Med-e-Tel by ISfTeH 2010 logo 
 
 


The International eHealth, Telemedicine and Health ICT Forum
For Education, Networking and Business
Med-e-Tel Newsletter
April 6, 2010
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Med-e-Tel Newsletter
 
This newsletter is your source for Med-e-Tel updates, news from the Med-e-Tel partners, sponsors, exhibitors and speakers, as well as other telemedicine and ehealth news from around the world.

 
Check out the latest updates to the Med-e-Tel 2010 conference program at www.medetel.eu.
 
In this newsletter you'll find details of a presentation from Dr. Mark Blatt (Intel)that is scheduled for the opening plenary session on day 2 of Med-e-Tel 2010. The presentation will deal with the role of electronic medical records (EMRs) for care coordination and sustainable business models for telecare, telehealth, telemedicine.
 
Other news includes the presentation of Dr. Brenda Wiederhold (International Association of CyberPsychology, Trainingn and Rehabilitation) on the use of Virtual Reality in health care, that is scheduled for the Med-e-Tel opening session on April 14th. 
 
This newsletter also reports on the participation of the Brazilian Telemedicine University Network and other Brazilian initiatives at Med-e-Tel. And on presentations and demo's planned in the Med-e-Tel expo and conference program by Anoto (digital pen & paper), RS TechMedic (ECG acquisition via GPRS) and Tiani Spirit (electronic health record solutions).
 
Submit your registration for Med-e-Tel 2010 still in advance of the event and avoid the hassle of doing the registration on-site upon arrival at the event.
 
If you are staying in town for Med-e-Tel, make sure to book your hotel now as well. The Luxembourg Convention Bureau is at your service to help you with the reservation.
 
 
Your questions and comments are welcome at [email protected].

Featured Partner

European Commission 
 
Get the latest updates on initiatives of the European Commission in Telemedicine and eHealth from the former head of the ICT for Health Unit at the Directorate-General for the Information Society, Dr. G�rard Comyn. During the Med-e-Tel 2010 opening session, he will provide a review of the main EC policy goals and overall ambition of telemedicine and describe various activities related to this policy: latest research results, legal issues, assessment of telemedicine, last market analysis, and support to large scale deployment. Issues related to governance will also be addressed.

The Commission's DG Information Society and DG Health will also provide information in the Med-e-Tel expo about their activities and supported projects.


Med-e-Tel works together with a distinguished academy of organizations, associations and institutions who are active in the fields of ehealth, telemedicine, and health ICT.
 
Click here
for a full list of supporting organizations and partners.

Med-e-Tel 2010 sponsors and exhibitors include:

 

A&D logo

Accenture logo

Aerotel logo

Aipermon logo

Anoto logo



BioRICS logo

Card Guard logo

Diatelic logo

DICSIT Informatique logo

DSM TCG logo

eHealth Business Services logo

Ericsson logo

European Commission logo
EC - Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General

European Commission logo
EC - Information Society & Media Directorate-General

ISfTeH logo

LMTC logo

Link Care Services logo

MEDGATE logo

medXchange logo

MIR logo

Dyna-Vision / RS TechMedic logo

Sensatys logo

THOR Medical Systems logo

Tiani Spirit logo

Transinsight logo

Featured Media Partners
 

eHealthNews.eu logo

The eHealthNews.eu portal is a leading eHealth news web based platform with core competence and innovative strength in advancing the European eHealth industrial and research sectors, promoting awareness of the latest trends, achievements and technology in the field. 

Hospital Post logo

Hospital Post EMEA addresses 25,000 decision makers in hospitals throughout Europe and North Africa / Middle East. The bimonthly publication sports cutting-edge information on new technologies and approaches in diagnostics and therapy, in healthcare IT and facility management. It is the one source of information decision makers located anywhere between Lisbon and Minsk, Oslo and Dubai require to keep up to date.
 

ICTzorg logo

ICTzorg, the ICT-platform for Dutch care professionals, features up-to-date information on topics such as EPR, domotics, telemedicine, data security, outsourcing and HRM, and scans scientific literature and conferences. ICTzorg targets managers, policy makers en decision makers who don't want to be left behind when it comes to ICT.
 

IHE logo

Published by Pan Global Media, International Hospital Equipment & Solutions (IHE) reports on medical technology news and solutions for the modern hospital. Targeting senior physicians and medical department heads, hospital management, IT specialists and biomedical engineers in Europe, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, IHE offers a personally requested BPA circulation of over 22,000.
 
Informatics in Primary Care logo
 
Informatics in Primary Care aims to provide information, help and guidance to all those concerned with information technology and management in primary care, both nationally and internationally. The journal seeks material for both researchers and practitioners in the field of primary care informatics, ranging from scientific papers, through editorials and case studies, to websites, useful tools, reviews and conferences.


Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare logo

The Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare provides coverage of developments in telemedicine and e-health and is recognised as the leading journal in its field. Contributions from around the world provide a unique perspective on how different countries and health systems are using new technology in health care. Sections within the journal include technology updates, editorials, original articles, research tutorials and more.
 
Technology and Disability logo
 
Technology and Disability communicates knowledge about the field of assistive technology devices and services, within the context of the lives of end-users, persons with disabilities and their family members. While the topics are technical in nature, the articles are written for broad comprehension.

 
 
 
The Med-e-Tel media partnerships provide you with a look at a wide range of healthcare and medical journals, magazines and on-line news and information services that will help you to stay abreast of what is going on in the field of ehealth, telemedicine and healthcare IT and to make better informed decisions in your daily business or healthcare practice.
 
Click here for a full list of media partners.
 
Pick up your personal copy of these publications in the Media Corner at Med-e-Tel 2010!
Quick Links...

Med-e-Tel 2010 registration

Med-e-Tel 2010 general schedule

Med-e-Tel media partners

Med-e-Tel 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 conference proceedings order forms

Med-e-Tel library (2002-2009) - Global Knowledge Resources for Telemedicine & eHealth

Med-e-Tel newsletters

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In This Issue
Care coordination: moving beyond EMRs to sustainable business models for telecare
Virtual reality for therapy, training & rehabilitation
Using digital pen and paper to improve electronic care record keeping, boosting productivity, accountability and quality of social care
Brazilian telehealth initiatives to be presented at Med-e-Tel 2010
IHE-based EHR solution provides secure access to complete clinical history in Lower Austria
Live demonstration of cross border 12-lead resting ECG via GPRS
Still time to register for Med-e-Tel 2010
International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth update
Newsbriefs
Care coordination: moving beyond EMRs to sustainable business models for telecare
Mark Blatt
Dr. Mark Blatt, Global Director of Health Industry Solutions for Intel's Digital Health Group will present his views on sustainable business models for telecare/telehealth and on telemedicine as the preferred model of care for the 21st century at Med-e-Tel 2010. This presentation will be part of a morning plenary session at Med-e-Tel on Thursday April 15th.

"Three years ago, telecare was about EMRs. Today, the world has embraced EMRs as proven technology to improve quality and efficiency and healthcare providers are willing to pay for it," says Dr. Blatt. He is convinced however that, looking to the future, EMRs can form the basis for care beyond the hospital and in this way intersect with telemedicine and telehealth. By this reasoning, sustainable business models where telehealth technologies can be useful to patients can be thought of in four fundamental ways:
  • Chronic Disease Management at Home - decreasing more costly contact with healthcare systems in institutional settings (EDs, Surgeries, Hospitals)
  • ED Diversion: Safe and effective treatment by Home Telecare system, instead of admitting patient to hospital
  • Early Discharge (free up BDOC). Via use of a monitoring system. Stops the need for more hospitals as more conditions can be managed at home
  • Readmissions Prevention: If you have an acute exacerbation following discharge, how can Telehealth help avoid readmission?
In each of these cases the issue is not the technology, but how to coordinate care across the continuum and how to pay providers for the most effective care possible. 'Care coordination' is the answer.

Care coordination is more than just getting data. You need to have the ability to ask questions to patients. If their answers are not consistent with the pure data then you might not use the data to change therapies. Providers treat patients, and not data. Systems for collecting data are a good start, but what's really needed is a connection/trust with patients. Better video conferencing is a key element in gaining that trust. We know that people like video and it works.

For telehealth to scale, patients need to trust the systems, and social connections established by video is key to that trust. "We need to change patient behaviour to make telehealth successful and scalable," argues Dr. Blatt. "To support video conferencing, we need to drive national broadband initiatives (e.g. National Broadband Network initiative in Australia). Also needed are improved decision support, algorithms and knowledge based systems. Simply relying on the doctor to do what he or she did face-to-face, gets you the same inefficient and unscalable care you used to get but just via video."

Hospitals are currently reimbursed based on treatment given at the hospital. Sending patients home is better for everyone except the hospital. Hospitals need to be reimbursed for doing the right thing, not for volume.

Dr. Blatt will talk about payment reform models that include Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and Patient Centred Medical Home (PCMH) as well as 30 day rebundling payment for post discharge care. Payment reform goes hand in hand with business models that take advantage of the ubiquity of telehealth care delivery.

He will provide some examples and present case studies of efficiencies in care delivery in all four business models listed above and give examples of ongoing pilots and emerging business models world wide that take advantage of payment reforms and the new care delivery models noted above.

"Care coordination is imperative going forward if telemedicine business models are to succeed. Simple remote patient monitoring, etc. was a good start for telemedicine, but over two decades it has not scaled. By changing business models, healthcare policy and reimbursement, Telemedicine can and will scale as the preferred delivery model for the 21st century," according to Dr. Blatt.
Virtual reality for therapy, training & rehabilitation
Brenda Wiederhold
Hear from Dr. Brenda Wiederhold during the Med-e-Tel 2010 opening session on the application of virtual reality (VR) technologies in therapy, training and rehabilitation. Dr. Wiederhold is Secretary General of the International Association for CyberPsychology, Training and Rehabilitation, an international non-profit association designed to promote virtual reality and other advanced technologies as adjuncts to more traditional forms of therapy, education, and rehabilitation.

Simulation technology has long been used to train individuals in highly specialized fields. For example, the US Air Force and NASA used simulations to allow pilots and astronauts to practice maneuvers in a safe environment before attempting these complicated tasks in the real world. However, new applications of these technologies are enabling residents to practice surgery without endangering human life, encouraging patients to complete physical therapy without resistance, and allowing individuals to overcome their fears and distorted cognitions in the privacy of their clinician's office.

The applications of simulation technology in health care are numerous. Below is a partial list of the uses that are currently being investigated:
  • Treatment of anxiety disorders, including specific phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, and posttraumatic stress disorder
  • Treatment of eating disorders and obesity
  • Assessment and treatment of schizophrenia
  • Assessment and treatment of attention deficit disorder
  • Skills training in autism
  • Treatment and Diagnosis of Cognitive Deficits
  • Physical Rehabilitation
  • Management of chronic pain
  • Distraction from pain associated with medical and dental procedures
  • Quality of Life in Individuals with Chronic Illnesses
  • Empathy
  • Stress inoculation training
"Simulation technology has allowed clinicians to treat patients more effectively and efficiently, without concerns of excessive cost, loss of confidentiality and limited safety that arise with many conventional treatments," says Dr. Wiederhold. The therapeutic benefits of using simulations are becoming increasingly well recognized and fully supported with results from controlled clinical trials. With more than 1,000 papers already indexed in Medline, it is certain that simulation technology is a strong force in health care.

Because of technological advances, many simulations are now able to be delivered over the internet, as well as on hand-held portable devices. This allows for wider healthcare dissemination and personalization in the areas of prevention, training, education, therapy, and rehabilitation.

Dr. Wiederhold will provide an introduction and overview of these VR applications in health care during the Med-e-Tel opening session. Additional details on this subject and related "tele-rehabilitation" experiences will be presented during a special session on "Virtual Reality and Rehabilitation" as part of the Med-e-Tel conference program on Thursday April 15th between 16h00 and 18h00.
Using digital pen and paper to improve electronic care record keeping, boosting productivity, accountability and quality of social care
Anoto picto
In the face of tight resources and growing workloads, social care providers are under constant pressure to deliver 'more for less'. Explosive demand for social services - for instance as a result of a rising elderly population - is not matched by higher staffing levels and a shift in resources.

Petter Ericson, co-inventor of digital pen and paper (DP&P), will bring together a panel of academics and care practitioners at Med-e-Tel 2010 to discuss how DP&P can help social care providers respond to these pressures by simplifying service management and delivery - without jeopardizing well-oiled existing working routines.

The digital pen records carers' notes in real time as they fill in care forms and deployment transcripts. The digital pen writes just like a ballpoint pen, with a tiny infrared camera at its tip tracking its movements relative to a nearly invisible dot pattern printed on the form. The data can then be transferred from the pen to a PC via a USB docking station or a mobile phone, and is immediately available for further processing.

Case studies and academic research to be presented and discussed by the panelists at Med-e-Tel include:
  • The Swedish municipality of Solna set a new trend by deploying DP&P for centralised care record keeping after part privatising its home care operation. The system has enabled the local council to re-gain strict quality control over its services as well as saving over €1.8million annually. Since then, over 40 Swedish municipalities have adopted similar solutions.
  • At Diakonie-Pflege Verbund Berlin, a home care provider in Germany's capital, carers use digital pens to record information during home visits. Stored data is downloaded to the patient management system back at the care station. Adding to significant time savings, patient updates are now instantly accessible to other health agencies - so treatment can be deployed more quickly - and to health insurance companies for billing purposes.
  • A pilot study at the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg compared the usability of current electronic data capture (EDC) methods. It revealed DP&P to be significantly more user-friendly, quicker and more accurate compared with using a keyboard, tablet PC or PDA to capture data.
The panelists will especially focus on aspects such as the impact of the technology on service users and carers, return on investment for public and private care providers as well as improvements to the scope and quality of care that can be achieved as pressure on the social care system mounts.

This Anoto sponsored session at Med-e-Tel is scheduled for Thursday April 15th between 16h00 and 18h00. Also see the Anoto technology at work in the Med-e-Tel expo.
Brazilian telehealth initiatives to be presented at Med-e-Tel 2010
RUTE logoThe Brazilian Telehealth initiative enables videoconferencing, diagnosis and formative second opinion, continuous and permanent education and web conferencing, by linking university and teaching hospitals via RNP, Brazil's national research and education network.
 
The initiative operates two significant national projects: the Telemedicine University Network, RUTE (www.rute.rnp.br) and the National Telehealth Primary Care Program, Brazil Telehealth (www.telessaudebrasil.org.br), respectively set up by the Science and Technology Ministry and Health Ministry.
 
Within these networks, the municipal, state, national and international health institutions coordinate collaborative projects in research, innovation, development, management, education and assistance. RUTE currently includes 158 university and teaching hospitals. Of those 158, 36 are already fully operational and another 31 are operational. There are also 31 Special Interest Groups on oncology, radiology, dermatology, children and adolescent health, and many other specialties.
 
Brazil Telehealth is operational in 9 of the 27 states, reaching already 1000 remote points in 800 out of 5600 municipalities.

Hear more about the Brazilian experience from Luiz Ary Messina of the National Education and Research Network (RNP) in the Med-e-Tel 2010 conference program on Friday morning April 16th. The Med-e-Tel program also includes presentations from various other Brazilian initiatives.
IHE-based EHR solution provides secure access to complete clinical history in Lower Austria
Tiani Spirit logoThe state of Lower Austria is building a healthcare network based on interoperability, connecting existing information systems with a standards-based exchange infrastructure. As part of this initiative, Lower Austria engaged Tiani Spirit GmbH to pilot a standards-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution with the goal of providing high quality care to mobile patients, increasing efficiency of healthcare processes, and reducing costs. Two million patients at over 27 hospitals will benefit from the electronic health record, providing seamless access to their health data independent of location.
 
"The quality of care in Lower Austria has significantly improved because healthcare providers can now access the most recent patient documents as well as the entire clinical history" said Gottfried Heider, Project Manager for the state of Lower Austria. "Patients have multiple encounters with different providers, especially in the case of chronic diseases. Access to their information helps to reduce unnecessary duplicate exams, and reduces costs" he added.

"Basing this solution on Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE�) brings tremendous value to the healthcare system", said Martin Tiani, CEO of Tiani Spirit GmbH. The Lower Austria Electronic Health Record solution is based on IHE� XDS and other IT Infrastructure integration profiles for cross-enterprise sharing of clinical information. "This enables healthcare providers to share patient information effectively, while preserving legacy systems, reducing integration costs, and preparing for the future", Martin Tiani added.

Lower Austria, population 1.6 million, is the second most populous state in Austria. Prior to the integrated solution, medical records were isolated in provider's disjointed paper and digital systems, clinical documentation was seldom re-used, and exchange of patient information was rare. Post-implementation, the Lower Austria EHR securely collects and shares medical summaries, exam reports, clinical and lab findings, as well as diagnostic images. Patient health information originating from various vendor systems is indexed and stored in archives that can be accessed from anywhere securely. Healthcare providers can view the entire record of a patient, and receive notification when specific documents concerning their patients become available.

Tiani Spirit and eHealth Business Services GmbH (eHBS) have formed a partnership, bringing together their complementary skills and expertise in healthcare integration, medical network infrastructure and clinical information systems. Meet Tiania Spirit and eHBS representatives on the Med-e-Tel 2010 expo and hear about their initiatives and experiences in the Med-e-Tel conference program (presentation scheduled on Friday April 16th, session "Electronic Health Records").
Live demonstration of cross border 12-lead resting ECG via GPRS
Dyna-Vision picto RS TechMedic BV shall demonstrate how Dyna-Vision� can be used for taking 12-lead resting ECG's from remote patients anywhere in the world and all in real-time. The presentation will take place as part of the Med-e-Tel conference program on Thursday, April 15, 2010 in conference room 4 during the "Telemonitoring" session between 14h00 and 15h45.

The presentation includes a live session where a subject in the Netherlands is connected to a Dyna-Vision� device for remote monitoring during the presentation. The full-disclosure 12 lead waveforms will be displayed and the presenter will take a Resting ECG for automatic processing.

The live session is only an example of one of the features of the Dyna-Vision� Telemedicine Solution has to offer. Dyna-Vision� is used for holter and event recording, real-time monitoring of vital signs and health and fitness testing. The unique design of the product and its software makes it possible to continuously add new parameters, features and software to the existing platform.

The Dyna-Vision� unit which is provided to the patient, enables the patient to transmit a wide range of vital sign parameters over a GPRS wireless network immediately to the physician at the desktop. Accuracy of the data in real time is one of the major strengths of this technology. There exist no geographic distance barriers and the device can produce the data you are seeking 24/7. The Dyna-Vision� solution covers over 10 medical parameters that are considered from the medical professions point of view the most essential.

RS TechMedic is also able to deliver very specific applications for a wide range of requirements. The solution provides the essential first step in determining comprehensively the vital sign condition of a patient. RS TechMedic has a significant focus on numerous chronic illness conditions under disease management and has received international adoption and confirmation as a solution of choice in meeting many of the demands required in the medical profession today. RS TechMedic services the pharma industry for research and development, telecommunications healthcare sector, hospitals, physician practices with emphasis on cardiology, physical fitness industry and many others.

For more information, visit the RS TechMedic BV booth 1C31 at Med-e-Tel 2010.
Still time to register for Med-e-Tel 2010
Med-e-Tel picto Register now for Med-e-Tel 2010 and join telemedicine and ehealth providers and users from 50 countries around Europe and other parts of the world. Avoid queuing at the entrance by registering this week and your entrance badge will be waiting for you when you arrive.
 
Med-e-Tel registration includes access to all conference sessions, expo and networking area, breaks, lunches, two evening receptions, conference materials, and wifi access in the halls.
 
Fees and conditions can be consulted here.
 
Click here to go to the registration page.

If you still need to make a hotel reservation, a list of hotels and room rates is available here. Contact the Luxembourg Convention Bureau to check availability and conditions. If you are planning a prolonged stay in Luxembourg (over the weekend), special weekend rates are also available in several of the hotels (see reservation form).
International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth update
ISfTeH logo The International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH) is the international federation of national telemedicine/ehealth associations, research institutions, care provider organizations, companies and individuals. ISfTeH is the organizer of the Med-e-Tel conference.

Meet ISfTeH officials and members from around the world at Med-e-Tel 2010 and discover how this international network of telemedicine/ehealth organizations can also benefit your activities.
 
Among the planned ISfTeH activities at Med-e-Tel are a meeting of the Board of Directors, a member breakfast meeting, a conference session on Telenursing supported by the ISfTeH Telenursing Working Group, a videoconferencing session by the ISfTeH Student Working Group, meeting and consultations on Development of International Quality Standards for Teleconsultation Centers, participation in sessions on eHealth in Developing Countries, support for the Open Source in Health Care sessions and much more.

The ISfTeH and its members will also be represented on the Med-e-Tel expo, providing information about several of the national members associations and their initiatives and projects.

If you are heading a national telemedicine/ehealth organization, if you offer telemedicine products and solutions, if you are doing research on ehealth applications and technologies, if your organization provides (or wants to offer) care services by means of telemedicine/ehealth technologies, or if you are engaged in healthcare policy, join the ISfTeH network to expand your global reach or to learn from existing experiences and best practices. Visit the ISfTeH stand at Med-e-Tel 2010 to pick up membership information or send an e-mail with your question or membership request.
Newsbriefs
To follow are links to some interesting and recently published articles, studies, interviews and reports (if you would like to suggest an article for inclusion into a following newsletter, feel free to send details to [email protected]): 
Register this week for Med-e-Tel 2010 Register this week for Med-e-Tel 2010 and save the hassle of registering on-site. Submit your registration today in two easy minutes and your entrance badge will be waiting for you upon your arrival at Med-e-Tel.
Med-e-Tel is your gateway to an extensive conference program offering the latest updates on telemedicine/ehealth developments and initiatives, and networking opportunities with technology and equipment providers, healthcare organizations, researchers and policy makers from around the world.
Registration includes access to all conferences, expo, networking breaks, lunches and receptions.
Click here to register