Automated Medical Diagnostics (AMDx) a start-up company based in Memphis Tennessee has developed a new technology using Telemedical Retinal Image Analysis and Diagnosis (TRIAD) to help millions of people at risk for vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. This technology was recently licensed by AMDx from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Edward Chaum, an ophthalmologist and Plough Foundation professor of retinal diseases at the UT Health Science Center at the Hamilton Eye Institute in Memphis and Oak Ridge’s Ken Tobin both partners in AMDx, led the team to develop a way to use computers to aid in the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy and other blinding eye diseases.
Chaum reports “Today, less than half of Americans known to be diabetic receive the recommended yearly exam because they either can’t afford eye exams, lack access to eye care providers, or are unable to comply with physicians recommendations.”
He commented “In the next 15 years, we will need to be able to screen more than one million patients every day worldwide in order to detect and manage vision loss and blindness due to diabetes. By using automated computer-assisted diagnostic methods like TRIAD this is an achievable goal”
By using TRIAD, patients can quickly be screened for the disease in their primary care doctor’s office and at other remote sites, permitting early detection and referral for diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases.
The web-based technology uses a digital camera that takes pictures of the retina. At that point, the patient’s medical data and retinal images are sent to a server and processed through the patented system that quickly sorts through large databases and finds visually similar images representing equivalent states of diabetic eye disease.
This allows the patient to be diagnosed in seconds so patients know before they leave the office if they do not have an eye disease or if they need to follow up with a retinal specialist. With the TRIAD network, all of the computed diagnoses are sent to an ophthalmologist for review along with the computer-generated report.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Capitol Hill Event
The Congressional Luncheon Seminar coordinated by the Institute for e-Health Policy on June 2nd, addressed several high level issues related to data. As Neal Neuberger, Executive Director of the Institute and moderator for the event said, “Data is critical and key to so many processes plus it is at the core of many issues related to healthcare reform.”
Looking at data from the federal viewpoint, J. Michael Fitzmaurice, PhD, Senior Science Advisor for Information Technology at AHRQ, explained how AHRQ’s U.S. Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK), is populated with data elements and information models from standards development organizations and other healthcare organizations.
The specific goal for USHIK is to coordinate the data elements and the metadata from health data standards that the HHS Secretary endorses. USHIK supports the implementation of data standards for HIPAA, the Consolidated Health Informatics initiative, and for the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and links to all use cases, interoperability specifications, and other documents.
In addition, USHIK contains specifications needed to electronically report patient safety events to patient safety organizations, to the public, and also reports data element specifications from the states and their all-payer data base. To date about 11 states have gone live with all-payer claims databases to helps consumers with specific payment information. USHIK is now developing a two state pilot with information available from their State All-Payer Claims Databases.
AHRQ contracted with DCG Inc. and Abt Associates to produce detailed specifications for meaningful use quality measures, to provide an information model for meaningful use quality measures, and to develop a pilot USHIK portal with the required data elements based on that information model.
The lessons learned from the development of USHIK is that it is important to use an information model, trade off the value of what USHIK supplies against the cost of supplying it, understand that intellectual property has value, and work to anticipate the needs of the users
Kasey Benton Poon, M.D., Internist in Salt Lake City, discussed how to make data actionable for research, decision support, for reimbursement, meaningful use, and information exchange. He stressed that this can be achieved by using structured, encoded, and interoperable data in the electronic health record.
Dr. Poon emphasized that the first step is to adopt standards. The next step is to address the levels of interoperability in terms of basic and functional interoperability along with semantic interoperability to be able to establish explicit meaning and context. This is done by using the same set of codes to encode data throughout a system to use in hospitals, organizations, regions, the country, and the world.
He recommends the use of the 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary (HDD) as it provides a single source for information, is interoperable, complies with standards, and addresses meaningful use. HDD provides a controlled medical vocabulary with a collection of clinical concepts organized to support synonyms and other lexical characteristics, a knowledge base showing the relationships among concepts, and a medical information model. All of this information is used to establish clinical context, provide alerts, and support medical decisions.
Mark Rempe, as Vice President, for Record Center Operations for North America for Iron Mountain, Inc., pointed out that the company has a large healthcare focus and does $260 million in digital archiving and backup business.
According to Rempe, a major problem in dealing with information is that patient information is trapped in silos resulting in higher costs but not better care. The approach needed is to connect disparate patient records by breaking down the information silos and by consolidating patient information currently stored in different systems.
As Rempe views the situation, the cost of patient recordkeeping is enormous and rising with hospitals continuing to struggle as they move to the EHR. However, if workflow and process issues are addressed, then there will be an opportunity to reduce costs, improve service, establish the correct infrastructure, and permit the healthcare system to transition to a fully digital environment.
Bart Harmon, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer at Harris Corporation, described how important the collection of medical data can be and how it affects the individual. For example, his 90 year old mother has a complex medical history, takes a number of medications, plus sees several doctors. Today, like his mother, most patients have to act as their own health record and fill out forms with all the information for each doctor for every visit. This process is always the same with the patient since they are always entering and reentering data.
Both patients and providers are now requesting better ways to process and obtain information. The goal is to have one central record but at the same time, the economic model must be viable and storage must be provided cheaper and faster.
Progress is being made with the development of NHIN, an interoperable health information infrastructure to connect providers, consumers, and others to support health and healthcare. NHIN Connect an open source software solution is in process to exchange health information both locally and at the national level.
Dr. Harmon summed up by saying that while government systems and big organizations can be innovative, small practices and rural communities are getting left behind and not getting the attention needed. As a result, small groups and rural areas find it difficult to be innovative especially since the reimbursement model without incentives makes it very difficult.
Be sure to attend the “Health Information Technology Showcase and Demonstration” as part of National HIT Week in Washington. This event will be held on June 17th, 10:00am to 3:00pm in room SD-G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
For more information, email Neal Neuberger, at neal@e-healthpolicy.org.
Looking at data from the federal viewpoint, J. Michael Fitzmaurice, PhD, Senior Science Advisor for Information Technology at AHRQ, explained how AHRQ’s U.S. Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK), is populated with data elements and information models from standards development organizations and other healthcare organizations.
The specific goal for USHIK is to coordinate the data elements and the metadata from health data standards that the HHS Secretary endorses. USHIK supports the implementation of data standards for HIPAA, the Consolidated Health Informatics initiative, and for the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and links to all use cases, interoperability specifications, and other documents.
In addition, USHIK contains specifications needed to electronically report patient safety events to patient safety organizations, to the public, and also reports data element specifications from the states and their all-payer data base. To date about 11 states have gone live with all-payer claims databases to helps consumers with specific payment information. USHIK is now developing a two state pilot with information available from their State All-Payer Claims Databases.
AHRQ contracted with DCG Inc. and Abt Associates to produce detailed specifications for meaningful use quality measures, to provide an information model for meaningful use quality measures, and to develop a pilot USHIK portal with the required data elements based on that information model.
The lessons learned from the development of USHIK is that it is important to use an information model, trade off the value of what USHIK supplies against the cost of supplying it, understand that intellectual property has value, and work to anticipate the needs of the users
Kasey Benton Poon, M.D., Internist in Salt Lake City, discussed how to make data actionable for research, decision support, for reimbursement, meaningful use, and information exchange. He stressed that this can be achieved by using structured, encoded, and interoperable data in the electronic health record.
Dr. Poon emphasized that the first step is to adopt standards. The next step is to address the levels of interoperability in terms of basic and functional interoperability along with semantic interoperability to be able to establish explicit meaning and context. This is done by using the same set of codes to encode data throughout a system to use in hospitals, organizations, regions, the country, and the world.
He recommends the use of the 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary (HDD) as it provides a single source for information, is interoperable, complies with standards, and addresses meaningful use. HDD provides a controlled medical vocabulary with a collection of clinical concepts organized to support synonyms and other lexical characteristics, a knowledge base showing the relationships among concepts, and a medical information model. All of this information is used to establish clinical context, provide alerts, and support medical decisions.
Mark Rempe, as Vice President, for Record Center Operations for North America for Iron Mountain, Inc., pointed out that the company has a large healthcare focus and does $260 million in digital archiving and backup business.
According to Rempe, a major problem in dealing with information is that patient information is trapped in silos resulting in higher costs but not better care. The approach needed is to connect disparate patient records by breaking down the information silos and by consolidating patient information currently stored in different systems.
As Rempe views the situation, the cost of patient recordkeeping is enormous and rising with hospitals continuing to struggle as they move to the EHR. However, if workflow and process issues are addressed, then there will be an opportunity to reduce costs, improve service, establish the correct infrastructure, and permit the healthcare system to transition to a fully digital environment.
Bart Harmon, M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer at Harris Corporation, described how important the collection of medical data can be and how it affects the individual. For example, his 90 year old mother has a complex medical history, takes a number of medications, plus sees several doctors. Today, like his mother, most patients have to act as their own health record and fill out forms with all the information for each doctor for every visit. This process is always the same with the patient since they are always entering and reentering data.
Both patients and providers are now requesting better ways to process and obtain information. The goal is to have one central record but at the same time, the economic model must be viable and storage must be provided cheaper and faster.
Progress is being made with the development of NHIN, an interoperable health information infrastructure to connect providers, consumers, and others to support health and healthcare. NHIN Connect an open source software solution is in process to exchange health information both locally and at the national level.
Dr. Harmon summed up by saying that while government systems and big organizations can be innovative, small practices and rural communities are getting left behind and not getting the attention needed. As a result, small groups and rural areas find it difficult to be innovative especially since the reimbursement model without incentives makes it very difficult.
Be sure to attend the “Health Information Technology Showcase and Demonstration” as part of National HIT Week in Washington. This event will be held on June 17th, 10:00am to 3:00pm in room SD-G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
For more information, email Neal Neuberger, at neal@e-healthpolicy.org.
Tax Credits Available
The Department of the Treasury announced the guidelines to use to apply for the new “Therapeutic Discovery Project” created by the Affordable Care Act. The program will provide tax credits or grants to small biomedical firms that show significant potential to support groundbreaking research.
As part of the review process for research project, HHS will evaluate each project for its potential to produce new therapies, address unmet medical needs, reduce healthcare costs, or to advance the goal of curing cancer. Only projects that show a reasonable potential to meet the goals will be certified as eligible for the credit. The IRS will issue certifications by the end of October based on the determinations made by HHS.
The tax credit’s allocation will take into consideration which projects show the greatest potential to create and sustain high quality, high paying jobs in the U.S., and to advance competitiveness in the fields of life, biological and medical sciences. Today the biotechnology industry employs 1.3 million workers and the industry continues to be a key growth engine for the economy.
The credit covers up to 50 percent of the cost of qualifying biomedical research, up to a maximum credit of $5 million per firm with $1 billion overall, and is only available to firms with fewer than 250 employees.
To help small businesses provide an immediate boost to biomedical research, the credit is effective for investments made in 2009 and 2010. Firms can opt to receive a grant instead of a tax credit, so start-ups that are not yet profitable can benefit as well.
Companies may submit applications for certification beginning June 21, 2010 and applications must be postmarked no later than July 21, 2010. To download the IRS Notice on the Therapeutic Discovery Credit Program for further details and information, go to www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-10-45.pdf.
For more information, call Julie Hanlon Bolton (202) 622-3040, or email JoAnne Goodnight at QDTP@mail.nih.gov, or call Candace Fisher (651)-312-2109.
As part of the review process for research project, HHS will evaluate each project for its potential to produce new therapies, address unmet medical needs, reduce healthcare costs, or to advance the goal of curing cancer. Only projects that show a reasonable potential to meet the goals will be certified as eligible for the credit. The IRS will issue certifications by the end of October based on the determinations made by HHS.
The tax credit’s allocation will take into consideration which projects show the greatest potential to create and sustain high quality, high paying jobs in the U.S., and to advance competitiveness in the fields of life, biological and medical sciences. Today the biotechnology industry employs 1.3 million workers and the industry continues to be a key growth engine for the economy.
The credit covers up to 50 percent of the cost of qualifying biomedical research, up to a maximum credit of $5 million per firm with $1 billion overall, and is only available to firms with fewer than 250 employees.
To help small businesses provide an immediate boost to biomedical research, the credit is effective for investments made in 2009 and 2010. Firms can opt to receive a grant instead of a tax credit, so start-ups that are not yet profitable can benefit as well.
Companies may submit applications for certification beginning June 21, 2010 and applications must be postmarked no later than July 21, 2010. To download the IRS Notice on the Therapeutic Discovery Credit Program for further details and information, go to www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-10-45.pdf.
For more information, call Julie Hanlon Bolton (202) 622-3040, or email JoAnne Goodnight at QDTP@mail.nih.gov, or call Candace Fisher (651)-312-2109.
SBIR Solicitation Issued
The Department of Defense issued SBIR Solicitation (2010.2) and is now accepting proposals from small technical companies to do research but the projects also need to have commercial applications. The SBIR program funding early stage R&D Proposals are due June 23, 2010.
The program’s goal is to stimulate innovation, increase private sector commercialization of federal R&D, and increase small business participation among minority and disadvantaged firms. The DOD program was funded at $1.23 billion in 2009 and is part of a larger federal SBIR program currently administered at 12 other federal agencies.
The Army’s part of the solicitation has a number of interests in many fields but would like to see several proposals in the biomedical field. For example, Army wants to acquire a novel biomimetic tissue scaffold to be used for regenerating bone, nerve, vascular, and/or other connective tissues and be acceptable for small scale cGMP production of clinical trial materials.
Scaffold devices used in the field of tissue engineering are considered a promising viable technology in regenerative medicine. While a few tissue scaffolds have been developed and marketed to enable tissue engineering-based repair and replacement of lost tissue; none of these marketed scaffolds are suitable for regenerating large tissue losses of the head and extremities now being observed in casualties returning from recent war zones.
The Army would also like to see the development of a fiber based ultrafast laser surgical tool to be used for novel combat casualty care surgical applications, including wound and burn debridement, and for selective shrapnel removal. These ultrafast lasers can also be paired with various spectroscopic techniques such as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy to create a feedback loop to assist a surgeon or field technician in surgery.
Go to www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir102/ for more information, or go to www.dodsbir.net.
The program’s goal is to stimulate innovation, increase private sector commercialization of federal R&D, and increase small business participation among minority and disadvantaged firms. The DOD program was funded at $1.23 billion in 2009 and is part of a larger federal SBIR program currently administered at 12 other federal agencies.
The Army’s part of the solicitation has a number of interests in many fields but would like to see several proposals in the biomedical field. For example, Army wants to acquire a novel biomimetic tissue scaffold to be used for regenerating bone, nerve, vascular, and/or other connective tissues and be acceptable for small scale cGMP production of clinical trial materials.
Scaffold devices used in the field of tissue engineering are considered a promising viable technology in regenerative medicine. While a few tissue scaffolds have been developed and marketed to enable tissue engineering-based repair and replacement of lost tissue; none of these marketed scaffolds are suitable for regenerating large tissue losses of the head and extremities now being observed in casualties returning from recent war zones.
The Army would also like to see the development of a fiber based ultrafast laser surgical tool to be used for novel combat casualty care surgical applications, including wound and burn debridement, and for selective shrapnel removal. These ultrafast lasers can also be paired with various spectroscopic techniques such as laser induced breakdown spectroscopy to create a feedback loop to assist a surgeon or field technician in surgery.
Go to www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/solicitations/sbir102/ for more information, or go to www.dodsbir.net.
Medical Device Safety
FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is currently taking steps to help assure that medical devices are safe to use not only in medical facilities but also when they are used in the home. CDRH held a workshop in May to discuss the safe use of all medical devices in the home as this is becoming an increasingly important public health issue.
The aging of the population and shifts towards shorter hospital stays continues to make home healthcare more common. With these trends, a significant number of medical devices including infusion pumps, ventilators, and wound care therapies are now used in the home.
FDA and the panel participants at the workshop discussed establishing guidelines for manufacturers of home devices. FDA has not yet developed a clear regulatory pathway for these devices or helped manufactures with the information that they need when they are designing, testing, and labeling such devices.
To address the problem, FDA is going to develop with input from device manufacturers, a guidance document recommending actions that the manufacturers will need to take to receive FDA approval or clearance for devices to include usability testing with users in a non-clinical setting. The new guidance document will recommend post market surveillance that manufacturers should undertake to identify and address adverse events that occur in the home.
To specifically address external infusion pumps, CDRH held another workshop in May to discuss their safety. FDA has received more than 56,000 reports of adverse events associated with the use of infusion pumps in the last five years. These events have included serious injuries and more than 500 deaths. Between 2005 and 2009, 87 infusion pump recalls were conducted to address identified safety concerns, according to FDA data.
The most common types of reported problems are software defects, user interface issues, and mechanical or electrical failures. Failures of infusion pumps have been observed across multiple manufacturers and pump types and according to the FDA, and many of the reported problems appear to be related to deficiencies in device design and engineering.
FDA recently announced a new initiative to address the safety issues involved in using external infusion pumps to deliver fluids to patients. As part of the initiative, FDA published draft guidance recommending that infusion pump manufacturers begin to provide additional design and engineering information to the FDA during premarket review of the devices. Also FDA has issued a letter to infusion pump manufacturers, informing them that they may need to conduct additional risk assessment to support clearance of new or modified pumps.
FDA is also launching a new web page devoted to infusion pump safety. The web page will feature steps that patients and healthcare professionals can take to prevent and report safety problems, even before new or redesigned pumps are brought to the market.
For more information on medical devices, go to www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices.
The aging of the population and shifts towards shorter hospital stays continues to make home healthcare more common. With these trends, a significant number of medical devices including infusion pumps, ventilators, and wound care therapies are now used in the home.
FDA and the panel participants at the workshop discussed establishing guidelines for manufacturers of home devices. FDA has not yet developed a clear regulatory pathway for these devices or helped manufactures with the information that they need when they are designing, testing, and labeling such devices.
To address the problem, FDA is going to develop with input from device manufacturers, a guidance document recommending actions that the manufacturers will need to take to receive FDA approval or clearance for devices to include usability testing with users in a non-clinical setting. The new guidance document will recommend post market surveillance that manufacturers should undertake to identify and address adverse events that occur in the home.
To specifically address external infusion pumps, CDRH held another workshop in May to discuss their safety. FDA has received more than 56,000 reports of adverse events associated with the use of infusion pumps in the last five years. These events have included serious injuries and more than 500 deaths. Between 2005 and 2009, 87 infusion pump recalls were conducted to address identified safety concerns, according to FDA data.
The most common types of reported problems are software defects, user interface issues, and mechanical or electrical failures. Failures of infusion pumps have been observed across multiple manufacturers and pump types and according to the FDA, and many of the reported problems appear to be related to deficiencies in device design and engineering.
FDA recently announced a new initiative to address the safety issues involved in using external infusion pumps to deliver fluids to patients. As part of the initiative, FDA published draft guidance recommending that infusion pump manufacturers begin to provide additional design and engineering information to the FDA during premarket review of the devices. Also FDA has issued a letter to infusion pump manufacturers, informing them that they may need to conduct additional risk assessment to support clearance of new or modified pumps.
FDA is also launching a new web page devoted to infusion pump safety. The web page will feature steps that patients and healthcare professionals can take to prevent and report safety problems, even before new or redesigned pumps are brought to the market.
For more information on medical devices, go to www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices.
Monitoring Prescription Drugs
Overdoses and deaths involving the use of prescription drugs are reported daily in the news involving celebrities and average citizens creating an enormous need to reduce drug abuse. To help deal with the issue, several years ago, Congress appropriated funding to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to support the “Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)”.
The goal is to help prevent and detect the abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances particularly at the retail level where automated information collection systems do not exist. As a result, some states have established prescription monitoring programs to collect and analyze prescription data for drug abuse, addiction, and to support access to the legitimate medical use of controlled substances. The state prescription drug monitoring programs are being established through the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (HRPDMP).
Richard Gannon, the Manager for Pharmacy Pain Control at the Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, reported in the newsletter “The Alliance Monitor” that the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) really works. For example, if patients can’t remember their medications or only have a partial list, doctors are able within 5 minutes to have access to all of the patients’ controlled drug prescriptions.
He continued to report that in two instances at his hospital where patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit comatose, the doctors by using the PMP were able to determine what controlled drugs the patient had taken and could then administer the reversing agents.
With funding, BJA through the PDMP Training and Technical Assistance Center is creating a PMP Center of Excellence. For this purpose, BJA recently selected the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, located at Brandeis University to coordinate the activities for the new Center.
The new Center will assist the prescription drug monitoring programs so far authorized in 41 states and the U.S. Territory of Guam. The center will develop an informational clearinghouse and a forum for the exchange of ideas plus provide useful and timely data on prescriptions to doctors, pharmacies, and regulatory agencies.
According to Peter Kreiner, a Scientist at the Heller School and Principal Investigator, the Center will work with the “Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs” to identify “best practices” so that new and existing PMPs can improve their operations, and develop target studies to help improve their effectiveness.
Brandeis University brings expertise to the program with experience in substance abuse, prescription drug abuse, prevention, and treatments that are essential to help solve the many issues involved in controlling the use of unauthorized drugs in the U.S. The Center’s goal is also to build upon and extend existing interstate relationships and networks.
“We are very pleased that BJA and the Heller School are collaborating to establish the Center,” said John Eadie, the Director for the Center of Excellence and a long time advocate of PMPs. “It will help prescription monitoring programs achieve their full potential in addressing what I believe is a very serious epidemic of drug abuse—one that’s already taken thousands of lives.”
The “Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs” in partnership with Brandeis University and BJA will hold their 6th National Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Meeting June 28-30 in Washington D.C. The meeting will address the issues surrounding prescription monitoring programs (PMP).
For more information, email John Eadie, Director of the Center of Excellence at JohnLEadie@aol.com or email Peter Kreiner, the Center’s Principal Investigator, at pkreiner@brandeis.edu.
The goal is to help prevent and detect the abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances particularly at the retail level where automated information collection systems do not exist. As a result, some states have established prescription monitoring programs to collect and analyze prescription data for drug abuse, addiction, and to support access to the legitimate medical use of controlled substances. The state prescription drug monitoring programs are being established through the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (HRPDMP).
Richard Gannon, the Manager for Pharmacy Pain Control at the Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, reported in the newsletter “The Alliance Monitor” that the Connecticut Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) really works. For example, if patients can’t remember their medications or only have a partial list, doctors are able within 5 minutes to have access to all of the patients’ controlled drug prescriptions.
He continued to report that in two instances at his hospital where patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit comatose, the doctors by using the PMP were able to determine what controlled drugs the patient had taken and could then administer the reversing agents.
With funding, BJA through the PDMP Training and Technical Assistance Center is creating a PMP Center of Excellence. For this purpose, BJA recently selected the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, located at Brandeis University to coordinate the activities for the new Center.
The new Center will assist the prescription drug monitoring programs so far authorized in 41 states and the U.S. Territory of Guam. The center will develop an informational clearinghouse and a forum for the exchange of ideas plus provide useful and timely data on prescriptions to doctors, pharmacies, and regulatory agencies.
According to Peter Kreiner, a Scientist at the Heller School and Principal Investigator, the Center will work with the “Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs” to identify “best practices” so that new and existing PMPs can improve their operations, and develop target studies to help improve their effectiveness.
Brandeis University brings expertise to the program with experience in substance abuse, prescription drug abuse, prevention, and treatments that are essential to help solve the many issues involved in controlling the use of unauthorized drugs in the U.S. The Center’s goal is also to build upon and extend existing interstate relationships and networks.
“We are very pleased that BJA and the Heller School are collaborating to establish the Center,” said John Eadie, the Director for the Center of Excellence and a long time advocate of PMPs. “It will help prescription monitoring programs achieve their full potential in addressing what I believe is a very serious epidemic of drug abuse—one that’s already taken thousands of lives.”
The “Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs” in partnership with Brandeis University and BJA will hold their 6th National Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Meeting June 28-30 in Washington D.C. The meeting will address the issues surrounding prescription monitoring programs (PMP).
For more information, email John Eadie, Director of the Center of Excellence at JohnLEadie@aol.com or email Peter Kreiner, the Center’s Principal Investigator, at pkreiner@brandeis.edu.
MHCC Almost Here
A critical mass of practitioners are going to gather to share and benchmark important developments at the IDGA Exhibition’s Military Healthcare Convention & Conference (MHCC), a brand new large-scale national forum to take place at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, June 22-25, 2010.
The MHCC is the only national joint service non-DOD convention and conference to provide in-depth firsthand accounts from experts in each stage of the care continuum. MHCC will target best practices and new developments in military healthcare and deliver a multidisciplinary approach to combating the health issues concerning all warriors and their families.
Over the past ten years, high intensity operations have created the need for and led to advancements in trauma care, casualty transit, CONUS care, rehabilitation, and post rehabilitation processes. While there are great successes in these areas, new challenges continue to present themselves. These enormous challenges include the study and treatment of TBI, working with the prosthetic evolution, and dealing with an alarming suicide rate. In short, the military medical environment is changing faster than the overall system so that it is very difficult for any single caregiver or service provider to keep pace.
Overall learning objectives include information on the latest tactics, strategies, technologies, systems, treatment, processes and services for patient care, advancements in providing for continuum of care, how to create a multidisciplinary approach for combating post-deployment mental health issues of servicemen, and how to integrate electronic health records systems.
The Conference will feature two days of main conference sessions that will start with inspiring keynote sessions, and then break out into tracks to specifically focus on Pre-Deployment, Battlefield Healthcare, Military Treatment Facilities OCONUS & CONUS, Mental/Behavioral Health, and Veterans Healthcare Services. On June 22 & 25, in-depth workshops will focus on TBI, EHRs, and veterans health.
Some of the Confirmed Featured Speakers include:
• Lt. Gen (Dr) Charles B. Green, Surgeon General of the Air Force, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force
• Brig General (Dr) MARK A. Ediger, Commander, Air Force Medical Operations Agency
• Brig General (Dr) Richard A. Hersack, Command Surgeon, Air Force Materiel Command
• Brig Gen (Dr) Michael W. Miller, Assistant Surgeon General, Chief of the Medical Service Corps, Office of the Surgeon General
• BG Joseph Caravalho, Jr., Commander, Air Force Medical Operations Agency
• BG Richard W. Thomas, MD, DDS, FACS, Assistant Surgeon General Force Projection
• COL (Dr) John M. Cho, Commander, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
• COL Claude Hines Jr. Program Manager Defense Health Information Management System
• COL Geoffrey Ling, MD, PhD, Program Manager, DSO, DARPA
• COL Barbara Springer, PT, PhD, OCS, SCS, Director, Proponency Office for Rehabilitation &Reintegration, Office of the Army Surgeon General
• COL Keith Salzman, Chief of Informatics, Madigan Army Medical Center
• Ibolja Cernak, MD, ME, PhD., Medical Director, Biomedicine Business Area, Department of National Security Technology, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Douglas Rosendal, DO, FACOS, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Health Information, Joint Interoperability Ventures
• BG Joseph J. Carroll, Commander, Air force Medical support Agency, assistant Surgeon General, Medical Modernization
• CAPT Anna Bettios, DC, US Expeditionary Readiness, bureau of Medicine & Surgery
• Noel Koch, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy
• COL. Steven E. Braveman, M.D. Commander, Carl R. Darnall, Army Medical Center
Many other key speakers and leading panel discussion leaders are continually being added as speakers and panelists to bring new excitement to this military and healthcare training event.
Register for the first MHCC today and be the first to preview new products before they become available, learn how your care fits into the continuum of care, and network with other practitioners to learn new techniques.
You will receive your Free Exhibition Pass with over 150 exhibitors, hands on demonstrations sessions by military, academic, and vendor speakers to take place in the Presentation Theatre plus receive a free pass to the Cocktail Reception.
IDGA Exhibition’s MHCC has just announced that their Inaugural “Continuum of Care Awards ™ will be given to highlight the advances and achievements in healthcare for warfighters and their families Be the first 100 to register, and mention code “Flyer” to receive the Continuum of Care Keynote Breakfast for Free.
Federal Telemedicine News readers will receive a 20% discount to attend MHCC along with a free exhibition pass by using the code “FTN”.
For more information, go to www.militaryhealthcareconvention.com.
The MHCC is the only national joint service non-DOD convention and conference to provide in-depth firsthand accounts from experts in each stage of the care continuum. MHCC will target best practices and new developments in military healthcare and deliver a multidisciplinary approach to combating the health issues concerning all warriors and their families.
Over the past ten years, high intensity operations have created the need for and led to advancements in trauma care, casualty transit, CONUS care, rehabilitation, and post rehabilitation processes. While there are great successes in these areas, new challenges continue to present themselves. These enormous challenges include the study and treatment of TBI, working with the prosthetic evolution, and dealing with an alarming suicide rate. In short, the military medical environment is changing faster than the overall system so that it is very difficult for any single caregiver or service provider to keep pace.
Overall learning objectives include information on the latest tactics, strategies, technologies, systems, treatment, processes and services for patient care, advancements in providing for continuum of care, how to create a multidisciplinary approach for combating post-deployment mental health issues of servicemen, and how to integrate electronic health records systems.
The Conference will feature two days of main conference sessions that will start with inspiring keynote sessions, and then break out into tracks to specifically focus on Pre-Deployment, Battlefield Healthcare, Military Treatment Facilities OCONUS & CONUS, Mental/Behavioral Health, and Veterans Healthcare Services. On June 22 & 25, in-depth workshops will focus on TBI, EHRs, and veterans health.
Some of the Confirmed Featured Speakers include:
• Lt. Gen (Dr) Charles B. Green, Surgeon General of the Air Force, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force
• Brig General (Dr) MARK A. Ediger, Commander, Air Force Medical Operations Agency
• Brig General (Dr) Richard A. Hersack, Command Surgeon, Air Force Materiel Command
• Brig Gen (Dr) Michael W. Miller, Assistant Surgeon General, Chief of the Medical Service Corps, Office of the Surgeon General
• BG Joseph Caravalho, Jr., Commander, Air Force Medical Operations Agency
• BG Richard W. Thomas, MD, DDS, FACS, Assistant Surgeon General Force Projection
• COL (Dr) John M. Cho, Commander, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
• COL Claude Hines Jr. Program Manager Defense Health Information Management System
• COL Geoffrey Ling, MD, PhD, Program Manager, DSO, DARPA
• COL Barbara Springer, PT, PhD, OCS, SCS, Director, Proponency Office for Rehabilitation &Reintegration, Office of the Army Surgeon General
• COL Keith Salzman, Chief of Informatics, Madigan Army Medical Center
• Ibolja Cernak, MD, ME, PhD., Medical Director, Biomedicine Business Area, Department of National Security Technology, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Douglas Rosendal, DO, FACOS, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Health Information, Joint Interoperability Ventures
• BG Joseph J. Carroll, Commander, Air force Medical support Agency, assistant Surgeon General, Medical Modernization
• CAPT Anna Bettios, DC, US Expeditionary Readiness, bureau of Medicine & Surgery
• Noel Koch, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy
• COL. Steven E. Braveman, M.D. Commander, Carl R. Darnall, Army Medical Center
Many other key speakers and leading panel discussion leaders are continually being added as speakers and panelists to bring new excitement to this military and healthcare training event.
Register for the first MHCC today and be the first to preview new products before they become available, learn how your care fits into the continuum of care, and network with other practitioners to learn new techniques.
You will receive your Free Exhibition Pass with over 150 exhibitors, hands on demonstrations sessions by military, academic, and vendor speakers to take place in the Presentation Theatre plus receive a free pass to the Cocktail Reception.
IDGA Exhibition’s MHCC has just announced that their Inaugural “Continuum of Care Awards ™ will be given to highlight the advances and achievements in healthcare for warfighters and their families Be the first 100 to register, and mention code “Flyer” to receive the Continuum of Care Keynote Breakfast for Free.
Federal Telemedicine News readers will receive a 20% discount to attend MHCC along with a free exhibition pass by using the code “FTN”.
For more information, go to www.militaryhealthcareconvention.com.
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