A particle accelerator, which employs protons to bombard cancerous tumors, has a total price tag well in excess of $100 million and is the latest example of technology's role in rising healthcare costs. To some, the particle accelarator is an example of the tendency by hospitals and doctors to adopt costly, and potentially profitable, technologies that may be no more effective than existing treatments.
The American Telemedicine Association is organizing regular conferences and forums on telemedicine practices and the telemedicine industry that attract individuals from across the telehealth spectrum: researchers, practitioners, vendors and patients.
The Office of the Coordinator of Health Information Technology plans to integrate a national network of electronic health records with healthcare databases launched by Google and Microsoft. The Office also plans to expand its Nationwide Health Information Network to include electronic health records stored in networks operated by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and integrated healthcare systems that span numerous communities.
A nonprofit foundation affiliated with San Francisco General Hospital has won a $2.26 million grantto upgrade the public hospital's IT system and install software to help slash medication errors. The grant will fund two major projects at San Francisco General:
the expansion of the hospital's computer capabilities through the purchase of a mobile data center to boost server capacity and allow it to implement various IT projects to improve patient care
the implementation of electronic Medication Administration Records software, which officials say will improve communication between nurses and the hospital's pharmacy, eliminate medication transcription errors and reduce the number of early, late and missed doses of medication
A Netherlands-based digital security firm has begun to roll out Algeria's first e-health project. A pilot project comprised 700,000 smartcards in five regions of the north African country. The system will result in the issuing and management of seven million smartcards used by healthcare beneficiaries and providers. The aim is for hospitals and other healthcare institutions to securely manage patient records securely and to verify patient benefits.
Japanese researchers have demonstrated part of an envisaged molecular level system that might one day enable cell phones to keep watch on their owners' health. NTT DoCoMo hopes some future cell phones will contain devices capable of analyzing molecules from the user's body to provide a warning about a possible virus, high levels of stress or other factors that might affect health.