MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'hug'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:10:00 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182095&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fbooks-about-ms%2F Though we tried a regular “MS Book Club” for a couple of years here on the Life With MS Blog, it never really took. I think the idea of a book club is best experienced in person and, let’s face it, there’s food and wine at said club get-togethers! We read through some pretty good books about MS (and about living a full life in general) during that time; but it’s been a while and I know there are more books that have hit the market. So I thought we’d take this end of summertime post to chat about MS books. More to the point, I’m wondering what books you’ve found helpful, inspiring, entertaining, etc having to do with Multiple Sclerosis? I get the odd advanced copy sent to me to read/review now and again but, quite frankly don’t seem to seek out books about MS specifically... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182095 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:41:29 +0100 5182095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734378&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-didnt-give-us-nuttin-we-took-it%2F The funeral mass for the first person I ever knew to have multiple sclerosis took place today. She lived a good life, a happy life, a full life. She’s remembered today for her love of family, of friends, and of travel. Goldine’s life with MS taught me much — likely far more than she would have ever known. Her love of travel in particular (oft with one of her daughters to help) made me look at my life with MS differently from the start. And today, in her honor, I state plainly that MS didn’t “give” us anything. If there is goodness in our life after MS that wasn’t there before; we took it! MS is a sly and evil thief. I’ll never give it the power of saying ‘MS gave me…’ and I think that if we do say something like that, we give too much credit to the disease... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734378 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:25:56 +0100 4734378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734102&cid=t_115484_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-hug-that-may-have-saved-a-life%2F2011.04.20 Every once in a while we physicians make an astute (or perhaps lucky) observation that becomes a turning point in a patient’s life. I’ll never forget the time that I placed a hand on an elderly woman’s belly after she said that she felt a little bit dizzy – the pulsatile abdominal mass that I discovered set in motion a cascade of events that resulted in life-saving surgery for an disecting abdominal  aortic aneurysm (AAA). It was incredibly gratifying to be involved in saving her life – and now anyone who so much as swoons in my vicinity gets a tummy rub! (Yes, Dr. Groopman I know that’s not necessarily a rational response to one lucky “exam finding.”) Last week I made a fortunate “catch” on the order of the AAA discovery from ye... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734102 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:00:32 +0100 4734102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719987&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-spasticity-do-you-have-this-symptom%2F Few multiple sclerosis symptoms can be as frightening, as painful, as obvious, or as conundrus (yep, I needed to invent a whole new word for it) as spasticity. The very name seems to describe it perfectly while leaving out one entire side of the symptom’s reality. Spasticity, as defined by the National MS Society, can cause either “sustained muscle contractions or sudden movements.” So, our muscles may be contracted – stiffened to the point that joints lock and render limbs immobile – or, contrarily, cause our body to jump, jerk, and flail uncontrollably. The aspect of spasticity that required me conceive of the new adjective is that the symptom can, amazingly, be advantageous to some patients with MS. Again from the NMSS: “Some degree of spasticity can also provide benefit... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719987 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:12:21 +0100 4719987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600684&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fms-awareness-week-day-3-care-partners%2F Multiple sclerosis is a family disease. Even if you are the only one in your family living with a diagnosis of MS — like I was for the first decade after my diagnosis — your family lives with MS as well. Some people live well with MS, some struggle and suffer (in their own ways). The same holds true for family members and friends of people with MS. Today, as part of our week-long series dedicated to MS Awareness Week, I’d like to call out our care partners. It’s not easy to live with someone with MS. It’s not possible to read our minds. It’s not always pleasant to be around us when we require (and sometimes don’t ask for) extra help, but our care partners do it. Some care partners are friends we pay — nursing assistants, home health aides, and the like. Others are friends o... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600684 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:15:23 +0100 4600684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3982015&cid=t_115484_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhuman-touch-does-it-belong-in-medicine%2F2010.09.18 The New York Times asks: “Should the doctor hold a patient’s hand” during emotional times? The comments that follow the short article are the most interesting. Most readers say this question shouldn’t even be asked and that human compassion should always win out. Touch is a human gesture of comfort and understanding. But some readers disagree. One said she recoiled when the doctor reached out to touch her hand after telling her that her cancer had returned. It felt really creepy to her. Another asked: “What if the physician is also a Catholic priest or a pediatrician and a priest?” Whoa. It becomes more complex when you get into the psyche of the abused. I have often thought that one of the appeals of chiropractors is that they “lay on hands&#... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3982015 Sat, 18 Sep 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3982015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963237&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fspeaking-of-november-how-is-your-ms-today%2F I love the folk song January Man by Dave Goulder.  The first time I heard the song was in a version sung by Christy Moore while driving a back road of County Kerry, in Ireland. In this song, each month is represented by a man.  “The poor November Man” as the song goes, “Sees fire and wind and mist and rain and winter air.” Good Grief…the November Man has MS! Each month we take time in the first week to allow for an ongoing discussion of how your multiple sclerosis is treating you.  This is a popular spot for comments and an open exchange of ideas and issues. I love to go back and read the comments throughout the month. As you may have gathered from my last few postings, my MS has been making itself known even more than most days.  I’m battling, these days.  My legs are hea... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963237 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:27:19 +0100 2963237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458361&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fmultiple-sclerosis-and-facial-pain%2F It wasn’t that long ago when a competent doctor might have told us that “there is no pain associated with MS.”  It’s funny how much they’ve learned in the past few years. We’ve talked about some of the pains associated with multiple sclerosis here before.  There have been discussions of the MS Hug, stabbing leg & foot pain, Lhermitte’s sign, etc.  One MS Pain we haven’t much talked about is trigeminal neuralgia (TN) also known as tic douloureux.  When people have this, they feel a hot, stabbing facial pain. We haven’t spoken about it in these pages because, quite frankly, I didn’t think that many of us experienced it.  After one of the guys in my “MS Poker Night” guy’s group missed a meeting and returned the next month to tell us about it, I started looki... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458361 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:30:09 +0100 2458361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398627&cid=t_115484_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fhugs-make-you-happier%2F MSNBC reported the other day that ‘thanks to the swine flu, there’s a little less hugging and kissing  [going on] in the United States’.  They base this on a recent  Harvard survey that found about 1 in 10 Americans have stopped hugging, kissing, and even shaking hands because of swine flu concerns. Sounds pretty extreme and probably not all that good for your health. Hugging, after all, makes people happier. And happier people will often be healthier people. Hugging, a simple physical expressions of affection,  improves and strengthen peoples connections and relationships with other people and themselves. Hugging, even in the time of swine flu H1N1 flu, is good for you.  To find out more about why hugging is good, check out this recent article over at The... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398627 Sun, 10 May 2009 06:48:37 +0100 2398627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3599523&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F4AxXQhCAgBc%2Fheaded-for-himss-2009.aspx Like the past 8, this year I will be at 2009 HIMSS Healthcare IT Conference and Exhibition. I will be there starting tomorrow (Friday 4/3) for internal Microsoft training. As you can imagine this is a good opportunity to get all the Microsoft people in healthcare together. MS-HUG is on Saturday with a lot of great content. In particular if you are interested in learning more about how our customers are using Amalga UIS, make sure not to miss the session “Dealing with Tough Knowledge Management Issues with Amalga” by Ted Corbett, Seattle Children’s Hospital at 9:15am. The show floor opens on Sunday at 2pm and I will be hanging around the Microsoft pavilion most of the time. You can find us at booth 1232 (easy to remember :-) I will be for sure in the booth on Sunday afternoon, Monday ... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3599523 Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:41:59 +0100 3599523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1668856&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=36670&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmsdn%2Fhealthblog%2F%7E5%2F350992790%2FTechForum2008RedmondBrochure.pdf Would you like to get the latest scoop on HealthVault and Microsoft Amalga?  How about a sneak peek at future health solutions using Microsoft Surface?  Would you like to see how some of the world's leading healthcare organizations are improving workflow collaboration and delighting patients with Microsoft Unified Communications?  Or how about an opportunity to see a clinical user interface built with Microsoft Silverlight?  Would you like to see how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can improve patient loyalty and satisfaction?   Would you like to visit the Microsoft campus in Redmond and meet the executives who are leading our health initiatives around the world?  Would you like to tour the Microsoft Home of the future?  If so, this is your golden ticket.   ... HealthBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1668856 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:45:50 +0100 1668856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1463749&cid=t_115484_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F05%2F23%2Fa-portable-hug-for-you%2F Imagine receiving a portable hug anytime you needed one. That’s the idea behind a new device called a deep-pressure vest that delivers a “portable hug” called deep pressure touch stimulation (DPTS). While no replacement for a human hug, this type of stimulation has shown promise in multiple research studies that have examined its effectiveness for a range of childhood conditions: Occupational therapists working with children suffering from autism, ADHD and sensory processing disorders have observed that DPTS can increase attention to tasks and reduce anxiety and harmful behaviors by providing different sensory stimuli. DPTS is also part of a growing trend to improve the lives of adults with mental illness by using touch, sound and aroma to influence alertness, attention and t... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1463749 Fri, 23 May 2008 12:47:27 +0100 1463749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1400713&cid=t_115484_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F277933076%2F Here is a nice little fact for you… So have a loving weekend! When you fall in love or you are with your family, just hugging could help you lower your blood pressure. Talking, sharing or cuddling up with some one you love could help as well. Romance could almost be just the antidote for high blood pressure. via Window2India Tags: blood-pressure, hug kiss, love, loweringShare This (Source: A Hearty Life) A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1400713 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:25:57 +0100 1400713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1096333&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fthe-race-to-an-oral-ms-drug-will-you-be-first-in-line%2F I know, I know…I wrote, earlier this week, that we’d start using the day after a HealthTalk MS webcast to further discuss the previous evening’s topic. But after our show, I have to leave the studio and head to the airport to catch a redeye to Florida. By the time my flight lands and I drive to my parents’ place on the Gulf Coast, I’m pretty sure that writing a blog isn’t going to be in the cards. I’m writing this on Thursday morning, unspeakably early, as my day is full and my night will be spent so comfortably snuggled in seat 11D. We’ve talked here and there about oral drug therapies for multiple sclerosis. We’re all hoping for a safe and effective pill we can pop rather than continue our human pin cushion impressions. We all know that there are trials underway; I ... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1096333 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:44:39 +0100 1096333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1088767&cid=t_115484_136_f&fid=35300&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmetastaticlivercancer.org%2F2007-12-12-cancer-treatment%2Fcolon-cancer-story-from-kristen%2F Comment from Kristen at Liver cancer is a killer, with answer from Metastatic Liver Cancer. My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer on Feb.14th, 2007. The doctor gave him 2 days to 2 weeks to live. He died on Feb. 16th, 2007. The cancer had spread and was inoperable. Nothing prepared my family for the shock of his death and we are still trying to deal with it. The ironic thing is my father was scheduled for a colonoscopy the day after we took him to the ER. The stuff he was supposed to drink for the colonoscopy made him ill, which is why we went to the ER where we found out why. People say it gets easier, but for my family, it hasn’t yet. Metastatic liver cancer reactions Dear Kristen, Accept our condolences and a big hug. Like you say: it just doesn’t get any easier emotional... Metastatic liver cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1088767 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:21:25 +0100 1088767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1021458&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fdeath-of-a-clown%2F This past week, they let me into mass. I say that tongue-in-cheek, but it was a sad occasion which brought me into the cathedral because a friend had passed away. It was a funerary mass; a funeral for a clown. “Barney”, as his friends knew him, had been a Seattle Seafair Clown for over 40 years. I knew Barney for only the last 3 or 4 years of his life and he changed the way I look at much of mine. You know, you always learn so much about a person at their funeral or wake. I learned many things about Barney last week and one of them has particular significance for me today. While other clowns tossed handfuls of candy to parade-going children, Barney’s gig was one, single sweetie. With just a solitary, cellophane wrapped bit of sugar, Barney could get an entire block of children roarin... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1021458 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:01:36 +0100 1021458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=970259&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fcomplaining-about-ms-doesnt-mean-you-lack-gratitude%2F I’ll admit that I (along with our editor, Natalie) was pretty surprised by the quick response to my posting last week about being tired. I was very tired that day and was struggling with a blog topic. What began as a bit of a rant seemed to touch a nerve with many of you. I was also surprised by how good I felt just for getting that off my chest. Many seemed to have the same reaction. Like many of our blog conversations, however, you took it to a place I had not intended but for which I am so thankful. We really are better together than the sum of our parts! Many decided at the end of their list of weariness to list a few things for which you are grateful. I guess I missed that part of the catharsis in my writing. I like that idea; a lot! I’m pretty sure we had a blog like this once be... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=970259 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:26:48 +0100 970259 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=964793&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fgood-day-sunshine-and-hello-vitamin-d%2F We all try to do the things that are healthful for ourselves; we eat right, try to get a good night’s sleep, we exercise when we can, we stretch every day. Did you know there’s something else more and more doctors are recommending, especially for those of us with multiple sclerosis? Sunshine! Now, no neurologist is going to go out on a limb and counter your dermatologist, but I’ve been hearing more and more that we should get 20 minutes of sunshine every day. We’ve had discussions about vitamin D in these pages, and your comments have been interesting. I’ve been hearing from MS specialists that the vitamin D that we produce in our bodies, synthesized from the sun, is better for us than the pills we ingest - and cheaper. Well, maybe not so cheap if you live in an area of the coun... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=964793 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:18:23 +0100 964793 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=959069&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fim-tired-of-ms-and-im-just-plain-tired%2F I cannot tell you; I cannot begin to tell you how tired I am of living with multiple sclerosis… I’m tired of shots and infusions and injection site reactions. I’m tired of the MRI tunnel. I’m tired of explaining why I don’t have my cane one day and have it another. I’m tired of asking people for money for our cause. I’m tired… I’m tired of wondering when I go to bed what I’ll wake up with the next day. I’m tired of the pain and the numbness. I’m tired of the weakness and the rigidity. I’m tired of the lack of sensation and the hypersensitivity. I’m tired of the juxtaposition and diametric opposition of MS. I’m tired of my friends slipping and sliding down a slope and it being called “progression”. I’m tired… I’m tired of my brain working so hard to f... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=959069 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:01:15 +0100 959069 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=947519&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Fms-and-your-feelings-book-club-blog-chapter-8%2F I know, I know! Here it is the 12th of October and Trevis is finally writing the book club blog that was supposed to post the last day of September. Truth be known, it wasn’t until I was writing the “How’s your MS” blog that I realized that the calendar had moved to October. Couple that with some other technical issues and here we are, Friday of week two rather than Friday of week four. My apologies to all of our readers and to Allison Shadday, our author. This month’s chapter deals with grief and grieving. We’ve had conversations in these pages about grieving before. It’s something that we with multiple sclerosis must learn to process over and over in the course of our disease. Just when we think we’ve gotten “over” something, something else is taken from us. We grieve... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=947519 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:23:48 +0100 947519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=925544&cid=t_115484_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.healthtalk.com%2Fmultiple-sclerosis%2Flife-with-ms%2Foctober-check-how-is-your-ms-today%2F Days slip away as hours of sunlight diminish here in the north. I know our members Down Under are seeing warmer days and shrinking nights, but here, closer to the 50th parallel, the leaves, temperatures and rain have begun their long and steady fall. School years are in full swing and so are our social calendars. The rush for year-end deadlines is but days away. The sports pages contain more news of football than baseball and the ‘Boys of Summer’ have become battered and hardened men of October. That’s my artistic way of saying: It’s autumn again; where has the year gone? We take the first Wednesday of each month as an opportunity for you to check in. It’s already the tenth time we’ve done this in 2007, and I think this subject has been well-received. I know I’ve been able to... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=925544 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:12:23 +0100 925544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=872115&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F156515913%2Fms-hug-techforum-2008-call-for-proposals.aspx We just close the curtain on the summer TechForum and it's already time to start planning for the next one. HIMSS just issued the call for proposals for the 2008 TechForum happening in conjunction with HIMSS in Orlando, FL Call for Proposals Now Open! MS-HUG Tech Forum 2008 — Orlando, FL Orange County Convention Center Sunday, February 24, 2008 Interested in presenting at MS-HUG Tech Forum 2008 in Orlando, FL during the HIMSS Annual Conference at the Orange County Convention Center? The Call for Proposal process for the next Tech Forum event is now open! Please complete the online application by midnight CDT, October 7, 2007 to be considered as a possible presenter for this event. MS-HUG is looking for users of Microsoft-based technology to join the experts at Microsoft on the agenda for... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=872115 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:12:21 +0100 872115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=821286&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F147794368%2Fms-hug-techforum-recap.aspx I like the TechForum. It's a good opportunity for me to catch up with friends like John Koisch, Tom Canter, Simon Chester and Eric Stott and learn about the cool things that partners and customers are doing with our technology. It's great to see that the community of MS-HUG bloggers is growing: Eric Stott posted a summary of day 1 and day 2 of the event Simon Chester has comments on MS-HUG, the MS CUI and the Accelerator for HL7 Matthias Shapiro has comments on MS-HUG and the MS CUI. Mark Singh has some comments about his session. Did I miss anyone? The Summer TechForum has just passed, but the wheels are already in motion for the next one that will be in Orlando, FL in conjunction with the 2008 HIMSS Conference. Here is a recap of all my entries on the TechForum: Kicking off MS-HUG Tec... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=821286 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:11:00 +0100 821286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=821287&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F147794369%2Fms-hug-techforum-azyxxi.aspx The closing keynote for MS-HUG was delivered by Davide Viganò, General Manager in the Health Solutions Group (HSG). Davide, to which I partly owe my move from Microsoft Italy to Corp in 2000, is a long time Microsoftie and has worked in healthcare in the past. He gave a little retrospective going back to the first MS-HUG meeting in 1995 which at that time was owned by Microsoft. Davide talked briefly about the consumer aspects of what HSG is doing and then went into more details on the Enterprise platform and Azyxxi. Even though I have been working with HSG for the past couple of years and know a lot about Azyxxi, this was the first time I have a seen a live demo. Meera Kanhouwa, Physician Executive with HSG, did a great job in demonstrating Azyxxi and its ability to allow the clinician t... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=821287 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:40:22 +0100 821287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=816600&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F147100445%2Fms-hug-techforum-day-2.aspx Here is a quick summary of the sessions I attended today. Clinical Messaging in a Services Oriented Architecture The two Bob (Bob Long and Bob Gill) from Visiphor gave a presentation on the status of adoption of services across a number of projects with focus on something that is happening in Canada with Canada Health Infoway and the Health Information Access Layer (HIAL). They spent some time talking about how they leverage the ESB Guidance to implement the regional hub for the Provincial Health Authorities in Canada. It's good to see the work that Visiphor has done in aligning their message to the Connected Health Framework - Architecture and Design Blueprint, this is exactly what we were thinking when we started working on the CHF a couple of years ago. The presentation is on the MS-HUG... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=816600 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:21:00 +0100 816600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=816601&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F146995098%2Fms-hug-techforum-biztalk-accelerator-for-hl7.aspx Straight from the horse's mouth, Stuart Landrum, Program Manager for the BizTalk Accelerators gave an overview of the new features for the Accelerator for HL7 2.0(A4HL7) in BizTalk 2006 R2. Here they are: New Accelerator Licensing! Support for HL7 v2.5 Support of international characters Support for ordered messaging Enhanced MLLP persistent connection management HL7 Schema Generation Tool BizTalk Mapper behavior enhancements: HL7 v2: Preserving the Order When Mapping a Repeating Sequence Group HL7 v3: Accommodating Schemas with Large Footprints Licensing A little piece of information that might have gone unnoticed is that with the R2 release of BizTalk, all the Accelerators (HL7, HIPAA, Swift, RosettaNet) are going to be free and included in the box! Yes, read again, free. This added to ... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=816601 Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:54:06 +0100 816601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=814110&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F146711791%2Fms-hug-techforum-microsoft-health-common-user-interface-mscui.aspx Andrew Kirby presented on the Microsoft Health Common User Interface (MSCUI), a project born out of the collaboration with the England National Health Service (NHS). This is something that we have been talking about for a long time, but are now finally to the point where everybody can look at the Design Guidance, the Toolkit for Visual Studio and the .NET Framework and the source code for the controls. Bill Crounse posted an overview of the project on his HealthBlog. The best way to experience the tools and understanding what's there is to have a look at the mscui.net web site and look at the demonstrators that we posted on Monday of this week. Let us know what you think! (Source: The Healthcare IT Blog) The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=814110 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:36:51 +0100 814110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=814111&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F146678323%2Fms-hug-techforum-ihe-xds-b-reference-implementation.aspx We had a fairly well attended session and the objective of providing an overview of the Health Connection Engine (HCE) and IHE XDS.b reference implementations was achieved, although with the time we had I could not get into a lot of detail. We have talked about the HCE in the past so I'll try to focus on the IHE aspect in this post. Background on IHE and XDS Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) is an organization operating in the Health Information and Communication Technology area. The main purpose of IHE is to create Interoperability Profiles that simplify integration scenarios in healthcare. The IHE profiles are grouped in Technical Frameworks that address the business scenarios and the transactions that are used to implement those scenarios. Most of the times IHE ends up profili... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=814111 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 21:43:52 +0100 814111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=814112&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F146597554%2Fms-hug-techforum-lessons-learned-in-forming-a-rhio.aspx The industry position on RHIOs is that "they are so yesterday" and "HIE is the new RHIO", but it's interesting to see how many people are attracted by this topic and what kind of interest is there in learning how this is working for others. Mark Singh just spoke about the experience with SEMRHIO. A fellow blogger, MVP and well regarded authority with BizTalk and HL7 is also involved in the project, Eric Stott. The project looks good and it is in good shape now and I guess that looking at this and other examples in the industry, the most successful projects are the ones that take a very pragmatic approach, address a concrete business need and can show rapid return on investment (duh). Have a look at the presentation on the MS-HUG web site. I'm up next... (Source: The Healthcare IT Blog) The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=814112 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:06:31 +0100 814112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=814113&cid=t_115484_113_f&fid=34633&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F146597555%2Fkicking-off-ms-hug-techforum.aspx I'm here at the MS-HUG TechForum this week and right now sitting in the Kodiak Room in the Microsoft Conference Center where the TechForum takes place. Steve Aylward, the General Manager for the US Health and Life Sciences group, just gave us an update on the work that Microsoft is doing in supporting Healthcare Providers, Health Plans and Life Sciences customers in the US. Next up is Bill Crounse, author of the popular HealthBlog. I really like Bill, he's a great presenter and if he happens to present in a location near you, I really suggest attending. In the meantime have a look at his blog and audiocast series. Bill is presenting on Accessibility in Health and how the innovation that we have in Windows Vista and the research that we're conducting in Microsoft Research are going to addre... The Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=814113 Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:56:54 +0100 814113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573706&cid=t_115484_87_f&fid=34865&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecancerblog.com%2F2007%2F04%2F27%2Fconstant-support%2F Filed under: All Cancers, Stress Reduction, Cancer Caregivers, Cancer SurvivorsThe one constant thing that gives people fighting cancer hope is the continued support of friends and family. Phone calls, emails, a surprise or planned visit at the door that has a big hug on the other side, a held hand over coffee or tea, or sitting patiently by their side as they go in for treatments. When that support falls by the wayside, it makes the determination to fight this disease or any other less worth the effort. In my humble opinion as someone fighting cancer, we sometimes fight harder to overcome disease for others more than ourselves. Because it is in their caring and the will in their eyes that gives us a much brighter hope than we find in ourselves. It is the lack of support or caring that set... The Cancer Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573706 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 573706