Bonanza for six telecare suppliers (Scotland)

Scotland’s procurement body for local authorities has set up a framework for telecare services. Scotland Excel has said that all 32 Scottish councils, plus two of the country’s largest housing associations, have confirmed they will use the contract until the end of December 2013, but it could be extended by a further year. The forecast spend for each participating local authority is about £3.4m a year over the term of the framework, including the extension period, equating to £10.2m each. [To save you the sum, 32 x £10.2m is £326.4m, approx USD $514m and Euro €384m].

Mobile Health Africa: Connected Africa Forum

Mobile Health Africa will bring together key pioneers of the mHealth evolution in Africa, from donor agencies to NGOs and governments, and technology providers to MNOs, to establish how to evolve the mHealth industry from pilots to successful live deployments that deliver cost effective and measurable results.

Drug delivery on a wireless chip closer

The Financial Times reports that a wirelessly controlled implant delivering daily doses of drugs, developed by MIT spinoff MicroChips, has succeeded in its first clinical trial in Denmark. The results were announced at the start of the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting on Thursday. The drug delivery times are either pre-programmed into the chip, or it is activated wirelessly by the doctor to release the dose. ‘Pharmacy on a chip’ passes test

Telemedicine is on the rise

In essence, telemedicine enables health providers to monitor patients who are not at their location. With telecommunication devices in their home, results can be transmitted to their provider for analysis and treatment. Through transmission of medical data, remote monitoring, and interactive services, telemedicine is helping physicians take high quality care of their patients. Surprisingly, there were more hospitals and physician offices that were embracing telemedicine than previously thought. According to Hospitals and Health Networks Most Wired 2011 survey, 27% of physician offices and 42% of hospitals indicated they provided telemedicine services. Telemedicine offers an array of benefits for hospitals and physician offices. With each state issuing its own set of guidelines for telehealth coverage, California is leading the way when it passed the Telehealth Advancement Act of 2011 in October. The bill allows for increased telehealth services in rural areas through more providers and in more settings. Providing patients convenient, quality care is an utmost concern for health systems, hospitals and physician clinics across the country, and telemedicine is a dynamic and innovative method to consider.

Rising costs, health care reform law create more interest in self-funding

As health care costs continue to climb, many midsize employers are turning to self-funding as a cost-effective way to provide health benefits to their employees. Fifty-eight percent of employers with 200 to 999 employees self-funded their health care programs in 2010, up from 44% in 1999, according to the annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Education Trust Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits. Even though middle-market self-funding lost some ground in 2011, dropping to 50% of midsize employer plans, it is expected to regain its upward momentum as the economy picks up, and in response to the federal health care reform law. Although self-funded benefit plans are subject to many of the coverage requirements imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as unlimited annual and lifetime benefits, the cost of self-funded benefit plans will remain lower than fully insured plans because they are not subject to state benefit mandates or premium taxes that add to plan costs, experts say.

Georgia passes bill allowing school telemedicine

Doctors could treat school students remotely under a bill approved by Georgia lawmakers. The House of Representatives voted 157-1 to approve legislation allowing school districts to include consultations with off-site healthcare providers as part of their school nurse programs.

European Commission adopts decision to establish eHealth network

The European Commission has adopted a decision to establish a voluntary eHealth network, pursuant to Article 14 of the Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border states that:    The Union shall support and facilitate cooperation and the exchange of information among Member States working within a voluntary network connecting national authorities responsible for eHealth designated by the Member States:  The objectives of the eHealth network shall be to: work towards delivering sustainable economic and social benefits of European eHealth systems and services and interoperable applications, with a view to achieving a high level of trust and security, enhancing continuity of care and ensuring access to safe and high-quality healthcare; draw up guidelines on: a non-exhaustive list of data that are to be included in patients’ summaries and that can be shared between health professionals to enable continuity of care and patient safety across borders; and effective methods for enabling the use of medical information for public health and research; support Member States in developing common identification and authentication measures to facilitate transferability of data in cross-border healthcare……”

New Jersey hospital moves closer to telepsychiatry

St. Clare’s Hospital has won a conditional recommendation from a Morris County health board to add telepsychiatry to its screening services. The Morris County Mental Health Substance Abuse Advisory Board voted unanimously to recommend to the state that St. Clare’s patients be given the option to be psychiatrically evaluated via a secure video connection. The option would be made available 24/7 at the hospital’s Dover location and 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays and weekends in Denville.

West Virginia University trains parents of children with autism

There aren’t enough trained professionals in West Virginia to provide intense therapy for young children with autism, so West Virginia University wants to train parents to fill that void. That’s the main idea behind the Parent Implemented Training for Autism through Telemedicine, or PITA-T, project.

Europe to be bigger market for mHealth than North America

The worldwide mHealth market will grow to a revenue opportunity worth $23 billion by 2017, according to a new report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and funded by the GSM Association. PwC notes that while advancements in medical technology and a general worldwide increase in income levels would suggest progress for healthcare, issues of affordability, complexity and access are still big problems for the industry. Given the near ubiquity of mobile networks as well as the rise of smartphones and other connected devices, PwC believes mobile will play an increasingly important role in developed and developing countries to help healthcare stakeholders overcome these challenges.

Health education on TV ‘is growing in Italy’

Telemedicine education on television in Italy is growing, but it can grow even more among foreign doctors practicing medicine in Italy, according to Foad Aodi, president of the Association of foreign Doctors in Italy and of World Arab Community in Italy.

European Space Agency launches project to improve healthcare in Africa with satellite technology

The European Space Agency has set up an international consortium to pave the way for the use of satellite systems to help overcome the challenges to healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa. The region has around 11 percent of the world’s population, but has 25 percent of the global disease burden (in human and financial costs), but less than 1 percent of global health expenditure. Delivery is also a challenge, with just 3 percent of the world’s health workers deployed in the region, so doctors and nurses are often a long way from their patients and access is difficult due to poor infrastructure.

Isha Foundation, Apollo Hospital launch telemedicine center

To reach out to poor people in the rural areas to provide immediate medical solutions, Isha Foundation in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals inaugurated its first telemedicine center in Isha Rural Health Clinic at Alandurai village in Coimbatore, India. Coimbatore collector M. Karunagaran inaugurated the facility at the clinic in the presence of Prathap C. Reddy, chairman of Apollo hospitals, and Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha Foundation.

Physicians in Europe who Own an iPad Spend more Time on the Device

Online European physicians who own an iPad spend 27 percent of their professional online time on this device, according to the new Taking the Pulse(R) Europe study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. Additionally, this audience relies on desktops and laptops for 55 percent of their professional Internet use, with the remaining 18 percent of access time occurring on smartphones. Taking the Pulse(R) Europe explores how physicians in Europe use digital channels for clinical purposes, pharma communication, and patient interaction. The study was fielded online among 1,207 practicing physicians in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom in Q4 2011. Twenty-six percent of online European physicians own an iPad, with an additional 40 percent reporting they plan to purchase one within the next six months. iPad owners primarily use their devices to look up information, browse articles, and watch videos. Overall, physicians show significant interest in using iPads to manage and educate their patients.

Malta announces plans to roll out nationwide FTTH network

The Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications in the Republic of Malta has launched a call for expressions of interest in the rollout of a next-generation broadband infrastructure to supply ultra-fast broadband services across the islands of Malta and Gozo. The Government of Malta says it is committed to accelerating the roll-out of ultra-fast broadband services to all areas of Malta and Gozo, concentrating initially on priority broadband users such as schools, hospitals and e-health  providers.

Upcoming Events

Conference tackles health care supply chain

Representatives from nearly 30 countries will converge in Sydney for the 21st GS1 Global Healthcare Conference, 20-22 March 2012.  It aims to raise the bar on patient outcomes through efficient and timely access to medical devices, consumables and pharmaceuticals in the healthcare sector.

ATA 2012 in San Jose

ATA 2012 (April 29 to May 1 in San Jose, Calif.) meets the changing needs of healthcare professional who utilize telemedicine, telehealth and mHealth technologies, with 450-plus peer reviewed presentations, 200-plus exhibitors.

 

International Congress on Telehealth and Telecare 2012

The King’s Fund, London, United Kingdom

March 6-8, 2012

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Telemedicine Experience@Prospects

Donetsk, Ukraine

March 19-20, 2012

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Med-e-Tel 2012

Luxembourg

April 18-20, 2012

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ISPHT 2012

Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

May 14-16, 2011

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World Health Care Congress Europe

Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 23-24, 2012

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IFA 11th Global Conference on Ageing

Prague, Czech Republic

May 28 – June 1, 2012

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3rd International Conference on Transforming Healthcare with IT

Hyderabad, India

August 31 – Sept 1, 2012

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Health 2.0 Europe (2012)Berlin, Germany

Nov 6-7, 2012

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