Press Releases

WATCHDOG ANNOUNCES PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD (PHR) PRIVACY REPORT CARD

Dan Bowman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:10:06 -0500

Austin, TX - Patient Privacy Rights (PPR), the nation's leading health privacy watchdog released its First Personal Health Record (PHR) Privacy Report Card today. Designed to educate and protect consumers, the Report Card, is available online at www.patientprivacyrights.org/PHR_Report_Card. Our assessment of five different PHRs found a wide range of existing privacy policies; some PHRs protect our rights to control who can see and use health information, and others do not.

"The good news is there are companies that offer meaningful ways to control your private information," said PPR's Executive Director, Ashley Katz. Some PHRs only share your information with your explicit permission. Some allow you to segment "or lock-up" extra sensitive information, so it can only be seen by those that you permit. Some offer easily accessible reports of who saw and used your information, when and why.

"The bad news is other companies do not allow patients to control their PHRs. That is a scary thing when you consider that PHRs can store sensitive health information as well as lifestyle habits such as what you eat, how much you drink, and how often you exercise," said Katz. This information can easily get into the wrong hands, especially if your PHR is offered by an employer or insurer. "All PHRs claim to be ‘patient-centric' and claim that ‘privacy is important,' but it's simply not true."

PPR devoted a great deal of time to wade through policies, websites and applications, recognizing that few busy people have the time or expertise to do in-depth evaluations or compare the differences between PHRs. Most people see the words "privacy policy" and think it means their privacy is protected. That couldn't be further from the truth.

PPR makes no recommendations on specific PHRs. The Report Card is our opinion based on the information available on these companies' websites.

PPR graded the following PHRs:
CapMed's ICE PHR -> C
NoMoreClipboard -> A
WebMDs -> C

PPR also graded the following platforms that incorporate PHRs:
Google Health -> D - Platform, F - Partners
Microsoft HealthVault -> B Platform, F Programs

Detailed grades and commentary are available on the website, http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=PHR_Report_Card

Two grades were given to Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault, products we refer to as "Platforms." Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault's privacy policies apply only to their Platform, not to any of the companies linked to their Platform. For example, while the Platform, may require the individual's consent before disclosing any data; any third party such as another PHR, a tracking tool for diabetes or research search engine does not necessarily play by the same rules.

One grade was given to the Platform itself and another grade was given to the programs and partner applications linked to the Platform to highlight the differences between the applicable policies. The programs and partner applications for each Platform were treated as one group. There are simply far too many different programs/partners for PPR to grade each individually. As such, we took a random sampling of these programs/partners. The grade for these groups of companies (an "F" for both Google Health partners and Microsoft HealthVault programs) does not mean that all of the third party companies failed. Rather some of the companies randomly selected scored poorly because they do not allow meaningful patient control over their information. Note that NoMoreClipboard.com is a PHR available on both platforms and it earned an "A".

We also note that if the Program or Partner application is "HIPAA compliant" it can use any information provided from your account for "treatment, payment and health care operations" without getting your express consent. This does not give the individual control over their private, sensitive information. Most people have no idea how broad those three categories actually are.

A detailed FAQ is available with the Report Card online: http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/PHR_RC_FAQs

The FAQ covers the following questions:

What is a PHR?
What is a platform?
How did you grade these PHRs?
Will you allow vendors to respond to these grades?
Have you received any money from these vendors?
What laws protect PHRs?
Should you use a PHR?
How can a PHR harm me?
Why is "anonymous", "de-identified", or "aggregate" data a problem?

What can be done?

1. The public needs to wake up and pay attention. Our personal health information is everywhere and being passed from one company to the next, without our permission or knowledge. If we don't demand control, we will lose it forever.
2. We need federal laws that make Fair Information Practices the rule for all health information. Data shared for one purpose should be used solely for that purpose unless the patient gives consent for any new use. No single piece of data should be allowed to go to an employer, insurer or other entity without patient permission.
3. Laws alone will never be enough; technology will continue to evolve. Consumer watchdogs like Patient Privacy Rights need your support to shine light on how your health information is used and misused.
4. With public awareness, federal protections and consumer watchdogs on the lookout, industry can be pressured to restore our rights to health privacy and compete based on whether their systems or products offer the most protections and give individuals the greatest degree of control over their data.

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About Patient Privacy Rights:

Patient Privacy Rights is the nation's leading health privacy watchdog. Our mission is to ensure the right to control your medical privacy to protect jobs and opportunities. Patient Privacy Rights has over 10,000 members in all 50 states. We lead the trans-partisan Coalition for Patient Privacy representing over 10 million Americans.

Commission Announces First 2011 Certified Electronic Health Records

Dan Bowman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:35:43 -0500

CHICAGO - Dec 1, 2009 - The Certification Commission today announced the first group of products certified under its two new programs - CCHIT Certified® 2011 Comprehensive, and Preliminary ARRA 2011 - launched on October 7, 2009. Both programs inspect electronic health record (EHR) technology for the first time against proposed Federal standards to support providers in qualifying for 2011-2012 incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

"The ARRA incentives have the potential to significantly accelerate adoption of EHR technology by office-based physicians, other eligible providers and hospitals," said Alisa Ray, the Commission's executive director. "These first four health IT companies, demonstrating their compliance with the proposed Federal standards, are now able to offer certified products to providers who wish to purchase and implement EHR technology and achieve meaningful use in time for the 2011-2012 incentives. We've had about 25 applications in our 2011 programs and inspections are continuing. Look for additional announcements from these early applicants in the upcoming days and weeks."

Both certification programs are represented among the four products. The CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program differs from the Preliminary ARRA certification program by providing a more rigorous inspection of integrated EHR functionality, interoperability, and security in addition to full compliance with Federal standards. As part of the Comprehensive inspection process, key aspects of successful use are verified at live sites, and usability is rated. The CCHIT Certified Comprehensive program is intended to serve health care providers looking for maximal assurance that a product will meet their complex needs, as well as support their achievement of meaningful use to qualify for the ARRA financial incentives.

The product certified in the CCHIT Certified 2011 Comprehensive program is ABELMed EHR-EMR/PM, Version 11, by ABEL Medical Software Inc.

The Preliminary ARRA 2011 program is a modular, limited certification and inspects technology only against the Federal standards. It offers maximal flexibility for health IT companies, developers and providers in meeting ARRA 2011-2012 certification requirements. The products certified in the Preliminary ARRA 2011 program are:

eHealth Made EASY, Version 3, by eHealth Made EASY, LLC, supporting 2 of 27 meaningful use objectives for eligible providers
eHealth Made EASY - PQRI Made Easy, Version 3, by eHealth Made EASY, LLC, supporting 2 of 24 meaningful use objectives for hospitals
KIS Track, Version 5.1, by Kaulkin Information Systems, supporting 2 of 27 objectives for eligible providers
Medios, Version 4.5, by IOS Health Systems, supporting 27 of 27 objectives for eligible providers

The Certification Facts^TM label displayed with every product listing describes all certifications granted and lists which meaningful use objectives are supported by the technology. The ARRA certification component of both programs is considered preliminary because the definitions of meaningful use, criteria and standards have been proposed but not yet finalized by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Health IT companies testing against the proposed standards now will be provided the opportunity to quickly close any gaps after the final rules are published in the Federal Register in spring 2010.

About CCHIT
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®) is an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) since 2006 as an official certification body for electronic health records (EHR). Its public mission is to accelerate the adoption of robust, interoperable health information technology. More information on CCHIT, CCHIT Certified® products and Preliminary ARRA certified technology is available at http://cchit.org and http://ehrdecisions.com .

"CCHIT®" and "CCHIT Certified®" are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

ANVITA HEALTH HELPS ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS GET ONE STEP CLOSER TO MEANINGFUL USE

Dan Bowman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:34:03 -0500

San Diego, Dec. 2, 2009 - As hospitals and medical groups implement electronic medical records (EMRs) and e-prescribing to meet the government's 2011 incentives deadline, they'll have one less obstacle to overcome with Anvita Health's newly patented approach to rapid patient medical history capture.

Anvita Health, founded in 2000, is a clinical analytics company that analyzes available patient data to improve health care quality and lower costs. Its analytics output ranges from real-time advanced clinical decision support (CDS) to in-depth population analysis and risk stratification.

Anvita Health's input method leverages automated access to a patient's medication history to offer one-click entry of the patient's past and current diagnoses. This information is critical to maintaining an accurate and up-to-date problem list, which is likely to be an important "meaningful use" criterion for health information technology (HIT) systems as defined this year by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Solving What Will Soon Be a Common Problem

"The implementation of EMRs and e-prescribing presents a mountain of challenges to the provider, not the least of which is populating the EMRs with patient medical histories," said Ahmed Ghouri, M.D., chief medical officer and co-founder of Anvita Health. "Anvita Health deals in clinical data every day, and we recognized that this patient data could be securely leveraged to effectively populate an EMR, and streamline its deployment and use."

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, an individual physician may have from 2,000 to 6,000 patients, with each patient potentially having multiple diagnoses. With this in mind, a physician may have to search for tens of thousands of diagnoses and enter these into a health record which is a formidable undertaking.

"A patient's medication history is often a clear and accurate reflection of his or her past clinical diagnoses," said Ghouri. Anvita Health's new medical history input method for EMRs allows the end-user to input a medication which then triggers a list of relevant diagnoses associated with the medication. With a single mouse click, the end-user selects the diagnosis without having to search for the exact term used by coding dictionaries, such as ICD-9, saving substantial time.

Added Benefit of Improved Patient Safety, Superior Medication Reconciliation

Anvita Health's approach has the added benefit of facilitating drug safety, and supporting medication reconciliation, a formal process of identifying a complete and accurate list of a patient's medications and using that list to provide correct medications for the patient anywhere within the health care system that patient may be seen. Medication reconciliation also helps prevent duplicate therapies because prior medicines may be been auto-renewed.

"Capture of a patient's prior diagnoses is critical to drug safety because dangerous interactions can be detected before medications are dispensed," said Ghouri. "Associating an active medication with a diagnosis - an important aspect of medication reconciliation - forces the caregiver to consider the reason a medication is being continued. In some cases, the illness might have resolved on its own, in which case the medication is no longer necessary."

About Anvita Health: Founded by physicians in 2000, Anvita Health provides innovative health care analytics to its customers who, in aggregate, manage more than 50 million lives. Anvita Health's analysis engine and custom analytics solutions are used by point-of-care information technology systems, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, disease management companies, personal health record providers, and ambulatory care providers. Anvita Health is headquartered in San Diego, California.

The Joint Commission's Hospital Accreditation Recognized by CMS

Dan Bowman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:40:12 -0500

Media Contact:
Ken Powers
Media Relations Manager
630-792-5175
kpowers@jointcommission.org

(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. - November 30, 2009) The Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the continuation of deeming authority for The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program through July 15, 2014.

The CMS designation means that hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission may choose to be "deemed" as meeting Medicare and Medicaid certification requirements. CMS found that The Joint Commission's standards for hospitals meet or exceed those established by the Medicare and Medicaid program. CMS' notice of the four-year approval was announced on November 27.

"The Joint Commission is proud of its tradition of collaboration with CMS to provide quality oversight of hospitals," says Mark Pelletier, R.N., M.S., executive director, Accreditation and Certification Services, The Joint Commission. "Accreditation is a proven method for improving the care of Medicare beneficiaries."

Accreditation is voluntary and seeking deemed status through accreditation is an option, not a requirement. Hospitals seeking Medicare approval may choose to be surveyed either by an accrediting body, such as The Joint Commission, or by state surveyors on behalf of CMS. All deemed status surveys are unannounced, a policy The Joint Commission instituted into its accreditation process in 2006.

The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program has held deeming authority since the inception of the Medicare program in 1965. The Joint Commission is participating in a new hospital deeming authority process required under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. The Joint Commission's hospital accreditation program had previously been granted unique statutory deeming authority.

In addition to hospitals, The Joint Commission has federal deeming authority for ambulatory surgery centers, critical access hospitals, durable medical equipment suppliers, home health, hospice and laboratories.

Coventry and Medco Partner to Develop Personalized Care Program to Reduce Hospitalizations among the Medicare Population

Dan Bowman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:59:28 -0500

BETHESDA, Md. and FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One of the greatest financial tolls on the nation's health care system is the cost of hospitalizations for the elderly, with Medicare spending reaching $196.2 billion in 2007. To develop a care model that could significantly reduce hospitalizations and their related costs for the Medicare population, Coventry Health Care, Inc. (NYSE: CVH) and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) today announced the launch of the Coventry Outcomes Study of Seniors (COSS).

COSS is the first comparative effectiveness study designed to identify seniors most at risk for hospitalization and reduce such risk by using a coordinated health care team that works directly with patients through regular home visits and phone communications.

The care teams - consisting of a Coventry nurse case manager, social worker and medical director, and a Medco specialist pharmacist - will work in tandem with the patient's primary care physician and outside care agencies to identify and address factors that leave patients in poorer health, including improper diet, inadequate management of health conditions and safety issues in the home.

"Clearly a different approach is needed to address the factors that lead to hospitalizations in high-risk patient populations," said Allen F. Wise, Coventry Health Care CEO. "We are hopeful that a more hands-on and integrated care model will prove to be far more effective in addressing the issues that affect patient health and preventing serious medical problems that require hospitalization."

The 12-month, randomized study will involve members enrolled in the Coventry Advantra Medicare Advantage Plan and will compare high-risk members who are receiving coordinated care from an outreach team to a control group receiving covered services through their health plan. Patients in the study group will be visited regularly by the care team as well as contacted via telephone to assess their health situation, address specific issues and provide information and counseling. The services will be supported by an integrated data system with the patient's medical and pharmacy records to help identify any existing medication safety risks and gaps in care.

Seniors ages 65 and older have greater risks for chronic conditions including diabetes, heart disease and pulmonary disease, and have an increased risk for hospitalization from complications of these conditions. For patients over age 65 the rate of hospitalization from heart failure has increased by 131 percent from 1980 and 2006. In addition, nearly one-third of seniors have been diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that an additional 30 percent are pre-diabetic.

"While hospitalization rates for those under 65 have steadily decreased in recent years, the exact opposite holds true for the Medicare population and many of these patients return to the hospital within a month," said Medco Chairman and CEO David B. Snow, Jr. "The hypothesis driving this study is that providing direct and regular contact between the patient and the care team will motivate and help patients to better manage their chronic conditions, thus keeping seniors healthier and out of the hospital which will also help lower Medicare spending."

The COSS study will include approximately 2,150 patients living in St. Louis and Kansas City, MO, who are enrolled in Coventry's Advantra Medicare Advantage Plan and have been identified as having several risk factors for hospitalization. Enrollment in the study begins in late 2009 and patients will be monitored for one year after enrollment.

About Coventry Health Care
Coventry Health Care (www.coventryhealthcare.com) is a diversified national managed healthcare company based in Bethesda, Maryland, operating health plans, insurance companies, network rental and workers' compensation services companies. Coventry provides a full range of risk and fee-based managed care products and services to a broad cross section of individuals, employer and government-funded groups, government agencies, and other insurance carriers and administrators.

About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most advanced pharmacyÂ® and its clinical research and innovations are part of Medco making medicine smarter(TM) for more than 60 million members.

With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient health and reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2008 revenue exceeding $51 billion, Medco ranks 45th on the Fortune 500 list and is named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy companies.

For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.

Stryker Announces Definitive Agreement To Acquire Ascent Healthcare Solutions

Dan Bowman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:23:33 -0500

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Inc. the market leader in the reprocessing and remanufacturing of medical devices in the U.S.

Under the terms of the agreement, Stryker will acquire Ascent Healthcare Solutions for $525 million in an all cash transaction. The closing is conditioned on the expiration or termination of all applicable waiting periods pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. The board of directors of Stryker and the board of directors and shareholders of Ascent Healthcare Solutions have approved the transaction.

Ascent Healthcare Solutions was formed through the 2005 merger of Vanguard Medical Concepts and Alliance Medical Corporation, two leading players in the reprocessing and remanufacturing of medical devices. With two state of the art reprocessing facilities in Phoenix, Arizona and Lakeland, Florida, Ascent currently provides its services to 1,800 leading hospitals and numerous Group Purchasing Organizations throughout North America. Ascent's market leadership position has been driven by its broad product offering, which includes cardiovascular, orthopaedics, gastroenterology and general surgery devices that must comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 510(k) and Quality System Regulation (QSR) requirements. With over 900 team members, Ascent achieved sales in 2008 in excess of $100 million.

"The acquisition of Ascent Healthcare Solutions with its talented team will enhance our value proposition to hospitals and healthcare providers," said Stephen P. MacMillan, Stryker's Chief Executive Officer. "Conducted in accordance with FDA regulations, reprocessing and remanufacturing is one of the most impactful programs in use at hospitals, allowing for significant costs savings to the healthcare system. Additionally, Ascent's programs allow its partner hospitals to divert thousands of pounds of medical waste from landfills while simultaneously redirecting substantial financial resources to patient care quality initiatives." The business will become a division of Stryker operating under the MedSurg group of businesses and will continue to be known as Ascent Healthcare Solutions.

The transaction, which is expected to close by year end 2009, is expected to be neutral to Stryker's 2010 earnings per share and accretive thereafter.

About Stryker

Stryker Corporation is one of the world's leading medical technology companies with the most broadly based range of products in orthopaedics and a significant presence in other medical specialties. Stryker works with respected medical professionals to help people lead more active and more satisfying lives. The Company's products include implants used in joint replacement, trauma, craniomaxillofacial and spinal surgeries; biologics; surgical, neurologic, ear, nose & throat and interventional pain equipment; endoscopic, surgical navigation, communications and digital imaging systems; as well as patient handling and emergency medical equipment. For more information about Stryker, please visit www.stryker.com.

About Ascent Healthcare Solutions

Ascent Healthcare Solutions was formed in December, 2005 through the merger of Alliance Medical Corporation, based in Phoenix, Arizona and Vanguard Medical Concepts, based in Lakeland, Florida. The Company's services include reprocessing and remanufacturing medical devices. The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with production facilities in both Lakeland, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona. Ascent employs approximately 900 individuals in these two locations and throughout the United States.

SOURCE Stryker Corporation

For investor relations inquiries, Katherine Owen, Vice President, Strategy and Investor Relations of Stryker Corporation, +1-269-385-2600; or for media inquiries, Gabrielle Zucker, Kwittken & Company, +1-646-747-7143, stryker@kwitco.com

Smart Phones Allow Quick Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis

Dan Bowman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:54:36 -0500

AT A GLANCE

-- Acute appendicitis can be accurately diagnosed from a remote location by a radiologist using an iPhone.

-- Special software allows the reader to view raw clinical image data in full resolution.

-- This technology has the potential to expedite emergency room care when consultation with a specialist is needed.

CHICAGO, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Radiologists can accurately diagnose acute appendicitis from a remote location with the use of a handheld device or mobile phone equipped with special software, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

"The goal is to improve the speed and accuracy of medical diagnoses, as well as to improve communications among different consulting physicians," said the study's lead author, Asim F. Choudhri, M.D., fellow physician in the Division of Neuroradiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "When we can make these determinations earlier, the appropriate surgical teams and equipment can be assembled before the surgeon even has the chance to examine the patient."

Appendicitis, or inflammation and infection of the appendix, is a medical emergency requiring surgical removal of the organ. Undiagnosed or left untreated, the inflamed appendix will rupture, causing toxins to spill into the abdominal cavity and potentially causing a life-threatening infection. Appendicitis can occur at any age but is most common in people between the ages of 10 and 30, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Typically, a patient arriving at the emergency room with suspected appendicitis will undergo computed tomography (CT) and a physical examination. If a radiologist is not immediately available to interpret the CT images or if consultation with a specialist is needed, diagnosis is delayed, increasing the risk of rupture. Transmitting the images over a mobile device allows for instant consultation and diagnosis from a remote location. It can also aid in surgical planning.

"This new technology can expedite diagnosis and, therefore, treatment," Dr. Choudhri said.

For the study performed at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, CT examinations of the abdomen and pelvis of 25 patients with pain in the right lower abdomen were reviewed over an encrypted wireless network by five radiologists using an iPhone G3 equipped with OsiriX Mobile medical image viewing software. All of the patients had surgical confirmation or follow-up evaluations to confirm whether or not they had appendicitis.

"The scans can be read in full resolution with very little panning, and the software allows the reader to zoom and adjust the contrast and brightness of the image," Dr. Choudhri said. "The radiologist is evaluating actual raw image data, not snapshots."

Fifteen of the 25 patients were correctly identified as having acute appendicitis on 74 (99 percent) of 75 interpretations, with one false negative. There were no false positive readings. In eight of the 15 patients who had appendicitis, calcified deposits within the appendix were correctly identified in 88 percent of the interpretations. All 15 patients had signs of inflammation near the appendix that were correctly identified in 96 percent of interpretations, and 10 of the 15 had fluid near the appendix, which was correctly identified in 94 percent of the interpretations. Three abscesses were correctly identified by all five readers.

"The iPhone interpretations of the CT scans were as accurate as the interpretations viewed on dedicated picture archiving and communication system (PACS) workstations," Dr. Choudhri said.

Dr. Choudhri pointed out that patient privacy concerns would have to be addressed before any handheld mobile device could be considered practical for clinical use, but noted that this technique has great potential for improving emergency room care.

"We hope that this will result in improved patient outcomes, as evidenced by decreased rates of ruptured appendicitis, shorter hospital stays and fewer complications," he said.

Co-authors are Thomas M. Carr III, M.D., Christopher P. Ho, M.D., James R. Stone, M.D., Ph.D., Spencer B. Gay, M.D., and Drew L. Lambert, M.D.

Note: Copies of RSNA 2009 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press09 beginning Monday, Nov. 30.

RSNA is an association of more than 44,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists committed to excellence in patient care through education and research. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

Editor's note: The data in these releases may differ from those in the printed abstract and those actually presented at the meeting, as researchers continue to update their data right up until the meeting. To ensure you are using the most up-to-date information, please call the RSNA Newsroom at 1-312-949-3233.

For patient-friendly information on CT, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

Smart Phones Allow Quick Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis

Dan Bowman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:54:36 -0500

"This new technology can expedite diagnosis and, therefore, treatment," Dr. Choudhri said.

"The iPhone interpretations of the CT scans were as accurate as the interpretations viewed on dedicated picture archiving and communication system (PACS) workstations," Dr. Choudhri said.

"We hope that this will result in improved patient outcomes, as evidenced by decreased rates of ruptured appendicitis, shorter hospital stays and fewer complications," he said.

Co-authors are Thomas M. Carr III, M.D., Christopher P. Ho, M.D., James R. Stone, M.D., Ph.D., Spencer B. Gay, M.D., and Drew L. Lambert, M.D.

Note: Copies of RSNA 2009 news releases and electronic images will be available online at RSNA.org/press09 beginning Monday, Nov. 30.

For patient-friendly information on CT, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

HealthUnity and Microsoft Demonstrate Standards-Based Imaging Data Capabilities for Health Information Exchange at RSNA

Dan Bowman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:10:14 -0500

Bellevue, WA - November 30, 2009 - HealthUnity Corporation, a leading provider of award winning, standards-based Health Information Exchange (HIE) technology will demonstrate real-time data exchange between its imaging data solution and Microsoft HealthVault. The new technology from HealthUnity was built on the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) standards and will better enable patients and providers to access imaging data electronically, through an individuals Microsoft HealthVault account. The demonstration can be viewed at the IHE Image Sharing Demonstration at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference, November 29 December 4, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

This connectivity allows patients to save IHE-standard compliant radiology reports in their Microsoft HealthVault account, which is a personal health application platform that enables users to store and share their health information. Also, with the patients permission, healthcare providers will be able to access this information, providing an easy and cost-effective solution for radiology data-sharing.

As HIE has been widely recognized as critical to advancing the quality and affordability of care, electronic image data sharing has gained more attention. Vast quantities of data gathered in imaging studies are traditionally locked away in storage systems within originating healthcare organizations. It is typical for imaging providers to supply patients with a study on CD using a proprietary format. At times, the CDs are misplaced and often have compatibility issues when transferred across facilities. Electronic information exchange addresses these issues among other things.

"The ability to easily access and exchange health data is essential for advancing patient outcomes," said Bill Reid, Director of Product Management for Microsofts Health Solutions Group. "This offering empowers patients to take control of their health information and will help physicians improve quality of care."

"We believe in addressing critical HIE needs through the application of standards", said Prem Urali, CEO of HealthUnity. Our joint HIE offering with Microsoft helps our customers meet government recommended usage criteria called 'meaningful use'. We are thrilled to introduce another valuable service to our customers."

Demonstration details:

Session: "Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Image Sharing Demonstration"
Patient-Controlled Personal Health Platform: Microsoft HealthVault
IHE Profiles demonstrated: XDS.b Registry, XDS.b Repository, XDS-I, PIX Manager, PIX, PDQ, ATNA and CT
Use cases: Record location, results distribution, secure messaging, patient access etc.

About HealthUnity
HealthUnity, founded in 2004, is widely recognized as the best solution for building integrated Health Information Exchanges and Health Record Banks. HealthUnity has several deployments across the United States. HealthUnity has prebuilt adapters for several clinical systems from vendors such as Cerner, GE and Meditech. For more information, visit www.healthunity.com.

About Microsoft HealthVault
Microsoft HealthVault is a personal health application platform designed to put consumers in control of their health information. HealthVault provides a privacy- and security-enhanced foundation on which a broad ecosystem of providers can build innovative health and wellness solutions such as personal health records, disease management, fitness, weight loss and other Web applications. HealthVault can be used to collect and store health information that would otherwise reside in disparate systems and transfer the information between a variety of providers health services and systems. It enables the reuse and free flow of interoperable and transportable personal health information. For more information, visit www.HealthVault.com.

Siemens Boosts Advanced Image Reading Efficiency and Opens New Path Into The Clinical Routine with syngo(R).via

Dan Bowman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:09:16 -0500

CHICAGO, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Get ready for advanced visualization to become common practice in the clinical routine when Siemens introduces syngo.via(1) at the 95th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) from November 29 to December 3 at McCormick Place (Booth #825, East Building/Lakeside Center, Hall D) in Chicago. With syngo.via, Siemens' new imaging software for multimodality reading of clinical cases, the company is placing special focus on reading efficiency through automated case preparation and structured case navigation across multiple specialties, including cardiology, oncology, and neurology. syngo.via uniquely integrates imaging devices and IT, such as Siemens MRI, CT, and PET-CT scanners and its new Picture Archiving and Communications System, syngo®.plaza(2). Siemens is demonstrating the benefits of this integration, which creates a comprehensive solution based on client-server technology.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO )

"Delivering on market demand for improved image-reading tools in the clinical setting requires special capabilities that we are in the unique position to deliver," explains Bernd Montag, CEO, Imaging and IT Division, Siemens Healthcare. "In order to develop syngo.via, Siemens tapped into its in-depth knowledge of disease-specific reading processes and was able to deliver a cutting-edge imaging technology that offers the latest clinical applications for both routine as well as advanced reading. Striving to profoundly change our customers' approach to image reading, we want to help them fully leverage the diagnostic potential of our latest imaging technology."

Clinical Efficiency

Because syngo.via enables physicians to effortlessly access and utilize cutting-edge advanced visualization tools across the clinical spectrum, it stands as an important technological milestone toward improving workflow efficiency and diagnostic confidence levels. For instance, Automated Case Preparation in syngo.via automatically loads images into the appropriate application and sorts them into the corresponding layout - pre-processed according to the disease-specific requirements, thereby eliminating the need to manually choose the application, load data, and select corresponding layouts. With just one click, physicians can begin viewing and reading images their way, according to their needs. When calling up a cardiac CT case, for example, syngo.via selects a suitable cardiac application(3), automatically removes the blood pool and ribs, selects an appropriate cardiac phase, and displays the images in the corresponding layout. The coronary arteries are displayed in such a way that allows the physician to immediately begin reading the case. With case preparation left to syngo.via, physicians have more time to focus on image reading and diagnosis.

Case Navigator functionality is yet another way syngo.via supports structured workflow, by categorizing various workflow steps and aligning the proper images to each corresponding step. In an MRI whole-body case, the extensive image series is automatically structured into layouts and workflow steps - sorted according to body regions - reducing physician's need to search and sort data and enabling advanced reading to begin as soon as the exam concludes. Furthermore, during the reading process, findings and measurements can be automatically tracked and listed with Findings Navigator, which allows users to effectively navigate between various findings with just one click. What's more, the software automatically integrates the finding into a tailored and context-specific report(4), enabling users to access and share images, findings, and results quickly - on their terms.

Innovative Imaging and IT Integration

Showcasing the company's distinct advantage as an integrated healthcare provider, Siemens demonstrates the benefits of offering innovative integration of imaging systems and image reading software in one complete solution that is supported by client-server technology. This type of imaging device and IT integration allows acquired images to be promptly available within the network. For example, images created with the newest CT functionalities, such as CT Dual Energy, can be utilized anywhere within that network. MR Protocol planning, for instance, can be done remotely and the information needed is transferred to the scanner automatically.

Since it is crucial that radiologists and cardiologists have access to advanced reading applications on their existing PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System) workstations, syngo.via has been designed to integrate with existing PACS and Radiology Information Systems of all major vendors. What's more, in conjunction with Siemens' newest corresponding PACS, syngo®.plaza, images do not need to be additionally sent from the imaging device since syngo.plaza drives the entire image routing process. Through no-click integration, images are auto-routed and automatically available on syngo.via, allowing users fast access to images and the appropriate syngo.via applications. Combined with a unified user-interface, this helps ensure a smooth transition between different applications and helps speed up the reading workflow.

Image results can now even be accessed through web portals so that, for example, referring physicians can view images and results anywhere(5), further demonstrating how syngo.via transforms the entire workflow from planning to reading, therapy, and result sharing, bringing advanced reading into the clinical routine.

Complete Product Lifecycle Support

With the Siemens service agreement, the syngo.via core functionality and clinical applications may be kept up-to-date through ongoing enhancements. These are easily available and delivered through the secure remote infrastructure. Furthermore, Siemens provides each institution with a dedicated contact person who provides up to 24/7 remote support for technical service and application topics at the same time. By encompassing software maintenance and support, the service agreement provides transparency of service costs, making Total Cost of Ownership foreseeable.

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens is the only company to offer customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 49,000 employees worldwide and operates in over 130 countries. In fiscal year 2008 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.2 billion euros and profit of 1.2 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.

(1) syngo.via can be used as a standalone device or together with a variety of syngo.via-based software options, which are medical devices in their own rights.

(2) The information about syngo.plaza is being provided for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k) review, and is not yet commercially available.

(3) The information about this product is being provided for planning purposes. The product is pending 510(k) review, and is not yet commercially available.

(4) The disease-specific report created in syngo.via is not the final diagnostic report. The final diagnostic report is generated and signed off within the RIS. Archiving of diagnostic reports is the responsibility of the RIS.

(5) Prerequisites include: Internet connection to clinical network, DICOM compliance, meeting of minimum hardware requirements, and adherence to local data security regulations.

SOURCE Siemens Healthcare

IOWA TO RECEIVE FEDERAL MATCHING FUNDS FOR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD INCENTIVES PROGRAM

Dan Bowman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:54:56 -0500

In another key step toward developing a robust U.S. health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today that Iowa's Medicaid program is the first to receive federal matching funds for planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). Iowa will receive approximately $1.16 million in federal matching funds.

EHRs will improve the quality of health care for Iowans and make care more efficient. The records make it easier for the many providers who may be treating a Medicaid patient to coordinate care. Additionally, EHRs make it easier for patients to access the information they need to make decisions about their health care.

The Recovery Act also provides a 90 percent federal match for state planning activities to administer the incentive payments to Medicaid providers, to ensure their proper payments through audits and to participate in statewide efforts to promote interoperability and meaningful use of EHR technology statewide and, eventually, across the nation.

"While Iowa is the first state to receive approval of its plan for implementing the Recovery Act's EHR incentive program, a number of other states have submitted plans as well," said Cindy Mann, director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at CMS. "Meaningful and interoperable use of EHRs in Medicaid will increase health care efficiency, reduce medical errors and improve quality-outcomes and patient satisfaction within and across the states."

Iowa will use its federal funds for planning activities that include conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine the current status of HIT activities in the state. As part of that process, Iowa will gather information on issues such as existing barriers to its use of EHRs, provider eligibility for EHR incentive payments and the creation of a State Medicaid HIT Plan, which will define the state's vision for its long-term HIT use.

Iowa will also use funding for this planning phase to assess expectations of its incentive payment recipients and their need for personal health records (PHRs). PHRs are confidential and easy-to-use electronic file or records used to manage and individual's health services information; however, PHRs differ from EHRs in that they are managed by the consumer. EHRs are maintained by health care providers to keep and protect documentation and reports about the patient and the care they have been provided.

Additional information on implementation of the Medicaid-related provisions of the Recovery Act's EHR incentive payment program may be found at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Recovery/11_HealthIT.asp#TopOfPage

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HHS Announces Plans to Make $80 Million Available to Support Health IT Workforce

Dan Bowman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:03:56 -0500

Dr. David Blumenthal, HHS' National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, today announced plans to make available $80 million in grants to help develop and strengthen the health information technology workforce. The grants that will be made available include $70 million for community college training programs and $10 million to develop educational materials to support these programs. Both programs will support the immediate need for skilled health information technology (health IT) professionals who will enable the broad adoption and use of health IT throughout the United States.

Authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the grants are the first in a series of programs to help strengthen and support the health IT workforce. Additional details regarding the grant programs for these and other key resource and training areas will be announced over the next several weeks.

"Ensuring the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), information exchange among health care providers and public health authorities, and redesign of workflows within health care settings all depend on having a qualified pool of workers," Dr. Blumenthal said. "The expansion of a highly skilled workforce developed through these programs will help health care providers and hospitals implement and maintain EHRs and use them to strengthen delivery of care."

The Community College program will establish intensive, non-degree training that can be completed in six months or less by individuals with some background in either health care or IT fields. Participating colleges will coordinate their efforts through five regional consortia that span the nation. Graduates of this training will fill a variety of roles that both assist health care practices during the critical process of deploying IT systems and support these practices on an ongoing basis.

The curriculum development program will make high quality educational materials available to the community colleges so these training programs can be established quickly to meet these workforce needs.

Any U.S. non-profit institution of higher learning currently engaged in providing training in health IT that is interested in drafting curriculum or establishing a consortium that includes community colleges may apply for the grants. Information about grant applications will be available shortly at http://healthIT.HHS.gov/HITECHgrants.

"Critical to achieving the goal of the Heath Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and supporting meaningful use of health IT is the availability of a skilled workforce that understands the unique technology and management needs within a clinical setting," added Dr. Blumenthal. "These newly funded programs are designed to equip the most qualified and advanced IT workforce in the world with the tools they need to modernize our health system."

To learn more about the workforce plans and other HITECH grants programs visit http://HealthIT.HHS.gov/HITECHgrants.

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Order sets reduce length of stay, readmissions

Dan Bowman — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:02:19 -0500

TORONTO - A study of the Grey Bruce Health Network (GBHN) Order Set project has revealed impressive improvements in the length-of-stay and ordering of best practices. The GBHN Order Set Project began in March 2007 when GBHN partnered with the Open Source Order Set Network (OSOS) to standardize and improve care across the 11 hospitals of the GBHN Network. Since then, GBHN has been able to develop and implement over 100 evidence-based best practice order sets in all areas of patient care.

Order Sets are treatment templates used to generate orders for patients. When used to admit patients to hospital, Order Sets had the following benefits (compared to patients admitted without an Order Set):

Reduced Length of Stay: length of stay was reduced by almost one full day (from 5.84 to 4.88 days).
Reduced Readmissions: unscheduled readmissions during the first week of discharge were reduced by almost 50%.
Improved Quality: ordering of over 100 best practice medications, investigations, consults and treatments was improved.

"We are very excited about these results," says Jessica Meleskie (pictured), lead of the GBHN Order Set project. "Improved quality and reduced resource utilization - the GBHN Order Set project has created a durable foundation for sustained quality improvement in a very cost effective way. Our Order Set project is a key success factor for our computerized physician order entry project (CPOE) and we plan to continue to develop the use of Order Sets at GBHN."

The study reviewed 1,847 charts from February 2008 to February 2009. Ten areas of care were examined - acute coronary syndrome, caesarean section, COPD, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, febrile neutopenia, fractured hip, stroke, hip replacement, vaginal birth - and include all hospitals from across GBHN.

"All organizations, over 90 hospitals on the OSOS Network, will be able to benefit from the excellent work done by GBHN," says Kathy De Caire RN(EC). "The OSOS Network enables sharing and collaboration between healthcare organizations, an approach we believe makes sense in Canadian healthcare."

Order sets improved the ordering of many key quality aspects of care, often dramatically increasing the use of evidence-based best practices. For example, the use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) chewable tablets is known to reduce the chance of death when administered to patients with acute coronary syndrome (heart attack). The Grey Bruce audit showed that physicians using order sets were 143% more likely to order ASA using an order set compared with patients admitted without an Order Set.

This audit highlights the positive and critical impact that order sets have on the quality and cost of caring for patients in Grey Bruce, Ontario.

About Grey Bruce Health Network
The Grey Bruce Health Network (GBHN) is a voluntary formal collaboration of five corporations: Grey Bruce Health Services (6 hospital sites), Hanover and District Hospital (1 hospital), South Bruce Grey Health Centre (4 hospital sites), Grey Bruce Health Unit, and the South West Community Care Access Centre (CCAC). The Spirit and intent of the Network is to create synergy and collaboration while improving access, quality, range of programs and services, and promote healthy lifestyles and the prevention of sickness throughout the counties of Grey and Bruce.

About Open Source Order Sets
OSOS is a web-enabled, collaborative network of over 90 hospitals in four provinces. OSOS provides a comprehensive Order Set solution, including a library of over 380 evidence-based best practice Order Sets, Order Set project methodology and unlimited project support. OSOS enables all organizations to share and collaborate together. This comprehensive approach enables organizations to realize the many benefits associated with effective Order Set use including improved quality of care, reduced costs and increased CPOE effectiveness.

For further information: GBHN Order Set Project, Project Lead: Jessica Meleskie, BSc, MBA, Email: jmeleskie@hanoverhospital.on.ca.

Open Source Order Sets, Website: www.ordersets.com

HCA Inc. Outlook Revised To Positive From Stable; 'B+' Corporate Credit, Other Ratings Affirmed

Anne Zieger — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:12:03 -0500

NEW YORK (Standard & Poor's) Nov. 24, 2009--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it revised its outlook on Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Inc. to positive from stable, and affirmed all ratings, including the 'B+' corporate credit rating.

"The outlook revision reflects the considerable turnaround in cash flow from 2008 and its demonstrated ability to refinance the now $14.5 billion of debt maturing in the years 2010 through 2014," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst David Lugg. Additionally, liquidity is adequate to repay the $1.9 billion of debt maturing in 2010 and 2011 without new financings.

The speculative-grade rating on HCA Inc. continues to reflect our concern that the largest U.S. owner and operator of acute health care facilities is particularly sensitive to reduced capacity utilization and pricing, by virtue of the significant debt leverage assumed in its November 2006 leveraged buyout (LBO).

While HCA has a large portfolio of 166 hospitals and 105 ambulatory surgery centers, we believe a concentration in several of its markets, highlight its strength, as well as its vulnerability. HCA enjoys relatively strong negotiating positions with private insurance companies in these markets, but also is susceptible to regional variations in demand, particularly in Florida and Texas.

We believe managed care price increases, which exceeded 6% in 2008, should average about the same amount in 2009. Through Sept. 30, 2009, these increases are between 6.0% and 6.5%. Still, the ongoing economic weakness within HCA's regions could magnify a slackening demand for elective procedures should it occur. Similarly, regional concentrations could amplify the effects of a national uptrend in the level of uncompensated care.

RELATED RESEARCH

"2008 Corporate Criteria: Analytical Methodology," April 15, 2008

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Public Comment Period For Expanded 2011 Certification Criteria Open

Dan Bowman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:06:48 -0500

CHICAGO - Nov 17, 2009 - The first public comment period for the Certification Commission's 2011 development cycle is open through Dec. 11, 2009. Comments will be accepted on the first draft of criteria for Behavioral Health electronic health records (EHRs) - both standalone and as an optional add-on to Comprehensive Ambulatory EHR certification - as well as add-on certifications for Clinical Research and Dermatology. After additional rounds of comment and refinement, these new certification options will be made available to vendors in July 2010. Comments will only be taken through the Commission's Web site at http://www.cchit.org/participate/public-comment.

"Dedicated volunteers in these specialty care areas have done a remarkable job drafting criteria that will provide more options for our 2011 Comprehensive certification program," said Mark Leavitt, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Commission. "Our goal is to recognize the diversity of medical practices and specializations that make up health care, and tailor certification programs accordingly."

Dr. Leavitt also noted, "We have received over 20 applications for our 2011 certification programs, with both the CCHIT Comprehensive and the Preliminary ARRA pathways represented. We will be announcing the first products certified soon."

The Commission also plans to open public comment from Dec. 14, 2009 through Jan. 12, 2010 on the first round of criteria for Long Term and Post Acute Care (LTPAC) EHRs. The first priority for this new domain is development of a core set of criteria for the collection of care settings encompassed in LTPAC and specific criteria for the first two settings - skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies - identified as priorities by the Commission's LTPAC Advisory Task Force. These certification programs are also scheduled for a July 2010 launch.

"CCHIT®" and "CCHIT Certified®" are registered trademarks of the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.