Going off the Grid - The Rise of “Direct Practice” Medicine
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Grid (grĭd) n.
Something resembling a framework of crisscrossed parallel bars, as in rigidity or organization
An interconnected system for the distribution of electricity or electromagnetic signals over a wide area, especially a network of high-tension cables and power stations.
The interconnected system employed by the Medico-Industrial complex to create a third party payment systems which artificially creates complexity, increases costs, reduces quality, eliminates accountability, and destroys the patient-physican relationship.
As has been documented in this blog, I have been on a health care finance reform journey t...
Source: Crossover Healthcare - May 16, 2008 Authors: scottshreeve Tags: Change Agents Entrepreneurship Healthcare Innovation Transparency Value
iFS Advanced Femtosecond Laser from AMO Approved
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The FDA has given approval to Advanced Medical Optics to market the company's new iFS™ Advanced Femtosecond Laser system, a 5th generation device, for IntraLASIK procedures.
Features of the device from the press release:
Capable of creating a corneal flap during the LASIK procedure in less than 10 seconds, the iFS(TM) Advanced Femtosecond Laser's unique inverted bevel-in side cut angle is designed to provide a virtually effortless flap lift, increase post-operative flap adhesion and enhance the biomechanical stability of the post-LASIK cornea. With full customization capabilities, it also produces an elliptical fla...
Source: Medgadget - May 16, 2008 Authors: Michael
Health Social Networking
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HealthChapter.com is a health based social network of people sharing their disease experiences, treatment options, knowledge and giving support to other people suffering from similar health problems. Its a place to talk about how to live well with disease, ask questions, share information about what is working for you, get sympathy, exchange ideas, request and recommend the best doctors, support and friendship from other patients suffering from the same disease. You can also talk about what drugs, herbs, supplements and alternative methods work. By sharing your health experiences, you can help others and improve their qual...
Source: Dr. Subrahmanyam Karuturi - May 16, 2008 Authors: Dr.Subrahmanyam Karuturi
Information Therapy Conference in June in Washington DC
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Posted May 16, 2008 by Lygeia Ricciardi On June 12-13, the 2008 Ix Conference, WIxRED: Next-Generation Patient-Centered Care, will take place in Washington DC. Dovetailing with National Health IT Week, the Ix Conference is presently the only partner event of...
Source: Project Health Design Blog - May 16, 2008 Authors: Lygeia Ricciardi
Public Invited to See Nanosoccer 2008 US RoboCup Open
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For this one, your glasses ain't gonna be much help. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will be hosting for the second time the world's most puny sport, and you are invited. This year, three student teams (Carnegie-Mellon University, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the University of Waterloo, from Ontario, Canada), will participate in a public exhibition at the 2008 US RoboCup Open in Pittsburgh, PA, May 25 to 27, a competition "where miniature "soccer players"--computer-driven robots six times smaller than an amoeba operating on a field the size of a grain of rice--will show off their skills." So, what ...
Source: Medgadget - May 16, 2008 Authors: Michael
SpongeBob Squarepants Musical Rectal Thermometer
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The title seems to speak enough for itself. This thing could also be used orally or underarm.
More on the craze at Cartoon Brew...
Product page: Musical SpongeBob™ Digital Thermometer ...
Source: Medgadget - May 16, 2008 Authors: Michael
Leica Introduces New Stereomicroscopes M205 FA and M165 FC
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Leica Microsystems has introduced two new stereomicroscopes, Leica M205 FA (top) and M165 FC (below). The devices are based on the company's innovative FusionOptic™ technology that utilizes normal human neurology to increase the resolution of stereomicroscopes (for details, see our Nov. 2007 post:FusionOptic™ technology).
German Healthcare Export Group provides the details:
The Leica M205 FA and M165 FC stereomicroscopes are Leica Microsystems‘ latest addition to its innovative M series for demanding fluorescence applications in developmental, molecular and cellular biology.
Combining the revolutionary...
Source: Medgadget - May 16, 2008 Authors: Michael
Bush -- political treason in Israel? (Philly Daily News)
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An unbelievable article from the Philadelphia Daily News on Bush's bizarre remarks in Israel. Article excerpted below. Thanks to truthout for the link.By Will Bunch.
I've seen a lot of sad things in American politics in my lifetime -- the resignation of a president who became a national disgrace after he oversaw a campaign of break-ins and cover-ups, another who circumvented the Constitution to trade arms for hostages, and yet is now hailed as national hero. And those paled to what we have seen in the last seven years -- flagrant disregard for the Constitution, the launching of a "pre-emptive" war on false prete...
Source: I'm Gina Smith - May 15, 2008 Authors: gina smith Tags: Current Affairs
The Medical Home Hits the RUC
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Today’s post (#2 in a series) tackles several questions:
What is the American Medical Association/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC)?
What is the RUC’s role in the Medicare Medical Home Demonstration project?
How are people reacting to RUC recommendations for PCMH reimbursement levels?
What is the American Medical Association/Specialty Society RVS Update Committee (RUC)?
The AMA formed the RUC to act as an expert panel in making recommendations to CMS on the relative values of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes using the Resource Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS).
The RUC is composed of 29...
Source: e-CareManagement - May 15, 2008 Authors: Vince Kuraitis Tags: DM Megatrend #4: Providers care management disease management eHealth GH medical home medicare primary care
CDA - The American Bridge from HL7 V2.X to V3?
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At last week’s HL7 Working Group meeting, it became clear that US adoption of the HL7 Version 3 Standard is still years away, with one lone exception: Clinical Document Architecture (CDA).
It seems as though implementation of the larger standard is still seen as a herculean task, requiring not just a rework of HL7 2.X import/export modules but also a potential overhaul of applications’ underlying database schema and object model. But the Structured Documents committee (SDTC) has done a nice job of achieving one of its primary design principles concerning HL7 CDA – minimizing technical barriers to implementation....
Source: NeoTool Healthcare IT Blog - May 15, 2008 Authors: Jason Williams Tags: CDA HL7 Standard
Medicare Dare
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On yesterday's CMS NPI Roundtable, the fine folks (and I truly mean that) from the Office of E-Health Standards and Services repeated their admonishment that they can't investigate a suspected violation without someone filing a complaint. You can remain anonymous, they said, but remember that if you do, it can be hard to reach resolution, because the process is designed to elicit a back-and-forth exchange between the parties to reach consensus.
They said, in the 500 or so transaction complaints filed thus far, there have been no instances of retribution.
(Go tell that to your CFO, quick!)
What they did not mention is th...
Source: The HIT Transition Weblog - May 15, 2008 Authors: Martin Jensen Tags: Contingency Medicare NPI - National Provider ID
Fusion Man - I wish I could fly
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'Fusion Man', aka Yves Rossy, flies with a jet-powered single wing over the Alps in Bex, Switzerland, Wednesday, May 14, 2008. An ancient dream comes true... (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) http://wtop.com/?nid=218&sid=634384&pid=0
Source: Positive Technology Journal - May 15, 2008 Tags: Wearable & mobile
Further feedback on the demise of Q&A
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Further to a post last Friday (click here).Why will you cease operations on 27th June? Is there any point inlobbying to try & keep your service available? If so, who should I contact (from a v satisfied customer!)Why is the clinical Q&A service being axed? It is excellent and will be sorely missedWhat a desperate shame this service is to discontinue! I have only just discovered it and have found it enormously useful because it is evidence based. Please feel free to pass this message on to anyone who has influence over this decision.Why is the NLH Q+A service ceasing operations? Has the funding been pulled? Will the...
Source: Liberating the literature - May 15, 2008
Quality standards in Q&A
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At the start of the week I had the pleasure of presenting at the 2008 Clinical Librarian Study Day. I was tasked with talking about quality standards in Q&A. This was a tough subject to do justice. I've worked hard for ten years on Q&A yet had never really thought about 'standards'. So it took a while to distill my thinking into reasonable standards.I came up with two types of standards:EasyRealEasy standards are the ones I consider self-evident e.g.Competency in searching various databasesReturn answers in an agreed timeKeep responses to a reasonable (brief) lengthAnswers should be referencedBut adhering to these ...
Source: Liberating the literature - May 15, 2008
Masterclass Event - Social Networking in the NHS
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Source: Informaticopia - May 15, 2008 Tags: social networking Web2.0 CfH NHS
Study: Riata High-Voltage Leads Show "Performance and Reliability"
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St. Jude Medical is giddy with excitement about the results of four studies presented at Heart Rhythm Society's 29th Annual Scientific Sessions in San Francisco this week. The multicenter studies have shown that the company's Riata ST Optim leads, designed for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) devices, perform extremely well in clinical settings. The company describes these leads as "highly advanced tachycardia pacing leads, with an overlay of St. Jude Medical's innovative Optim insulation and a design intended to ease implant, and promote reliability."
The studies...
Source: Medgadget - May 15, 2008 Authors: Michael
Tumor Targeting, Immune System Evading Nanoworms
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Scientists from UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and MIT developed metal nanoparticles, that can, because of their shape and polymer coating, evade the body's immune system, allowing for free movement around the body. Additionally, a coating of a special peptide F3 molecule allows the nanoparticle to hone in on tumor cells. Perhaps this is the complimentary technology that is required to make the Kanzius Machine effective against tumors?
The scientists constructed their nanoworms from spherical iron oxide nanoparticles that join together, like segments of an earthworm, to produce tiny gummy worm-like structures about 30 n...
Source: Medgadget - May 15, 2008 Authors: Michael
Paper-based Diagnostic Microfluidic Devices
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MIT Technology Review is reporting that researchers at Harvard are using paper as the building block material for creating small microfluidic devices, potentially allowing to make cheap disposable diagnostic tests.
A pinprick of blood or drop of urine soaked up at the edge of the Whitesides device moves naturally through the paper, in much the way that wine will spread through a paper napkin. But the paper is treated with a hydrophobic polymer, which directs the liquid along prescribed channels. Once the liquid reaches the wells at the ends of the channels, it interacts with reagents, turning the paper different colors. T...
Source: Medgadget - May 15, 2008 Authors: Michael
The Trials and Tribulation of Going Paperless with an EHR
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The following set of sagas appeared in the last little while. The Five Biggest Mistakes of EHR Implementation Five facilities share their stories of EHR disasters so others can learn from their mistakes. By Ainsley Maloney "Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself." The above quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is the theme of our article and the hope these five facilities had when they opened up to ADVANCE and bravely shared their stories of EHR disasters and downfalls. One facility watched as money drained out of its practice and its patients switched doctors; another made its ph...
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - May 15, 2008 Authors: Aus HIT Man
Haemacure Link to Webcast of Presentation at the Biotech/Pharma/Healthcare Investor Forum
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Haemacure Investor presentation available HERE
Source: Medical Hemostat - May 15, 2008 Authors: hemostatguy at gmail.com (hemostat guy)
Using Lasers for Aligning Bio Molecules
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Argonne Laboratory researchers have developed a method to align molecules using lasers, which may eliminate the need to crystallize large groups of molecules for synchrotron X-ray diffraction.
Crystallization allows scientists to create a periodic structure that will strongly diffract in specific directions when bombarded with X-rays. From the resulting diffraction pattern, scientists can construct a real-space image of the crystal. However, without crystallization, when X-rays collide with multiple, randomly oriented molecules, they diffract in different directions, making it impossible to create a composite diffraction...
Source: Medgadget - May 15, 2008 Authors: Michael
Video comments now enabled via Seesmic
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Now, if I need to demonstrate something, I can use Seesmic for producing a video, or allow a commenter to upload a video reponse to a post.
Let's see if this works.
And it does.
Source: Wireless Doc - May 14, 2008 Authors: Bill Koslosky, MD Tags: digital lifestyle
HealthCampMD in June
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HealthCampMD (http://barcamp.org/HealthCampMd) will look at Social Networks, Web 2.0 technology and Data Portability as it might impact the Health Care industry.
This will be a meeting of minds of technologists and health care professionals interested in the evolution of the Health Care industry.
Check out the information page at http://barcamp.org/HealthCampMd and sign up! If you live nearby in MD, VA, or DC please pass along this message.
Source: The Healthcare IT Guy - May 14, 2008 Authors: Shahid N. Shah Tags: Miscellaneous
Well, if green aliens are really coming to visit ...
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... at least they picked the en vogue color. It's cool to be green. Crazy-bizarre story out of London today excerpted below.
But before you read it. Consider. Maybe they're coming to stop us from firing up the new CERN particle accelerator some physicists think will suck the world into a black hole. AGH!
Could world news get any weirder? Ask me tomorrow.By Jeremy Lovell
LONDON (Reuters) - Aliens from outer space have been visiting Britain for years and UFO sightings doubled after the film Close Encounters was released in 1977, according to secret files collating reports by members of the public.
The alien craft come i...
Source: I'm Gina Smith - May 14, 2008 Authors: gina smith Tags: Odd News
Health 2.0 - Clinical Trials
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A new way to search for clinical trials is now available through Emerging Med. Wrapping clinical trials information from the NIH with a set of tools and services, this new site offers a range of services. You can create a profile to be notified of clinical trials and utilize the matching system to get a referral for treatment. Phone support is also available. There are some good suggestions on when to search, for instance,
Just before a biopsy (to study tissue from a tumor)
Just before the first surgery or radiation treatment (neo-adjuvant studies)
Just after surgery or radiation treatme...
Source: eHealth - May 14, 2008 Authors: John Sharp Tags: Health 2.0
Medicare: "We Know We Are Violating HIPAA Standard"
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We eagerly dialed in to today's CMS NPI Roundtable call wondering how -- or whether -- they would deal with the opinion we sought out -- that Medicare's policy that providers falsify claims data by saying they had referred patients to themselves when a referrer's NPI was unavailable is, in fact, a violation of the 837 standard.
In X12's authoritative interpretation of their own guide, trading partners may not "modify the definition, meaning, or intent of the Implementation Guide." In other words, the Referring Provider stuff needs to refer to the actual referring provider -- payers (yes, even Medicare!) are not allowed t...
Source: The HIT Transition Weblog - May 14, 2008 Authors: Martin Jensen Tags: Contingency Medicare NPI - National Provider ID
Rating Your Own EMR
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Some people have asked me how I rate the EMR I work with every day. I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s unfair to me and the people I work with. It’s not that I don’t have strong feelings about my EMR. I really do. I know the pros and cons, the ins the outs, and everything in between. However, it’s just hard rating my EMR and hopefully I can help you understand why.
My job is to implement this EMR the best way possible. That’s what I do. It doesn’t matter if it’s good bad or ugly. It’s counter productive for me to rate how good my EMR is. It is what it is. I haven’...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - May 14, 2008 Authors: administrator Tags: EHR EMR EMR Consulting EMR Technology EMR Rating
CPOE Update
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Leapfrog has released a CPOE test. This does not appear to be the tool that Leapfrog promised in 2001. The tool was supposed to be developed by FCG. There is no mention of FCG (or their new owner, CSC) in the press release.
In 2008 Leapfrog won’t be releasing the results. However, the hospitals will need to pass the test in order to claim that they have fully implemented the CPOE leap. I am predicting this will be delayed. But, I am a skeptic. Perhaps I should not be. There has been a lot of positive progress at the Leapfrog Group in the short time since Leah Binder took office in March 2008. We are...
Source: Candid CIO - May 14, 2008 Authors: hospitalcio Tags: Leapfrog
Another milestone - 50,000+ searches in a day
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Yesterday, TRIP was searched 51,021 times, the first time we've been searched over 50,000 times per day.This increase must be down to the significant increase in users who are coming back on a more regular basis.What's the next milestone? 2 million searches per month, 400,000 per week or 75,000 per day....
Source: Liberating the literature - May 14, 2008
Out of hibernation
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It's been since March 29 that I've updated this blog. That was much longer than I had anticipated. I know it's been too long when I start getting e-mails wondering what happened to me. Honestly, I didn't realize this blog was that popular. Aw, shucks. I know some people have noticed that I haven't been writing much lately for Digital HealthCare & Productivity either. I will have stories there next week, however.As I mentioned nearly two months ago, I was buried in a huge assignment from Doctor's Digest. I'm actually still working on some loose ends. I also took 10 much-needed days for a vacation in Italy. (Thanks, Jane Sar...
Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog - May 14, 2008 Tags: mobile iPhone TEPR Microsoft
An Update About the 2nd Annual DiabetesMine Design Challenge
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Co-sponsored by Medgadget, the 2nd Annual DiabetesMine™ Design Challenge, "a competition designed to foster innovation in diabetes design and encourage creative new tools that will improve life with diabetes," is gathering up steam. As we have reported before, the contest is looking for unique, practical, and novel design ideas that may one day be applied to real products for diabetics. The winners of the design challenge will receive both prize money and consulting time with design firm IDEO. How much money? Now even more of it!
Please note the following newly announced updates to the competition:
increased prize...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
U.S. Department of Defense Picks New QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) as First-Line Hemostatic Treatment for All Military Services
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WALLINGFORD, Conn., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Z-Medica Corporation (Z-Medica), a medical products company focused on innovative blood clotting nano-technologies, announced that the United States Department of Defense has selected the company's newest hemostatic product, QuikClot(R) Combat Gauze(TM) brand, for all military services as the first-line hemostatic treatment for life-threatening
Source: Medical Hemostat - May 14, 2008 Authors: hemostatguy at gmail.com (hemostat guy)
Turkish Hemostat - Ankaferd Bloodstopper
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Ankaferd Bloodstopper is a stable and sterile medical product of standard vegetable content which serves as a hemostasis regulator and displays fast haemostatic effect when applied to control minor or major hemorrhages due to exterior wounds, traumatic cuts, dental operations, spontaneous or surgical procedures.
The product appears to be registered in Turkey only currently.
Source: Medical Hemostat - May 14, 2008 Authors: hemostatguy at gmail.com (hemostat guy)
Successful Gene Expression Profiling Performed on Embryos
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A team from Monash University in Australia has developed a way to identify, and do a DNA analysis of embryos, which should improve the success of IVF procedures in the future.
Dr. Gayle Jones, co-author of the study, and a senior research scientists at the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories said the following:
"One of the major stumbling blocks to worldwide acceptance of a single embryo transfer policy is the lack of highly predictive criteria to select the single most viable embryo within a cohort. The ability to use objective, measurable criteria rather than subjective observations, such as morphology, should...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
HemCon completes acquisition of Alltracel Pharmaceuticals
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HemCon Medical Technologies Inc. said Wednesday it has completed the acquisition of Dublin, Ireland-based Alltracel Pharmaceuticals in a cash-for-stock deal.
The purchase occurred through Castlerise Investments Ltd., a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of HemCon. Alltracel will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of HemCon and maintain its headquarters in Dublin. Combined revenue is expected
Source: Medical Hemostat - May 14, 2008 Authors: hemostatguy at gmail.com (hemostat guy)
Medtronic 3D Vision Line Gets First FDA Approvals
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Medtronic received FDA approval for the company's wireless implantable defibrillators, the first devices in a product line that also includes pacemakers and resynchronization therapy pacemakers.
Leading into Heart Rhythm 2008, the pre-eminent worldwide gathering of cardiologists specializing in electrophysiology, Medtronic, Inc... announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the first wave of cardiac rhythm disease management therapies under the new Vision 3D™ portfolio, which will comprise a full line of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillato...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
Challenges facing translational biomedical research
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I was at two different meetings last week at the NIH in Bethesda, MD,
both of which were related to the fostering of clinical research
networks. The first meeting, called "Clinical Research Networks:
Building the Foundation for Health Care Transformation", was the
culmination of the NIH Roadmap "Re-Engineering the Clinical Research
Enterprise" program, in which a dozen academic health centers and other
research institutions fulfilled contracts to do research and develop
tools and techniques for the creation, care and feeding of clinical
research networks.
The network concept was defined broadly to include diseas...
Source: FutureHIT - Speculations on the Future of Health IT - May 14, 2008 Authors: Hunscher
SEPET Extracorporeal Liver Assist Device OK'ed for Pivotal Clinical Trial
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SEPET™ Liver Assist Device, a blood purification technology designed by Arbios Systems, Inc., a Pasadena, CA company, has been given FDA's Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) status. The clearance paves the way for the company to begin a pivotal clinical trial. The device, a filter with special qualities, is designed for use with a standard blood dialysis system. We first reported about SEPET™ Liver Assist Device back in April 2005.
More about the technology, and the planned trial:
The SEPET™ Liver Assist Device is a novel blood purification therapy designed for use with a standard blood dialysis sy...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
AudiOdyssey DJ Simulator for Visually Impaired or Not
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A new computer game called AudiOdyssey, developed by MIT and Singaporean students, makes it possible "for visually impaired people to play the game on a level field with their sighted friends."
From the product page:
The user stars as Vinyl Scorcher, an up-and-coming DJ, on his quest to get club patrons dancing. Swinging the Nintendo Wii controller to the beat, Vinyl lays down the various component tracks of a song, and keeps the party jumping. If he does an especially good job, he can even freestyle! But beware - if dancers get too rowdy, they're likely to bump into the turntables, messing up Vinyl's tracks. Think you h...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
Novel Surgical Biomaterial Receives Regulatory Approvals
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CorMatrix, an Atlanta, Georgia company, has received FDA approval to use its CorMatrix ECM™ material during cardiac procedures for "suture-line reinforcing, buttressing for soft tissue reaproximation, repair of cannulation sites and bleeding sites, and as an intracardiac patch or pledget for tissue repair of structural problems such as septal defects", according to a company representative. Additionally, CorMatrix received EU's CE Mark for its CorMatrix ECM for Pericardial Closure bioscaffold and plans on marketing the material in Europe this year.
From a press release obtained by Medgadget:
The company's platform ...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
How Dangerous is Moon Dust?
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At the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, scientists are studying the human physiologic response to prolonged exposure to lunar dust, the particles of which might pose a threat to human lungs:
During the Apollo lunar missions in the late 1960s and 1970s, the clingy particles were easily transported via spacesuits into the lunar lander following moonwalks. The amount of dust inside the vehicle was so great some astronauts reported they could smell it.
Even though there were no known illnesses due to exposure, lunar dust is a concern because it has properties comparable to that of fresh-fractured quartz, a highl...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
Scientists Discover Heat Sensing Regulator
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Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins are working on identifying molecular mechanisms behind the sensation of heat in food and spiciness. Their latest research was published in the latest Cell.
From the press statement by Johns Hopkins:
“Pain sensitivity increases during inflammation or injury and we want to know what molecules are involved in pain sensation when sensitivity is elevated,” says Xinzhong Dong, Ph.D., an assistant professor of neuroscience at Hopkins.
The ability to sense temperature heat and spice is controlled by the TRPV1 protein channel found on the surface of certain nerve cells. In an inactive...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
Telemedicine Demonstrating Value
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Here is an interview (see below) of Dr McConnochie on a Rochester based Pediatric Telemedicine program "Healthy Access". There have placed telemedicine equipment at childcare programs so a child can have a tele-consult with a physician without leaving the child care center in case of illness. This has proved to be a real convenience for families, but has also shown to reduce ED visits. See this press release:Telemedicine a Cost-Effective Alternative to ER VisitsThe bottom line from their study: A 24% reduction in ED visits in the group of children using telemedicine and a savings of $14/child per year for the insurers. Als...
Source: RHIOs, Health Information Exchange & Healthcare IT - May 14, 2008 Authors: Mark Singh MD
Force Feedback Haptic Technology Used in Surgical Drilling Simulator
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Haptic technology is probably finding more use in medicine than in any other industry, most famously found in the Da Vinci robotic surgical system. (Our mistake, Da Vinci is not a haptic device --ed.) Medic Vision Ltd., a Melbourne, Australia company that builds surgical simulators, is now using the popular PHANTOM force feedback device from SensAble in its new surgical drilling simulator, providing realistic feeling while reducing the need for smelly cadavers to train on.
The Mediseus® Surgical Drilling Simulator is the world's first commercially available solution for temporal bone drilling to rely on the same viewi...
Source: Medgadget - May 14, 2008 Authors: Michael
Win $10k For Your Best Healthcare Idea
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I came across an interesting idea today from the Change Now 4 Health community where they are giving away $10k for the best healthcare idea. They are calling it Innovation xChange. Here’s a summary of what they’re trying to do:
Do you want to improve the U.S. health care system? Or at least be part of the much-needed dialogue?
If you have ideas or solutions to improve the system, submit your ideas through ChangeNow4Health’s Innovation xChange and you can win up to $10,000 or have your ideas published in the e-book, Tomorrow’s Health Care.
The Innovation xChange is looking for practical ideas and suggestion...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - May 13, 2008 Authors: EMR and HIPAA Tags: EHR EMR EMR Technology HealthCare IT Health IT Innovation xChange
Federal Budget for 2008-9 – E-Health Cut!
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Despite these comments in the Budget Papers (p157) “Improved Clinical Practice and Decision-Making Through e-Health The Australian Government’s e-Health agenda aims to support improved safety and quality outcomes, and better clinical and administrative decision-making. The Australian Government will provide national leadership in e-Health, in demonstrating to the Australian community the health care safety and quality benefits of e-Health, and developing measures to ensure the necessary privacy of health information. In 2008-09, the Australian Government, through the Department, will work with the states and territor...
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - May 13, 2008 Authors: Aus HIT Man
Wi-Fi Device Drivers for Medical Devices
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When you buy a Wi-Fi infrastructure device such as an access point or router, you do not pay extra for the software; it is included with the purchase price of the product. The same is true when a device maker buys a Wi-Fi radio module or card that is embedded or used in the device. Even though there is no extra charge for Wi-Fi software, that software provides most of a Wi-Fi product’s functionality in areas such as connectivity, roaming, security, quality of service, and management. Software also enables a Wi-Fi vendor to differentiate its offering by implementing features that address specific market and device req...
Source: Medical Connectivity Consulting - May 13, 2008 Authors: Chris Bolinger Tags: Wireless Medical Devices device driver wireless LAN
The Medical Home: Confusion Over Care Management Fees
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This report has stirred cries of confusion and outrage. I’ll elaborate on these cries in the second posting of this series, but if you can’t wait, read here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Welcome to a series of three blog postings discussing the PCMH, care management fees, and the RUC report. I can’t claim to smooth the uproar, but I hope to frame the issues so that they can be understood and discussed constructively.
The series will address numerous questions. This first post:
What is the PCMH care management fee?
Why is the PCMH care management fee important?
Why are people confused?
The...
Source: e-CareManagement - May 13, 2008 Authors: Vince Kuraitis Tags: DM Megatrend #4: Providers care coordination care management data disease management disruptive innovation eHealth ehr EHRs/PHRs GH medical home medicare medicare health support medicare medical home demonstration platform pr
NPR and Social Media Presentation
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Source: Informaticopia - May 13, 2008
New non-smoking technology in Japan may foil teen smokers. (Reuters)
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This seems like technology that is unlikely to catch any smoker under 35. But let's see.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Cigarette vending machines in Japan may soon start counting wrinkles, crow's feet and skin sags to see if the customer is old enough to smoke.
The legal age for smoking in Japan is 20 and as the country's 570,000 tobacco vending machines prepare for a July regulation requiring them to ensure buyers are not underage, a company has developed a system to identify age by studying facial features.
By having the customer look into a digital camera attached to the machine, Fujitaka Co's system will compare facial characte...
Source: I'm Gina Smith - May 13, 2008 Authors: gina smith Tags: Odd News
