NEMA Updates DICOM for 2006
NEMA has released a 16 part 2006 update for DICOM (your's for only $999.00).
to users. For example, dose reporting for radiation exposure will
improve the documentation and quality of procedures,” said Peter
Mildenberger, professor of radiology, University Hospital Mainz in
German, and DICOM user co-chair. “The CT/MR cardiovascular analysis
report will improve the workflow in computer-based evaluation, as well
as communication of the results. New compression algorithms will help
speed up PACS solutions and teleradiology. As DICOM becomes the imaging
standard in medicine, more and more clinical disciplines, hospitals,
and government institutions are committed to this standard,” he added.
You can find an online version here.
The Real Threat to Health Care Data Privacy
Modern Healthcare reports on health care privacy issues looming in the future. While the popular press makes much out of lost notebook computers and nefarious computer hackers, the real threat to the privacy of health care information is much more serious.
…according to the authors, “little or no attention has been
given to mechanisms to prevent the disclosure of sensitive health
information with no current clinical usefulness when third parties
compel individuals to disclose their health information.”
Each year, millions of applicants for jobs, insurance and even
federal programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance “sign
authorizations for vast amounts of personal health information
maintained in files at physicians' offices, hospitals and other
healthcare settings,” including information about mental health
treatment, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV status, history of
abortions, domestic violence and drug or alcohol abuse, the authors
wrote.
“The disclosure of such sensitive health information to
entities without a treatment relationship, without a need to know, and
for nonmedical purposes, may lead to embarrassment and stigma,” they
said. It may also lead to job loss, the denial of health insurance
coverage for a specific condition or refusal by a health plan to cover
the individual at all.
While payors already know everything about health care that they pay for, items like genetic testing that are not submitted by the patient or provider are poorly protected. Much of this is the result of lackluster enforcement of HIPAA. As technology advances, the press will may have stories to tell that are far more disturbing than hackers.
The Perfect Disaster Recover Communications System?
According to this story, systems integrator NetXperts has developed a satellite based communications system called Remote CLOUD to bring hospital communications back online in the event of a disaster that renders local phone or Internet communications inoperable.
Disaster planners, businesses and hospitals are interested because
the device enables its small command and control keyboard to use the
satellite to link with the Internet and quickly resume voice and data
service through laptops, desktop computers, hand-held radios, Internet
Protocol phones and fax machines.
“They are all on the same calling group, an Internet Protocol
address,” said Rod Harrison, general manager of the company, Cloud
Solutions, a division of San Ramon-based NetXperts Inc. “It allows for
information to be coordinated and re-routed to their secure area and
system.”
That means not only quick communication to respond to the emergency,
but also substantial data capability that will speed recovery by
enabling business to quickly resume operations, said Harrison.
The capability can be expanded through a portable Wi-Fi zone as
large as 36 acres, which means it could be used to cover an entire
hospital campus, a public building designated for use as a quarantine
zone in a flu pandemic, or a tent city housing first-responders who
arrive to help and then must bivouac.
Disaster recovery plans frequently include communications with state and federal agencies, not to mention the need to access regional facilities for logistics and response coordination.
Pictured right is a Motorola 9500 satellite phone – as the Cloud Solutions site doesn't metion a specific phone (no photos either) I thought this would be representative of the type of phone in this system.
Moses Cone to Adopt eICU from VISICU
In another story about hospital adoption of VISICU's remote ICU monitoring solution, the quotes from Moses Cone gives the impression that the early majority of the market is starting to buy into the eICU value proposition.
that you're really able to improve quality, improve outcomes and
improve economic performance,” said Dr. Brian Fillipo, the health
system's vice president for quality and the executive spearheading the
project.
Point of Care Computing Devices – A Survey
Health Data Management has a nice overview of point of care computing – both devices and the most commonly deployed applications. The short story: COWs (computers on wheels) are the market winner for charting, PDAs with barcode readers and COWs predominate for meds admin applications. Tablets, all the rage a few years ago, are pretty much relegated to mounting on COWs along with laptops and integrated PCs.
Missing from the survey was any mention of alarm notification or surveillance applications. The story also makes no mention of communications devices like Vocera or wireless VoIP phones.
Pictured right are a gaggle of OQO ultra mobile personal computers set up at the beginning of a trial at a major east coast hospital – a device that was overlooked in the story above.
