Voice carryover relay service (VCO) can be done over a landline with a VCO phone that displays text,
or with a smartphone or computer and an IP (Internet) relay service to
place or make the call.
Either way, the deaf person can speak to the other party and read the
person's response as text. The text is provided by a communications
assistant.
Relay services are provided free by the FCC, telephone companies and
other providers. Costs are covered by surcharges on local phone bills.
Sprint offers an IP relay service with VCO capability and a mobile app for iPhones and select Android phones. Purple's IP-Relay for iPhone and Android works like an instant messaging chat.
Deaf persons who are proficient at sign language opt for video relay
services. VRS allows a person to sign with a communications assistant,
who then speaks to the other caller. Conversation flows faster and more
naturally than with text-based relay services.
With Purple VRS for iOS and Android, you can make VRS, voice-to-video and point-to-point calls over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi.
UK considering virtual clinics using iPad and Skpe to help close budget gap
www.imedicalapps.com
In
an effort to decrease costs, UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt plans to
create a new system of “virtual clinics.” Modeling after systems in
India, patients would connect to their physicians using their iPad and
Skype. More
One-third of patients look to phone for health info
The trend among patients to use smartphone applications as healthcare
aids continues to grow, according to research published Nov. 8, 2012 by the
Pew Internet & American Life Project.More
Patients Want To Maintain Control Over Their EHR Information
A new study finds that most patients are comfortable sharing all of
their electronic health record data with their primary care physician.
However, many patients are unwilling to share such information with
specialists or other providers. Clinical Innovation & Technology.
How does your hospital use social media?
Hospital Social Media Use Infographic
Tom van de Belt did some research into hospital social media use including comparing the US use compared with the Europeans. They put out this infographic that describes the details of one of his papers. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise that US hospitals are behind on social media use. I’m sure some of it can be chalked up to our litigious society. Although, I’m sure there are some hospital culture elements at play as well.Most of those hospital social media users aren’t really engaging the patients with social media either. They are just using social media as a broadcast channel.
Patient Information Exchange for Skilled Nursing Facilities
The Keystone Beacon Community serving central Pennsylvania,
one of 17 federally funded communities across the nation serving as
model sites for comprehensive use of health information technology, has
developed a tool to enable skilled nursing facilities to share patient
information, whether it is a paper or electronic health record. More
Mobile for Reproductive Health
www.imedicalapps.com
Dr.
Donan Mmbando, the Director of Preventive Services at the Ministry of
Health and Social Welfare in Tanzania presented 'Use of Mobile
Technologies for Family Planning and Reproductive Health.' Using SMS
through mobile phones to help in family planning. While the rise of
smart phones and integration of apps has been seen in the US, mobile
phones are still demonstrating effect in lower economic regions in
healthcare management. More
10 Windows 8 Apps for Doctors, Patients and Researchers
10 Windows 8 Apps That Aid Health Care
With the introduction of Windows 8, health IT has a new environment in which to develop resources and clinical applications. Among the more than 10,000 apps in the Windows Store are several that are geared toward health. Here are 10 such apps. READ MORE »
With the introduction of Windows 8, health IT has a new environment in which to develop resources and clinical applications. Among the more than 10,000 apps in the Windows Store are several that are geared toward health. Here are 10 such apps. READ MORE »
Clinton Health Matters Initiative & Remote Monitoring
Remote and home patient monitoring technologies will be a key component
of former President Bill Clinton’s new push, through his William J.
Clinton Foundation, to eliminate health disparities between communities
of different socioeconomic and racial strata. More
New AHRQ Guide Identifies Successful Design Methods for Development of Consumer Health IT
A new AHRQ guide, Designing Consumer Health IT: A Guide for Developers and Systems Designers, presents suggested recommendations for designers and developers of consumer health IT products. Recommendations include general guidance for designers and design teams on the process of designing and developing a product and guidance that is specific to a design phase such as idea generation, identification of end users, testing, and commercialization. The guide includes results of an environmental scan and grey literature review along with expert interviews to improve consumer health IT design to increase effective use. Select to access this report (PDF file, PDF Help).
EHRs Among Today's Top Health IT Hazards
informationweek.com: Inaccurate patient information, mobile distractions and med device interoperability are putting patients at risk, says recent report from ECRI. More
Who Uses Mobile Apps to Get Health Information?
A new survey finds substantial numbers of consumers use
their cell phones to find health information. The Pew Internet &
American Life Project commissioned Princeton Survey Research Associates,
which conducted telephone interviews with 3,014 U.S. adults from August
7 to Sept. 6. Here are some of the findings. More
Two-thirds of healthcare organizations lack a written mobile strategy
According to survey respondents, the top three topics that are important
to developing a mobility strategy are security, budget, and
integration. In the area of security, almost 70 percent of survey
respondents expressed concern, specifically about protected health
information security on smartphones. To learn more:
- here's the white paper (.pdf)
- here's the white paper (.pdf)
Remote telemedicine for assessing concussions
Telemedicine can play a key role in providing access to a concussion specialist in rural areas, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers in Phoenix. More
Stage 2 Meaningful Use Specifications Now Available
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services has posted Stage 2 EHR meaningful use specification sheets for
eligible professionals and hospitals.They include objective, measure and exclusion for each core
and menu objective, in addition to a definition of terms, attestation
requirements, and corresponding standards and certification criteria.
The specification sheets are designed to aid in calculating the numerator and denominator for each objective, and in determining qualification for an exclusion from an objective. Click here for the sheets.
The specification sheets are designed to aid in calculating the numerator and denominator for each objective, and in determining qualification for an exclusion from an objective. Click here for the sheets.
Yes, you do have a right to your health records
HIPAA explicitly gives patients the right to access their own records.
This is not new. The HIPAA privacy rules have been in force since 2002.
Yet, far too many patients have no idea of this right and far too many
providers don’t inform patients of this right or do what they can to
prevent access. Click for More
Meaningful Use Criteria Reference Grid Available
The Office of the National Coordinator for HIT has released
new meaningful use quick reference grid layouts to ease the
understanding of how Stage 1 and Stage 2 meaningful use objectives and
measures correlate with the 2014 Edition electronic health records
certification criteria.
More information and links to the grids are available here on ONC’s blog site. The blog starts with a reference to grids released two years ago--don’t click on that link, but on the 2014 grid links below it. More
More information and links to the grids are available here on ONC’s blog site. The blog starts with a reference to grids released two years ago--don’t click on that link, but on the 2014 grid links below it. More
Successful design methods for development of consumer health IT
A
new guide funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
(AHRQ) “Designing Consumer Health IT: A Guide for Developers and Systems
Designers” presents suggested recommendations for designers and
developers of consumer health IT products. Recommendations included are
either general guidance for designers and design teams that can be
applied to the process of designing and developing a product; or
specific to a design phase such as idea generation, identification of
end users, testing and commercialization. The guide presents results of
an environmental scan and grey literature review; and expert interviews
to improve consumer health IT design in order to increase effective use
of consumer health IT. Select to access this report (PDF file, 299 MB), http://healthit.ahrq.gov/
A Peek into the Future of Health Care Technology
A Peek into the Future of Health Care Technology
These days, it seems like there’s an app for almost everything--including health care.
NurseZone More
These days, it seems like there’s an app for almost everything--including health care.
NurseZone More
Telemedicine in stroke impacts treatment and patient outcomes
www.imedicalapps.com Telemedicine
can allow for immediate, direct access to stroke specialists regardless
of physical proximity, saving time crucial for ensuring that rt-PA can
be used safely. More
Telemedicine from the 1920s?
Interesting article in Smithsonian magazine's Paleofuture blog,
suggesting that an early radio and publishing professional may have
predicted telemedicine as early as 1925. More
Many Top Health Care Technology Hazards Are IT-Related
According to an ECRI Institute report, health IT systems play a role in
some of the top 10 health care technology hazards. Such hazards include
data errors in electronic health records and other health IT systems. Clinical Innovation & Technology, Health Data Management.
National Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center -- or NH-ISAC -- launched an emergency response system
System Aims To Support Health Data Sharing During Emergencies
A new emergency response system launched by the National Health
Information Sharing and Analysis Center aims to protect critical health
care infrastructure and information systems during a natural disaster or
cyberattack. The system is designed to help health care organizations
access emergency response protocols and improve their information
sharing. Healthcare IT News et al.
Wireless Monitor Pilot in LA
Patient Room: Wireless Plaster Monitor Pilot Underway in LA
Toumaz
US, a joint venture of United Kingdom-based Toumaz Ltd. and healthcare
venture backer Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., has begun
a pilot of its SensiumVitals wireless continuous monitoring plaster at
St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. read
more »
2014 Clinical Quality Measures Now Available
AHRQ has developed the U. S. Healthcare Knowledgebase (USHIK)
with both Meaningful Use Stage 1 and State 2 (2014) clinical quality
measures. The USHIK Web site provides different formats
for viewing, downloading, and comparing versions of electronic CQMs and
their value sets. It allows users to compare present, past, and future proposed versions of Meaningful Use quality measure and value sets. USHIK
allow researchers to browse, compare, and synchronize diverse data sets
in order to promote interoperability, uniformity, and comparability of
health data. Select to access USHIK.
Tools to Improve Safety for Patients with Limited English Proficiency
Research
shows that safety events that affect patients with limited English
proficiency tend to be more severe and occur more frequently due to
communication errors. Two new tools are now available to help improve patient safety in those with limited English proficiency. The TeamSTEPPS®
Limited English Proficiency module developed by AHRQ and the Department
of Defense can help staff reduce medical errors for patients with
limited English skills. Approximately 57 million people –
20 percent of the U.S. population – speak a language other than English
at home, and approximately 25 million – nearly 9 percent of the U.S.
population – are defined as limited English proficient, meaning that
they speak English less than “very well.” The module is available in CD
format and includes PowerPoint presentations, teaching modules, and
video vignettes that can be used to train staff. As a companion to the
TeamSTEPPS module, “Improving Patient Safety Systems for Patients With Limited English Proficiency: A Guide for Hospitals”
helps hospital leaders learn how to identify, report, monitor, and
prevent medical errors among patients with limited English Proficiency. Select to access the TeamSTEPPS Limited English Proficiency module and Hospital Guide. Copies of the module CD are available by sending an e-mail to AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Digital assets: Help your heirs from getting lost in the cloud
For many of
us, stashing information has moved from old-fashioned filing cabinets,
desk drawers, and shoeboxes into the digital "cloud." Will your heirs be able to find out what you own (and what you owe) if you can't log on and show them? The answer may be no. A Retirement Institute study found that 57%
of respondents hadn't made provisions to pass their digital financial
records on to their heirs, even though more than half of those with
digital property believed that it's important to do so. More
New Resource for Bereaved Fathers
Drs. Don Rosenstein and Leeza Park, of the University of North Carolina, recently launched a website
for men who are simultaneously mourning the loss of their wives to cancer while raising their children alone: http://www.singlefathersduetocancer.org It is a great resource to provide support, information, and resources to this population.
Spanish version of “Eating Hints: Before, During, and After Cancer Treatment"
One
of the challenges associated with a cancer diagnosis is coping with
changes in your diet, appetite, and taste. The NCI’s “Eating Hints:
Before, During,
and After Cancer Treatment” provides cancer patients with guidelines to
navigate food choices in order to stay healthy and eat a well-balanced
diet. This popular resource has recently been released in Spanish. To
view, “Consejos de alimentación:
Antes, durante y después del tratamiento del cancer,” click the link below.
Wireless Revolution in Home Health
With texting, tweeting, Facebook PMing and Gchat increasingly replacing face-to-face or telephone conversations, it's only logical that clinicians will find a way to enhance provider-patient communications.
The trend is official now. In October, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated use of the 2360-2400 MHz bandwidth for medical use. Those bands were previously reserved for flight testing in the aerospace industry. This change should further facilitate real-time monitoring. More
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e-Behaviorial Health
Benefit from new technologies... enable people to have remote access to CBT
