Towards the Electronic Patient Record will hold its 24th annual conference on May 19, 2008 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. There will be more than 300 speakers, 2,000 attendees, and 100 exhibitors on topics that include IT solutions for hospitals, IT solutions for ambulatory practices, and EMR/EHR topics for payers.
A high-tech system has been developed that could revolutionize how Canadians obtain prescription drugs. The concept revolves around a kiosk that operates like a vending machine, using advanced robotics and technology to read prescriptions and dispense more than 150 commonly prescribed drugs. A video screen links a pharmacist to the patient.
The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange has scheduled the second in a series of educational audiocasts about the forthcoming HIPAA electronic claims attachment standards. The 90-minute, May 29 program will cover how the standards work; how they relate to other HIPAA standards and to the Health Level Seven Clinical Document Architecture; and how implementation specifications are laid out.
A new organ donor register has been launched which promises preferential treatment for anyone signing up, but doctors say it is not legally binding and is morally repugnant. Members who sign up to the Web site, called LifeSharers, agree to donate their organs when they die, but on the condition that those organs are offered first to fellow members.
A professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley and his colleagues have developed a portable medical scanner that can be plugged into a cellular phone, which transmits raw ultrasound or X-ray scanning data to a remote computer processor. The computer then converts the data to images and relays these back for viewing on the cell phone screen. The concept is a cheaper and easier alternative to conventional medical scanning service because one computer server does the imaging for many scanners.
Medicare has launched its pilot online personal health records program in South Carolina, which gives thousands of Medicare beneficiaries in the state access to a PHR populated with their hospital and physician claims information. Information on prescription drugs will not be provided, but PHR users can enter information on their prescription and over-the-counter medications. Through the program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hopes to learn more about people's use of PHRs and how to encourage them to use the tools, said CMS representatives.