A local doctor has developed a chip that can be implanted in artificial knees, hips or other prosthetics that will relay medical information about the patient. Lee Berger, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, developed the technology after frequent experiences with patients who did not remember the information needed to get proper follow-up care. "Ortho-Tag" is a wireless chip imbedded in the prosthetic that contains information about a patient, implant, and procedure. A handheld receiver allows physicians to access information about their patient. "A patient could just have all information necessary for care available in their implant," said Berger, who has been affiliated with St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center for 25 years and The Valley Hospital for 15 in addition to having his own private practice in Fair Lawn. The Ortho-tag still has to be approved by the FDA. "We hope to have it out between six months to a year," said Berger.
If robotic surgery is the future of medicine, many in the healthcare industry would like you to know that the future is already here. In 2010, an estimated 220,000 U.S. procedures were assisted by a robotic device called the da Vinci surgical system. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration 11 years ago, da Vinci is the only equipment of its kind on the market, with more than 1,300 systems installed across the country. A surgeon operating the system sits at a console several feet away from the patient, and with the aid of a TV-like 3-D visualizer and joystick-style controls, uses the robot's arms to maneuever instruments through small incisions. It's a major change from traditional, or open, surgery, in which large incisions are made to access various parts of the body. The company that makes the system says it yields less scarring, pain and blood loss, among other benefits. And surgeons say that with its dexterity and precision, the robot's performance may be better than minimally invasive procedures done by human hand.
Hospital signage benefits are most easily seen through the enhanced navigation experience provided for patients, but benefits also come with a multitude of other factors. From bolstering brand identity to reducing administration costs, hospital signage is a growing industry with a continuous supply of new and sophisticated tools that spread hospital communication. When people think of hospital signage an image of a sign dangling from a hallway ceiling with an ascribed unit and arrow pointing may come to mind. This may be the more traditional form of hospital signage, but with digital signage developing today, there is a vast array of components. In addition to other items, digital signage encompasses: information kiosks, LED message systems and mobile devices.
Are we outsmarting cancer? Or just ourselves? Over the past several years, scientists have begun looking not just for individual genes linked to cancer, but for collections of genes and molecules, like proteins, that form telltale patterns, or signatures, that can be used to identify a cancer cell and reveal what drugs might kill it. Signatures can be used to diagnose the disease, scientists hope, and to give a prognosis to patients who have cancer. But there have been few successes in this brave new world of cancer research, and some notable failures. Genetic tests devised at Duke University by researchers using the new methodology have turned out to be worthless, though they were once hailed as breakthroughs. Two new blood tests for ovarian cancer have also been abandoned. Despite the setbacks, researchers say they cannot give up on their quest for cancer signatures.
When an ailing heart can't move blood on its own, an implanted pump can help keep it flowing smoothly. But there's a major drawback: the power supply is large, must be housed outside the body, and is usually connected to the pump via an electric cord that runs through the abdominal wall—a source of constant irritation and potential infection. Researchers have now demonstrated a prototype wireless heart pump that eliminates the need for the cord altogether. And unlike some wireless implants, it is reliable and efficient over a range of distances, from a few centimeters to a meter or more. The pump was developed by Josh Smith, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering at the University of Washington, and Pramod Bonde, a heart surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and presented at the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs' annual meeting in Washington, DC, last month.
The Medical Group Management Association has selected a new chief with as strong a background in health IT as practically any other leader of a healthcare organization not specifically dedicated to IT promotion. MGMA, an Englewood, CO-based organization comprised of group physician practice administrators and leaders, has named Susan L. Turney, MD, to succeed William F. Jessee, MD, as president and CEO. Jessee, himself a vocal advocate for IT adoption in healthcare, will retire after 12 years in charge. MGMA says its 22,500 members lead 13,600 healthcare organizations that provide more than 40% of the healthcare services delivered in the United States.