Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway (NJ) partners with Specialists on Call (SOC) to provide telestroke service to patients. The service allows remote neurologists to review images and participate in patient exams via audiovisual equipment.
The FDA approves Airstrip Critical Care and Cardiology, extending the reach of Airstrip’s real-time remote monitoring solutions.
Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health’s Devers Eye Institute (OR) will provide teleophthalmology services to Indian Health Services (IHS) patients. Of note in the article, only two of the 43 tribes in the NW have eye care providers.
Japan is also using teleophthalmology to address shortages of specialists. They are testing a remote controlled slit lamp microscope (“Eye-view Robo”) allowing for real-time remote examination as opposed to store-and-forward methods commonly used.
Google’s Roni Zeiger, MD discusses his company’s efforts in Haiti to help earthquake victims and NGOs better link needs and resources.
University of Illinois at Chicago partners with Illinois Department of Corrections to pilot a telemedicine program to treat HIV and Hepatitis C infected inmates.
Dr. Chrono, an iPad based EMR, is the most recent vendor to guarantee they will meet meaningful use.
Ukraine launches medical television network to communicate information about epidemics and emergencies, collect data (not sure how that will be done), make specialty care more affordable and accessible, and disseminate educational material.
The Afridoctor smart phone app released in South Africa is a “virtual health clinic” for those who can afford the Nokia smartphones that it runs on. There are now plans to extend the app to all WAP-enabled smart phones.
The AHA requests additional changes to the CMS rules regarding credentialing and privileging for telemedicine services.
CVS Caremark releases an iPhone app that provides information about drugs and prices while also allowing for medication management. Walgreens has a similar app that we reported on about a month ago.
Mayo Clinic opens the Center for Social Media to help train healthcare organizations in the use of social media to connect providers and patients. According to the article, just 15-20% of US hospitals are using social media.
E-Health Industries Innovation (EHi2) Centre opens in Wales to help drive development of mobile healthcare technology.
El Camino Hospital (CA) uses Medtronic’s Lifenet System to wirelessly transmit ECG from ambulance to ED and then onto a cardiologist’s smart phone.
Ten ways the iPad is changing the healthcare landscape.
Jokko Initiative utilizes SMS to educate and improve health in Senegal.
Econo-Keys releases a fully waterproof, RF-wireless medical mouse ($65). The device can be cleaned with any cleaning agent and even submerged for washing.
MountainStar Healthcare (UT), a subsidiary of HCA, provides average ED wait times on billboards, its Web site, and via SMS messages.
Cisco VP of Healthcare Kaveh Safavi states: “One of the things we’ve discovered is doctors have to change the way they practice medicine to take advantage of” telepresence technology. According to the interview, both scheduling and reimbursement models will need to change to accommodate telepresence technology into practice.
In attempts to cut costs, insurers Aetna, Wellpoint, and Humana are all piloting home monitoring programs for cardiac patients.
British GP Dr. Neil Paul releases his fourth iPhone app. His list includes iCalcRisk (cardiac risk calculator), iMCQ (multiple choice questions for medical student studies), A2Z of Dermatology (dermatology diagnoses), and the new app that uses the iPhone 4’s gyroscope to track motion.
Curry Health Network (OR) launches a telestroke program.
Speaking of telestroke, a new Mayo study finds it can result in long-term cost savings, though the report also calls for more research on the topic. (Demaerschalk BM, Hwang HM, Leung G. Cost analysis review of stroke centers, telestroke, and rt-PA. Am J Manag Care 2010;16:537-44)
Medica Health Plans launches an iPhone app (free) of Main Street Medica to provide users with cost information for labs, meds, procedures, supplies, and different conditions.
Phillips Healthcare demos Intellispace in a Chennai (India) virtual hospital. It’s is a wireless monitoring, automated charting, and decision support system, all in one.
In Motion Technology announces the release of onBoard Nav with Garmin GPS device integration to assist ambulance fleets. We reported about In Motion last week after North Shore Long Island Jewish Health (NY) chose it for wireless network sensing and connectivity.
The FCC and FDA sign a MOU to “encourage investment in wireless medical technology, ensure that all devices operate safely, and streamline regulatory processes, including by clarifying the agencies’ jurisdiction over wireless devices”.
Dell video explaining of Dell Mobile Clinical Computing.
Rwandan community health workers issue mobile phones to improve maternal and child care. Workers can report emergencies, submit reports, and report negligence.
A new Spyglass Consulting Group report finds that 94% of physicians use smart phones (44% iPhone, 25% BlackBerry), up from 60% in 2006. It should be noted that the study only included “more than 100” interviews, though it does go into depth about clinician communication needs and problems.
WhiteGlove House Call Health (TX), a home care service company, announces its WhiteGlove Mobile iPhone app (free), which allows users to schedule appointments and view their medical history.
In Touch Health, a telemedicine solutions provider, unveils RP-Vantage, a tool for surgical telementoring and collaboration.
The Maine Telemedicine Summit (August 17) will address opportunities for expansion of telemedicine to rural Maine residents.
The National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation launches Become an EX iPhone app ($0.99) with custom quit plans, games, videos, and news for smokers wishing to quit.
VideoMD.com is kind of a misnomer. Though home to several physician-presented videos, it also has a repertoire of videos uploaded by different types of clinicians.
The home page has featured videos, including one titled What is the Secret to a Female Orgasm? (sex sells). The differentiating feature is clinician-produced and curated videos for patients.
VideoMD seems to be a good medium for physician-patient education / marketing communication that can be broadcast free by any physician (why not use YouTube?). A good feature allows you to search for videos posted by your doctor.
A notable security flaw was that its physician registration process allows virtually anybody to claim to be a physician and upload videos (at least so it seems). Videos can be uploaded in flv format. They can be shared by e-mail or embedded in a Web page.
Categories are minimal and can be expanded. Two categories intrigued me: “live cases” where nothing was streamed live, and “current controversies” which didn’t seem too current. However, the clinicians and the content are indeed credible and seem useful.
Their iPhone app is very basic, with featured videos and an ability to search for any topic. I would recommend adding the online categories to the app for better searching.
In my opinion, $0.99 presents a barrier for purchase unless one is desperate to get video education on the go. Having said that, there are very few patient education video apps around in the smart phone world, with some examples being the iPatientEd app (with content from wired.md) and HealthiYou.
Online competitors for the patient video market segment, such as WebMD, HealthVideo (by NBC), HealthCentral, MedlinePlus, and thousands of others might want to rethink their video presence outreach. A short video in the hand is worth more than a paragraph.
M is an anonymous contributor to HIStalk Mobile, focusing on new mobile applications and iPhone/iPad news.
Autom, a robotic weight loss coach developed by a Hong Kong company, sits on the counter and coaches patients about diet and exercise. Autom plans to enter the US market in 2011.
GE Healthcare requests FCC for access to wireless spectrum for remote monitoring devices. The only problem is that the spectrum requested is currently used by Boeing for flight testing and Boeing doesn’t want to share it. GE claims the spectrum in question is the only cost-effective one for remote monitoring due to power requirements.
Mason District Hospital (IL) uses tele-phsychiatry to deliver mental health services to rural patients.
Oklahoma State University uses telemedicine to consult with Iraqi pediatricians at a 655-bed hospital in Baghdad.
Aboriginal Medical Services Northern Territory (Australia) provides Aboriginal Health Workers with iPads to enable remote access and modification of medical records stored in Sydney.
More Australian iPad news, The Royal Children’s Hospital is distributing iPads to hospitalized students to continue studies while unable to attend school.
GeckoSystems announces a contract with Sprint to expand its trial of CareBot, GeckoSystem’s home elder care robot and remote monitoring solution.
On the heels of Spanish telecom Telefonica’s launching of a global e-health unit, here’s a good assessment of what telecoms have to gain from moves to integrate into mobile health delivery.
Qualcomm and Medical Platform Asia (MedPA) announce an agreement to distribute 3G-enabled medical devices to remote patients in Japan. Blood pressure, weight, and exercise data will be transmitted over 3G to providers.
Lake Chelan Community Hospital (WA) is named to AHA’s Most Wired Hospital list. The 25-bed facility provides telemedicine services including pharmacy, radiology, stroke, and health education.
Cisco partners with OneCommunity, “a leader in incubating public-private partnerships”, to implement a pilot of Cisco’s Smart+Connected Communities in Northern Ohio. The program is broad in scope, but will include healthcare education and telemedicine via Cisco’s HealthPresence.
North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System (NY) selects In Motion Technology’s onBoard Mobile Gateway for emergency response vehicles to allow for wireless network sensing and seamless connectivity while on the go.
MedWest Health System (NC) selects Allscripts Remote for its 260 physicians.
Alta Family Health Clinic (CA) enables patients to get dermatologic consults via telemedicine links to San Francisco specialists. Ophthalmology, neurology, and psychiatry services will be next.
Cherokee Regional Medical Center (IA) utilizes iPads for nursing practices. In selecting and distributing apps for enterprises, it would be nice if Apple allowed for Enterprise App Stores of approved internal and external apps. I know some third party vendors allow for approved lists of apps, but enterprise-specific app stores, which allow for more granular selection of vetted and approved apps, would be helpful. Does anybody have any experience with this and suggestions for workarounds?
Congratulations to our sponsor Vocera, which added 20 new customers last quarter and had revenue growth of 47% from last year.
Apple beats Wall Street predictions with 78% and 61% increases in net income and revenue, respectively, last quarter.
UK wireless carrier Orange announces its Smartnumbers service, which intelligently routes patient calls to the best person or team available.
Another European carrier, Telefonica, launches a global e-health unit.
A new Lancet study finds improved blood pressure in patients who use self-monitoring and telecare vs routine follow-up. (McManus RJ, Mant J, Bray EP, et al. Telemedicine and self-management in the control of hypertension (TASMINH2): a randomised control trial. The Lancet;376:163-172)
ValueOptions, “the nation’s largest independent behavioral health care company,” launches a pilot of its Telemed Direct service in Immokalee, FL. The service provides telepsychiatry consultations and is powered by Verizon Telehealth Collaboration Services.
Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center (WV) uses telemedicine to fill staff and specialty gaps, helping patients avoid travel.
HealthPartners (MN) licenses the Diversinet MobiSecure Health Platform to develop mobile applications for communication between patients and providers.
Doctors in Japan use iPhones for home health visits and even remote consultation of CT images of aneurysms (pictured above).
pMDsoft Charge Capture app (pictured above) allows physicians to charge at the point-of-care, auto-syncing all charge entries with pMDsoft servers.
N2Care unveils a prototype of MedCottage, its 12×24 foot modular medical home built for home care and remote monitoring. One hundred will be produced in 2011, with a price tag of $65-75K or $1,500-2,000 per month.
The Center for Technology and Aging announces the 5 winners of grants to demonstrate utility of remote patient monitoring.
Smart phone weight loss and nutritional management apps are helping patients take control of their health. I’ve used the LoseIt app and it is a great way to learn what you’re actually consuming.
Rural patients in KS utilize Connect2Quit for remote smoking cessation counseling.
Saint Luke’s Health System (KS) is the latest to choose iTriage from Healthagen for delivery of information to customers.
Telemedicine finally has traction and is quickly moving to the forefront of care delivery. This article summarizes the drivers, including millions from the government that we reported recently.
Wisconsin distributes ~$1 million as part of its Universal Service Fund (USF) Telemedicine program.
NTP, the patent holding company that sued and won $600 million from Research In Motion (RIM) in 2006 for violating NTP’s wireless e-mail patents, files similar suits against Apple, Google, Microsoft, Motorola, HTC, and LG. Stories like that make me want to be an attorney.
