Exchanging health information – eHealth Initiatives in the USA : Susan Thomas, eHEALTH

[This article was published in the February 2008 issue of the eHEALTH Magazine (https://www.ehealthonline.org)]

The multi-stakeholder, non-profit eHealth Initiative (eHI) recently released the results of its Fourth Annual Survey (2007)of Health Information Exchange at the State, Regional and Community Levels in the United States of America, taking stock of 130 community-based health information exchange initiatives. We seek to take stock of the situation as it now appears in the US, and what kind of learning it proposes to the rest of the world.

MedStar takes one-vendor approach with Cerner IT

The largest health system in the Baltimore-Washington area, with 147,000 inpatient admissions and 1.5 million outpatient visits a year, has tapped Kansas City-based technology company Cerner to implement several Cerner Millennium applications throughout the healthcare system.

Punjab telemedicine project in important second phase

The second phase of the expansion of the telemedicine project in Punjab facilitates medical professionals sitting at distant places to receive data from the civil hospital related with diagnostic test reports, X-rays and other information.

PREMIUM PRODUCTS – Health Insurance : Ivan Chak, Head, Life Profit Centre and Accident & Health division, Tata AIG Life Insurance Company Ltd.

In the short term perspective health insurance industry is expected to grow at a rate of 25% annually till 2010, while in the long term, it is expected to grow at a rate of 5% annually thereafter.

GE Healthcare creates vendor-independent healthcare IT educational program

GE Healthcare, a leading provider of healthcare information technology solutions, announced a vendor-independent educational program, designed specifically for biomedical and technical professionals, to enhance their knowledge of IT concepts for healthcare.

Emerging markets are driving new models of care, which can only be achieved through IT : Dr. Brian Cohen, Chief Technology Officer, IBA Health

Interview

SMB hospitals are more challenging than the larger hospitals : Dinesh Samudra, Director and COO, SEED Healthcare Solutions’

SEED Healthcare Solutions� Director and COO, Dinesh Samudra, in conversation with eHEALTH shares his views on the challenges and opportunities of catering to the SMB segment.

Customer Relationship Management The Key Differentiator in High-end Healthcare : Ruth Connolly, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics, Asia Pacific

[This article was published in the January 2008 issue of the eHEALTH Magazine (https://www.ehealthonline.org)]

�IT plays a crucial role in establishing a competitive advantage for hospitals looking to compete for the medical tourism dollar.�

Enhancing the Usability of EMR through Multimodal Interactions

[This article was published in the January 2008 issue of the eHEALTH Magazine (https://www.ehealthonline.org) ]

BT considering expanding health business in Middle East

The International Health Advisory Board of British Telecommunications plc (BT), comprising leaders in healthcare and public policy from around the globe, has been in discussions with key decision-makers of the Qatar business community how BT could help develop and advance healthcare information systems in Qatar, as well as examining other opportunities in the region.

Cigna buys healthcare business of Great-West Lifeco for USD 1.5 Bln

Health insurer Cigna Corp. (CI) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Great-West Healthcare, the healthcare division of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Co., for USD 1.5 billion in cash. Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance is a subsidiary of Canada-based financial services holding company Great-West Lifeco Inc.

Symantec announces new solution for healthcare industry

Symantec Corp. has announced the Symantec Healthcare Provider Solution, a new solution, comprised of products, services and best practices to help healthcare providers protect and manage their critical infrastructure and ensure vital patient information is both protected and accessible.

Orchid adopts Lorenz eCTD solution (docuBridge)

The LORENZ Life Sciences Group announced recently that Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, located in Chennai, India has chosen docuBridge as its eCTD Publishing and Management solution.