The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in partnership with Physicians Interactive recently launched Health eVillages to assist healthcare professionals practicing medicine in the most challenging clinical environments. This is the first consortium of healthcare and human rights organizations that is providing mobile medical technology to challenging regions worldwide.
According to Kerry Kennedy, Founding Partner and President of the RFK Center, “The program will provide mobile clinical reference and decision support tools to use for medical training, diagnostics, and clinical references. Currently, more than one billion people live in rural, underserved areas with inadequate access to healthcare and nearly one third of countries are experiencing critical shortages of skilled healthcare workers.”
Health eVillages is a consortium of international healthcare advocacy organizations, mobile healthcare solution providers, health information technology companies, communication providers, and public health foundations.
Through in-kind contributions and fundraising, healthcare professionals in disadvantaged areas will function with new and refurbished mobile phones and handheld devices that do not require internet access and are preloaded with clinical decision support reference tools. So far, Healthy eVillages has conducted pilot projects in several regions, including Hati, Kenya, Uganda, and the Greater Gulf Coast.
All of the devices provided include drug guides, medical alerts, journal summaries and references from over 50 medical publisher’s resources powered by Skyscape.com, Inc a subsidiary of Physicians Interactive.
For more information, go to www.HealtheVillages.org.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Protecting Data on Mobile Devices
Diversinet Corp was awarded a U.S patent for an encryption method that addresses growing concerns on protecting sensitive personal data stored on a mobile device. The U.S Patent No. 8,051,297 for “A Method for Binding a Security Element to a Mobile Device,” covers the security needs for mobile devices such as for smartphones or tablets.
The patented technology prevents unauthorized access to the data on a mobile device via encryption and prevents access to the information if it is transferred to another mobile device. Unlike other methods, it uses characteristics of a mobile device’s unique identity such as its serial number to create the encryption passkey.
Diversinet has integrated the patented solution into its MobiSecure® mobile healthcare products to help healthcare organizations quickly and cost-effectively deploy HIPAA-compliant mHealth applications anytime, anywhere on mobile devices.
The technology can benefit any industry that requires information to be stored securely on mobile devices. Mobile industry analysts estimate that more than 50 percent of the U.S. population will have smartphones by the end of 2011 and that number will grow to more than 70 percent by 2013.
Diversinet Chairman and CEO Albert Wahbe said, “We believe that our technology creates a highly secure information source on mobile devices which is particularly important in our current environment of patent stockpiling and litigation related to mobile communication technology.”
Diversinet’s intellectual property portfolio includes 16 patents in the U.S, Canada, and Israel, with 32 patent applications pending.
For more information, go to www.diversinet.com.
The patented technology prevents unauthorized access to the data on a mobile device via encryption and prevents access to the information if it is transferred to another mobile device. Unlike other methods, it uses characteristics of a mobile device’s unique identity such as its serial number to create the encryption passkey.
Diversinet has integrated the patented solution into its MobiSecure® mobile healthcare products to help healthcare organizations quickly and cost-effectively deploy HIPAA-compliant mHealth applications anytime, anywhere on mobile devices.
The technology can benefit any industry that requires information to be stored securely on mobile devices. Mobile industry analysts estimate that more than 50 percent of the U.S. population will have smartphones by the end of 2011 and that number will grow to more than 70 percent by 2013.
Diversinet Chairman and CEO Albert Wahbe said, “We believe that our technology creates a highly secure information source on mobile devices which is particularly important in our current environment of patent stockpiling and litigation related to mobile communication technology.”
Diversinet’s intellectual property portfolio includes 16 patents in the U.S, Canada, and Israel, with 32 patent applications pending.
For more information, go to www.diversinet.com.
Snapshots on Lessons Learned
“Project HealthDesign” a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “Pioneer Portfolio” supports research teams working alongside patients and clinicians to help develop personal health applications useful to patients managing chronic diseases.
Current “Project HealthDesign” teams are working with patients and clinicians to examine how patient-sourced observations found in daily living such as pain, mood and energy levels can be captured and integrated into clinical care and influence daily health decision-making.
Five grantee teams are working with a variety of patient populations using technologies such as smartphones and sensors and designing applications that can effectively and efficiently be incorporated into care processes used by real patients and providers. The team is working with the University of California at Berkeley, Healthy Communities Foundation, and the University of California at San Francisco.
The new RWJF report “Project HealthDesign: Early findings and Challenges” gives several snapshots on lessons learned. For example, chronically ill patients are eager to try technologies to help them take charge of their health. Because symptoms can fluctuate hourly, Crohn’s disease is a complicated condition for both patients and clinicians to manage.
Clinicians rely on patients to self-report their symptoms using an iPad during office visits, but these accounts may provide an incomplete picture of the patient’s health. However, Crohn’s patients tend to be highly motivated and willing to try new technologies and approaches that might limit their symptoms or improve their quality of life.
Project HealthDesign’s “Crohnology.MD” team developed a mobile application to help Crohn’s patients track pain levels, along with other Observations of Daily Living (ODL) symptoms. They also developed a mobile application that allows clinicians to view summary level or detailed reports of ODL data collected by patients. The use of technology enables patients to accurately record their day-to-day ODL and symptoms and helps clinicians to obtain a more robust picture of their patient’s health.
Other grantee teams include “BreathEasy” which is using smart phones with patients who have asthma, “dwellSense” uses household sensors to monitor how elders complete routing tasks, the “Estrellita” team is using smartphones to gather information from their caregivers with high-risk infants, and the “in Touch” team is using iPod Touch to monitor ODL pertaining to obese teenagers as to the amount of exercise, moods, food intake, that they consume or the socializing that they do with other people.
For more information, go to www.rwjf.org.
Current “Project HealthDesign” teams are working with patients and clinicians to examine how patient-sourced observations found in daily living such as pain, mood and energy levels can be captured and integrated into clinical care and influence daily health decision-making.
Five grantee teams are working with a variety of patient populations using technologies such as smartphones and sensors and designing applications that can effectively and efficiently be incorporated into care processes used by real patients and providers. The team is working with the University of California at Berkeley, Healthy Communities Foundation, and the University of California at San Francisco.
The new RWJF report “Project HealthDesign: Early findings and Challenges” gives several snapshots on lessons learned. For example, chronically ill patients are eager to try technologies to help them take charge of their health. Because symptoms can fluctuate hourly, Crohn’s disease is a complicated condition for both patients and clinicians to manage.
Clinicians rely on patients to self-report their symptoms using an iPad during office visits, but these accounts may provide an incomplete picture of the patient’s health. However, Crohn’s patients tend to be highly motivated and willing to try new technologies and approaches that might limit their symptoms or improve their quality of life.
Project HealthDesign’s “Crohnology.MD” team developed a mobile application to help Crohn’s patients track pain levels, along with other Observations of Daily Living (ODL) symptoms. They also developed a mobile application that allows clinicians to view summary level or detailed reports of ODL data collected by patients. The use of technology enables patients to accurately record their day-to-day ODL and symptoms and helps clinicians to obtain a more robust picture of their patient’s health.
Other grantee teams include “BreathEasy” which is using smart phones with patients who have asthma, “dwellSense” uses household sensors to monitor how elders complete routing tasks, the “Estrellita” team is using smartphones to gather information from their caregivers with high-risk infants, and the “in Touch” team is using iPod Touch to monitor ODL pertaining to obese teenagers as to the amount of exercise, moods, food intake, that they consume or the socializing that they do with other people.
For more information, go to www.rwjf.org.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Advancing Medication Adherence
Adherence to medications is still a tough challenge according to William Shrank, MD, Director of Evaluation for the CMS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation speaking at Partners Healthcare’s Connected Health Symposium held October 20-21, 2011 in Boston. Dr. Shrank pointed out that patients adhere 50 to 70 percent of the time in taking their essential medications for chronic conditions.
The average user taking a medication to lower their blood pressure also takes a number of additional medications to maintain all of their chronic conditions. The barriers to full compliance can include problems such as understanding how to use the medication and understanding affordability and coverage factors. Physicians need to be able to communicate knowledge on drug costs, medications safe use, and be familiar with their patient’s medication adherence. In addition, at the system level, there needs to be information on access and coverage of medications, administrative barriers, and additional information on health IT.
Health IT interventions are promising tools in the fight to improve medication adherence. However, while many studies have been done to boost medication adherence, very few have been done on using health IT to accomplish this goal. So while promising results are available, even more research needs to be done.
Dr. Shrank explained that with the explosive growth in e-prescribing, it is now possible to identify patients who fail to adhere in real-time, find patients who fail to initiate prescriptions, communicate with providers and pharmacists when patients fail to adhere, predict which patients are at risk for non-adherence, link medical and pharmacy information to the largest groups of high risk patients, and send out electronic reminders.
Social networking is another major advancement to help people deal with their medication regime and is proving to be very effective with great potential for the future. For example, Dr Shrank as the author of a landmark study on the health uses of Face Book by patients with diabetes, points out that social networking can provide diabetic patients with a rich community of emotional support by enabling the diabetic community to share personal stories and learn from each other.
According to Dr. Shrank, “To be effective we need to make better use of data, need to provide real incentives to reward adherence to medications, and do a better job of benefit design. The Post-MI FREEE trial due to be published soon is geared to patients with coronary artery disease. The trial was designed to evaluate the effect of providing full prescription drug coverage for some drugs and will be the first randomized study to evaluate the impact of reducing cost-sharing for essential cardiac medications in high risk patients on clinical and economic outcomes.
For more information on the Symposium, go to www.connected-health.org.
The average user taking a medication to lower their blood pressure also takes a number of additional medications to maintain all of their chronic conditions. The barriers to full compliance can include problems such as understanding how to use the medication and understanding affordability and coverage factors. Physicians need to be able to communicate knowledge on drug costs, medications safe use, and be familiar with their patient’s medication adherence. In addition, at the system level, there needs to be information on access and coverage of medications, administrative barriers, and additional information on health IT.
Health IT interventions are promising tools in the fight to improve medication adherence. However, while many studies have been done to boost medication adherence, very few have been done on using health IT to accomplish this goal. So while promising results are available, even more research needs to be done.
Dr. Shrank explained that with the explosive growth in e-prescribing, it is now possible to identify patients who fail to adhere in real-time, find patients who fail to initiate prescriptions, communicate with providers and pharmacists when patients fail to adhere, predict which patients are at risk for non-adherence, link medical and pharmacy information to the largest groups of high risk patients, and send out electronic reminders.
Social networking is another major advancement to help people deal with their medication regime and is proving to be very effective with great potential for the future. For example, Dr Shrank as the author of a landmark study on the health uses of Face Book by patients with diabetes, points out that social networking can provide diabetic patients with a rich community of emotional support by enabling the diabetic community to share personal stories and learn from each other.
According to Dr. Shrank, “To be effective we need to make better use of data, need to provide real incentives to reward adherence to medications, and do a better job of benefit design. The Post-MI FREEE trial due to be published soon is geared to patients with coronary artery disease. The trial was designed to evaluate the effect of providing full prescription drug coverage for some drugs and will be the first randomized study to evaluate the impact of reducing cost-sharing for essential cardiac medications in high risk patients on clinical and economic outcomes.
For more information on the Symposium, go to www.connected-health.org.
Grant Funding in Minnesota
The “Minnesota e-Health Connectivity Grant Program for HIE” has funding of one million currently available to help rural or underserved communities. These communities are potentially eligible for federal incentives for the meaningful use of EHRs in order to exchange health information. The funding can also be used to increase the number of rural Minnesota pharmacies capable of accepting electronic prescriptions. Grant awards are available up to $10,000 with the applications due December 31, 2011.
Eligible applicants include:
• Qualifying Hospitals—Critical Access Hospitals and small rural hospitals with less than 100 beds, rural health clinics, FQHCs, and rural physician clinics can apply for funding to pay consultant costs associated with planning for HIE capabilities and for costs associated with establishing connectivity with the State Certified Health Information Exchange Service provider
• Qualifying Rural Pharmacies—serving ambulatory patients in cities with populations of less than 10,000 that are currently unable to accept electronic prescriptions or meet requirements for exchange without updating their existing pharmacy system are eligible for hardware for up to $5,000, software, and transaction costs for up to one year
Go to www.health.state,.mn.us/divs/hpsc/ohit/hiemn.html for more information, or email Anne Schloegel at MDH at anne.schloegel@state.mn.us or call (651) 201-3850.
The Minnesota Commissioner of Health is now able to award grants to eligible hospitals under the “Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program”. The state program helps small rural hospitals with 50 or fewer beds undertake needed modernization projects to update, remodel, or replace aging hospital facilities and the equipment necessary to maintain the hospital.
Previous legislation a few years age made several changes. The state’s legislation clarified that hospitals are eligible for the funding if they are located in a rural area or a non-Twin cities rural community with a population of less than 15,000. The legislation also added electronic health records systems as an eligible project for funds. Eligible applicants must be able to demonstrate that at least one quarter of any grant amount is available from non-state sources.
The FY 2012 funding will be approximately $1,755,000 much less than the $2.6 million available in 2003 and the $4.6 million available in 2002. Given the reduced level of funding, MDH is limiting the maximum award amount to $125,000. MDH expects to make approximately 17-20 grant awards.
The Pre-Application is due to MDH December 16, 2011 with the Final Application due to MDH on March 16, 2012. Projects will be awarded in April 2012 with contracts completed around June 1, 2011.
Go to www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/grants/pdf/capimprovfinal.pdf or contact Doug Benson, MDH Office of rural Health & Primary Care at 800-366-5424 or 651-201-3842.
Eligible applicants include:
• Qualifying Hospitals—Critical Access Hospitals and small rural hospitals with less than 100 beds, rural health clinics, FQHCs, and rural physician clinics can apply for funding to pay consultant costs associated with planning for HIE capabilities and for costs associated with establishing connectivity with the State Certified Health Information Exchange Service provider
• Qualifying Rural Pharmacies—serving ambulatory patients in cities with populations of less than 10,000 that are currently unable to accept electronic prescriptions or meet requirements for exchange without updating their existing pharmacy system are eligible for hardware for up to $5,000, software, and transaction costs for up to one year
Go to www.health.state,.mn.us/divs/hpsc/ohit/hiemn.html for more information, or email Anne Schloegel at MDH at anne.schloegel@state.mn.us or call (651) 201-3850.
The Minnesota Commissioner of Health is now able to award grants to eligible hospitals under the “Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Grant Program”. The state program helps small rural hospitals with 50 or fewer beds undertake needed modernization projects to update, remodel, or replace aging hospital facilities and the equipment necessary to maintain the hospital.
Previous legislation a few years age made several changes. The state’s legislation clarified that hospitals are eligible for the funding if they are located in a rural area or a non-Twin cities rural community with a population of less than 15,000. The legislation also added electronic health records systems as an eligible project for funds. Eligible applicants must be able to demonstrate that at least one quarter of any grant amount is available from non-state sources.
The FY 2012 funding will be approximately $1,755,000 much less than the $2.6 million available in 2003 and the $4.6 million available in 2002. Given the reduced level of funding, MDH is limiting the maximum award amount to $125,000. MDH expects to make approximately 17-20 grant awards.
The Pre-Application is due to MDH December 16, 2011 with the Final Application due to MDH on March 16, 2012. Projects will be awarded in April 2012 with contracts completed around June 1, 2011.
Go to www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/grants/pdf/capimprovfinal.pdf or contact Doug Benson, MDH Office of rural Health & Primary Care at 800-366-5424 or 651-201-3842.
NIH & mHealth Technologies
The distinction between health applications by smartphone versus applications on the web will diminish in the future, according to an article appearing in the newsletter “PPP Advisor” by William T. Riley PhD, Program Director at the Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch at NHLBI.
The article in “PPP Advisor” published by the Private Partnership Program at NIH discusses the role of NIH and mhealth. He questions if private industry is developing innovative wireless and mobile applications and FDA is working to regulate the industry to achieve safety and effectiveness then what is the role of NIH as it relates to mHealth?
As he explained, mHealth technologies have greatly outpaced the research needed to evaluate the technologies plus if mHealth applications are not making a medical claim, FDA approval is not needed. The result is that numerous mHealth applications commercially available very often lack research support. Therefore the role of NIH should support research that evaluates the validity and efficacy of mobile applications.
Today, NIH supports approximately 100 grants to develop and/or evaluate mobile technologies applied to health but much more needs to be done. With the current timeline from grant submission to the completion and publication of a randomized clinical trial, many of the mHealth applications currently being published are already dated or obsolete.
To facilitate mHealth efforts at NIH, the NIH mHealth InterInstitute Interest Group (mHealth IIIG) coordinated by the NIH Public-Private Partnership Program in the Office of Science Policy, Office of the Director at NIH, with over 100 members from various NIH Institutes, Centers, and offices is addressing the issue.
In addition to sharing mHealth research support efforts across NIH, (mHealth IIIG) also develops trans-NIH initiatives and coordinates workshops and training efforts. Right now, one of the major efforts has been to coordinate the research track for the 3rd Annual mHealth Summit to be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor in Maryland coming December 5-7 2011. For more information on the mHealth Summit supported by the Foundation for the NIH and other partners, go to www.mhealthsummit.org.
Go to http://ppp.od.nih.org/pppinfo/docs/PPP_Newsletter_Fall_2011.pdf to view the newsletter.
The article in “PPP Advisor” published by the Private Partnership Program at NIH discusses the role of NIH and mhealth. He questions if private industry is developing innovative wireless and mobile applications and FDA is working to regulate the industry to achieve safety and effectiveness then what is the role of NIH as it relates to mHealth?
As he explained, mHealth technologies have greatly outpaced the research needed to evaluate the technologies plus if mHealth applications are not making a medical claim, FDA approval is not needed. The result is that numerous mHealth applications commercially available very often lack research support. Therefore the role of NIH should support research that evaluates the validity and efficacy of mobile applications.
Today, NIH supports approximately 100 grants to develop and/or evaluate mobile technologies applied to health but much more needs to be done. With the current timeline from grant submission to the completion and publication of a randomized clinical trial, many of the mHealth applications currently being published are already dated or obsolete.
To facilitate mHealth efforts at NIH, the NIH mHealth InterInstitute Interest Group (mHealth IIIG) coordinated by the NIH Public-Private Partnership Program in the Office of Science Policy, Office of the Director at NIH, with over 100 members from various NIH Institutes, Centers, and offices is addressing the issue.
In addition to sharing mHealth research support efforts across NIH, (mHealth IIIG) also develops trans-NIH initiatives and coordinates workshops and training efforts. Right now, one of the major efforts has been to coordinate the research track for the 3rd Annual mHealth Summit to be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor in Maryland coming December 5-7 2011. For more information on the mHealth Summit supported by the Foundation for the NIH and other partners, go to www.mhealthsummit.org.
Go to http://ppp.od.nih.org/pppinfo/docs/PPP_Newsletter_Fall_2011.pdf to view the newsletter.
OMH Plans for Network & EHRs
The HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) announced a project to build a collaborative research network to document the spread and contributions of mobile health clinics across the U.S. The project will be conducted by the Mobile Health Map, a project of the Harvard Medical School, and the Mobile Health Clinics Network, a San Francisco-based national membership organization with more than 300 members.
The project will allow mobile health projects to share data and enable researchers to describe the reach and accomplishments of the mobile health model, the populations served, and cost-effectiveness. Academic, government, and providers are going to launch a formal research network in 2012.
One of the prime purposes of the project will be the creation of a web-based service http://www.mobilehealthmap.org/ to help people locate clinics across the U.S. to find sources for preventive screenings.
Another demonstration project has been announced by OMH, American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), and North Shore Medical Labs, Inc. of Williston Park NY to help foster broader adoption and use of EHRs.
AHIMA will provide six hours of web-based training on health IT to providers who work in underserved communities. About 100 providers who complete training will receive EHR licenses, including subscription fees for 12 months. Nortec will help to integrate the necessary information technology components within participating physician practices. Plus, North Shore Medical Labs will donate 75 percent of the cost of the Nortec EHR licenses, program integration, monthly subscription fees, as well as provide discounted education and training.
Provider recruitment efforts will be conducted by the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health and the North Carolina Health Information Management Association.
Health care providers who wish to participate in the initiative must:
• Be providers in Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) or Health Provider Shortage Areas as designated by HHS
• Have an internet connection and be using an electronic billing system
• Be a small practice group of one to five providers or a FQHC within the MUA and/or PSA
• Be eligible to receive meaningful use incentives as defined by the HITECH Act
• Complete an initial application and be able to submit monthly reports
For information on this initiative, email Dr. Bill Rudman at Bill.Rudman@ahima.org or Dr. Abid Sheikh at asheikh@nsmionline.org.
The project will allow mobile health projects to share data and enable researchers to describe the reach and accomplishments of the mobile health model, the populations served, and cost-effectiveness. Academic, government, and providers are going to launch a formal research network in 2012.
One of the prime purposes of the project will be the creation of a web-based service http://www.mobilehealthmap.org/ to help people locate clinics across the U.S. to find sources for preventive screenings.
Another demonstration project has been announced by OMH, American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), and North Shore Medical Labs, Inc. of Williston Park NY to help foster broader adoption and use of EHRs.
AHIMA will provide six hours of web-based training on health IT to providers who work in underserved communities. About 100 providers who complete training will receive EHR licenses, including subscription fees for 12 months. Nortec will help to integrate the necessary information technology components within participating physician practices. Plus, North Shore Medical Labs will donate 75 percent of the cost of the Nortec EHR licenses, program integration, monthly subscription fees, as well as provide discounted education and training.
Provider recruitment efforts will be conducted by the Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health and the North Carolina Health Information Management Association.
Health care providers who wish to participate in the initiative must:
• Be providers in Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) or Health Provider Shortage Areas as designated by HHS
• Have an internet connection and be using an electronic billing system
• Be a small practice group of one to five providers or a FQHC within the MUA and/or PSA
• Be eligible to receive meaningful use incentives as defined by the HITECH Act
• Complete an initial application and be able to submit monthly reports
For information on this initiative, email Dr. Bill Rudman at Bill.Rudman@ahima.org or Dr. Abid Sheikh at asheikh@nsmionline.org.
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