Inexpensive reusable portable sensors for diabetes, UTI

February 13, 2014 | by

Responsive holograms that change colour in the presence of certain compounds are being developed into portable medical tests and devices, which could be used to monitor conditions such as diabetes, cardiac function, infections, electrolyte or hormone imbalance easily and inexpensively, according to the University of Cambridge. It is claimed that the technique can be used to test blood, breath, urine, saliva or tears for glucose, alcohol, drugs, bacteria or hormones. Clinical trials are said to be underway to test glucose and urinary tract infections (UTI) in diabetics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

It is estimated that the reusable sensors could cost as little as UK £ 0.1 (about US 15 cents) to produce, making them affordable for use in developing countries. A prototype smartphone-based test suitable for both clinical and home testing of diabetes and clinically relevant conditions is under development.

If this is a commercial success this could form the basis of a multi-purpose portable tester suitable for telehealth use.

A research paper, Light-Directed Writing of Chemically Tunable Narrow-Band Holographic Sensors, has been published in Advanced Optical Materials.

CUHTec courses in March–updated (UK)

February 13, 2014 | by

CUHTec has announced two additional telecare strategy courses for March, adding two at Coventry University in addition to the two previously scheduled at University of Newcastle. Topics are Learning Disability Services, Fall Prevention and Digital and Mobile Telecare. These strategy courses are for commissioners, service development managers, trainers and others with responsibility for telecare and AT service planning and delivery.

CUHTec telecare strategy course: Learning Disability Services, HDTI, Coventry University, Thursday, 6 March 2014

CUHTec telecare strategy course: Learning Disability Services. Culture Lab, University of Newcastle, Thursday 20 March 2014

CUHTec telecare strategy course: Moving to digital and mobile telecare. Culture Lab, University of Newcastle, Friday 21 March 2014

CUHTec telecare strategy course: Fall Prevention and Management, HDTI, Coventry University, Tuesday 25 March 2014

To find out more and to book a place, please visit CUHTec’s website. Thanks to reader Prof. Andrew Monk, director of The Centre for Usable Home Technology (CUHTec), for the update.

Powerhouse DC lobbying for telehealth, telemedicine

February 13, 2014 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gimlet-eye.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]The Gimlet Eye observes from a houseboat anchored at a remote Pacific island, with coconuts and occasional internet to Editor Donna.

Telehealth and telemedicine have reached a US milestone of sorts: the formation of a Washington, DC-based ‘advocacy’ (a/k/a lobbying) group constituted as a business non-profit. The Alliance for Connected Care is headed by three former Senators (two of whom were ‘amigos’) from both sides of the aisle and backed by a board including the expected (giants Verizon, WellPoint, CVS Caremark, Walgreens)–and the surprising (much smaller remote consult provider Teladoc and HealthSpot, the developer of the HealthSpot Station kiosk–hmmm, must be a fair chunk of their marketing budgets there) flanked by six well known ‘associate members’ including Cardinal Health and Care Innovations (another hmmm). There’s also a hefty ‘advisory board‘ including the American Heart Association and the NAHC (home care). The leadership team members are all members of major Washington law/lobbying firms. Tom Daschle is recognized as one of the most influential former Senators in town via DLA Piper, though himself not a registered lobbyist (OpenSecrets.org). Trent Lott and John Breaux hung out their own shingle and were recently bought by mega-lobbyist Patton Boggs. To put a fine point on it, more high-powered one does not get. The Eye sees that the time is prime for the Big Influence and…

What the Eye sees is Big Financial Stakes: Private insurers are required to cover telehealth in 20 states, as does Medicaid in most. The VA is a major user. But the great big trough of Medicare is new territory; covering 16 percent of the population, the use of telemedicine and telehealth is limited to certain geographic areas. (MedCityNews) This marks the infamous tipping point: the clarion call to ‘build significant and high-level support for Connected Care among leaders in Congress and the Administration’, ‘enable more telehealth to support new models of care’ and ‘establish a non-binding, standardized definition of Connected Care through federal level multi stakeholder-input process’ (whew!) Big companies want in, insurers want reimbursement, and they want it from somewhere as well. Toto, we’re not in the Kansas of Small anymore with ‘connected health’–we are now in the Oz of Big Money and Power Players. Alliance release (Oddly the website looks preliminary despite the big announcement and backing.)

More on this strategy: It’s called ‘soft lobbying’ and it is the latest thing in the Influence Wars. The Alliance for Connected Care is a 501(c)6 non-profit, similar to a business league like the Chamber of Commerce, and this has become a popular tactic. It’s also a less regulated, less transparent way to shape coverage, public opinion and exert influence on legislators. See this well-timed examination from the Washington Post on the corn syrup versus table sugar wars. ‘Soft lobbying’ war between sugar, corn syrup shows new tactics in Washington influence

Telehealth in South Australia – Medicare Locals

February 12, 2014 | by

In 2011 the Australian Government established new organisations called Medicare Locals to plan and fund [grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Medicare-Local-Logo.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]extra health services in communities across Australia. Country South South Australia Medicare Local (CSSAML), one such Medicare Local, has been very active in promoting telehealth/telemedicine in its region covering just over 7% of South Australia.

Health areas to which telehealth has been directed by CSSAML include psychiatry, psychology, gastroenterology and cardiology. Videophones in GP practices and non-hospital settings provide telepsychology, telepsychiatry and other specialist services to support GP’s in rural communities via the State Government’s Digital Telehealth Network; (more…)

One more step in changing the patient:doctor relationship

February 12, 2014 | by

We have written extensively in recent months about how technology is changing the way patients are using doctors, yet some, notably the RCGP in their vision of GP practice in 2022, seem unprepared, or unwilling to accept this. Well if more evidence of the coming change were needed, AliveCor’s announcement that it now has FDA approval for sales of its (iOS & Android) smartphone-enabled heart monitor direct to the public will perhaps provide some.

In particular, the announcement includes a service – available in the US only at present – called AliveInsights, that will (more…)

TSA: opening up or losing the plot?

February 11, 2014 | by | 1 Comment
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gimlet-eye.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /](Editor Donna is posting for The Gimlet Eye, who is filing from an undisclosed tropical location.)

Hats off to Alyson Bell, the TSA’s Managing director, for publishing the results of an independent review carried out in September 2013 in the Winter 2013-14 edition of TSA’s publication, The Link (sent to members, one of whom kindly passed it to The Gimlet Eye, although not currently accessible to non-members on their website). It makes interesting reading – there are compliments about the speakers and facilities at the annual conference, however there are many areas identified for improvement, such as the comment about TSA Forums that “London Telecare Market Place events are better”. (London Telecare has now of course become UK Telehealthcare). Of particular interest to The Gimlet Eye is the feedback on training which begins with the observation that “Current satisfaction rate was 50%” and goes on to explain that members wanted it delivered more ‘hands on’, with ‘how to’ topics and at lower cost.

It is then quite surprising that Lancashire Social Services, presumably still reeling from the abrupt cancellation of the pricey One Connect deal last November, are said to have awarded their recent tender for telecare awareness training for hundreds of staff (which presumably should be ‘hands on’ and ‘how to’ focused) to the TSA. Was the key factor in selecting the TSA raising the low satisfaction rate with training, or was the lead consideration a lower or lowest cost compared to other bidders? (In this respect, had Lancashire Social Services read the feedback in The Link’s review, The Eye wonders?)

Other factors: the TSA is not a large organization, so given the evident size of the training requirement, will this mean even fewer people available to deliver courses to members? Will it mean contracting in people to deliver courses who perhaps, as TSA members, were competing against the TSA for the Lancashire work?

Is this what member organizations should be doing? Comments please!

National Health Summit (Ireland)–reporter wanted

February 11, 2014 | by

Unfortunately Editor Toni will not be able to cover this conference taking place 19 February in Dublin as originally planned, due to an overriding business commitment. If there is an interested reader who would like to attend in her stead, and who can prepare a timely report (within 72 hours) from this event, please contact Editor Donna ASAP as the event is next Wednesday. We will make arrangements with the organizers to provide free press admission and of course you will receive writing credit, but other expenses will not be covered. (For the article, our standard is that you can be selective and interesting rather than comprehensive.)

AliveCor ECG gains FDA over-the-counter approval

February 11, 2014 | by

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/s4_case.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]AliveCor Inc., the developer of the AliveCor mobile heart monitor, announced today the granting of over-the-counter (OTC) clearance for the device.  It is a single-channel ECG ‘case’ that snaps on to iPhones and Android phones to record, display, store and transfer data into the AliveCor application where it can be transmitted to doctors or in the US, to a US-based board-certified cardiologist or cardiac technician in a new analysis program called AliveInsights. US residents can pre-order now with shipments starting in March for $199. It is already available for the UK and Ireland through AmazonUK at £169. Release PDF

Three conferences coming up soon

February 10, 2014 | by

There are three telehealth conferences coming up in March and April which are noteworthy.

The Australian Telehealth Conference 2014 is on the 19th and 20th March in Melbourne. It is brought together by a set of key organisations in the field: the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA), the Allied Health Professions Australia, the Australasian Telehealth Society, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, the Australian Medicare Local Alliance, the Health Information Management Association of Australia and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Keynote presentations cover mHealth, Integreated Care, Rural Medicine, Law and others. More info is on the ATC 2014 website.

Next up, from 30 March to 1 April the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Summit 2014, in Fredericksburg, VA (USA) will examine ways in which telehealth adds value to patients, practitioners, hospitals etc. Participants will explore the concept of value-add through an interactive program. More on this is on the MATRC 2014 website.

Finally we have the California Telehealth Network 2014 Summit on April 28 and 29 in Newport, CA. Subtitled Growing California’s Connections, this is the second annual event and will build upon information, ideas and practice with even more presentations, educational sessions and networking opportunities. More on CTN 2014 Summit website.

School telehealth in Louisiana

February 10, 2014 | by

Hot on the heels of the Texas school telehealth expansion reported earlier (Telehealth counselling program expands in Texas TTA, Jan 27) comes news  of a school telehealth system in neighbouring Louisiana. The Advocate, a Baton Rouge newspaper, reports that from next month students at Ossun Elementary with earaches, sore throats or other common sick-at-school ailments will be seen on the elementary school campus by a doctor in an exam room about five miles away at Carencro Middle School’s school-based health centre.

Louisiana has several school-based health centres (see Louisiana Adolescent School Health Program) and Carencro’s centre opened in 2010. As the School Boards look into cost-effective ways of expanding these services, Lafayette has decided to use the Carencro facility via telehealth technologies at the nearby Elementary.

School based health centres are said to help students  achieve better academically as a majority of students (Lafayette claim 90-95%) with minor ailments  will be able to rejoin their classes following a consultation at the school rather than having to miss school to visit the family physician.  Then there’s the obvious advantage for the parents too!

Nursing home telemedicine reduces hospitalizations: study

February 10, 2014 | by

A controlled two-year study in a chain of eleven Massachusetts for-profit nursing homes significantly reduced readmissions through the use of telemedicine (remote consults) with patients during off-hours and weekends. Those homes which used the (unidentified) telemedicine provider the most frequently–four–had the greatest reductions in rates of hospitalization: 11.3 percent, versus 9.7 percent for the six facilities which adopted the system first. A control group of five which presumably did not use telemedicine had a reduction of 5.3 percent. Calculating the savings to Medicare, the researchers estimated $150,000 per nursing home per year. With a telemedicine cost of $30,000 per nursing home, the net savings would be roughly $120,000 for each home using the services most frequently. The researchers are David C. Grabowski of Harvard Medical School and A. James O’Malley of The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine. Abstract (full text in Health Affairs paywalled), Medical News Today. Hat tip to Editor Toni Bunting.

TTA’s Editors are highlighting several of the articles in this month’s Health Affairs ‘Connected Health’ issue: Study shows telehealth increases new healthcare users, State policies, size influence hospital telehealth adoption, Health Affairs review of telehealth/telemedicine studies. Health Affairs provides a helpful overview of this month’s articles ( full text) in Connected Health: Emerging Disruptive Technologies

Legrand “joint venture” with Neat

February 9, 2014 | by

A press release on Legrand’s website and (in Spanish) on Neat’s website, both just published, confirm the forming of a joint venture between the two.  This of course is the Legrand that took over Tynetec last year and Intervox in 2011, making it, they claim, now the  “second-largest player in the promising assisted living market.”

Neat’s products, distributed through Possum, have been finding favour across the UK because of their attractive prices. How, one wonders will the tie-up with Tynetec’s organisation now work, and will Possum now lose this attractive distribution arrangement, particularly in the major rollout in Cornwall where Neat are preferred suppliers?

All comments, anonymous or otherwise, will be gratefully received.

Finally, just to be clear, there is no connection between Neat, the Spanish supplier of assisted living equipment and Newham’s NeAT programme  (which originally stood for Newham Advanced Telecare and it so happens at one time I managed).

A mine of app data – free!

February 9, 2014 | by

Vision Mobile has just produced their 6th annual survey of the apps market, entitled “Developer Economics: Ecosystem wars drawing to a close” which is stuffed full of useful information on trends in app development, and is free.

There is so much in there that it is invidious to pick out a few quotes to whet your appetite, however needs must, so here are some, from the introduction:

“Six years on, the mobile ecosystem wars are drawing to a close with Android and iOS capturing over 94% of smartphone sales in Q4 2013. Android continues to dominate Developer Mindshare with 71% of developers that target mobile platforms, developing for Android.” (more…)

Study shows telehealth increases new healthcare users

February 8, 2014 | by

Rand Corp has published the results of an analysis of telehealth consultations. “We analyzed claims data for a large California agency serving public employees that recently offered Teladoc as a covered service.” says the summary from Rand. “The 3,701 Teladoc ‘visits’ we studied were for a broad range of diagnostic categories, the most common of which were acute respiratory conditions, urinary tract infections, and skin problems. Compared to patients who visited a physician’s office for a similar condition, adult Teladoc users were younger and less likely to have used health care before the introduction of Teladoc. Patients who used Teladoc were less likely to have a follow-up visit to any setting, compared to those patients who visited a physician’s office or emergency department. Teladoc appears to be expanding access to patients who are not connected to other providers.”

The results have been published in the February issue of Health Affairs.

Rand Press release Analysis of Teladoc Use Seems to Indicate Expanded Access to Care for Patients Without Prior Connection to a Provider. See also Health Affairs article.

US health data breaches hit record; Healthcare.gov backdoored?

February 7, 2014 | by

Security firm Redspin reports a total of 7.1 million affected records in 2013, up from 3 million in 2012. The five largest breaches accounted for 85 percent of the total: Advocate Health, Horizon BCBSNJ, AHMC Healthcare, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth and Indiana Family & Social Services Administration. Hardware theft of unencrypted devices accounted for the first three; Texas Health was perhaps the most unique because it disposed of over 277,000 microfiche patient records in a city park, making it the winner of last May’s ‘It’s Just Mulch’ award in ‘The exploding black market in healthcare data’.  Not included in the Redspin report (free download here) was a mid-December breach of 405,000 records at Bryan, Texas-based St. Joseph Health System which would have put it fourth on the list. This took place in a two-day data security attack on their servers traced to China and reported to the FBI. While Redspin attributes only six percent of breaches to hacking, this is an amount sure to increase as more information is digitized. Health Data Management, iHealthBeat, FierceHealthIT  Security breaches, natural disasters and outages are events that cost US hospitals over $1.6 billion annually, and 82 percent of health IT executives surveyed by MeriTalk said that their technology infrastructure is “not fully prepared for a disaster recovery incident.” The $1.6 billion seems low in light of the Ponemon Institute’s 2012 health data breach estimate of $7 billion annually–and the $12 billion in victim costs [TTA 14 Sept 13]. FierceHealthIT

.…and wait till Healthcare.gov-related security breaches start. This Editor stopped beating the dead and quartered horse of Healthcare.gov last year, finding that what was suspected and detailed from the start was simply borne out by subsequent revelations. Another example: the recent revelation that US intelligence agencies are highly concerned that code in the website was produced by programmers in Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied to that hotbed of hacking, Russia. That means that ‘backdoors’ are right in the code, waiting to be opened. This affects more than the website–but through the hub, states, HHS, IRS and DHS. How did our Washington types find out about it? When a top Belarusian official bragged on state radio about it! Ace intelligence writer Bill Gertz in the Washington Times broke the story. (Want more on the website’s security problems? See here for more on the Gertz story plus the David Kennedy/TrustedSec testimony and more. But bring your preferred headache remedy!)

State policies, size influence hospital telehealth adoption

February 7, 2014 | by

A study published this month in Health Affairs examines the factors influencing adoption of telehealth (likely telemedicine/remote consults, though it’s difficult to tell from context). While 42 percent of US hospitals have telehealth capabilities, positive influences are inclusion in a hospital system, teaching hospital status, non-profit status and importantly, whether state regulations promote private payer reimbursement. Another apparent positive in adoption is small population and few hospitals: Alaska (71 percent), Arkansas (71 percent), South Dakota (70 percent), and Maine (69 percent). A major negative factor: restrictive licensure of out-of-state providers that prevent multi-state practice.  Authored by the busy Dr. Joseph Kvedar of the Center for Connected Health, Julia Adler-Milstein of the University of Michigan and David W. Bates of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston. HA abstract (full text is paywalled), FierceHealthIT  Earlier this week in TTA: Ohio telehealth bill passed in Senate