Telemedicine

Reviews


Articles
International Teleradiology in the Spotlight
Nighthawk Teleradiology Services - Convenient and Efficient
Remote Heart Monitors - Telemedicine in the News
Tanita Moves into Telemedicine
Technology Award for LifeSource Telemedicine Blood Pressure Monitors
Telemedicine from Garmin and the Mayo Clinic

Archive

Telemedicine in British Prisons
The BBC reports that one of Britain's high-security prisons is using telemedicine to diagnose suspected heart attacks among prisoners.

Managers at Wakefield Prison, which houses some of England's most notorious criminals, say the move has improved public safety and cut costs.

A hand-held electrocardiogram (ECG) device sends a signal by landline to a monitoring centre, where it is shown on a screen and interpreted by clinicians.

The results are given verbally over the phone and followed up with an email.

People experiencing heart problems would normally receive an ECG at hospital.

But the hand-held ECG can be used by people who are not health professionals, according to the makers, Broomwell HealthWatch.
May 23rd, 2007

Telemedicine Is Really Taking Off - But Not in the US
Digital HealthCare & Productivity.com interviews Bill Crounse, worldwide health director for Microsoft:

Other markets — South Korea, Thailand, Singapore — are looking at healthcare as an exportable commodity. Telemedicine is really taking off in other parts of the world where healthcare access is an issue. Not in the U.S. We’re also behind in the way mobile devices are used. In fact, all around the world in healthcare, I’m seeing faster adoption of information technology than here in the U.S. We lag behind much of the industrialized world in healthcare IT and that gap will widen if we are not careful.
May 17th, 2007

Med-e-Tel 2007
The Med-e-Tel 2007 conference on eHealth and telemedicine opens today, with sessions on such topics as "Homecare Applications and Maintaining Quality of Life for Elderly, Disabled and People with Special Needs", "User Experience Guidelines for eHealth Telecare Services', "International Telemedicine & eHealth Initiatives and Developments" and "eHealth for Developing Countries: Lessons Learned".

Also, check out the conference blog.
April 18th, 2007

Teleradiology Takeover
Teleradiology leader NightHawk Radiology Holdings has announced the acquisition of The Radlinx Group.

According to a company statement:

The acquisition of The Radlinx Group and its 303 hospitals increases NightHawk's customer base to over 1,300 hospitals nationwide representing 24% of all U.S. hospitals. With the addition of The Radlinx Group, NightHawk significantly expands its presence in key areas of the United States, including Texas, the second largest market in the U.S. Combined with the recent acquisition of Teleradiology Diagnostic Service in California, this acquisition further solidifies NightHawk's position as the industry leader for providing high quality, cost effective radiology solutions to radiology groups across the U.S.

"The strategic acquisition of The Radlinx Group, with their doctors located across the U.S., should help alleviate concerns the industry may have about Medicare interpretations being performed outside the U.S.," said Tim Mayleben, NightHawk Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "While we continue to capitalize on the efficiencies of our centralized approach to interpreting radiological procedures, we are also able to utilize our proprietary workflow to seamlessly distribute images to our U.S.-based doctors."
April 10th, 2007

Telemedicine is Hot - It Just Needs a Good Branding Campaign
OMMA (the magazine of online media, marketing and advertising) reports:

Think user-created video and music are hot? Meet telemedicine.

Sometimes called digital medicine or remote monitoring, the process of providing health care remotely via the Web is a massive market that is finally beginning to organize.

...“The technology behind the industry has been in place for 15 years,” says [research analyst Harry] Wang. “What holds it back is the lack of understanding of the business between doctors, insurers and patients.”

In other words, a few good branding campaigns could help this nascent industry grow into a real market.
April 4th, 2007

Teledermatology
According to Dermatology Times:

When the concept of telemedicine was introduced several years ago with the intent of broadening patient access to a decreasing number of specialists, dermatology was considered possibly the best specialty to use the new system because it is such a visual field.

Dermatology Times talked to several dermatologists around the country who have used, or are familiar with, teledermatology. The doctors discussed development of the program and the problems and advances made within teledermatology. Some of them are in tertiary care centers, others in private practice. Some are finding it extremely useful, others are still waiting for bugs to be worked out, not the least of which is reimbursement.

It's a lengthy and fascinating report.
March 30th, 2007

Telemedicine - ECG Results to Your Doctor's Mobile Phone
Engadget reports on a new telemedicine device:

There's a growing number of devices that not only monitor one's health, but can also transmit pertinent information back to remote caregivers, but SHL Telemedicine's latest gizmo takes things a step further by beaming your ECG results directly to your physician's mobile phone. The oddly-named CardioSen'C is a portable heart-monitoring system that gathers information from twelve electrodes strapped to one's chest and upper body, and once activated, transmits the results of the electrocardiograph instantly to a user-selected handset.
March 28th, 2007

Remote Heart Monitors - Telemedicine in the News
The Food and Drug Administration's rejection of Medtronic's remote heart monitor has been big news - probably because it was reported in the "newspaper of record", the New York Times.

According to the report:

Medicine's march toward remote monitoring of patients hit at least a temporary roadblock yesterday.
Continue reading "Remote Heart Monitors - Telemedicine in the News"
March 5th, 2007

Telemedicine from Garmin and the Mayo Clinic
Garmin subsidiary Digital Cyclone has partnered with the famed Mayo Clinic to launch a promising new telemedicine venture, offering medical advice by cell phone.

According to a Mayo press release:

Using Mayo Clinic InTouch, wireless phone subscribers have a rich health resource directly on their phone. A few keystrokes give consumers immediate access to:

- Step-by-step first aid tips
Continue reading "Telemedicine from Garmin and the Mayo Clinic"
March 1st, 2007