Chinese authorities are investigating whether 17 Japanese tourists had received illegal kidney and liver transplants in China. The country in 2007 banned all transplants for foreigners, called "organ tourists," since approximately 1.5 million Chinese are on waiting lists for transplants.
Malaysia has begun making a name for itself in the medical tourism realm, offering affordable yet sophisticated healthcare in Asia. The number of foreigners visiting the country for medical tourism has more than tripled since 2003, with 341,288 seeking care there in 2007. Local private Malaysian hospitals now offer counters, experienced staff, medical packages, and special arrangements to cater to foreign patients.
The CIO Healthcare Summit is scheduled for May 10-13 in Scottsdale, AZ. The Summit "provides the forum for CIOs and business leaders from some of the most innovative healthcare organizations to debate and network on the many challenges the industry faces," according to the official Web site.
Encore Health Resources LLC has been formed by healthcare veterans Ivo Nelson and Dana Sellers to provide information technology consulting services to the provider segment of the healthcare market, according to a release.
Electronic medical records have been talked about for at least a decade, and now a mammoth infusion of federal cash may soon bring digital records into the mainstream. The trend represents a huge opportunity for Dallas-area tech companies that say medical care could be drastically improved, according to this article in the Dallas Morning News. But some experts question whether the investment will pay off.
President Barack Obama will sign the $787 billion stimulus package (with $19 billion set aside to bring America's healthcare records into the electronic age) at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science today, and the news outlets are stumbling over themselves trying to the get the newest angle on the package. Here is a round-up from some of the biggest news outlets on MSNBC.com.