Weekly Overseas Health IT Links - 22 December, 2010.

Here are a few I have come across this week.

Note: Each link is followed by a title and a paragraph or two. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.

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http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/study-shows-almost-one-third-of-patients-visit-multiple-hospitals-demonstrating-need-for-information-sharing.html

Study Shows Almost One-Third of Patients Visit Multiple Hospitals, Demonstrating Need for Information-Sharing

Written by Leigh Page | December 14, 2010

In a five-year retrospective analysis in Massachusetts, almost one-third of patients visited multiple hospitals, suggesting significant unnecessary services that could be reduced by health information sharing through IT systems, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Surveying adult patients visiting Massachusetts emergency departments, inpatient units and observation units from 2002-2007, the study found 31 percent visited two or more hospitals and accounted for 56.5 percent of all acute-care visits. Additionally, 1 percent visited five or more hospitals, making up about one-tenth of all acute-care visits.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/business/14records.html?_r=3

December 13, 2010

Panel Set to Study Safety of Electronic Patient Data

By MILT FREUDENHEIM

Almost two years ago, President Obama pledged $19 billion in stimulus incentives to help convert the nation’s doctors and hospitals to using a paperless system of electronic health records intended to improve the quality of care and reduce costs. But the conversion is still a slow work in progress.

Only about one in four doctors, mostly in large group practices, is using the electronic record system. A vast majority of physicians in small offices, the doctors who serve most Americans, still track patients’ illnesses and other problems with pen and paper.

The thousands of sometimes deadly medical errors tallied by an Institute of Medicine study in 1999 are still all too common, according to a recent report on North Carolina hospitals in the New England Journal of Medicine. And the electronic record systems are themselves increasingly attracting concerns that computer errors, design flaws and breakdowns in communication sometimes endanger patients.

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http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/survey-top-5-reasons-providers-not-ready-meaningful-use

Survey: Top 5 reasons providers not ready for meaningful use

December 13, 2010 | Molly Merrill, Associate Editor

NEW YORK – About 90 percent of healthcare providers that purchased electronic medical records technology are off track to meet their meaningful use implementation goals, according to the 2011 Black Book Ranking's user survey.

Black Book Rankings is a division of the market research firm Brown-Wilson Group. Its user survey ranks the top EMR vendors for 2011 based on key performance indicators including meaningful use.

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The Workforce Challenge

Finding the qualified people to build and deploy health information exchanges is one of the biggest problems the healthcare industry faces.

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, InformationWeek

Dec. 11, 2010

URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228800049

Finding the qualified people to build and deploy health information exchanges is one of the biggest problems the healthcare industry faces. There are relatively few people around who've worked on clinical information systems and also have an understanding of the interfaces, governance, and other technology issues involved.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate there will be a shortage of about 50,000 health IT workers over the next five years, including people to work on data exchanges. HHS has several efforts under way to develop the needed workforce, including giving community colleges and universities grants to launch and expand health IT training programs.

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http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/TEC-260171/HIT-Privacy-Security-Guidelines-for-Feds-Released

HIT Privacy, Security Guidelines for Feds Released

Dom Nicastro, for HealthLeaders Media , December 14, 2010

President Obama's Health Information Technology (HIT) advisors are calling upon federal regulators to create a "universal language exchange" where healthcare data can be exchanged efficiently and with enhanced privacy and security controls.

The advisors made their recommendations in a report released last week, "Realizing the Full Potential of Health Information Technology to Improve Healthcare for Americans: The Path Forward."

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101216/NEWS/312169965/

Commerce Department report calls for expanded online privacy protections

By Joseph Conn

Posted: December 16, 2010 - 12:00 pm ET

The U.S. Commerce Department has released a report on privacy and the Internet that leans heavily on transparency but treads lightly on new regulation.

In a cover letter that is part of the 88-page report, Commercial Data Privacy and Innovation in the Internet Economy: A Dynamic Policy Framework, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke observes that "the Internet is becoming the central nervous system of our information economy and society."

But the technologies prompt new concerns because they "allow the collection and use of personal information in ways that, at times, can be contrary to many consumers' privacy expectations," Locke said.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101216/NEWS/312169996

EHRs key to improving public health, CDC chief says

By Paul Barr

Posted: December 16, 2010 - 8:45 am ET

Electronic health records play an important role in promoting public health, said Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's 2010 Update conference.

EHR systems can be key tools within the six key areas targeted by the CDC for seeking substantial improvements in the health status of Americans, he said. The targeted areas of improvement are food, healthcare-associated infections, HIV, motor vehicle injuries, teen health and tobacco control, Frieden said.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101216/NEWS/312169995

Fed tech officials laud IT innovators at ONC Update

By Joseph Conn

Posted: December 16, 2010 - 11:45 am ET

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology ended its two-day update of federal health IT activities on Wednesday with cheerleading from three top government information technology officials.

Aneesh Chopra, the Obama administration's chief technology officer and associate director for technology, led the first round. Although his portfolio covers a broad scope of industries, Chopra also serves on the federally charted Health IT Standards Committee and the enrollment work group of its sister HHS advisory panel, the Health IT Policy Committee.

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http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2010/12/good-managers-and-complex-technological.html

Thursday, December 16, 2010

"Good Managers" And Complex Technological Projects - Recipe for Poor Results?

Once more on the topic of CIO’s and other health IT leaders lacking in solid healthcare informatics and clinical credentials, there’s this letter in today’s WSJ that I think says it all about complex technological projects, including (perhaps especially) healthcare IT.

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http://www.ihealthbeat.org/features/2010/emerging-technologies-could-help-transform-health-care-system.aspx

Friday, December 17, 2010

Emerging Technologies Could Help Transform Health Care System

by Kate Ackerman, iHealthBeat Senior Editor

A new report from Computer Sciences Corporation offers a positive outlook on how disruptive technologies will reform the health care delivery system. The report, titled "The Future of Health Care: It's Health, Then Care," predicts that new technologies will help curb costs and improve health through a greater focus on wellness and self-monitoring, increased and earlier disease detection, and more effective treatments.

Fran Turisco -- the study's lead researcher and an Emerging Practices research principal in CSC's Global Healthcare Services Group -- said the report represents a "180 degree" reversal from how such research is typically conducted. She explained that most studies of this nature identify new technologies and from there extract the emerging trends. For this study, researchers talked to a number of industry leaders to first identify the major trends necessary to address the health care system's current problems and then selected the emerging technologies that support these trends, Turisco explained.

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http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=7388E322CD8441B394C5D7D8F98B7905

Survey:Rapid iPad Adoption Thanks to Point-of-Care Apps

(12/14/2010)

iPad deployments are accelerating in large part due to the mobile device’s compelling point-of-care applications and uses, according to a survey of nearly 950 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) members from the Columbia, Md.-based BoxTone, a Mobile Service Management (MSM) software company.

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http://govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?nid=75663

ONC panel approves steps for provider directories, NHIN rules

By Mary Mosquera
Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A panel that advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has endorsed steps to help healthcare providers identify and address hospitals, clinics, labs and other organizations electronically through directories.

The Health IT Policy Committee also approved broad recommendations for rules of the road for governing the nationwide health information network in order to draw more participants. The NHIN is a set of standards and services that enables mostly large providers to share patient data securely through the Internet.

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http://www.tgdaily.com/software-features/53075-doctor-patient-relationship-compromised-by-facebook

Doctor-patient relationship compromised by Facebook

Kate Taylor | Thu 16th Dec 2010, 06:32 am

Doctors on Facebook risk compromising the doctor-patient relationship because many don't use tight enough privacy settings.

Researchers surveyed the Facebook activities of 405 postgraduate trainee doctors at Rouen University Hospital in France and found that almost three out of four had a Facebook profile. One in four logged on to the site several times a day, and half logged on several times a week.

Almost half believed that the doctor-patient relationship would be changed if patients discovered their doctor held a Facebook account, but three out of four said this would only happen if the patient was able to access their profile.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101217/BLOGS02/312179999

Goodbye, Mr. FIPPs?

Based on current advice, HHS rule-makers can have their pick of three possible paths to take on patient privacy and consent.

One path was laid out this month by the Federal Trade Commission in a report on privacy involving commercial personal health record systems. The FTC calls for a standard of protection that defines privacy as consent.

In drafting its recommendations, the FTC looked at the Fair Information Practices Principles, or FIPPs, developed by the Department of Health Education and Welfare in 1973. One of the five FIPPs says: “There must be a way for an individual to prevent information about him that was obtained for one purpose from being used or made available for other purposes without his consent.”

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http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/blogs/XML_electronic_health_record_design-41555-1.html

XML, New Design Mentality Raise Hope On The EHR Front

Rob Tholemeier

Health Data Management Blogs, December 16, 2010

Based on our frequent conversations with practicing physicians, and knowledge of how other industries automated and implemented information sharing, we have three primary knocks against the current stable of electronic health records systems:

1. Terrible user interfaces based on a Microsoft .NET paradigm, which focuses on building screens to capture data into an SQL database vs. building applications which automate and improve doctor’s workflows and time management.

2. EHRs utilize some data security techniques, but virtually none do anything to implement patient privacy and granular consent over what health information is shared with whom and when.

3. The is a complete lack of integration standards and capabilities built into most EHRs.

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http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/xml-ehr-standard-format-41529-1.html

The Case for XML-based EHRs

HDM Breaking News, December 14, 2010

In a recent posting on Health Data Management's Discussion Board, a reader promotes the use of XML technology to create a standardized format for electronic health records, an idea that the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommended two days later (see story).

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http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Best-in-KLAS-41543-1.html

2010 Best in KLAS Vendors Named

HDM Breaking News, December 15, 2010

KLAS Enterprises LLC has issued its 2010 Best in KLAS Awards based on customer satisfaction with health information technology vendors and consultants.

The awards are based on data from more than 17,000 interviews the Orem, Utah-based vendor research firm has conducted during the past year from thousands of hospitals and physician practices.

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EHR Adoption Crosses 50% Threshold

Government survey finds that a slim majority of physicians are now using electronic health records or electronic medical records systems.

By Nicole Lewis, InformationWeek

Dec. 13, 2010

URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228800286

Results from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) show that between 2009 and 2010, the percentage of physicians reporting having an electronic medical record/electronic health record (EMR/EHR) system that meets the criteria of a basic system increased by 14% and a fully functional system increased by 46%.

The survey, published earlier this month and conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), found that preliminary 2010 estimates were that 51% of physicians reported using complete or partial EMR/EHR systems, versus 48% last year. About 25% reported having systems that met the criteria of a basic system, up from 22% last year, and 10% reported having systems that met the criteria of a fully functional system, an improvement from 2009 when 7% said they were using systems that met the requirements of a fully functional EHR/EMR system.

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http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/FIN-260059/Will-HL7-Create-PayerProvider-Symbiosis

Will HL7 Create Payer/Provider Symbiosis?

Karen Minich-Pourshadi, for HealthLeaders Media , December 13, 2010

The American Medical Association estimates that nearly $210 billion annually is spent to process healthcare claims. Moreover, approximately one in five medical claims are processed inaccurately, according to the AMA 2010 National Health Insurer Report Card. These processing errors cost an estimated $15.5 billion to the healthcare industry, and the report notes that if insurers could improve that number by just 1%, they would save nearly $777.6 million.

The pressure for both payers and providers to operate more efficiently and cooperatively is becoming a necessity for all concerned—which is why many in healthcare are using their Six Sigma and Lean initiatives to make the interaction between payers and providers a collaborative effort to decrease claims adjudication woes. But there’s more afoot that will help morph this traditionally adversarial relationship.

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http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/study-ehr-cost-benefit-physicians-41527-1.html

Study Shows EHR Costs, Benefits Per Physician

HDM Breaking News, December 14, 2010

Costs for adopting an electronic health records system in an ambulatory practice could hit $120,000 per physician, with 84 percent of that cost ($101,250) being lost revenue from fewer patient encounters during the transition, according to a recent study.

However, EHRs once fully adopted could increase the number of patients seen by each physician by up to 15 percent, bringing in $151,000 in additional revenue per physician per year, the study projects.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/blogs/it-everything/20101214/312149999

Panel members say EHR consent is possible

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in its report on healthcare information technology last week came up with some interesting ideas about redirecting federal efforts to put more emphasis on health information exchange.

The PCAST laid to rest the canard that it is technologically infeasible to create electronic health-record systems that can restore to patients some semblance of privacy and control over the flow of their electronic health records. The council outlined a technological framework for not only recording patient consent directives for opting into or out of health information exchanges, but also even more granular controls over sensitive information such as diagnosis codes for psychiatric disorders.

I suspect the report will cause healthcare data-miners to increase their lobbying budgets while providing Maalox moments to providers who sell patient data.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101213/NEWS/312139936

Information fragmentation adds to costs: study

By Maureen McKinney

Posted: December 13, 2010 - 4:00 pm ET

Fragmentation of medical information persists in adult acute-care settings, resulting in higher medical costs and increased likelihood of adverse events, according to newly released research.

In a study published in the Dec. 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston found that of the nearly 3.7 million patients who sought treatment in acute-care settings in Massachusetts during a five-year period, more than 30% visited more than one hospital. And 1%—43,794 patients—visited five or more hospitals during the study period.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101214/NEWS/312149998/

Report finds health data exchange lags

By Paul Barr

Posted: December 14, 2010 - 12:00 pm ET

The electronic exchange of health information is targeted as needing improvement in a new public health preparedness report from Trust for America's Health and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In a state-by-state analysis looking at 10 indicators of emergency preparedness, seven states' health departments were identified as not being able to send and receive health information electronically to providers and community health centers. The 52-page report, "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism," notes that as seen during the H1N1 influenza outbreak, "this type of communication is crucial to ensure public health departments have an accurate picture of the on-ground events and that healthcare practitioners are given the most up-to-date, accurate information.”

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http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/6496/great_ormond_street_trials_ipads

Great Ormond Street trials iPads

15 Dec 2010

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust is piloting the use of iPads for e-prescribing.

The trust became the first paediatric hospital in the UK to complete the roll out of an electronic prescribing and medicines management system in October 2009.

It is now trialling the use of five iPads for e-prescribing on Victoria ward, which specialises in renal medicine, with a view to a wider roll out.

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http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20101213/NEWS01/12130319

Online medical records system planned for N.Y.

Chris Swingle • Staff writer • December 13, 2010

The 10-county Rochester area is a leader in the state when it comes to sharing patients' medical records electronically across different places where care or testing is provided — such as hospitals, labs, imaging facilities and doctors' offices.

The record-sharing network has been created by the Rochester Regional Health Information Organization, or RHIO, granted nearly $24 million so far. The money has connected different medical computer record systems and paid for some private practices and clinics to switch from paper to digital patient records.

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Big Exchange, Big Challenges

The CEO of the largest U.S. health information exchange discusses mounting tech pressures.

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, InformationWeek

Dec. 11, 2010

URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228800084

The Indiana Health Information Exchange, the U.S.'s largest HIE and one of the longest running, serves more than 19,000 doctors and 70 hospitals. It has data on more than 7 million patients. Its CEO, Dr. Marc Overhage, recently talked with InformationWeek senior writer Marianne Kolbasuk McGee about the tech obstacles HIEs face.

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http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/print/TEC-260039/Telemedicine-in-ICUs-May-Trim-Critical-Care-Costs

Telemedicine in ICUs May Trim Critical Care Costs

HealthLeaders Media Staff , December 13, 2010

Tele-ICU technology could save 350 additional lives and more than $122 million annually if broadly and effectively implemented across Massachusetts, according to a study from the New England Healthcare Institute and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

"Critical Care, Critical Choices: The Case for Tele-ICUs in Intensive Care" analyzed data collected from a demonstration project at UMass Memorial Medical Center and two community hospitals in Massachusetts. NEHI and MTC studied tele-ICU technology because of its potential to address the supply-and-demand problem plaguing critical care. It comes down to the "collision of two strong trends," according to the report.

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http://govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?nid=75651

CMS shows provider incentives improve clinical quality

By Mary Mosquera

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has shown that financial incentives offered to healthcare providers to improve patient care do enhance clinical quality and can slow the growth of Medicare costs.

CMS supplied results from three healthcare demonstrations, which included the use of electronic health records (EHRs), for small and solo physician practices, large physician practices and hospitals.

The pilots give CMS the opportunity to work closely with providers to improve quality and efficiency, and their lessons help shape Medicare policies, said Dr. Donald Berwick, CMS administrator.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101213/NEWS/312139997

ONC names two new certifying bodies

By Joseph Conn

Posted: December 13, 2010 - 11:30 am ET

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS has named two more organizations as authorized testing and certification bodies.

They are ICSA Labs, Mechanicsburg, Pa., and SLI Global Solutions, Denver. Both organizations are now eligible to certify electronic health-record systems as well as modules of those systems as capable of letting a healthcare provider meet the meaningful-use criteria and qualify for IT incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101213/NEWS/101219987

ONC wants PCAST report feedback

By Joseph Conn

Posted: December 13, 2010 - 11:30 am ET

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is seeking public comment on a report released last week by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

The formal request for information was published in the Federal Register (PDF). The comment period will be open through the end of the business day Jan. 17.

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http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101213/NEWS/312139995/

Va. health info exchange links to veterans EHR

By Joseph Conn

Posted: December 13, 2010 - 11:30 am ET

MedVirginia, a Richmond, Va.-based health information exchange, is now linked to the virtual lifetime electronic record, a collaboration between the healthcare systems of the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments and civilian healthcare systems, the organization has announced.

To make the link, the information exchange used the Continuity of Care Document C32 format developed by the Health Level Seven International standards development organization and the federally supported Health Information Technology Standards Panel, as well as the Connect open-source gateway software developed by the federal government.

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http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/remote-users-often-lax-health-data-protection/2010-12-13

Remote users often lax with health data protection

December 13, 2010 — 2:16pm ET | By Neil Versel

Thanks to mobility, cloud-based storage and web access to office databases, about two-thirds of working professionals have accessed "some type of sensitive data" outside of their offices within the last year, according to a "visual data breach" survey conducted by People Security on behalf of 3M. A good number of those had viewed health data remotely, opening up the possibility of significant HIPAA violations (though the report doesn't specifically mention HIPAA).

"A significant number of respondents surveyed have accessed personally identifiable information and protected health information outside of the office, with 26 percent accessing credit card numbers, 24 percent accessing Social Security numbers and 15 percent accessing medical information," the report says.

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http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/aetna-medicity-deal-beginning-end-independent-hie-vendors/2010-12-08

Is Aetna, Medicity deal the beginning of the end for independent HIE vendors?

December 8, 2010 — 1:35pm ET | By Dan Bowman

While Aetna's $500 million acquisition of health information exchange vendor Medicity this week appears to be a direct reaction to UnitedHealth Group's deal for Axolotl earlier this year, the move is much bigger than one-upsmanship, and likely will start a ripple effect that will end with independent HIE vendors going the way of the dinosaur, writes Chilmark Research blogger John Moore.

Moore, an IT analyst with the health technology analyst firm, ultimately foresees more deals like these occurring--although probably not on such a grand scale--because of what he calls the "digitization of the sector" thanks to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

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http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/acquisition-aetna-medicity-hie-accountable-care-organizations-41501-1.html

Consultants: Medicity Positions Aetna for Future

HDM Breaking News, December 10, 2010

Aetna Inc.'s pending $500 million acquisition of health information exchange vendor Medicity Inc. is part of the insurer's preparation of its infrastructure to support accountable care organizations envisioned in the health care reform law.

That's the view of John Osberg, principal at Informed Partners LLC, a Marietta, Ga.-based consulting firm. Salt Lake City-based Medicity will help Aetna complete "last mile" connectivity to physician desktops, he says.

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Enjoy!

David.

And Now For an Interesting Point of View on E-Health Standards. Tom Beale Ruminates!

Thomas Beale let me know he had posted a new piece today.

Ruminations on ‘design’ in e-health

I have often bemoaned the state of standards for the e-health sector. Earlier posts provide details. The main argument is that the key specifications the sector needs are for interoperable data, information and knowledge, but that the main approach to getting these is via standards agencies, whose processes almost guarantee failure. Hence the ‘standards crisis’ in health informatics. The failure is not innate in standards agencies as such; it is just that standards agency committees in the e-health sector are doing the wrong thing. They are acting as de facto R&D fora rather than as a choosing mechanism on proven designs from industry. In my view (and experience) this is because among the members and leaders of those committees are almost no engineers, i.e. people who understand a) how standards actually work in other industries and b) that design is an essential element of what is being standardised. The consequence of the situation in e-health standards is ‘design-by-committee’.

Read the full blog post here:

http://wolandscat.net/2010/12/19/design-in-ehealth/

The full post is well worth a browse.

The paragraph I have italicised I have to say I have an especial fondness for. If only we could be developing Standards on the basis of proven implementations I have the feeling we might have a smaller collection of Standards, but that collection would be trustworthy and reliable.

As some other sites often finish a post.

What do you think?

David.

Physician Productivity and the EMR - What is the Latest?

This report popped up a few days ago.

EMRs have varying effects on productivity: UC Davis study

By Joseph Conn

Posted: December 17, 2010 - 12:01 am ET

A study of about 100 primary-care physicians found that using an electronic health-record system yielded mixed results in physician productivity after the doctors had climbed the learning curve and become fully acclimated to the systems.

The bottom line of the study by Hemant Bhargava, associate dean and professor of management and computer science at the University of California Davis Graduate School of Management, and his colleagues is that EHR system specialization by medical specialty matters in that the differing needs of internists, pediatricians and family practitioners in an EHR made a difference in whether the systems helped or hindered workflow.

The study was conducted from 2003 to 2006 following the rollout of an electronic health-record system across six care sites of a large primary-care network affiliated with an academic medical center.

“Our research suggests that a ‘one-size-fits-all' design does not work—the ideal technology design should vary by physicians' requirements and work-flow demands,” Bhargava said in a news release.

More here:

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20101217/NEWS/312179998/

I thought it would be worth chasing down the original study, but am told (Hi Joanne) that it will be a little while before the details are released. Here is the UC Davis press release

UC Davis study finds e-medical records have varying effects on productivity

December 16, 2010

The introduction of electronic medical records in hospitals and clinics — dubbed the “silver bullet” of health care reform — appears to have varying effects on different types of primary care physicians, a UC Davis study has found.

“Our research suggests that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ design does not work — the ideal technology design should vary by physicians’ requirements and work-flow demands,” said Hemant Bhargava, associate dean and professor of management and computer science at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

Bhargava and his research colleagues recently completed a study of a multimillion-dollar information technology project installed at six primary care offices from 2003 to 2006. The offices were part of a large primary care physician network affiliated with an academic medical center.

The study, one of the first to measure the impact of electronic medical record-keeping on doctors’ productivity, was conducted with Abhay Mishra, an assistant professor of health administration at Georgia State University, and research assistant Shuang Liu, a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics at UC Davis.

The system that was studied digitized patient records and allowed for electronic prescriptions and messaging.

The federal government has shown its support for developing electronic health records by setting aside $19.2 billion in stimulus funds to help pay for such conversions across the country.

“Prior to our study,” Bhargava said, “there was controversy regarding the benefits of health care IT investments. In fact, there was some anecdotal evidence that these technologies reduced physician productivity.”

For the study, researchers analyzed the impact the technology had on physician productivity, collecting data on work hours and output before and after the introduction of EMR technology. The data was collected for about 100 physicians spread across three primary care categories — internal medicine, pediatrics and family practice — and six clinics.

The researchers found that the initial implementation of the EMR system resulted in a 25 percent to 33 percent drop in physician productivity. While significant, the drop was anticipated, Bhargava said.

“Initially, physicians and their staff had to learn the system,” he explained. “After a month of utilization, physicians and their staff became more comfortable with the technology and productivity overall increased to just below starting levels, with interesting variations by unit.”

Over the next few months, the researchers found that the impact of the new technology on productivity varied by physician group. Internal medicine units adjusted to the new technology and experienced a slight increase in productivity. In contrast, pediatricians and family practice doctors did not return to their original productivity levels and experienced a slightly lower productivity rate.

“These differences by unit suggest that there is a mismatch between technology design and the work-flow requirements and health administration expectations for individual care units,” Bhargava said.

The findings, he explained, can be more easily understood by breaking EMR technology use into two categories — information review and information entry.

The use of electronic medical records makes information review — patient history, notes from previous visits, charts of test data and radiological images — more efficient. These features are useful to internal medicine doctors, who tend to see a greater proportion of ill patients.

In contrast, pediatricians’ work tends to involve more information entry and documentation for which EMR technology can be more time-consuming.

Bhargava suggests vendors and medical centers consider implementing different versions of electronic record keeping systems, tailoring the user interface, information entry and visualization features for different groups of physicians.

About UC Davis

For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 32,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget that exceeds $679 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.

Media contact(s):

* Hemant Bhargava, Graduate School of Management, (530) 754-5961, hemantb@ucdavis.edu

* Jim Sweeney, UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-6101, jpsweeney@ucdavis.edu

The release source is here:

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9665

What to say. Some of the results are pretty obvious such as suggesting that using the EMR for looking up information is a more useful activity than data entry. Hard to argue!

The finding that different specialities get different outcomes is interesting.

It is a bit sad the data being reported on (2003-2006) is so old!

The study shows clearly that EMR usability and work flow support is vital and good training is critical, as well as also indicating the need for some much more modern studies reported much more quickly!

David.

What On Earth is DoHA Thinking With This Crazy Tender? It is Utter Madness!

I mentioned this tender last week and said I would have a close look over the weekend. All I can say I am glad I no longer have to respond to ill-considered and incompetent nonsense like this. It is a nightmare that, if the requirements are actually enforced I can’t see many able to honestly respond. The requirement of having to have done this sort of work for eight (yes 8) similar projects leaves me gasping since this is the first PCEHR that has ever been proposed in this form as far as I know!

See here:

http://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2010/12/now-this-will-be-fun-tender-to-watch-i.html

(There is also a link to download the tender at the bottom of the post).

The important part of the tender - other than the routinely oppressive Terms and Conditions - is here (Page B9 on)

SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

5.1 Overview of Services

5.1.1 The successful Tenderer will provide all resources, facilities, systems, tools, processes, infrastructure and knowledge necessary to deliver the scope of services specified in the following sections.

5.1.2 The successful Tenderer will provide the following services:

a) develop and deliver a Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework for the whole PCEHR Program;

b) design and deliver a program monitoring and measurement capability for the whole PCEHR Program, including eHealth Sites;

c) a deep and thorough analysis and evaluation capability for the whole PCEHR Program; and

d) a complementary research capability to provide the Department with data that is relevant and of value to the build and rollout of the PCEHR Program.

5.1.3 In delivering the services, the successful Tenderer must work closely with NEHTA, the National Change and Adoption Partner, the National Infrastructure Partner and eHealth Sites. However, coordination of all of these activities must align with operational direction provided by NEHTA as the managing agent.

5.2 Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework

5.2.1 The successful Tenderer will develop a thorough, detailed, fit for purpose Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework for the whole PCEHR Program. The Framework will be mapped and aligned to the project plan described in section 6.1.1 B13.

5.2.2 In developing the Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework, the successful Tenderer will:

a) review, build on and operationalise the Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Frameworks developed by The Department and NEHTA (the successful Tenderer will be provided with copies of these documents);

b) sufficiently understand the government’s broader Health Reform agenda to facilitate explicit tracking of PCEHR Program outcomes to Health Reform outcomes;

c) understand and link lessons learnt from other major programs of relevance to the PCEHR Program, for example the National Broadband Network; and

d) where possible, consider state and territory eHealth activity which is of relevance to the PCEHR Program.

5.2.3 The Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework will:

a) map the program logic which enables the PCEHR Program objectives to be achieved, both short term (till June 2012) and long term (till 2020);

b) describe how the PCEHR Program fits into other national health initiatives within The Department, including the National Health and Hospital Network reforms;

c) ensure that the benefits of the PCEHR Program align with the broader health policies of the Australian Government;

d) align with the high level PCEHR Program planning and implementation documentation which details expected benefits from the PCEHR Program;

e) include detailed specifications for monitoring and measurement across the whole PCEHR Program;

f) allow for the early capture of lessons learnt regarding all aspects of the design and implementation of eHealth Site projects; and

g) include a clear and concise document detailing the benefits of the PCEHR Program for external stakeholders (including consumers and clinicians) which may be used to inform The Department’s communication strategy.

5.3 Program Monitoring and Measurement

5.3.1 The successful Tenderer will develop and deliver a strategy for monitoring and measuring all PCEHR Program activity.

5.3.2 This work will incorporate the detailed specifications developed as part of the Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework (see section 5.2 page B9).

5.3.3 The successful Tenderer will develop software, tools and templates that allow for the effective capture and communication of PCEHR Program information. Tenderers to note: Tenderers should be specific about how they will utilise software, tools and templates for the required services and whether this involves developing new software, tools and templates or customising and applying existing ones.

5.3.4 The successful Tenderer will undertake monitoring and measurement activity using an approved Monitoring Plan (see section 6.1.4 page B14).

5.3.5 Monitoring and measurement services should be informed by, but not duplicate, PCEHR Program management progress tracking undertaken by The Department and each of its partners.

5.3.6 Monitoring and measurement services should ensure the capture of baseline data that:

a) draws on existing sources of information available; and

b) obtains further information necessary to allow a full program of baseline monitoring.

5.3.7 In developing the baseline the successful Tenderer should note the following current tendering activity (released on Austender on 12 November 2010) that may produce information of value once the work is complete:

a) RFT148/1011: Consultancy to evaluate the electronic health (eHealth) readiness of Australia’s allied health professional sector; and

b) RFT 149/1011: Consultancy to evaluate the eHealth readiness of Australia’s medical specialist sector.

5.4 Analysis and Evaluation

5.4.1 The successful Tenderer will provide analysis and evaluation services including an interpretative capability of the information collected under the Monitoring Plan (see section 6.1.4 B14).

5.4.2 Analysis and evaluation services will met the following needs:

a) scheduled analysis and evaluation that provides regular tracking and associated feedback to the Department on the PCEHR Program against the Benefits Realisation and Evaluation Framework on a quarterly basis;

b) unscheduled analysis and evaluation needed to meet the short term needs of The Department and NEHTA in various forms from time to time; and

c) analysis of trends that may impact on the development and rollout of the PCEHR Program including PCEHR system uptake by consumers and clinicians, the level of eHealth interactions between clinicians, and any improved health outcomes for patients.

5.4.3 In relation to eHealth Sites, the Benefits and Evaluation Partner will evaluate:

a) how effectively the sites have deployed and tested the eHealth infrastructure and standards in real world healthcare settings;

a) how effectively NEHTA’s foundations are informing the development and rollout of the eHealth Sites and allow for further enhancement and rollout of the PCEHR Program;

b) whether eHealth Sites have been set up for success and how effectively they are operating under standard project management criteria, for example:

i. governance processes are suitable and effective;

ii. the project is appropriately resourced;

iii. the project is tracking to scope, timelines and budget;

iv. effective and transparent issues, risks and configuration management processes are in place;

v. quality management processes are in place;

vi. there is regular and clear reporting and communication to key stakeholders; and

vii. the various parties are working together effectively towards a common goal;

c) stakeholder support and uptake (both consumers and clinicians);

d) outcomes and benefits including, but not limited to, the following clinical outcome measures:

i. improved health outcomes for consumers, in particular people who have the most contact with the health and hospital system (for example people with chronic and complex health conditions, older Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and mothers and their newborn children);

ii. improved self-management for consumers, in particular people who have the most contact with the health and hospital system (for example people with chronic and complex health conditions, older Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and mothers and their newborn children);

iii. increased access to healthcare and information for both consumers and clinicians;

iv. improved coordination and continuity of healthcare; and

v. improved quality and safety of healthcare;

e) the impact on clinical practices including ease of use of the system, effectiveness and cost effectiveness, changes in roles and relationships with health professionals (both with other health professionals and consumers);

f) impact on workplace efficiency and flow; and

g) impact on workplace education and training.

5.5 Research

5.5.1 The successful Tenderer will provide a research capability which ensures that national and international experiences and learnings relevant to the PCEHR Program are captured and communicated to the Department.

5.5.2 The successful tenderer must undertake a preliminary scoping study to ensure that the objectives of research activities are clear and that research activity is aligned with the needs of the PCEHR Program.

5.5.3 Research will include the following:

a) desk studies that gather published knowledge and learnings from around the world (incorporating international learnings already known to the PCEHR Program);

b) an understanding of what relevant research is being undertaken that may impact on the PCEHR Program, for example the Primary Health Care Research and Information Service (PHC RIS) and the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) websites are useful information sources for current research projects;

c) a capability to answer research questions developed by the Department as the PCEHR Program progresses through sourcing data from existing studies and undertaking research that is relevant to the build and rollout of the PCEHR Program; and

d) a capability to undertake targeted testing and modelling (for example economic, benefits and workflow) either "on-site" or in a controlled environment.

The other important part, as I see it, is here where the actual program is defined.

PROGRAM DEFINITION

3.1 All of the work undertaken for the PCEHR Program needs to align with the Government’s commitment, as defined by the Minister for Health and Ageing on 11 May 2010:

Australians will be able to check their medical history online through the introduction of personally controlled electronic health records, which will boost patient safety, improve health care delivery, and cut waste and duplication.

The $466.7 million investment over the next two years will revolutionise the delivery of healthcare in Australia.

The national e-Health records system will be a key building block of the National Health and Hospitals Network.

This funding will establish a secure system of personally controlled electronic health records that will provide:

· summaries of patients’ health information – including medications and immunisations and medical test results

· secure access for patients and health care providers to their e-Health records via the internet regardless of their physical location;

· rigorous governance and oversight to maintain privacy; and

· health care providers with the national standards, planning and core national infrastructure required to use the national e-Health records system.

A personally controlled electronic heath record will have two key elements:

· a health summary view including conditions, medications, allergies, and vaccinations; and

· an indexed summary of specific healthcare events.

Implementation of personally controlled electronic health records

Personally controlled electronic health records will build on the foundation laid by the introduction of the Individual Health Care Identifiers later this year. Under this, every Australian will be given a 16-digit electronic health number, which will only store a patient’s name, address and date-of-birth. No clinical information will be stored on the number, which is separate to an electronic health record.

Implementation will initially target key groups in the community likely to receive the most immediate benefit, including those suffering from chronic and complex conditions, older Australians, Indigenous Australians and mothers and newborn children.

Subject to progress in rolling out the core e-Health infrastructure, the Government may consider future investments, as necessary, to expand on the range of functions delivered under an electronic health record system.

Reforms to take health system into 21st century

A national e-Health records system was identified as a national priority by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission and the draft National Primary Health Care Strategy. It was also supported by the National Preventative Health Strategy.

The Government’s reform plans in primary, acute, aged and community care also require a modern e-Health infrastructure. It is a key foundation stone in building a health system for the 21st century.

A personally controlled electronic health record will not be mandatory to receive health care. For those Australians who do choose to opt in, they will be able to register online to establish a personally controlled e-Health record from 2012-13.

And to really be amazed - here are the benefits to be expected:

I leave it to the reader to assess just how many of the benefits listed here are likely to be realised in the time allowed for this contact - (about 18 months). The short answer will be pretty much none as the system won’t even begin enrolling clients until then!

Lastly, it is important to note that without Global experience in the area you can forget about bidding:

8.1.1 The Tenderer must provide in its Tender up to eight (8) project sheets demonstrating its corporate track record in delivering benefits realisation and evaluation services to programs of a similar nature, size and complexity.

Please stand up any Company who has evaluated the implementation of 8 national PCEHR systems when there has never been one implemented?

Oh, they want a fixed price for the work to be done in the first 3 months and an estimate of each quarter after that. A bit of a trick since as a bidder it is not even clear just what ‘it’ is.

Really the desire for money is going to have to be pretty intense to try and fake your way into this ill-defined absurdity!

David.

Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 20 December, 2010.

Here are a few I have come across this week.

Note: Each link is followed by a title and a paragraph or two. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.

General Comment:

Well, we have almost made it to Christmas and 2011 and sadly I really don’t see much progress has been made.

The minority Government is fixated on executing a deeply flawed PCEHR strategy and tele-health while not coming to grips with the basics. I believe this approach is just utterly flawed and doomed.

On a lighter note this will be the last commentary for 2010, so all I can do is wish all readers everything they hope for, for Christmas and 2011.

It has been fun trying to pierce the relentless spin and deception coming from DoHA and NEHTA and I hope I have helped a few readers with the odd useful educational titbit along the way.

My heavens we will soon be in the second decade of the 21^st Century! Amazing - we have made it to the teens - maybe we will grow up this decade! I sure hope so!

All the best!

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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/doctors-ready-for-online-consultations/story-e6frgakx-1225970511129

Doctors ready for online consultations

• Karen Dearne
• From: The Australian
• December 14, 2010 12:00AM

AUSTRALIANS can expect a rapid rollout of online health consultations when new Medicare tele-health rebates commence next July.

Existing services will be expanded and new videoconferencing facilities built to boost access to doctors and nurses in the bush -- and also ease pressure in cities through innovations such as home care for the elderly, remote monitoring of chronic conditions and routine tele-health check-ups.

And the Gillard government isn't waiting for the National Broadband Network to push the initiative, despite committing a further $4 million for telehealth trials at "first release" sites in NSW this month.

During the election campaign, Julia Gillard committed $250m over four years to fund the Medicare rebates -- removing a huge financial barrier to widespread adoption -- plus $57m for incentives for GP and specialist uptake, and $35m for training.

A Health Department spokeswoman told The Australian that while these measures would be enhanced by the NBN, "they are not totally dependent on it".

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http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/articles/b5/0c06dfb5.asp

Telehealth payments proposed

15-Dec-2010

By Michael East

GENERAL practices could receive lump sum payments to buy software and high-speed internet access to perform online consultations with specialists under the Federal Government’s $402 million telehealth investment

The proposal is outlined in a discussion paper released by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing last week.

Under the scheme to be rolled out from July next year, the government will offer cash incentives for GPs to perform online consultations and establish video link-ups with specialists in their practices.

It will also introduce Medicare rebates for online consultations in rural and remote areas. Training will also be made available for GPs who want to take part in the scheme.

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http://www.zdnet.com.au/govt-wants-firm-to-grade-e-health-roll-out-339308079.htm

Govt wants firm to grade e-health roll-out

By Josh Taylor, ZDNet.com.au on December 17th, 2010

The Department of Health and Ageing has issued a tender calling for a vendor to establish an oversight framework for the implementation of personally-controlled e-health records in Australia.

According to the tender documents, published today, the successful company will develop software and tools to monitor the roll-out of the program. From there, the company will be required to analyse the roll-out and produce five quarterly evaluation reports over the life of the program. The successful tenderer will also be required to evaluate how well e-health test sites have implemented the e-health record infrastructure within their organisations.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the company would be responsible for ensuring the government's $466.7 million investment in e-health realises its full benefits.

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http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/371718/doha_begins_search_ehealth_rollout_partner_/

DoHA begins search for eHealth rollout partner

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has released tender documents for the $466.7 million eHealth program rollout

• Julia Talevski (ARN)
• 17 December, 2010 14:13

The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) has launched a tender process, searching for a partner to help build and rollout its Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record Program (PCEHR). The Federal Government allocated $466.7 million towards the e-Health initiative in this year’s Budget.

The DoHA stated the partner will develop and deliver the benefits realisation and evaluation aspects of the PCEHR Program, which includes a framework for the whole program, monitoring and measurement capabilities along with deep and thorough analysis, and evaluation of the entire program. This should also include a complementary research capability to provide the Department with relevant data.

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http://www.aeroscout.com/content/news-and-events/press-releases/bendigo-071210/bendigo-health-implements-aeroscout-s-real-tim

Bendigo Health Implements AeroScout’s Real-Time Location System to Improve Patient Flow, Temperature Monitoring and Staff Safety

Australian Hospital is Using Wi-Fi RFID Solutions to Increase Operational Efficiency and Patient Safety and Care

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., December 7, 2010 - AeroScout, the leading provider of Unified Asset Visibility for the healthcare industry, today announced that Bendigo Health, located in Victoria, Australia, has implemented AeroScout’s Real-Time Location System (RTLS) to automate and improve hospital processes. Bendigo has deployed AeroScout’s Patient Flow and Temperature Monitoring solutions and is in the process of rolling out its Staff Safety solution. The solutions are Wi- Fi-based and thus enable Bendigo to utilize its standard wireless network to increase operational efficiency and enhance patient safety and care.

As the largest, multi-service healthcare organization in the region, Bendigo Health is dedicated to providing high quality care to the community. The hospital uses AeroScout’s Patient Flow solution to track the journey of orthopaedic patients through their surgical processes. With more than 10,000 surgical procedures performed at Bendigo Health each year, knowing the location and status of patients is essential to improving patient care and departmental workflow. Upon arrival, orthopaedic patients receive an AeroScout Wi-Fi Tag that provides staff visibility into a patient’s location and movement. This helps ensure that scheduled procedures start on time and that patients are receiving proper care.

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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/370950/myhospitals_website_could_go_further_qama/?eid=-255&uid=25465

MyHospitals website could go further: QAMA

The Queensland Australian Medical Association says the federal government's new MyHospitals website doesn't go far enough.

• AAP (AAP)
• 10 December, 2010 16:17

The Queensland Australian Medical Association says the federal government's new MyHospitals website doesn't go far enough.

The federal government's MyHospitals website, which includes information on 922 public and private hospitals around the country, went live at 11am (AEDT) on Friday.

It gives nationally-consistent performance data for almost 1000 Australian hospitals online for the first time.

QAMA president, Dr Gino Pecoraro, told AAP it would help the public make decisions.

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http://www.smh.com.au/national/website-will-divulge-the-number-of-infections-caught-in-hospitals-20101213-18vhz.html

Website will divulge the number of infections caught in hospitals

Mark Metherell HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

December 14, 2010

THE rate of infections caught by hospital patients will be published on the My Hospitals website as part of the planned release of more sensitive information.

The Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, has told the Herald that the waiting-time information published nationally on the new My Hospitals website last Friday was ''just the beginning''.

''We are working with the states and territories to expand the website to include a wide range of hospital data that we know consumers are after, including safety and quality data such as infection rates,'' Ms Roxon said.

However, she would not say whether the expansion would include details on waiting times for outpatient services such as chemotherapy.

Public hospitals and consumer groups say that while the My Hospitals site is a welcome start, there is much more information realistically available which should be published.

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http://media.crikey.com.au/dm/newsletter/dailymail_2af18cc3384ddc944b8b26d2bfd5b200.html#article_8461

11. MyHospitals site just a baby step, needs help to grow up

Melissa Sweet writes: MYHOSPITALS, NICOLA ROXON

In health policy, it is rare to find an initiative that is universally blessed.

This is partly because health policy is frequently about finding the "least worst option", there being few measures that don’t have some downside, and also reflects the "strife of interests" that so often drown out reasonable intentions.

So it’s not surprising that the new MyHospitals website -- which enables us to compare waiting times for elective surgery and emergency department care at public hospitals and some private hospitals, and to source some other limited information -- has drawn somewhat mixed reviews.

But it would be premature to consider these the final word; as health minister Nicola Roxon’s statement and the website itself make clear, MyHospitals should be seen as work in progress.

In which case, a critical question seems to be, how should the website be evaluated? This is important if it is to be improved and made more useful.

Croakey today publishes suggestions from a range of experts. The consensus is that MyHospitals is but a baby step and needs a lot more work if it is to really make a difference.

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http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/12/16/what-should-we-make-of-the-myhospitals-website/

What should we make of the MyHospitals website?

December 16, 2010 – 10:00 am, by Melissa Sweet

In health policy, it is rare to find an initiative that is universally blessed.

This is partly because health policy is frequently about finding the “least worst option”, there being few measures that don’t have some downside. It also reflects the “strife of interests” that so often drown out reasonable intentions.

So it’s not surprising that the new MyHospitals website – which enables us to compare waiting times for elective surgery and emergency department care at public hospitals and some private hospitals, and to source some other limited information – has drawn a somewhat mixed review.

But it would be premature to consider these the final word; as Minister Roxon’s statement and the website itself make clear, MyHospitals should be seen as work in progress.

In which case, a critical question seems to be, how should the website be evaluated? This is important if it is to be improved and made more useful.

Croakey asked a range of contributors for their views on this. (We’ve also asked the AIHW to tell us exactly what they’re planning in this respect, and will post the response if and when they get back to us).

----- Comment - Great Stuff - Lots of Ideas to Consider!

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/a-doctor-in-your-pocket-20101215-18xlf.html

A doctor 'in your pocket'

Dan Nancarrow

December 15, 2010

Finding a doctor will soon become easier for iPhone users with the launch of a new app that will pinpoint the nearest GP.

The free application allows users to pinpoint the location of their nearest AMA-affiliated doctor and, by utilising GPS technology, can direct patients to the clinic.

A web-based version of the application is also available on browsers at www.amafindadoctor.com.au.

AMA Queensland president Gino Pecoraro said with Christmas approaching, many families would be on holidays away from their local doctor.

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http://ama.com.au/node/6277

AMA plan to get the ‘e-health revolution started

10 December 2010 - 3:00pm

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said today that the Government should concentrate its efforts on delivering the most easily achievable aspects of an electronic medical record in order to get Australia’s much-anticipated ‘e-health revolution’ started.

Dr Pesce said that the AMA has long been a supporter of the Government’s e-health agenda but it is time that people started seeing some results.

"The Government should concentrate all its efforts on getting pathology results, diagnostic imaging results, hospital discharge summaries, and medications dispensed information onto an electronic medical record,” Dr Pesce said.

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http://biomedme.com/general/ama-plan-to-get-the-e-health-revolution-started-australia_25356.html

AMA Plan To Get The ‘e-health Revolution Started, Australia

Written By: sara on December 12, 2010 0

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said that the Government should concentrate its efforts on delivering the most easily achievable aspects of an electronic medical record in order to get Australia’s much-anticipated ‘e-health revolution’ started.

Dr Pesce said that the AMA has long been a supporter of the Government’s e-health agenda but it is time that people started seeing some results.

“The Government should concentrate all its efforts on getting pathology results, diagnostic imaging results, hospital discharge summaries, and medications dispensed information onto an electronic medical record,” Dr Pesce said.

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http://www.nehta.gov.au/media-centre/feature-story/778-iphone

NEHTA develops iPhone application to show patient journey

NEHTA has developed an iPhone application to show how doctors could access a patient’s record easily with eHealth records including X-ray results and allergies, making diagnosis quicker and safer.

The simulation shows a patient journey of a man, Mr Frank Harding, and his wife travelling interstate with interaction with multiple health services as they holiday. (See graphics below)

At a press conference after opening the national Revolutionising Australia’s Health Care conference in Melbourne in November, Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon said new technology is driving how healthcare will be delivered in the future in Australia.

“The iPhone app is in the concept stage, but is a good example of how we can harness technology to help health professionals deliver better patient outcomes,” she said.

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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/city-beat/isoft-sells-ibs-to-britains-capita-group-shares-jump-87pc/story-fn4xq4cj-1225970797844

iSoft sells iBS to Britain's Capita Group, shares jump 8.7pc

• Michael Bennet
• From: The Australian
• December 14, 2010 11:05AM

STRUGGLING iSoft has sold its financial management solutions arm to British outsourcing company Capita Group.

iSoft Group, now on a long road towards reducing its debt pile of about $240 million, said today it had sold iSoft Business Solutions (iBS) to Capita for £23.2m ($36.95m), after it classified it as non-core in an ongoing strategic review; UBS is assisting in the program.

Australia’s largest health IT company today also revealed it had sold its GP administration software asset, Monet. From the two sales, iSoft said it would use $28.5m to reduce group debt.

For the year to June 30, 2010, iBS generated revenue of £17.7m, and £5.8m in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.

“While iBS is a profitable business, its key products, Oracle’s e-business suite and Integra financial accounting solutions, have little overlap with iSoft's proprietary core patient-focused healthcare IT business,” said chief executive Andrea Fiumicelli.

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http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/64802/iSOFT_Group_Limited_%28ASX:ISF%29_Announces_Sale_Of_Non_Core_Assets_To_Enable_Debt_Reduction_Of_A285_Million.html

iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) Announces Sale Of Non-Core Assets To Enable Debt Reduction Of A$25 Million

Sydney, Dec 14, 2010 (ABN Newswire) - iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) today announced the following to the market:

iSOFT has sold iSOFT Business Solutions (iBS), its financial management solutions business to Capita Group plc (LON:CPI) (PINK:CTAGY). The business was classified non-core as part of iSOFT's ongoing strategic review. Together with the proceeds from another smaller asset sale, Monet, a GP administration software, iSOFT has A$28.5 million available to pay fees related to the refinancing and reduce the senior bridge revolver facility in our group debt.

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http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/371261/isoft_sells_off_business_solutions/?eid=-255&uid=25465

iSoft sells off Business Solutions

Struggling e-health provider will use the proceeds to pay down debt

• Tim Lohman (Computerworld)
• 14 December, 2010 16:32

Embattled e-health provider iSoft (ASX:ISF) has begun selling off the farm to pay down its debts.

The company has sold its financial management solutions unit, iSoft Business Solutions (iBS) to Capita Group PLC.

According to an iSoft statement, the iBS unit was classified as a non-core business under its ongoing strategic review.

The company has also sold off is GP administration software business unit, Monet, to an undisclosed buyer.

The two businesses were sold for $28.5 million and will be used to pay fees related to the refinancing and reduction of a “senior bridge revolver” debt facility.

“While iBS is a profitable business, its key products, Oracle’s e-business suite and Integra financial accounting solutions, have little overlap with iSoft’s proprietary core patient-focused healthcare IT business,” chief executive, Andrea Fiumicelli, said in an ASX statement.

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http://www.mtbeurope.info/news/2010/1012030.htm

iSOFT moves into life sciences market

16 Dec 2010

iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) has moved into the life sciences market with software that extracts and de-identifies clinical data from electronic medical records for clinical research and other secondary uses.

The move follows a co-marketing agreement with US-based CliniWorks for its AccelFind solutions. CliniWorks has developed the technology behind AccelFind, and provides it as a service, to extract medical knowledge from any type of data, including free text notes, discharge summaries or the structured data contained in electronic medical records and laboratory systems.

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New Zealand Watch.

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http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/national-eprescribing-trial-launches

National ePrescribing trial gets underway after delays

With security issues raised by pharmacists addressed, trial will go ahead

By Randal Jackson | Wellington | Wednesday, 15 December, 2010

After years of debate and dispute between the various parties involved, the new National Health IT Board has launched a national geographic trial for community ePrescribing.

Simpl Group, which had developed an engine for a similar programme in Australia, has won the business. There were five responses to the tender.

Previously, there had been resistance to ePrescribing by the Pharmacy Guild, which was concerned about security. Those concerns have been addressed.

There will be a 12-month trial over four geographic regions that will cost somewhat less than $1 million, says project lead Shane Hunter.
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http://www.zdnet.com.au/nsw-axes-cio-role-rodriguez-leaves-339308087.htm

NSW axes CIO role, Rodriguez leaves

By Renai LeMay, ZDNet.com.au on December 18th, 2010

New South Wales whole of government chief information officer Emmanuel Rodriguez will leave his post on the wings of a wide-ranging restructure within the State Government which will see his office devolved into the Department of Technology, Services and Administration (DSTA) super-agency.

In a statement, the DSTA confirmed the CIO's departure, first reported by the Australian Financial Review online on Friday afternoon.

The department's statement also detailed an associated wide-ranging overhaul of the state's technology governance structure, which had previously been shared between Rodriguez' government Chief Information Office, the DSTA itself, the Executive Council of agency CIOs and even shared services agency ServiceFirst.

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Enjoy!

David.