HAMILTON HEALTH SCIENCES (HHS) WINS MEDSEEK’s 2009 eHEALTH EXCELLENCE AWARD

MEDSEEK recognizes HHS for its outstanding web portal vision, innovation, performance and achievement.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MEDSEEK, the leading provider of enterprise portal connectivity solutions, announced today that Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) won MEDSEEK’s 2009 eHealth Excellence Award for outstanding vision, innovation and performance in using web portal technology to enhance care delivery, information access and service. The award was presented to Dale Anderson, HHS’ manager of projects and eHealth solutions, at MEDSEEK’s 9th Annual eHealth Client Congress in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 25, 2009.

Hamilton Health Sciences is one of the most comprehensive health care systems in Canada. Its six hospitals and cancer facility are licensed for more than 900 beds and serve more than 2.3 million residents of Hamilton and central south and central west Ontario. Through its affiliation with McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences, HHS offers some of the most innovative treatments and talented medical professionals in Canada.

“MEDSEEK is pleased to recognize HHS for the exceptional efforts it has made to provide safe, high quality care as well provide a total user experience throughout the entire healthcare system,“ said Peter Kuhn, MEDSEEK’s CEO. “We are excited to acknowledge the impact our portal solutions have had across HHS’ enterprise and among its physicians, patients and employee constituencies.”

Over the past 4 years, more than 2,700 HHS clinicians have registered to access its patients’ electronic medical records in real time via a portal called ClinicalConnect. Through this portal, clinicians have access to a unified, single view of a patient’s clinical reports, laboratory results, medication lists, images and other data stored in disparate clinical systems. These systems include a hospital information solution from MEDITECH, picture archiving and communication system from GE Healthcare as well as a health information management application from Sovera Document Imaging.

In 2007, HHS redesigned its consumer portal to make it easier and more convenient for patients and visitors to access health information and interact with the organization. The consumer portal provides greater emphasis on patient education and included an upgrade of the existing infrastructure to make the site more stable and reliable for end users.

HHS, which is the largest employer in Hamilton, has also implemented an employee portal to disseminate and streamline communication with its more than 10,000 employees, improving efficiency, productivity, job satisfaction and staff retention. Employees are using the portal to access staff directory, schedules, internal job postings, training and more, helping HHS’ human resources department operate more efficiently.

“We are honored to be recognized by MEDSEEK for excellence in the use of eHealth to improve patient care, safety and operational efficiencies,” said HHS’ Anderson. “We chose to partner with MEDSEEK for its unparalleled insight into healthcare technology innovations and best practices, and its focus on the user experience which has truly transformed and streamlined our ability to provide quality patient care.” Although ClinicalConnect began at Hamilton Health Sciences, it is now being extended and adopted by the Local Health Integration Network or region to interconnect other hospitals, community healthcare agencies and healthcare providers.

About Hamilton Health Sciences
Hamilton Health Sciences is a family of six unique hospitals and a cancer centre, serving more than 2.3 million residents of Hamilton and central west Ontario. Hamilton Health Sciences is the second largest hospital group in Ontario and serves as a regional referral centre for burns, trauma, cardiac, stroke, neurosurgery, pediatrics, digestive diseases, high-risk obstetrics, cancer, orthopedics and rehabilitation services. With a staff of approximately 10,000, the hospital is the largest employer in Hamilton, Ontario. As an academic teaching hospital with more than 900 beds and an affiliation with McMaster University and Mohawk College, Hamilton Health Sciences is committed to providing exemplary health care for the people and communities we serve and advancing excellence in education and health research.

About MEDSEEK
For more information, visit www.medseek.com or call 888-MEDSEEK.

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WAL-MART TO SELL LOW-COST ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEMS in the US

It seems everybody wants in on the action. Known for its low-cost food, clothing and appliances, Wal-Mart soon will be offering reasonably priced electronic health record systems.

In a story apparently leaked to the New York Times earlier this week, the big box store will join forces this spring with Dell computers and eClinicalWorks, a provider of healthcare information technology, to offer low-cost EHR systems to physicians, The New York Times reports. Systems are expected to only cost $25,000 for the first physician and $10,000 for additional physicians in a particular (non-acute care) practice.

What's included? Dell is offering its laptops and tablet PCs for physicians to use. eClinicalWorks will provide its electronic health record and practice management software. eClinicalWorks is an Internet-based service that also allows physicians to manage billing and registration online. Dell will install the hardware, while eClinicalWorks will be responsible for installing its software on the PCs, as well as for training and maintenance of the system.

A $19 billion healthcare information technology initiative in the recent stimulus package would provide physicians more than $40,000 over several years for implementation of EHRs, according to the Times.

A former Bush administration healthcare IT official told the Times that such low-cost EHR systems from Wal-Mart could be a "game changer" in the industry's efforts to spur adoption of the technology. Long-term care is working with the rest of healthcare to contribute its portion to the development of an electronic health record system. Bush had set a goal of 2014 for the establishment of such a system.

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Vendor Profile: DIGIRAD CORPORATION

After numerous grants from the Department of Defense, the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2000, DIGIRAD CORPORATION notably brought the first commercial solid-state gamma camera for nuclear medicine to the market.

Today, publically-listed DIGIRAD CORPORATION provides advanced cardiovascular imaging services solutions and solid-state nuclear medicine imaging products to nearly 1,000 clients worldwide. Notably said to be a “textbook example of how a company paid close attention to market conditions and was able to carve out a unique product opportunity. DIGIRAD's proprietary technology is based on solid-state semiconductor technology, which was developed in-house and originally used in defense technology applications.”
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More about DIGIRAD.
Note: DIGIRAD is distributed in Canada by ADN Canada (www.adn-nichemedical.com)

VENDOR PROFILE: Thinking Systems Corporation

KLAS® Award Winning THINKING SYSTEMS CORPORATION is the developer of ThinkingPACS™ and ThinkingRIS™ ---a comprehensive imaging suite (that includes an advanced Nuclear and Cardiology toolset) and extends well beyond traditional radiology modalities such as CT, MRI, DR and CR.)

Imagine an enterprise-wide, multi-disciplinary, integrated, vendor-neutral (web-based) imaging solution using one database. Thinking Systems seamlessly manage and store nuclear medicine, PET, echo cardiology and Cath lab images; supporting image registration and even fusion among multimodalities (i.e. PET, SPECT, CT, MR, etc.,) including image quantitative analysis (for cardiac and brain studies) and orthopedic templating. Providing truly customized implementations, Thinking Systems translates the power of its versatile product portfolio and expertise into highly effective solutions tailor-made for each installation.

THINKING SYSTEMS solutions are installed worldwide in leading hospitals, research institutes, imaging centers, and doctor’s offices, including US notables like Yale, Mass General, Univ. of Miami, and Kettering Medical Center.

In Canada, THINKING SYSTEMS are utilized by the Humber River Regional Hospital. Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH,) Women’s College Hospital (WCH,) Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto General Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH,) the University Health Network (UHN,) and a number of clinic sites.

Intuitive. Intelligent. Innovation. | Thinking Systems

More about Thinking Systems Corporation. Note: In Canada, Thinking Systems solutions are provided by ADN Canada (www.adn-nichemedical.com)

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

ACUMEME is seeking articles, commentary and ideas on the state of electronic health records (EHR) and e-Health 2.0 in Canada. Have something to say? Here’s your sounding board. Anonymity assured. E-mail us at acumeme@yahoo.com.

Government of Canada Supports Electronic Health Record System that Will Save Time and Lives

Wed., Feb. 11, 2009 | OTTAWA, ONTARIO
The Honorable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced that the Government of Canada, through its Economic Action Plan, is continuing to support the creation of health information systems designed to benefit Canadians by saving time and lives, while also creating economic stimulus.

Support from Budget 2009 will assist Canada Health Infoway in implementing electronic health records. It will also speed up the implementation of electronic medical record systems for physicians, as well as connect hospitals, pharmacies and community care facilities.

"An electronic health record system will improve the safety and accountability of the overall health-care system," said Minister Aglukkaq. "It will save time and lives by reducing duplication, improving the management of chronic disease, improving access to care and boosting productivity. This will result in a positive contribution to Canada's economy, including the creation of thousands of sustainable, knowledge-based jobs throughout Canada."

Many other countries are following Canada's adoption of electronic health records, which give health-care providers a complete picture of their patients' health history and help them to provide better care. Electronic health records will also help to reduce wait times by speeding the flow of information through the system, eliminating duplicate or unnecessary tests, and reducing hospital stays due to adverse drug events. Automated alerts and reminders will help to reduce medication errors and remind health-care providers of necessary tests or vaccinations.

Funding of $500 million announced today is in addition to $400 million in support provided to Canada Health Infoway in Budget 2007. This brings the Government of Canada's total commitment to this initiative to $2.1 billion. Since its inception, Infoway and its provincial and territorial partners have made good progress in making electronic health records a reality in Canada. Across the country, increasing numbers of Canadians and health-care providers are gaining access to health information through secure electronic systems.

"The Government of Canada's continued investment in the development of electronic health record systems across Canada will result in continued modernization of the health-care system, with tangible results for Canadians in every corner of the country," said Richard Alvarez, President and CEO, Canada Health Infoway. "In addition to benefiting the health system, electronic health records are also reducing operating costs and stimulating the economy by creating thousands of jobs."

Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established in 2001 to accelerate the development of health information and communication technologies such as electronic health records (EHR's), telehealth, and public health surveillance systems on a pan-Canadian basis. Its members are the 14 federal, provincial and territorial Deputy Ministers of Health.

See Health Canada News Releases

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Canada Health Infoway Launches new Canadian e-Health Certification

The government-funded organization works to accelerate the adoption of electronic health records in Canada. Its new e-health certification aims to make consumer health vendors bake more security, privacy and interoperability features into their applications.

Canada Health Infoway is launching a new certification service for vendors who create consumer e-health applications. The non-profit organization hopes its new e-Health Certification Service will encourage health IT vendors to take advantage of the considerable progress Canada has made in setting standards and deploying interoperable electronic health records. With interest in consumer health products continuing to grow, ensuring these solutions work well with technologies used to store Canadian health data is essential.

These products can help individuals organize their health information and gather medical records from doctors, hospitals and pharmacies. It can also help doctors keep up-to-date on changes to your digital health records.

“The key word is interoperability and this should be the driving force for technology solutions in all sectors,” John Reid, president and CEO of the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA Alliance), said. “In the health care sector, you want solutions and information to be portable from one geography to the other and that’s the whole idea behind these standards.”

Bernard Courtois, president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC), also applauded the national standard and said it could boost the confidence of the market considerably.

“It’s a sign that electronic health is making progress and reaching the consumer world, not just the health care system world,” he said. “Canadians will realize that e-health is something they can’t do without in a modern health care system.”

In addition to better interoperability, organizations investing in certified e-health solutions can also expect a high degree of confidence that the products they buy meet stringent security standards. When applying for certification, a vendor will need to fill out a self-assessment form on how well their product meets Infoway’s standards. After passing this stage, vendors will have to “provide an overview of their privacy policy” and “demonstrate very specific test scripts through their applications,” according to Shelagh Maloney, Infoway’s executive director of external liaison.

“Our ultimate goal is that buyers of these systems, especially the health organizations, will make it a mandatory requirement in their buying process to purchase consumer health platforms certified by Infoway,” she said.

Maloney, however, did not want to comment on the specific costs vendors can expect to pay for going through the certification process. Courtois said that whatever the costs might be, they need to be affordable in order to allow smaller companies a chance at becoming certified.

Traditionally, the problem with certifications is that there’s just too many of them, he added, “if you have to obtain multiple health certifications, it can waste lots of time and money, and really doesn’t provide much help for the buyers,” Courtois said. “This makes things tougher for smaller companies, but it’s also an expense for larger companies and it would be naïve to think that the cost doesn’t get factored back into when they sell the application.”

Reid added that by creating cost-effective – but also well-respected – national standard, vendors can truly differentiate themselves and improve the e-health application market.

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White Paper | Electronic Health Information: The Key to Evidence-Based Medicine and Improved Patient Care.

Sponsored by: BEA/Oracle8/ OCT 08.

This (U.S.-based) Government Insights White Paper provides background information on the healthcare industry in the United States and the challenges and opportunities associated with leveraging technology and electronic health information to promote more effective care delivery across a broader patient community.

This paper also highlights two case studies that demonstrate how technology can serve as a key component of effective healthcare by creating the data framework for evidence-based medicine (EBM).

DOWNLOAD WHITE PAPER

Global Snapshot: National and Regional Electronic Health Projects

Global Perspective: Electronic Health Records (EHR)

HIMSS Global Enterprise Task Force (GEFT) investigates implementation of EHR’s in 15 countries around the world.

Recognizing common threads that affect all Electronic Health Records (EHR) implementations in 15 countries, the Global Enterprise Task Force of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has released “Electronic Health Records: A Global Perspective.”

The extensive study reviewed healthcare IT progress in Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North America. A 16-member task force looked at various EHR components within each country, including, security, quality, financing sources and barriers to adoption. The 119-page report presents findings on EHR implementation by country. Each chapter features an overview of the country’s electronic health record status followed by a review of achievements, barriers and recommendations in the different areas.

DOWNLOAD REPORT (.pdf)

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The HIMSS Global Enterprise Task Force (GEFT), formed in 2006 under the HIMSS Enterprise Information Steering Committee, includes industry leaders from around the world who provide expert analysis from a local perspective. The work group plans to update and expand the report in future editions and calls on interested health IT experts throughout the world to contribute. Contact the HIMSS Europe office at europe@himss.org for more information on participation.

About HIMSS.

Read Original Article.

Global Perspective: China’s “Green Book” and Personal Health Record’s

PHR: Is There an Easier Way? The Chinese “Green Book” achieves some goals currently unattained in the U.S.

Perhaps this will be the year Personal Health Records (PHRs) will catch on with the public and begin realizing their potential. There is certainly no shortage of products available. Nor is there a shortage of approaches to the technology, level/type of information stored and sophistication of tools. Surveys indicate PHR's are gaining the interest of the American health care consumer and suggest that large-scale usage cannot be too far off. Nonetheless, the PHR still has the lowest adoption rate of any major EHR function in hospitals and physician offices.

Are we over-complicating the concept of the PHR? After all, patients have always been the primary source of information about their personal illnesses and injuries, but now that we are starting to utilize technology, create laws, and develop policies and procedures about such information, we may actually be creating problems. Perhaps we could learn a lesson from China — where a simple, yet remarkably effective (in some ways,) version of the PHR is in widespread use.

The Green Book
Patients visiting many of China's public hospitals for outpatient care receive a "green book" that constitutes their ambulatory patient record. During the course of a patient visit, the doctor enters clinical notes such as patient complaint, test results, diagnosis and prescribed medications. All notes are handwritten.

At the conclusion of the visit, the physician gives the 'Green Book' back to the patient or other responsible party. When the patient returns for treatment or medication refill, he/she must bring the 'green book', which the physician uses to maintain continuity of care. Neither the hospital nor the physician keeps a copy of these ambulatory records; the patient receives the sole copy.

A number of concerns seemingly make this approach unworkable in the U.S., such as the risk of losing the record, the potential for unauthorized changes to it, legibility issues and the need for a legal business record. But despite its shortcomings, the 'Green Book' achieves some goals currently unattained in the U.S.:

Portability: So long as the patient brings their 'Green Book' to the visit, it can be shared with any provider without hassle or delay.

Interoperability: Could U.S. interoperability issues really be a euphemism for "I don't want to do it?" Are we making it too hard by trying to be perfect?

Patient Accountability: The responsibility for preserving, protecting and presenting the record belongs to the patient. The U.S. is not advocating that the health care system place such responsibility and accountability entirely on the patient, but maybe sharing would be beneficial?

General Standards: The standards for use, format and content are high-level, achievable and appear to be well-accepted.

Physician Acceptance: It appears that virtually all caregivers who are supposed to use the green book actually accept it. The temptation for individuals to replace it with something they like better appears to have been resisted.

The Chinese are not drowning in worthy options. The green book PHR concept is simple, especially in comparison to American high-tech options. However, sometimes our technology becomes as much a barrier as a solution and large-scale PHR adoption will not occur in the U.S. until the outlined goals are achieved using technology as an enabler.

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Original Article by Michael R. Cohen, CPHIT, CPEHR, FHIMSS, and Margret Amatayakul, RHIA, CHPS, FHIMSS.

Health Care in Canada Report (HCIC 2008)

Health Care in Canada 2008 (HCIC 2008) is the ninth in a series of annual reports on Canada's health care system by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI.)

The Health Care in Canada (HCIC 2008) Report provides a review of key analytic work undertaken at CIHI that highlights CIHI's health care research priorities (access, quality of care, health human resources, funding/costs, etc.). Also included in this report is a review of seminal national and international health care research as it maps onto these health care priorities. HCIC 2008 is a tool for health care researchers, persons involved in strategic decision-making in health care, the media and Canadians in general to identify current priorities in health care.

DOWNLOAD HCIC 2008 REPORT (.PDF).

About CIHI
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) collects and analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments created CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information. CIHI’s goal: to provide timely, accurate and comparable information. CIHI’s data and reports inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services and raise awareness among Canadians of the factors that contribute to good health.

KLAS announces top-performing Healthcare IT software and services vendors for 2008

The 2008 Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards lists top Healthcare IT vendors in a number of software categories (view Top 20,) as well as several professional services categories.

KLAS Founder and Chairman Kent Gale said more than 1,500 interviews were conducted. Gale added that KLAS is developing new categories and refining others based on the comments received during the interview process. The company has added cardiology as a category, he pointed out, while it is working on designations for RFID assets and labor and delivery and others.

As the Clinical Portal category is relatively new, KLAS does not yet extend a “Best in KLAS” rating, however MEDSEEK is the Category Leader for Clinical Portals in the recent report. (View Report)

"Since 1998, the Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards report has been shining a light on the performance of vendors throughout the healthcare industry," said KLAS President Adam Gale in a press release. "Today the objective of the report remains the same: To help healthcare providers make informed decisions, whether they're looking to buy technology, review a current vendor, validate an operational decision or determine the right products to remain after a merger."

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Top 50 Health 2.0 Blogs

It’s clear the Internet is transforming how we practice medicine, biomedical research, and empowering health care stakeholders. While we have seen many new concepts and terms appear and disappear, the term “Web 2.0” is increasingly being discussed.

Recent advances in web technologies and user interfaces has greatly changed the design and pervasiveness of Web applications, and in many cases actually transformed the way users interact with them. As eloquently argued by Mandl and colleagues in the New England Journal of Medicine, these developments represent “tectonic shifts in the health information economy” with far-reaching consequences for patient involvement, as the gravity shifts away from health care providers as the sole custodian of medical data.

Health 2.0 embraces the idea of bringing health care into the community of physicians, patients, and those in the health care industry together with technology and the Internet to provide the best possible health care environment.

What better way for the various parts of this community to share their thoughts and communicate ideas than through their blogs? From corporate blogs to blogs that are a part of social networks to individual blogs touching on technology or health care policy, these blogs will help bring you into the community, provide information and resources, and may perhaps help you find your voice as well.

2.0 CORPORATE BLOGS
From popular medical websites such as WebMD and Healthline to Health 2.0 sites like Organized Wisdom, these blogs bring you health information on a variety of topics.

1. WebMD Community Blogs. This trusted source of medical advice offers blogs ranging from ADHD to men's health to urology. Select one or more topics to learn the latest in that field.

2. Mayo Clinic Blogs and Podcasts. Stay on top of subjects such as pregnancy, stopping smoking, nutrition and more with the blogs and podcasts available at this site.

3. Healthline Health Matters . Read the blogs available through Healthline here. Topics include cancer treatment, reproduction, teen health, nutrition, and much more.

4. MedlinePlus Health News. Click through the daily news updates on this government-sponsored site or sign up for the RSS feeds to have the news delivered straight to you.

5. ENURGI. This company works to connect families, patients, and health care givers. The blog provides updates about the company as well as helpful advice on topics such as checking references for caregivers and exercise and health.

6. The Revolution Manifesto. RevolutionHealth offers a community resource to find information about health and wellness, illness, and connecting with others. Their blog highlights important health care issues and how those issues affect changes within the company.

7. HealthNex. From IBM employees concerned with health care innovations that help the global community, this blog brings topics such as e-records, health policy, and technology to Health 2.0 readers.

8. The Health Wisdom Blog. From Organized Wisdom, the site that gives you information on your health with WisdomCards, be sure to follow this blog for updates on the latest 2.0 tools.

9. NeoTool Healthcare IT Blog. From NeoTool, a hospital systems integration software, this blog offers the latest IT trends with a focus on hospitals in particular as well as information about the NeoTool software as well.

10. SharpBrains Blog. This blog keeps you updated on the latest brain health news and research. Don't miss their Medicine 2.0 blog carnival where they offer the best of the blogs offering 2.0 information.


SOCIAL NETWORKING BLOGS
Medical social networking sites offer lots of information on their blogs, usually with the angle of reader-based research. Check out these blogs written by highly informed patients and medical professionals alike.

11. The Value of Openness. From PatientsLikeMe, this blog brings the best of patient-led research to you. Recent posts have touched on young-onset Parkinson's, MS, and genetics discrimination.

12. Doctor Blogs at Daily Strength. From Daily Strength, these physicians share their knowledge on topics ranging from why men don't seek health care treatment to high school sports to the five stages of grief.

13. PeoplesMD Blog. Get the latest on both social networking and health issues--especially as they have to do with one another--on this blog from PeoplesMD.

14. Trusera Blog. Trusera is a social network of patients who are sharing their health experiences. The blog brings you updates in the world of health care as well as updates on Trusera itself.

15. change: healthcare. This social networking site allows patients to compare and support each other on health care topics such as illness, prescription drugs, and many other health care topics. The blog keeps you updated on health care news such as how to spot an online medical scam or whether or not you should get married for health care benefits.

16. HealthCareVox. Not actually a part of any one social networking site, this blog focuses specifically on how social networking plays into the world of health care and technology. Recent topics have included the success of specific online communities and a global study on social technology.

17. PsychCentral Blogs. PsychCentral, an online psychology community, offers this blog to keep you updated on the latest in the field of psychology such as face recognition and the relationship to social culture and non-drug approaches to treating ADHD.

18. The SoberCircle Guy's Blog. The official blog of SoberCircle, you can find posts about both social networking and the 2.0 technology used to create a supportive and healthy environment.

19. New Media Medicine Blogs. Read the blogs from physicians, med students, and pre-med students from this social networking sites for doctors. Sponsored by a university in New Zealand, these blogs definitely have a distinctive feel separate from similar U.S. blogs.

GENERAL HEALTHCARE AND WEB 2.0
From the latest in health 2.0 tools to a listing of current medical blogs, these 2.0 blogs will keep you current and in the know.

20. Health 2.0 Blog. A blog written by leaders in the health 2.0 movement, these posts will keep you abreast of all the latest trends and technologies occurring in the health care world.

21. The Health Care Blog. A sister site to health 2.0 Blog, this blog expands coverage in its posts to include not only the 2.0 aspect, but also the latest news and inside happenings in the health care industry.

22. The Doctor Weighs In. Five physicians post on this health care blog that frequently features plenty of health 2.0 topics such as the future of health 2.0 tools.

23. Diabetes Mine. This comprehensive site detailing all aspects of managing diabetes offers a blog with a strong focus on the 2.0 aspects of online technology and community connection.

24. Medical 2.0. Written by a pediatrician and health 2.0 guru, this blog offers great tips and resources for enhancing your health and medical 2.0 library.

25. Frankie Speaking Frankly. This blogger from the U.K. brings you interesting posts about the world of health and medical 2.0. As the creator of MedWorm with a strong interest in medical research, her experience in the field is sure to provide great insight to the current and future trends of health 2.0.

26. Web 2.0 and Medicine. Find reviews and updates on the latest web 2.0 tools that affect the field of medicine on this blog written by a physician with a strong interest in the progress of health 2.0.

27. Medgadget. This hugely popular blog provides the latest in medical technology both on and off the Internet.

28. Clinical Cases and Images--Blog. This blog brings the world of medicine together through their informative and interesting blog. Get the latest news, interesting blogs, and newest technologies here.

29. ScienceRoll. This medical student with a strong interest in web 2.0 technology writes about the intersection of these two fields in his blog.

30. Informaticopia. Blogging about the world of eHealth around the world, this blogger is based in the U.K., but also touches on health 2.0 in Canada and the U.S. as well.

31. Medlogs. For a listing of medical blogs, this news aggregator brings the latest medical blogs to you in one spot. Read through the most current blog list or browse through the categories of blogs on the left-hand menu.


HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY BLOGS
Health 2.0 is inextricably linked to technology, so read about how technology and health care affect each other in these blogs.

32. Health Populi. Written by a health economist, this blog looks at how health care and technology intersect. Recent posts include health care debt trends and the economic impact on health insurance, medical treatment, and prescription drug use.

33. iHealthBeat. Actually more of a journal than a blog, this site offers updates on Monday through Friday on how technology affects the health care industry. A part of the California HealthCare Foundation, some of the news is a bit more geared to California and the west coast.

34. HIStalk. This Health IT blog serves primarily as a news aggregator for all the HIS inside industry scoops, but it also provides reader-written posts about the industry.

35. The Healthcare IT Guy. Written by a CEO of a health care IT company, this blog offers plenty of reviews for great health 2.0 sites as well as updates about health care as it pertains to technology.

36. eHealth. Blogging on the nuances of eHealth, health 2.0, and medicine 2.0, this writer discusses the various aspects of technology and health care systems.

37. Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog. Read about podcasting, blogging, open source, privacy and more as these aspects of technology pertain to the health care industry.

38. Future of Health IT. This news aggregator blog lets you know the latest news on IT trends and happenings as they relate to the health care industry.

39. The Healthcare Information Systems Blog. While currently undergoing a re-focusing of direction, this blog generally examines health care and its association with technology innovation.

40. Efficient MD.com. This site offers the latest on technology, best practices, and lifehacks. Stay on top of what technology your physician has available in her field.

41. Kidney Notes. Not necessarily just focusing on kidneys, this blog offers a good mix of medical technology news, funny journal articles, and other random fun-ness. Medical professionals and laypeople alike will enjoy reading this blog.

42. davidrothman.net. Combining medical librarianship and Internet technology, this blog offers great 2.0 tools and tips for those in the health care industry.

43. Laika's MedLibLog. Another blog heavy on the medical library end of health 2.0 and written by a Dutch medical information specialist, this blog offers topics such as WikiMindMap, Dutch medical blogs, and more.


HEALTHCARE POLICY AND LAW BLOGS
The current state of health care in America just begs for health 2.0 intervention with communities and technology working to make a change for the better. These blogs let you know how the struggle to improve the system is going.

44. Kathleen's Blog: Second Opinion. A part of CodeBlueNow!, the founder writes this blog with inspirational and thought-provoking calls to arms for those working to make a change in health care policies.

45. Crossover Health. This blog is a great example of the Renaissance nature of health 2.0 as it strives to find a way to make policy changes through inclusion of physicians, patients, and policy makers as they incorporate aspects of technology and finance to improve health care for all.

46. Health Care For All. This non-profit works to create a better health care system through creating a consumer-centered system, and their blog provides the latest developments in their pursuit of better quality care.

47. A Scanner Brightly. This blogger is going about making changes in policy by bringing more medical transparency to the field. As a supporter of this movement, you will find topics comparing U.S. healthcare to other countries and examinations of current transparency policies.

48. Amateur Economists. While not strictly a health blog, the economic topics here frequently touch on health care policy and how economics affects changes. This blog is geared towards those who are not well-versed in economics, but want to understand the implications on current events.

49. Health Care Law Blog. This lawyer blogs about the intersection of health care, the law, and technology. Topics frequently touch on electronic health care records, social networks as they pertain to health care, privacy, and more.

50. HealthBlawg. Lawyer David Harlow writes about health care, technology, the law, and health care policy on his blog.

Published on RNCentral.com Wednesday September 17th , 2008 | Read original article

Global Perspective: Australia’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) Resources

Coalition for eHealth Australia
The Coalition for eHealth was formed to improve the strength and coherence of the voice from those with expertise in eHealth. View Members of the Coalition for eHealth.

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) published specifications for both messaging and connectivity architecture which underpin the approach to e-health communications for NEHTA’s ePathology, eDischarge Summary, eReferral and eMedications Management. Strategic policy alignment takes a strong focus on the monitoring and analysis of trends and technology, in order to drive the Australian Governments' e-Health agenda. Read Specifications.

Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC).
In early 2008, Australian Health Ministers, through the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council, commissioned Deloitte to develop a strategic framework and plan to guide national coordination and collaboration in E-Health. Read Summary.

HealthConnect Australia Archive

National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) Privacy Blueprint for the Individual Electronic Health Record
The Consumers Health Forum's National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) Privacy Blueprint for the Individual Electronic Health Record considers a range of key issues including governance, audit functionality, sensitivity labels, what controls individuals have over information on the Individual EHR, and secondary uses.

e-Health is a Valuable Tool
As the e-health movement continues to gain momentum across Australia, consumers are playing a greater part in driving the e-health direction to meet consumer needs.

Keeping Consumer e-Health Transparent
Ethics is central to the culture of health provision in Australia; however, when it comes to looking at e-health things can get a bit clouded. This article looks at just one aspect of e-Health and consumer sponsored (and run) websites.

e-Health and the Quality Use of Medicines - Getting Better All the Time
Computers have revolutionized the way pharmacists work, delivering many improvements to consumers. However, e-Health offers ongoing opportunities.

e-Health - A Consumer's View
There are benefits and drawbacks with the development and implementation of e-Health systems, but with consumer involvement, concerns can be addressed

e-Health for Consumers - Practical Strategies
The e-Health strategies were developed out of the CHF 2005-06 Electronic Health Records project for maintaining a high level of well-informed consumer participation and input in the development and implementation of e-Health systems. The strategies also reinforce the need to consider important issues for consumers, such as privacy, governance, and shared decision-making between health providers and consumers, to ensure these issues remain on the e-Health development agenda.

Global Perspective: NHS Scotland’s e-Health Strategy

The potential of information technology to support improved healthcare is recognized across the world. There are many approaches to delivering this potential; Scotland is building an approach that best fits the needs of NHS Scotland.

In Scotland, the e-Health Strategy is setting a course which focuses on improved healthcare more than technology. It also seeks to build on the significant progress we have already made to move to progressively stronger and more integrated support for the provision of care. The e-Health Strategy targets the key priorities set for health while also looking to build the wider vision of more integrated care and the use of information to promote better, more efficient and safer care for patients.

Read NHS SCOTLAND’s eHealth Strategy.

Electronic Health (e-Health) Resources

Online e-Health Literature Catalogue
(Departmental Library, Health Canada)
+ A fully searchable catalogue providing access to more than 4 000 full text reports, papers, periodicals, and journal articles from Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe. Topics include telehealth and telemedicine, protection of personal health information, electronic health records, legislation, standards, and major current health policy documents which have an impact on the use of ICTs in health.


Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Database
(NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, United Kingdom in collaboration with International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Asssessment (INAHTA.))
+ Includes technology assessment publications related to projects being conducted by members of INAHTA. Note: Many of the publications records links to original papers or executive summaries.



Telemedicine Bibliographic Database
(Telemedicine Information Exchange, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A).
+ Bibliographic database which provides access to citations of articles on telemedicine, many with abstracts; frequent updates. Note: Contains over 12,000 article citations with many available for online purchase and delivery.

CanadianEMR Roundtable Forum Podcast- The Convergence of EMR and EHR

The Convergence of EMR and EHR Podcast
Where are we now? Where are we going? The Convergence of EMR and EHR in Canada. Featuring Panelists: Sam Marafioti, Dr. Steve Edworthy, Dr. Stephen McLaren, and Mary Atkinson.

Listen to the Podcast (Length: 34:44.) Visit CanadianEMR Online.

4th Annual Canadian Health Informatics Awards

The 4th Annual Canadian Health Informatics Awards Gala, held on November 19, 2008 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, celebrated the outstanding achievements and excellence in the Canadian Health Informatics Community. ITAC Health (formerly CHITTA, Health Division of ITAC) and COACH: Canada’s Health Informatics Association co-hosted the gala.

Congratulations to:


The Gala celebrated the following outstanding achievements:

2008 COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Winner: Telus Health Solutions

2008 HEALTHCARE TRANSFORMATION
Winner: Agfa HealthCare

2008 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Xwave Healthcare & Cancer Care Ontario

2008 CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

+ MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS
Winner: Agfa HealthCare

+ SMALL TO MEDIUM ENTERPRISE
Winner: Ormed Information Systems

View 2008 AWARDS GALA PHOTOS

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ABOUT ITAC

The Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) is the voice of the Canadian information and communications technologies (ICT) industry. ITAC represents a diverse ICT community spanning telecommunications and internet services, ICT consulting services, hardware, microelectronics, software and electronic content. ITAC's community of companies accounts for more than 70 per cent of the 572,000 jobs, $140.5 billion in revenue, $6.0 billion in R&D investment, $31.4 billion in exports and $11.4 billion in capital expenditures that the ICT industry contributes annually to the Canadian economy. ITAC is a prominent advocate for the expansion of Canada's innovative capacity and for stronger productivity across all sectors through the strategic use of technology.

To view a list of ITAC Members click here.

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White Paper: The Critical Role of Integrated Patient Information in the Delivery of High Quality Healthcare

Find out how an SOA-based solution for HIE and interoperability can provide both caregivers and applications with comprehensive and accurate integrated patient information that facilitates the delivery of high quality healthcare. Download the White Paper.