ISfTeH student contest and award 2024–deadline 26 April!

April 17, 2024 | by

From Frederic Lievens of the International Society for Telehealth and e-Health:

For this year’s ISfTeH Student Contest and Award, we are inviting ISfTeH student members to submit an abstract about their work, research, project or experience in the field of telemedicine and digital health.

Deadline for submission is April 26th.

For information on how to submit your abstract, contact our ISfTeH Student Membership coordinator, Dr. Simone Farah.

The selected abstracts will be presented ‘live’ by the students during two online sessions on May 17th and June 14th. Later this year, in October, the award session will take place, in which the winners (first, second and third place) will receive a cash prize sponsored by ISfTeH member, Medgate.

  • If you are a student, but not yet a student member in the ISfTeH, submit your membership application at www.isfteh.org/members/how_to_join.
  • If you are working at a school or university and would like your students to be involved in the contest, also contact Dr. Simone Farah.

Editor Donna would invite our international Readers to keep up with ISfTeH on their website linked above, with member and supported affiliate events from Finland to Nigeria.

ISfTeH Student Contest and Award 2023, Friday 16 June

June 8, 2023 | by

The International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH) will be presenting the second session of this annual contest. Four students in this cohort will be presenting their work in the field of telemedicine and digital health via Zoom on Friday, 16 June, 2:00pm CEST (UTC+2, US Eastern Daylight Time 8:00am, BST 1:00pm).

The use of 3D technology in Medical Education: an experience report
Iasmin Lourenço Ribeiro, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil
 
Integration Between Medical Graduation and Professional Master’s Degree in Telemedicine and Telehealth at a Brazilian Public University
Juliana Magalhães Aguiar Cardoso, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil
 
Captar-Libras: Video Communication System for the deaf applied to pre-medical care
Lucca Fagundes Ramos de Oliveira, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Brazil
 
Social Media as a Tool to Enhance Training and Patient Recruitment in a Large Trial With Patients With Hypertension and Diabetes in Minas Gerais – Brazil
Taiza dos Santos Azevedo, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Brazil

The first session was in April. From the earlier presentations and these, a jury will assess and score the presentations. Gold, silver, and bronze medals (with a cash prize) will be awarded to the three best presentations.

The ISfTeH Student Contest and Award and the prize for the winners are supported by ISfTeH member Medgate.

If you are working at a school or university and would like your students to be involved in future editions of the contest, or if you want your students to become members of the ISfTeH, contact our ISfTeH Student Membership coordinator, Dr. Simone Farah.

ATA 2023 Annual Conference 4-6 March–a special deal for our Readers

February 18, 2023 | by

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) annual conference and expo is only two weeks away–4-6 March in San Antonio, Texas. ATA2023 is the only US event solely focused on telehealth and virtual care, with three full session days, an interactive exhibit floor, two receptions, a research track, and more. More information is available here.  This Editor will also note that average temperatures in San Antonio at this time of year will be warm without Texas stickiness–in the high 70s F°–so if you are looking to defrost, Go Texas! 

Registration link is here. But as a media partner of ATA (see above), our Readers are eligible for a discount of $250. On registration, enter this code: ATA23TAW250. If you attend, love to hear your feedback!

ISfTeH Global Connections for Sustainable Telehealth: 6-7 November, San Jose

August 12, 2022 | by

The International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth’s (ISfTeH) two-day November conference will be bringing its wide network of international experts to the US–for the first time ever. (Finally, an international conference in the US that isn’t CES or HIMSS!) (Location corrected!)

The agenda features speakers from around the world covering topics including:

  • International Sustainability Models for Telehealth
  • Utilization of Telemedicine to Optimize Care Across International Healthcare
  • The Rise of Digital First & Decentralized Healthcare
  • Cybersecurity for International Expansion
  • Key Regulatory Considerations for Global Markets
  • Digital Health and the Crisis in Ukraine

Speakers are from Medgate Global, Zoom, International SOS, HP, AGA Khan Development Network, DLA Piper, Finnish Society of Telemedicine & eHealth, Quality & Accreditation Institute (QAI), Nationwide Network of Teleaudiology, and Japanese Telemedicine & Telecare Association. For more information, the full speaker to date list, updates, and registration, see the ISfTeH Events page.

The International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH) is a federation of 45 national professional associations in the Telemedicine and eHealth space globally. The society also has institutional, corporate, and individual members in another 35 plus countries worldwide.

American Telemedicine Association sets up ATA Action for policy advocacy

January 22, 2022 | by

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA), which has been known for its advocacy of telemedicine and telehealth since 1993 (!), is doubling down with setting up a separate “affiliated trade organization”, ATA Action, for policy advocacy. This is centered on making permanent pandemic-expanded telehealth access for Americans, state and federal telehealth coverage, and appropriate payment policies. ATA Action will be led by Kyle Zebley, ATA vice president, public policy, as executive director. There is a long list of ‘founding members’ and ‘Advocacy Council Members’ listed in the ATA release.

Key policy advocacy is centering on nine major points, including: 

  • Removing the in-person telemental health requirement
  • Increased broadband access
  • Coverage through federal programs such as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), the Indian Health Service, TRICARE, and the Veterans Health Administration
  • Telehealth across state lines while maintaining state authority to regulate the clinical practice
  • Remove regulatory roadblocks to decentralized clinical trials
  • Align Medicare coverage of remote patient monitoring with how it is practiced

ATA is also confirming that their 2022 annual meeting will be in-person at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center 1-3 May. Information and registration are here.

Oh, MAMA! The Medical Alert Monitoring Association meeting, 28-29 September, Chicago

July 22, 2021 | by

If you are in the medical alert business in the US or are looking at investing here, you’re likely a member of MAMA. This year, the two-day members-only MAMA Annual Conference will take place in-person and virtually at the Park Hyatt Chicago for two days, 28-29 September. There are special rates for first-time participants upon advance application.

  • Day 1 includes a deep dive into the industry, technology trends, as well as an overview of the annual industry survey. Also on Day 1 is the Medical Alert Financial Summit. It’s included with the Annual Conference, but if you only want to attend the financial summit, a separate registration is required. With major deals such as the sale of Philips Lifeline to Connect America and VRI being on the market, it will be interesting!
  • Day 2 is for MAMA members only and includes strategic round table discussions on supply chain, the 3G to 4G conversion, government funding, remote patient monitoring, and telehealth.

Information, hotel booking, and registration page here. Hat tip to PERS Insider (free subscription here) which will be covering the conference.

Three healthcare startup events: MedStartr NYC Thursday 21 July, Dallas Startup Week starts 1 August–and apply now for UCSF Health Awards

July 22, 2021 | by

The startup events return….

Move fast–this one is tomorrow! MedStartr (a/k/a Health 2.0 NYC) is returning to NYC with a pitch event that is both live and video. Six startups are listed to be participating: Emedevents, Pelex, Beam, Gravitas Labs, Umbrosys, and ShereHealth.co/BrooklynMinds.com. If you would like to attend live at the location in Midtown, registration and tickets are here through Eventbrite. However, do note that proof of vaccination in advance must be sent in. For the unvaccinated and vaccinated without cards, a rapid test will be performed and those with a positive test will be sent home. Negatives may stay, masked if unvaxed. (So much for the indoor removal of same!) You may feel more comfortable opting for the video version which will be presented on MedStartr.TV or on Clubhouse (app requires installation). Hat tip to our old compadre Alex Fair 

And Hubert Zajicek and the Health Wildcatters have their Dallas Startup Week kicking off on Sunday 1 August with a full five days, with 21 tracks plus special events and summits. It will both in-person at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business and live-streamed on Brushfire. Registration is here (and reasonable).

Health Wildcatters is also collaborating with UCSF Health Hub for the 3rd annual UCSF Health Awards. There are 18 selected award categories, including telehealth, remote and hospital diagnostics, patient cost savings and life sciences. Applications are due on 31 July. Those making it to the quarterfinal will be notified by 16-20 August, with semifinalists notified 13-17 September. Final awards are 7 October at a live ceremony in Mission Bay, San Francisco. 

The King’s Fund annual conference returns in November, virtually

July 16, 2021 | by

The King’s Fund has been able this year to maintain a virtual event schedule, of conferences, one-hour free events, and three-hour workshops. Thus it was good news that one of those conferences will be their annual conference 29 November-2 December, but not in person quite yet. It will be full virtual, first live then on demand through the end of the year. Content will center around:

  • the role of the NHS and the wider health and care system in tackling health inequalities
  • what the new health and social care Bill means for the system in England
  • how the recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is being managed and plans to meet the backlog challenge
  • how to meet the needs of the health and care workforce.

For more information, registration, and sponsorship opportunities, check their conference page here.

ATA2021 coming up (virtually) starting 1 June through 29 June

May 28, 2021 | by

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) kicks off the virtual version of its annual meeting, ATA2021, starting next Tuesday, 1 June. Sessions are distributed every Tuesday and Thursday in June through the 29th. This year’s theme is Telehealth: Enabling Flexible, Inclusive and Contemporary Care Delivery. 

A sample of the format is below for Week 1: 

Opening Keynote:  Lessons Learned from 2020 Provide a Springboard for Increased Telehealth Adoption (June 1, 11:10-11:30am EST)

    • Joe Kvedar, MD, ATA Chair of the Board; Mass General Brigham

Afternoon Keynote: The Future of Helping Underserved Resources and Reflections on Work in Africa (June 1, 1:40 PM – 2:00 PM EST)

    • Ali Parsa – Babylon
    • Lois Quam – Pathfinder International

Did We Cover Better Aligning Virtual Care with Employers and Consumers (June 3, 1:40-2:00pm EST)

    • Glen Tullman, Transcarent
    • Bertha Coombs, CNBC

Release (PDF)–and see these links for the program overview, agenda, and pricing/registration. Registration includes programming, workshops, recordings, and sponsor networking. Hat tip to Gina Cella of Cella Communications

Webinar: Public Health and Responsible Innovation in a Post-Covid Europe 20 May

May 5, 2021 | by

Thursday, 20 May 14:00-17:20 CEST, 12noon-3:20pm GMT 

Most of our UK Readers (and quite a few of our ex-UK ones!) are familiar with the work of Malcolm Fisk, PhD, Professor of Ageing and Digital Health at De Montfort University. This webinar emerges out of the ‘Living Innovation (LIV:IN)’ project that focuses on responsible innovation around the way we will live in 2030. Organized by De Montfort University and “la Caixa” Foundation, the webinar’s roundtable of global experts will debate:

  • changing health needs and the use of health data;
  • imperatives around health behaviors;
  • post-COVID markets for health-related products (digital health/telehealth and telemedicine);
  • European perspectives and initiatives (e.g. for due diligence and non-financial reporting); and
  • the merits of standards and metrics 

The panel includes:

  • Eerke Boiten, Head of School of Computer Science and Informatics at De Montfort University
  • Malcolm Fisk, Professor of Ageing and Digital Health at De Montfort University
  • Natalia Jozwowicz, Manager (Operations, Talent & Culture, Facilities) at Sustainalytics Poland
  • Annette Kleinfeld, Professor of Business Ethics at University of Applied Sciences Konstanz
  • Myriam Martin, Project Manager at TICBiomed, partner in CHERRIES project
  • Eman Martin-Vignerte, Head of Political Affairs and Government Relations at Bosch UK
  • Matthias Marzinko, Director International Standards Management (ISM) at Drägerwerk AG and CEN-CLC Advisory Board for Healthcare Standards (ABHS)
  • Lydia Montandon, Business Development Manager at ATOS Research and Innovation
  • Eva Zuazua Schucker, Head of Contents & Communication at RRI Tools project
  • Ignasi López Verdeguer, Director of the Department of Science and Research at la Caixa Foundation
  • Matthijs Zwier, Strategic Partner at Municipality of Utrecht and Advisory Board member at European Health Futures Forum

For more information and the registration links (two steps required), please go to the Living Innovation page hosted by the Institute for Managing Sustainability of Vienna. Hat tip to Malcolm Fisk

2021 UK-RAS Network Robotics Summer Showcase 5 May-30 July and UK Festival of Robotics 19-25 June

April 29, 2021 | by

Other signs that we’re emerging from the COVID Cocoon…

The UK-RAS Network (the EPSRC UK Robotics & Autonomous Systems Network) has two virtual programs/events that run from May through July. Since they are virtual, our UK and international Readers with interests in medical, care, and service robots can take advantage of these multiple sessions spread across three months. Even better, they’re free.

The Robotics Summer Showcase kicks off on Wednesday 5th May with an online opening ceremony and preview of Showcase events. Event time is 3-4pm BST (10-11am EDT). Registration for the opening is via Eventbrite here. The Events Page link here and above has a full list of the 15 events with more information and updates. There are also videos from the 2020 challenges.

Highlights are:

  • Robotics + Care Mashup (10th – 14th May) – five-day online “mashup” event bringing together care professionals, academics and technology providers to prototype new solutions to support the care sector, hosted by the UK’s first National Robotarium, a collaboration between Heriot Watt University and the University of Edinburgh.
  • Establishing a UK Surgical Robotics Roadmap (14th May 2pm – 3.30pm BST) – workshop bringing together multi-disciplinary international experts from the domain of surgical robotics – spanning laparoscopic surgical robots, continuum surgical robots, intra-corporeal robots and microrobots – to shape science policy and funding.
  • 4th UK-RAS Conference for PhD and Early-Career Researchers: Robotics at Home (2nd June 10am – 4pm BST) – virtual event specifically designed for PhD students and early-career researchers to foster research progress and offer opportunities for networking.
  • Humans in the Loop and Human-Robot Teaming for Remote Inspection (15th June 11am – 12pm BST) – take part and ask questions in this interactive showcase from the Human-Robot Interaction theme of the ORCA Hub, using Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Interaction to help people manage, control, and cooperate with remote robots from the safety of a control room.
  • The Ethical Black Box in Human-Robot Dialogue (13th July 2pm – 3.30pm BST) – virtual demonstration of the Ethical Black Box platform – developed by researchers at the University of Oxford and Bristol Robotics Lab – which collects data for use in the event of an accident.

The Showcase closes in July with virtual award ceremonies for the prestigious international Surgical Robot Challenge and Medical Robotics for Contagious Diseases Challenge, the much-anticipated launch of the UK-RAS Network 2021 White Papers, and concludes with the Robotics Summer Showcase Closing Ceremony (30th July, 4–5pm BST; keynote speakers to be announced).

UK Festival of Robotics, 19-25 June (formerly Robotics Week)

The full week festival is still under development. More information will be on the main page here. Follow on Twitter at @UKRobotics.

Hat tip to Nicky of EvokedSet Ltd. for the heads up

Upcoming UK digital health events: The King’s Fund 24-27 May, UKTelehealthcare Marketplaces & Forum

April 29, 2021 | by

Digital innovations in health and care: looking ahead (virtual): Monday 24-Thursday 27 May, The King’s Fund

The conference will cover the digital innovations accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital transformation of the NHS, assessing their potential impact and benefits. Presentations include leaders of national bodies, international experts, industry representatives, patients, and policy experts. While the live virtual conference takes place 24-27 May, the networking and exhibition opens Monday 17 May. You may access it on demand until Sunday 13 June, when it closes. Home page with full information and registration here.

Using digital solutions to transform the delivery of care is a free one-hour virtual event in conjunction with GSK on how using inhalers remotely has challenged clinicians, patients and colleagues, and discuss what this means about the nature of delivering health and care services. Tuesday 25 May 1pm-2pm BST. Information and registration.

The King’s Fund event calendar is here.

UKTelehealthcare’s next events are coming up in June. Watch this page or click on their sidebar advert for further information on their upcoming Marketplace and Forum events.

1st Digital MarketPlace (11.00-13.00) Tuesday 8th June 2021
UKTelehealthcare Forum (11.00-13.00) Tuesday 15th June 2021
2nd Digital MarketPlace (11.00-13.00) Tuesday 29th June 2021

 

A new event–and not all virtual! HLTH and CHIME to launch ViVE in March 2022.

April 21, 2021 | by

Does it seem like forever that there’s been a new digital health conference, fully in-person–and not labeled HIMSS? HLTH, a relatively new entrant to the big healthcare event calendar starting in 2018 in Las Vegas, and CHIME, The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, will launch ViVE on 6-9 March 2022 at a location (TBD) in Miami Beach. They are positioning it as an annual event for digital health leaders innovating across the spectrum of health and care. 

The event will incorporate CHIME’s spring forum, a full plate of networking events and presentations, matchmaking, the ViVE Expo, and a gala. For more information on the event or to register interest as a sponsor or partner, see the ViVE page. Release. 

(This Editor admits that the thought of a new and in-person conference is exciting. It’s nice to contemplate normality!)

CHIME is a 5,000-member association of C-level and senior healthcare IT leaders across 56 countries. The organization parted from the annual HIMSS event this year in Las Vegas 9-13 August, which will be a hybrid in-person and virtual conference [TTA 4 Feb]. Registration and information on the event have been updated.

The HLTH 2021 next event is in Boston 17-20 October. Like HIMSS, it’s scheduled to be a combination in-person and virtual event. HLTH is more broadly inclusive of healthcare care models and consumer health issues. The in-person portion will be at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, located in the Seaport District. 

Coming up *this* Tuesday: UKTelehealthcare All IP Forum Webinar Tuesday 2 March

February 28, 2021 | by

Our long-time supporters UKTelehealthcare are presenting a two-hour webinar this coming Tuesday (2 March) on the digital switchover from copper to fibre digital internet protocol (IP). It’s available to all (registration is free) but is likely of greatest interest to those doing business in the UK (and more than likely, you’re a UKTHC member…aren’t you?)

The webinar is 11.00 to 13.00 London UK time. There are two short presentations plus an all-IP panel.

More information and registration link are here. Or click our UKTHC advert at the right of this page to go to their main website, then go to Events.

Highlights:

  • All IP update and panel including representatives from BT, Openreach, Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Ofcom and OTA2. Hosted by Steve Smith (CEO of TECS Advisory Ltd.) and presentations by Hawkeye and Medequip.

  • Presentation by Hawkeye – Gary Doran (Managing Director)

    Panelists on the all IP Panel – Hosted by Steve Smith (Director, TECS Advisory)
    BT – Sodhi Dhillon (Device Partnerships Special Services)
    TALK TALK – Phil Cain (Industry and Vendor Liaison)
    Virgin Media – David Christie (Senior Regulatory Specialist)
    Openreach – John Livermore (All IP Industry Engagement Manager)
    Ofcom – Huw Saunders (Director, Network Infrastructure and Resilience)
    OTA2 – David Halliday (Managing Director)
    Hawkeye – Gary Doran (Managing Director)

    Presentation by Medequip – Kristian Knight (Operations Supervisor)

UKTelehealthcare also has an All IP page to read about the latest updates from BT, Virgin and other providers on the digital switchover.

Upcoming UKTHC Digital MarketPlace events are at 11.00 am on 9th March and 16th March. UKTHC also is part of the Naidex event in Birmingham, now 15th-16th November. Follow them on Twitter @ukthcnews and LinkedIn

Short takes, 4 Feb: HIMSS 21 Global/APAC go ‘hybrid’; ATA announcements including virtual ATA2021; Hillrom acquires EarlySense monitoring tech

February 4, 2021 | by

It’s 4 Feb, and while All Is Not Right With the World, we should be reassured that a real, in-person HIMSS 21 Global conference is apparently still On Target for 9-13 August in Las Vegas. What’s new is that it will have a virtual component (the ‘hybrid’) in addition to the Three Ring Circus spread among the Venetian-Sands Expo Center, Caesars Forum Conference Center, and the Wynn. t Hotel reservations ARE open, but registration is not. (Those who wish to transfer the 2020 registrations to 2021 will have to wait for an email.) HISTalk, which always seems to have the Inside Line on the conference, confirmed that HIMSS is kicking the can down the road on an in-person conference. It’ll depend on vaccination rates, infection rates, and federal guidelines, all of which are indefinable bars to something six months down the road. The next HIMSS21 update will be published on 19 February. It may include an announcement of the registration opening date. As the HIMSS update page is singularly uninformative, this Editor is subscribing to their update emails as offered.

Reading further down on HISTalk, the long-standing co-located CHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives) annual conference is no more. CHIME will be holding a hybrid Fall Forum in October and virtual events in April and June. Will this mean that a lot of CIOs and senior IT people–the deciders–will not be as eager to go to Las Vegas and HIMSS will turn even more into a ‘boat show’, in HISTalk’s words? 

Meanwhile, in Singapore on 18-19 May, HIMSS APAC is full hybrid with both in-person and virtual sessions. The theme is Future-Proof Healthcare: The Emergence of Asia. If you’d like to nab a speaking or panel spot, act fast–it closes on 28 February and is only open to government/healthcare providers. More info is on their website.

The American Telemedicine Association just wrapped its four-part ATA EDGE virtual conference. Like a lot of virtual events, it’s split into relatively short sessions (about 2.5 hours) and multiple days. EDGE was on Tuesdays starting 12 January and wrapped 2 February. Announcements and related news from EDGE and ATA include an announcement for ATA2021:

  • The Telehealth Equity Coalition (TEC) launched. TEC is a data-driven project to review public data on telehealth adoption in communities across the country. The objective is “to improve access to quality and affordable healthcare by increasing adoption of telehealth, especially among those who have been left out or left behind. Together with nonprofit, academic, and industry partners, TEC will offer a unique voice to optimize equitable telehealth delivery and utilization.” Founding members are Hims & Hers, the ATA, and the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved. Release
  • ATA2021 will be full virtual in June and take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This year’s theme is Telehealth: Enabling Flexible, Inclusive and Contemporary Care Delivery. More information on the content and program, including links to proposal submission forms, is here. Deadline for General Program speaker nominations and Research Presentations/Posters is 26 February. The registration page is not yet active.
  • On the policy front, ATA commended Texas Governor Greg Abbott on his advocacy of telehealth expansion as key to quality care for Texans. In his State of the State annual address, he outlined goals for the executive and the legislature in expanding both telehealth and broadband access. Release  ATA also sent a letter to the Arizona State Legislature in support of House Bill 2454 which makes some comprehensive changes to telehealth policy that will increase telehealth options in that state. Letter

And in the Continuing Story of Big Company Buys Little Company’s Tech, Hillrom, which just acquired cardiac monitoring company BardyDx, has now acquired contact-free continuous monitoring technology from EarlySense. Hillrom already has equity in the Massachusetts and Israel-based company. A portion will go in payment for the monitoring technology, plus a cash consideration of $30 million with potential payments based on the achievement of certain commercial milestones. EarlySense will also have a license to the technology, useful as EarlySense continues to develop next-generation AI-based sensing technologies specifically for the remote patient care market. Hillrom is incorporating it in its Centrella Smart+ med-surg bed and ecosystem of connected devices for the monitoring of heart and respiratory rates over 100 times per minute. Release