceptability (mean 66, SD 12). In multiple linear regression, the rural location and younger age of the PCPs were independent predictors of higher satisfaction (both P < 0.01). Within-PCP comparisons showed a higher perceived impact on patients, as compared to impact on PCP practices (P < 0.001). However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the low response rates."
Abstract
Walter Palmas, Jeanne Teresi, Ruth S Weinstock, and Steven Shea, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 306-308, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080410

The use of telemedicine to aid in assessing patients prior to aeromedical retrieval to a tertiary referral centre
“We evaluated the effect of telemedicine compared with traditional telephone conversations when evaluating patients for aeromedical retrieval. A convenience sample of consecutive patients referred for retrieval from Palm Island over a six-month period was compared retrospectively with patients referred during the previous six months. There was a significant difference (P = 0.014) in the number of patients referred in the telemedicine period (113) compared to the previous six months (78), which may have been a seasonal fluctuation. There was a smaller proportion of aeromedical retrievals in the telemedicine period (78%) compared to the control period (92%), P = 0.009. Other significant differences between the telemedicine and control period included a larger proportion of patients not transferred at all (16% compared to 5%, P = 0.022) and a smaller percentage of rotary flights (52% compared with 73%, P = 0.004). Retrieval coordinators perceived that telemedicine use prevented 10 aeromedical flights and six night flights. The coordinators and referrers felt that telemedicine improved patient care in 75% and 65% of consultations, respectively. The coordinators felt that it improved communication with the referring doctor for 84% of the consultations.”
Abstract
Kate A Mathews, Mark S Elcock, and Jeremy S Furyk, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 309-314, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080417

A pilot study of videotelephone-based support for newly diagnosed paediatric oncology patients and their families
“As part of the preparation for a randomized controlled trial, we conducted a pilot study to investigate the feasibility of providing videotelephone-based support to a sample of families (,em>n = with a child diagnosed with cancer, returning home for the first time after diagnosis and initial treatment. Seven of these families received support via videotelephone over a three-month period. Twenty videotelephone calls were made totalling 400 minutes (median 21 min, IQR 16–24). All videotelephone calls involved the specialist nurse providing support to mothers (85%) or fathers (15%) and involved communicating directly with the patient in most of the calls (55%). Social workers were involved in three calls (15%). All families expressed satisfaction with services delivered in this way. There were few technical problems. The use of a hybrid approach to providing videotelephony, using the family home computer and Internet connection for video and the home telephone line for full-duplex audio, was less costly than the custom-made device used in past studies.”
Abstract
Mark Bensink, Nigel Armfield, Helen Irving, Andrew Hallahan, Deborah Theodoros, Trevor Russell, Adrian Barnett, Paul Scuffham, and Richard Wootton, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 315-321, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080505

Telemedicine in the work site: a study of feasibility, and patient and provider satisfaction
“We examined the use of telemedicine for improving access to care in a work-site clinic. A prospective study of 100 patients was conducted over a four-month period in a work site that housed 700 employees. Sinusitis (10 visits), upper respiratory tract infections (9 visits), otitis media (9 visits), hypertension (9 visits) and back pain (8 visits) were the most common reasons for the visits. In 99 visits, clinicians were of the opinion that the telemedicine visit felt similar to a face-to-face visit. For most of the visits (67), patients strongly agreed or agreed that telemedicine had a positive effect on their relationship with the health-care provider. The otoscope, microscope and stethoscope telemedicine peripherals were important in aiding diagnosis (and ruling out other causes) in about 55% of the visits (upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, otitis media, cough, sore throat, nevi, rhinitis and ear wax related concerns). The ability for the patient to watch their ENT examination and see any associated abnormalities was appreciated by many patients. Physicians, nurses and patients were capable of using the technology with little training.”
Abstract
Prathibha Varkey, Kay Schumacher, Claudia Swanton, Barbara Timm, and Philip T Hagen, J Telemed Telecare 2008;14 322-325, doi:10.1258/jtt.2008.080512

Rural Alabama hospitals launch data exchange

“Randolph Medical Center, a rural critical access hospital in Roanoke, Ala., has launched a project to set standards and create a model for how non-affiliated hospitals can exchange patient data.”
Article
Molly Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 5 September 2008

AHRQ study highlights telehealth benefits, challenges

“The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality has released a report on telehealth grant projects that reveals the improvements and challenges that telehealth grantees experience.”
Article
Molly Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 4 September 2008

Iowa community hospitals join integrated rural health network

“Three small hospitals in northern Iowa have installed an integrated electronic health record system, the first of its kind in a U.S. rural healthcare setting, according to health system officials.”
Article
Richard Pizzi, Healthcare IT News, 20 August 2008

Rep. Stark will propose another health IT bill

“Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee, said today he will introduce his own health information technology bill, perhaps as soon as next week.
The bill will provide for more incentives for health IT adoption than are authorized in the competing bill approved July 23 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Stark told reporters. That bill would make $560 million in loans and grants available to doctors and other health care providers in rural and underserved areas and in small practices over five years.”
Article
Nancy Ferris, Government Health IT, 24 July 2008

Leavitt visits southern Alaska, sees how telehealth is increasing access to care

“By using telemedicine and telehealth, patients who live in rural Alaska have better and timely access to critical care through medical specialties, such as cardiology, pediatrics and radiology.”
Article
Molly Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 24 July 2008

Perspective: Rural California hospital implementing community-wide EHR system

“In mid-June, the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation was awarded $334,268 from a $50 million charitable investment fund California state regulators mandated from PacifiCare Health Systems when it merged in 2005 with UnitedHealth Group.
The funds will enable the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital and the Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital, to continue their ongoing implementation of a community-wide electronic health record system (EHR).”
Article
Patty Enrado, NHINWatch, 2 July 2008

Use of telemedicine expanding in Ohio’s rural areas, Appalachia

“Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron is using telemedicine to connect special-needs children at two schools in rural areas of Ashland and Wayne counties to their family doctors if the children get sick at school. The system features video conferencing, electronic stethoscopes and the capability to transmit photos of symptoms.”
Article
James Hannah, Chillicothe Gazette, 30 June 2008

Telemedicine and eHealth, TOC, June 2008

Mobile Health Clinics and Telemedicine
“Think of mobile health clinic and what comes to mind? Depending on where you live, it might mean Tommy the Tooth van dispensing free brushes and toothpaste to the community. Maybe a loved one received a mammogram in their small town or received diabetes education. The Lions Club may have sponsored a mobile vision clinic where senior citizens were screened for glaucoma. Perhaps migrant farm workers lined up for
hours to get free medical care while working in the fields. Whether you live in the city or the country, chances are some type of mobile health clinic has visited your community sporting colorful graphics on the outside and various medical/dental services on the inside.”
Article
Kevin D. Blanchet,Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 407-412.

Acceptance of Telemonitoring to Enhance Medication Compliance in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure
Sixty-two congestive heart failure patients participated in a controlled, longitudinal study at two ambulatory medical centers in Hamburg, Germany. Two groups, a control (no telemedicine intervention) and the study group (telemedicine) were evaluated for medication intake. A medication box, networked to the patient’s electronic health record, was used for the telemedicine group. The main objective was to evaluate noncompliance of medication intake. The research showed that the system was effective. However, nearly 50% felt it was not necessary to continue the reporting after the study.
Article
Silke Schmidt, Sarah Sheikzadeh, Britta Beil, Monica Patten, Jürgen Stettin, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 426-433.

Clinical Management and Patient Outcomes Among Children and Adolescents Receiving Telemedicine Consultations for Obesity
A retrospective review of patient medical records was conducted of children and adolescents who received pediatric weight management consultations using telemedicine. Ninety-nine patient files were reviewed. Analysis indicated that weight management using telemedicine can result in modification in patient care plans and outcomes.
Article
Ulfat Shaikh, Stacey L. Cole, James P. Marcin, Thomas S. Nesbitt, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 434-440.

Optometric Referrals to Retina Specialists: Evaluation and Triage via Teleophthalmology
A teleophthalmology program linked Canadian optometrists to retina specialists for 171 patients and 190 consultations. In this carefully described study, 21/25 patients who required treatment condensed their visit to the specialist to a single day by having diagnostics done by telemedicine. Office visits to the specialist were reduced by 48%.
Article
Chris Hanson, Matthew T.S. Tennant, Chris J. Rudnisky, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 441-445.

The Value of Provider-to-Provider Telehealth
The Center for Information Technology examined the value of providers with the patient and a distance site using three models of telehealth: store-and-forward, real-time video, and hybrid systems. A detailed literature review was conducted to elucidate where value had been reported. The data was evaluated by a computer simulation, which calculated the national value of provider-to-provider telehealth. Overall, the potential benefits of telehealth far outweigh the implementation costs, especially in emergency departments.
Article
Eric Pan, Caitlin Cusack, Julie Hook, Adam Vincent, David C. Kaelber, David W. Bates, Blackford Middleton, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 446-453.

A Wireless Medical Information Query System Based on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)
Wireless data management and data access for telemedicine extend far beyond the realities of short text messaging limits. This report offers a query system based on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) that can work at 100 bit/sec with the advantage to limited system consumption, terminal support, and expense.
Article
Zhelong Wang, Hong Gu, Dewei Zhao, Weiming Wang, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 454-460.

Acceptability of Telepsychiatry in American Indians
The acceptability of conducting psychiatric assessments with rural American Indian veterans by real-time videoconferencing versus in person visits was evaluated. Fifty-three North Plains American Indian veterans from the Vietnam Era participated in this study. A videoconferencing link between the University of Colorado at Denver Health Science Center and the rural community was established. Participants were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) for psychiatric assessments using this videoconferencing link. This assessment tool was administered face-to-face by telehealth in different ways and by different interviewers. Telepsychiatry was well received and was comparable to in-person interactions.
Article
Jay H. Shore, Elizabeth Brooks, Daniel Savin, Heather Orton, Jim Grigsby, Spero M. Manson, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 461-466.

An Experience of Health Technology Assessment in New Models of Care for Subjects with Parkinson’s Disease by Means of a New Wearable Device
This report characterizes a system combining gastrocnemius expansion measurement unit (GEMU), a step-counting device, with a telemedicine application for patients with Parkinsonism. GEMU by telemedicine correlated strongly with motion decrement in a robust and reliable system, which enjoyed high user acceptance.
Article
Daniele Giansanti, Giovanni Maccioni, Sandra Morelli, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 467-472.

Development of a Multidisciplinary Osteoporosis Telehealth Program
This report from Toronto details a comprehensive women’s bone health program with referrals from 20 family doctors. The patients engaged in an average 2-hour consultation with very positive perceptions. Increased access to care was the principle outcome.
Article
Leigh Dickson, Cathy Cameron, Gillian Hawker, Azeena Ratansi, Ina Radziunas, Vinita Bansod, Susan Jaglal, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 473-478.

Uncompressed Video Image Transmission of Laparoscopic or Endoscopic Surgery for Telemedicine
A robust, high-speed telecommunications link was established between Shanghai, China and Fukuoka, Japan for videoconferencing. This system was utilized to support real-time interactions during laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures. Images, transmitted via a digital video transfer system (DVTS), were evaluated by participating physicians who completed a mini-questionnaire. A number of hospitals across the region participated, including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Thirty-eight physicians completed the questionnaire. The majority (73.8%) indicated the images were very good. This tool has been viewed as an efficient and useful tool for the medical community in this region.
Article
Ke-Jian Huang, Zheng-Jun Qiu, Chun-Yu Fu, Shuji Shimizu, Koji Okamura, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 479-485.

Using e-Health to Enable Culturally Appropriate Mental Healthcare in Rural Areas,br /> Relevant research issues in providing culturally appropriate e-mental health care were reviewed with intent to determine where research efforts could be expanded or prioritized. A workshop was held in California to address the provision of mental health care in rural areas due to a variety of barriers, including language, culture, and poverty. A set of recommendations for expanding and prioritizing research efforts was developed in both science and policy.
Article
Peter Yellowlees, Shayna Marks, Don Hilty, Jay H. Shore, Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2008, 14(5): 486-492.

Improving access to information can improve health care

“Families across South Dakota and the nation are well aware of the cost of health care today, and it is rightly an issue that should concern leaders in Congress and other levels of government. While partisan politics often overshadows some of the common-sense steps we can take to improve access to affordable, high-quality care, expanding access to effective health care technologies has been one area of agreement.”
Article
Sen. John Thune, Meade County Times-Tribune, 17 June 2008

S.J. General to link patients, doctors via video

“San Joaquin County’s drastic shortage of physician specialists could improve rapidly with the announcement that San Joaquin General Hospital has been selected as one of six initial telehealth programs using video technology to link out-of-area doctors with local patients.
The half-dozen sites spread throughout the San Joaquin Valley are at the forefront of what is expected to become a larger project using telemedicine technologies to connect physicians with patients in some of the region’s most rural and underserved communities.
Article
Joe Goldeen, Reecordnet.com, 6 June 2008

Rural India to Reap Benefits of E-health Services

“HealthSprint, a healthcare IT company, in collaboration with various microinsurance service providers, is poised to offer e-health services to rural India. The company, through its e-health services offers transfer of healthcare data, appointments with specialists, health insurance coverage, Web-based searches for physicians, and online prescriptions and medical reports. In addition, the company offers customers’ connectivity with neighborhood laboratories and pharmacies through technology-based systems.”
Article
Updates@NIASoM, 4 June 2008

‘Net, Video Tools Successful in Lung Disease Management

“A program that uses video conferencing, the Internet and other technologies to provide pulmonary rehabilitation helps improve the condition of chronic lung disease patients in rural and remote areas, according to a Canadian study.”
Article
Forbes, 22 May 2008

ICMCC Event Preview 1

This is the first of a series of blogs in which I will give a preview of the various aspects of the upcoming ICMCC Event.

The Monday morning has 2 parallel sessions.

Read the rest of this entry »

La. begins linking rural hospitals

“A hospital in northern Louisiana recently became the first rural health care facility in the state to transmit patient information to a statewide health information exchange.”
Article
John Moore, Government Health IT, 14 May 2008

Africa: Toll-Free Mobile Service to Give Rural Africa Access to Medics

“A toll-free mobile service being launched in selected remote areas in Africa promises to save lives by connecting people with emergency medical cases to health personnel.
Under the initiative launched in Nairobi on Wednesday, health workers will also be trained through mobile phone sessions on day to day skills like collecting and sharing basic household health information.”
Article
Okuttah Mark, Business Daily Nairobi, 8 May 2008

Rural Louisiana hospital begins data exchange

“Delhi Hospital in Delhi, La. and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport have completed their first exchange of patient information, part of a plan to connect 44 rural hospitals.”
Article
Bernie Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 12 May 2008

AMA to HHS: Finish E-Script Standards

“The American Medical Association is calling on Congress to require the Department of Health and Human Services to complete all national technical standards to support electronic prescribing by the end of 2009.
Further, if e-prescribing is mandated under Medicare or more broadly, the Chicago-based organization supports a two-year transition period after the standards are complete, during which physicians and pharmacies can use facsimiles to transmit prescriptions.”
Article
Health Data Management, 9 May 2008

Unlimited Potential for tele-health

“Regular HealthBlog readers know that I’m a huge proponent of eHealth and tele-health as a means to extend healthcare information and services to citizens around the globe. In my world travels I see plenty of evidence that we are entering a new age in the provision of care; harkened by a need to help control spiraling costs, improve access, and extend a dwindling and aging population of skilled healthcare professionals.”
Article
Bill Crounse, HealthBlog, 7 May 2008

Talking Up A New Role For Cell Phones In Telemedicine

“After launching a communications revolution, cell phones are talking up a potentially life-saving new role in telemedicine — the use of telecommunications technology to provide medical diagnosis and patient care when doctors and patients are hundreds or thousands of miles apart. Researchers in the United States and Brazil describe development of a simple, inexpensive telemedicine system that uses ordinary cell phone cameras to collect medical data from patients and transmit the data to experts located offsite for analysis and diagnosis.”
Article
Science Daily, 5 May 2008

Developing IT Infrastructure for Rural Hospitals: a case study of benefits and challenges of hospital-to-hospital partnerships

Abstract:
This paper presents a study identifying benefits and challenges of a novel hospital-to-hospital IT outsourcing partnership (HHP). The partnership is an innovative response to the problem that many smaller, rural hospitals face: to modernize their IT infrastructure in spite of a severe shortage of resources. We studied three rural hospitals that outsourced their IT infrastructure, through an HHP, to a larger, more technologically advanced hospital in the region. The study design was based on purposive sampling and interviews of senior managers from the four hospitals. The results highlight the HHP’s benefits and challenges from both the rural hospitals’ and vendor hospital’s perspectives. The HHP was considered a success: a key outcome was that it has improved the rural hospitals’ IT infrastructure at an affordable cost. We discuss key elements for creating a successful HHP and offer preliminary answers to the question of what it takes for an HHP to be successful.
Abstract
Madhu C. Reddy, Sandeep Purao, and Mary Kelly, Journal of American Medical Informatics Association, April 24, 2008 as JAMIA PrePrint; doi:10.1197/jamia.M2676

U.S. Internet, Health IT Prospects Improving

“An international report ranks the United States’ Internet infrastructure among the best in the world, tempering dire predictions of Internet traffic jams and suggesting the U.S. system is getting better, not worse.
With a rural broadband health project under way and new political fervor for health IT brewing, prospects for online health applications in the U.S. are looking better as well, some experts say.”
Article
George Lauer, iHealthBeat, 1 May 2008

Telemedicine will bolster intensive care in 6 Maryland hospitals

“In response to a shortage of physicians, six rural Maryland hospitals have banded together to implement a remote-monitoring system for patients in their intensive care units.
The hospitals, organized as Maryland eCare, will get video and audio communications, intelligent monitoring and alarm systems in their ICUs. Specialist doctors and nurses in Wilmington, Del., will use the technology to monitor ICU patients. In the event of a change in a patient’s condition, the Delaware specialists will alert the Maryland hospital and suggest corrective action.”
Article
Nancy Ferris, Government Health IT, 29 April 2008

Is There a Successful Business Case for Telepharmacy?

“North Dakota has developed a successful statewide telepharmacy program, known as the North Dakota Telepharmacy Project, to restore, retain, and establish retail pharmacy services in medically underserved rural communities through the use of telepharmacy technology. A financial analysis of income statements and balance sheets for three consecutive years (2002, 2003, and 2004) was conducted to evaluate the utility of telepharmacy in rural areas. Financial analysis included review of common size income statement, ratio analysis, horizontal analysis, and examination of the overall effectiveness of the SBU model using these analytical procedures.
The purpose of this study was to assess the financial operation of a Single Business Unit (SBU), consisting of one central retail pharmacy and two remote retail telepharmacies. Analyses of income statements and balance sheets for three consecutive years (2002–2004) were conducted. Several items from these statements were compared to the industry average. Gross profit increased from $260,093 in 2002 to $502,262 in 2004. The net operating income percent was 2.9 percentage points below the industry average in 2002, 3.9 percentage points below in 2003, and 1.3 percentage points above in 2004. The inventory turnover ratio remained consistently below the industry average, but it also increased over the period. This is an area of concern, given the high cost of pharmaceuticals and a higher likelihood of obsolescence that exists with a time-sensitive inventory. Despite these concerns, the overall trend for the SBU is positive. The rate of growth between 2002 and 2004 shows that it is getting close to median sales as reported in the NCPA Digest. The results of this study indicate that multiple locations become profitable when a sufficient volume of patients (sales) is reached, combined with efficient use of the pharmacist’s time.”
Abstract
Shamima Khan, Herbert W. Snyder, Ann M. Rathke, David M. Scott, Charles D. Peterson. Telemedicine and e-Health. April 1, 2008, 14(3): 235-244. doi:10.1089/tmj.2007.0045