Useful and Interesting Health IT Links from the Last Week

Again, in the last week, I have come across a few reports and news items which are worth passing on. These include first:

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1236605720070412

Wal-Mart sees medical clinic boom in retail stores

Thu Apr 12, 2007 4:40PM EDT

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is forecasting more than 6,600 in-store medical clinics will open their doors in the next five years in retailers nationwide, a company official said on Thursday.

"I think it's an indication of how bullish individuals (chief executives of clinics and retailers) are," Alicia Ledlie, senior director for Wal-Mart's health business development, said at a health care retailers convention in Orlando.

With 75 clinics in Wal-Mart stores in 12 states, the company has ended its pilot program and plans a faster roll-out of additional clinics nationwide.

Ledlie said Wal-Mart is considering providing its in-store clinics with a common electronic medical records system so patient care can be tracked from store to store.
She said the system could ultimately be part of a universal electronic medical record system for the country

…...

See the rest of the article at the URL above. This is a really interesting development where the world’s largest retailer is developing both a huge number of medical clinics and, presumably for good commercial reasons, to utilise a sophisticated EHR system to provide seamless care to their customers no matter which store the seek care from. 6,600 clinics is an amazing number of clinics!

Second I noted this report from Europe. The value is in the second and third URLs that permit access to a wide range of information on e-health plans in all 27 member countries of the EU.

http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/report-shows-good-progress-health/article-163098

“Report shows good progress on e-Health

Published: Thursday 12 April 2007

Member states have made good progress in implementing the EU's e-Health strategy but have failed to address education and socio-economic issues falling under their responsibility, a new progress report shows.

An EU report confirmed that good progress has been made across the continent following EU member states' commitment, in the European e-Health action plan to develop a national or regional roadmap for e-Health.

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/health/docs/policy/200703ehealthera-countries.pdf

"e-Health is increasingly becoming an integral element of national health system objectives. It is seen as a key enabler in wider contexts like improving the quality and efficiency of public services, or speeding up the development towards knowledge driven societies," states the report, drafted by a project entitled Towards the Establishment of a European eHealth Research Area (eHealth ERA).”
…..

A useful listing of European Approaches to E-Health

http://www.ehealth-era.org/database/database.html

The third is a short piece of Australian news.

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=523856106&eid=-180

“E-health authority appoints new chair

Sandra Rossi 10/04/2007 10:31:43

Director-general of the Queensland department of health, Uschi Schreiber, has been appointed chair of the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA).
Schreiber will replace the outgoing secretary of the Victorian department of human services, Patricia Faulkner.”

There is but one comment to be made on this appointment. Ms Schreiber needs to be a hands on Chairperson of NEHTA and ask the hard questions about the appropriateness of the current NEHTA strategic directions. This is the core function of the NEHTA Board and especially its chairperson. If she does not do this – and listen to a broad range of voices who are not largely beholden to NEHTA for their income - she runs the risk she will be seen my many in the e-health domain as a dog who is being wagged by an organisational tail!

A good place to research for some had questions might be this very blog.

David.