Nominations for Executive Board
Nominations for 2004-05 President-elect and Secretary-Treasurer will close on June 14, 2004 at Midnight. If you would like to nominate a member, send an email to pittenger@aol.com. Since no one was initially nominated or elected to the President-elect at the end of the last election cycle, the current President will serve another term.
Annual Meeting - July 24, 2004
Nominations Deadline: June
14, 2004 @ Midnight
Ballots mailed out by: June 21,
2004
Ballots due back by July 19, 2004
The annual meeting will occur on July 24, 2004 in Philadelphia in conjunction with the 9th Annual Talbot Symposium. We will plan on holding a meeting in the afternoon (location TBA, but most likely in the same room that the Talbot was held in the morning). Please offer your feedback if you have any ideas.
The AVI luncheon has been scheduled for Sunday, July 25 from
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel
Marriott
Courtyard
21 N. Juniper Street at Filbert Street
Philadelphia,
PA 19107
More details to come in the next newsletter.
Feedback
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments about AVI.
Welcome to the April 2004 edition of the AVI HTML Newsletter.
The 2004 Talbot Symposium will be coming up soon. We will have a morning filled with speakers on Sunday July 24, 2004. Our Luncheon is scheduled from 12:00 - 1:00pm at the Marriott Courtyard. The afternoon session will consist of our Annual Meeting, as called for in the Bylaws.
The 2005 Talbot Symposium Schedule has been submitted to the AVMA. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Talbot, so please consider attending! I have been advised by our section chair that I will be able to add more speakers to the schedule from now through the end of May. If you missed the initial deadlines, please contact me if you are interested in presenting material in 2005. Send an email to pittenger@aol.com.
If you have a colleague that may be interested in informatics, please pass along the information!
Respectfully,
Stephen T. Pittenger, D.V.M.
About AVI
Joining
the AVI
You
may renew or apply for membership in the AVI by completing an
application and paying the annual dues. An application is also
included in each issue of the AVI Newsletter. Membership is
for the calendar year, expiring December 31 each year. You
may select from several membership categories, work groups, and
newsletter formats as described in the application. All
member categories share the privileges of the newsletter and the
communication services of the society. Full and corporate
members have voting privileges. If you share AVI's
interests, please join us.
Mission
The AVI, formerly the American Veterinary Computer Society,
was formed to expand the use of the computer as a tool in
veterinary medicine. This includes serving as an educational
resource, promoting the use of information technology and
electronic communications, and developing and promoting standards
in veterinary information management.
Benefits
Membership
benefits include the monthly AVI
newsletter, participation in work
groups , the AVI-L listserv
discussion list, and an annual membership directory.
Levels
Membership
incorporates a range of levels to encourage participation from all
segments of the profession, veterinarians and non-veterinarians,
as well as its supporting organizations. This includes veterinary
practitioners and their staff, faculty and staff of veterinary
colleges, diagnostic laboratories, medical records personnel,
medical librarians, students, software and hardware developers,
and corporations supplying veterinary products and services.
Over one third of the members are individuals working in the field
of clinical veterinary medicine, one third are in academia, and
the remainder are in industry, government, and other veterinary
medicine. Membership is international, including Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Israel, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, as well as
the United States.
Meeting
The
annual membership meeting is held in conjunction with the AVMA
Annual Convention and includes the one-day Richard
B. Talbot Symposium on Veterinary Informatics and two days of
general information on computer usage. The members of the
Association are encouraged to write articles and/or make
presentations regarding their experiences, as these are valuable
to establish veterinary informatics as a legitimate discipline and
to encourage individuals in the veterinary community to become
more involved in the information age.
Membership
Application (HTML)
Membership
Application (RTF)
Sutter
Health sets $1.2 Billion Plan for IT
April
22, 2004
In
an effort to bring its hospitals and doctors into the digital age,
Sutter Health announced plans Thursday to spend $1.2 billion on
information technology over the next decade. Complete Contra Costa
Times article available at:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/
business/8501341.htm
Electrons
in Flight - E-Mail Between Doctors and Patients
April
22, 2004
AMIA
members Tom Delbanco and Daniel Sands have co-authored this
article in the most recent New England Journal of Medicine. The
article examines the issue of electronic messaging between
physicians and patients, which is "bound to proliferate"
and will "pose difficult challenges as it transforms the
traditional roles of doctors and patients." Despite early
evidence that e-mails could cut down on costs from phone calls,
appointments, medication errors and prescription requests, some
doctors remain skeptical. Article only available with subscription
at: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/350/17/1705
eHI
Report: Accelerating the Adoption of Computerized Prescribing in
the Ambulatory Environment
April
18, 2004
The
full report produced by the e-Health Initiative Foundation is
available at: http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/initiatives/erx/
NPR's
Morning Edition Reports on Physician E-mail Use, CPOE
April
22, 2004
iHealthBeat
has made available NPR's 'Morning Edition' Report on Physician
e-mail use, CPOE - available at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?action=
mMediaD&itemID=102087&changedID=102061
At
OHSU, Hersh Seeks a Better Way to Search the Literature
April
21, 2004
Bill
Hersh, AMIA member, and head of the department of medical
informatics at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland,
is studying a problem that many scientists studying gene function
can appreciate: how does a researcher accurately scour the
literature for information about a new gene of interest? Compelte
Genome Web article available at:
http://www.genomeweb.com/articles/view.asp?
Article=2004421144812
Medicare
to Launch Chronic Care Programs
April
20, 2004
The
government is planning to launch 10 Medicare chronic care programs
by the end of the year, Mark McClellan, administrator of the
federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Tuesday.
Compelte AP/Washington Post article available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27949-2004Apr20.html
Texas
Physicians Hot for Mobility
April
19, 2004
Just
a few days after Mother Frances Hospital implemented a mobile
patient data system, more than 100 of its physicians were using
their PDAs to access it. Complete Mobile Health Data article
available at:
http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?articleid=792
Hospital
Finishes Hand-held Pilot
April
16, 2004
Washington-based
George Washington University Hospital recently completed a
nine-month pilot study using PDA-based clinical applications to
document patient encounters. The hospital found that the use of
the hand-held technology reduced the amount of paperwork and time
required to document the treatment of its patients. Compelte
Mobile Health Data available at:
http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?articleid=791
Report:
Patient Safety in the Physician's Office: Assessing the Value of
Ambulatory CPOE
April
20, 2004
A
report by the Center for Information Technology Leadership
indicates that while it is well known that computerized provider
order entry systems (CPOE) reduce errors and improve efficiency
within hospitals, little has been known about the potential
long-term benefits of patient safety software designed for
ambulatory care or ACPOE. Complete article available on the
California HealthCare Foundation Web site at:
http://www.chcf.org/topics/view.cfm?itemID=101965
Internet
Surfers Dumping Dial-up for High Speed
April
18, 2004
USA
Today highlights most recent survey on Internet use: Broadband is
fast gaining broad acceptance. More than half the Internet users
in the USA have speedy connections somewhere in their lives. So
says a survey of 2,200 Americans over 18, released Monday by the
non-profit Pew Internet & American Life Project. About 68
million people, representing 55% of all adults who surf the Net,
now have access to cable, DSL or other high-speed cyberconnections
at the office or, increasingly, at home. Complete article
available at:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2004-04-18-broadband_x.htm
Attacking
Their HONor
April
20, 2004
The
Washington Post highlights the HONcode - a set of ethical
standards covering more than 3,500 Web sites based in 67 countries
- developed by Geneva-based Health on the Net Foundation. The HON
foundation council is Chaired by Randy Miller and Antoine
Geissbuhler (both AMIA members and ACMI fellows.) Marion Ball, Don
Lindberg and Charles Safran (all AMIA members and ACMI fellows)
also are member of the council. Complete article available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25556-2004Apr19?language=printer
Docs
Find Shift to Paperless Isn't Painless
April
16, 2004
The
Business Journal of Kansas City reviews all the complexities
surrounding implementing electronic medical record systems.
Complete article available at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
Report:
How and Why to e-Prescribe
April
15, 2004
Provider
organizations that build current medication lists and load them
into electronic prescribing applications before clinicians start
to use technology can facilitate user satisfaction, according to a
new report. Complete Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11491
USDA
Awards $11 Million for Telemedicine in Rural Pennsylvania
April
13, 2004
Agriculture
Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced $11 million in loans and
grants to Wyoming Valley Health Care System, Inc., of Wilkes Barre
to improve a telemedicine system serving Luzerne and Wyoming
Counties in Pennsylvania.Complete USDA press release available at:
http://www.usda.gov/Newsroom/0144.04.html
Health
Illiteracy - An Obstacle to Quality
April
16, 2004
iHealthBeat
highlights commentary by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn on the major problem
of health illiteracy in this country. Complete article available
at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action
=dspItem&itemid=101904
White
Paper: Do or Die - the Challenges of Managing Information Systems
for Healthcare Services
April
18, 2004
A
recent White paper from Integrated research takes an indepth look
at what it takes these days to manage information systems in
healthcare from logistics to legalities to cost. Complete
information on this paper available at:
http://www.ir.com/page.asp?id=617
A
Black Box for Human Health
April
16, 2004
Wired
News reports on new technology developed by NASA to capture and
transfer health information. Complete article available at:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63034,00.html
Proposed
Patinet Safety Goals Include Bar Coding by 2007
April
16, 2004
The
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has
proposed new requirements for hospitals to develop a plan to
implement bar code technology by 2007 under the organization's
2005 National Patient Safety Goals for hospital accreditation
programs. Complete article available at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?
Action=dspItem&itemID=101905
Project
Uses Computers to Analyze Nursing Care
April
14, 2004
A
new project involving Aurora Health Care (and specifically AMIA
Board member Judy Murphy), Cerner Corp, and University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee will analyze how nurses care for patients and
then suggest improvements. Complete Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
article available at:
http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/apr04/221779.asp
Care
Record Standard Moves Closer to Reality
April
14, 2004
A
move to create a standard that would allow physicians to gain
real-time access to patient information and share such information
with other providers cleared a major hurdle last week when a work
group approved a standard for the Continuity of Care Record.
Complete iHealthBeat article available at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=dspItem&itemid=101854
Hookup
Allows Home Checkup
April
13, 2004
The
Louisville, KY Courier Journal explores new telemedicine
technology that allows patients to perform some "check-up"
rountines from home. Complete article available at:
http://www.courier-journal.com/business/news2004/04/13/F1-home13-8781.html
As
Tech Spreads, Hippocrates Dawdles
April
13, 2004
Washington
Post columnist Steven Perlstein discusses IT in healthcare: "One
of the great anomalies of the US health care system is that it is
one of the most technically advanced industries and one of the
most backward." Complete article available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9879-2004Apr13.html
University
of Michigan Provides State-of-the-art Technology to Dental
Students
April
13, 2004
Students
at the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry will soon be
using the latest technology to bring clinical dental education
directly to their desktops. A $2 million commitment from a
University graduate will help to provide 110 new
workstations.Complete Federal Telemedicine article available at:
http://www.federaltelemedicine.com/n041404.htm
Blue
Cross to Explore Standardized Records
April
12, 2004
BCBS
of Massachusetts wants to invest as much as $50 million beginning
this fall to spur a cooperative capital investmetn program focused
on accelerating a statewide standardized electronic medical
records system. Complete Boston Business Journal article available
at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
HIMSS
Ramps Up IT Subsidiary
April
12, 2004
HIMSS
has named industry veteran David Garets as president and CEO of
its new for-profit information technology subsidiary. Complete
Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html
/PortalStory.cfm?type=vend&DID=11478
TEPR
Names Award Finalists
April
10, 2004
The
Medical Records Institute has announced vendor finalists for the
Fifth Annual TEPR Awards. Complete article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11462
What
Do Managed Care CIOs Think?
April
10, 2004
For
the second year, members of the Managed Care Executive Group have
compiled a list of the 10 issues most likely to be high priorities
at their organizations during the next one or two years. Read the
entire Health Data Mangement article at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11472
Presidential Health Information Technology Plan
Transforming Health Care: The President’s Health Information Technology Plan
“By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care.”
--President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 20, 2004
President Bush has outlined a plan to ensure that most Americans have electronic health records within the next 10 years. The President believes that better health information technology is essential to his vision of a health care system that puts the needs and the values of the patient first and gives patients information they need to make clinical and economic decisions – in consultation with dedicated health care professionals.
The President’s Health Information Technology Plan will address longstanding problems of preventable errors, uneven quality, and rising costs in the Nation’s health care system.
The entire Briefing Paper is available from the White House at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/technology/
economic_policy200404/chap3.html
Continuing Education
MEDINFO2004
The
Triennial Meeting of the International Medical Informatics
Association
September 7-11, 2004
San Francisco, CA, USA
More about
MEDINFO2004
|
AMIA
Conference on EHR Systems |
|
AMIA
2004 Spring Congress
Practical Strategies for Implementing
Electronic Health Record Systems
April 28-29, 2004
Hilton
McLean Tysons Corner
McLean, Virginia
Spring
Congress Main Page
2004
Philadelphia,
PA
July
24-28
News, continued
CPOE
Vendors See Systems Taking Off
April
9, 2004
Computerized
physician order entry vendor executives say the technology is on
track to improve patient safety and increase efficient operations.
Complete Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
current/CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=17310
Foundation
for eHealth Inititiative Launch of Online Community Learning
Network and Resource Center will spur Electronic Information
Exchange efforts
April
9, 2004
Complete
press release available at:
http://ccbh.ehealthinitiative.org/news/RClaunchpressrelease.mspx
Bioterror
Detectors Go High-tech
April
8, 2004
Government
analysts have begun scanning the U.S. daily for the first signs of
a bioterror attack by monitoring enormous databases that include
over-the-counter drug sales and common ailments reported in
hospital emergency rooms. The experimental high-tech program is
part of a new effort to develop early warning systems for imminent
public health crises and is analogous to those that scan the skies
for a missile attack. Complete Chicago Tribune article available
at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0404080262apr08,1,4280487.story
Reading
X-rays Online
April
8, 2004
Crains
Cleveland reports that the Cleveland Clinic is now analyzing
x-rays through a new Web site launched this month. Complete
article available at:
http://www.neohio.craintech.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?articleId=3691
Microsoft
Experts Discuss Mobile Future
April
8, 2004
Many
health care organizations are evaluating or using mobile
technology as a way to further automate care processes, says Bill
Keay, enterprise mobility solutions specialist for health care and
life sciences at Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Wash. Mobile hardware,
for example, can make it easier for providers to transfer
point-of-care data to various information systems or managed care
organizations, he adds. Complete Mobile Health Data article
available at:
http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?articleid=772
12
Simple Rules for Complex IT Projects
April
7, 2004
How
do you begin to manage an IT implementation overhaul involving a
landmark Chicago hospital? HealthLeaders member Mike Sommers, CIO
of Cook County Bureau of Health Services, offers some simple rules
that apply to project success big and small. Complete
HealthLeaders Magazine feature article available at:
http://www.healthleaders.com/news/feature53770.html
St.
Anthony's to Purchase $2.5 Million Scanning System
April
6, 2004
St.
Anthony's Health Care in St. Petersburg will become the third
major hospital in the BayCare Health System to purchase one of the
latest high-tech tools in diagnosing and treating cancer. The St.
Anthony's board has approved the purchase of a PET/CT scanner,
medical technology that combines positron emission tomography and
computerized tomography in a single machine, said John Couris,
vice president of ambulatory services at St. Anthony's. The
hospital will spend about $2.5 million on the equipment, which is
expected to be in use in about five months. Complete article
available at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
Finding
a Cure for What Ails Them: Hospitals search for balance in
correcting errors
April
6, 2004
The
Baltimore Business Journal looks at the current struggle of
hospitals and health care workers to find the balance when
attempting to keep up with new regulations - HIPAA, emergency
preparedness - with increased demands from payers, regulators, and
consumer groups, and trying to please patients themselves. And
dealing with the need for increased technology - and how to pay
for it. Complete article available at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
Many
Hospitals Resist Computerized Patient Care
April
6, 2004
The
New York Times discusses the reasons why doctors and hospitals are
still reluctant to embrace technology. Complete article available
at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/06/technology/06errors.html
Automation
Key to New Practice Model
April
5, 2004
A
coalition of medical associations has created a new approach to
family medicine that includes an emphasis on advanced information
systems. Complete Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html
/PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11457
Bronx
Hospital Embraces Online Technology That Others Avoid
April
5, 2004
Weiler
Hospital of Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx is using a
computer system to handle all inpatient orders, including labatory
tests and prescriptions to reduce medical errors. The hospital
found that when orders are handwritten, 12 percent of its
inpatient prescriptions led to some kind of error. Complete New
York Times article available at: http://query.nytimes.com…
Blues
Plan to Pay for Guidelines Use April
5, 2004
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will
reimburse physicians for using evidence-based clinical guidelines
under a year-long pilot program with Vanderbilt University in
Nashville. Complete Health Data Management article available at:
Online
Medical Records May Just Save Your Life
April
5, 2004
Article
in the Detroit Free Press discusses the Michigan Electronic
Medical Record Initiative (MEMRI) as they get ready to test a
program that will use the Internet to quickly access all the
medical records a person creates throughout the health care
system. Complete article available at:
http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend5_20040405.htm
Survey:
$100 Million Not Enough for Healthcare IT
April
5, 2004
A
majority of healthcare IT professionals don't think President Bush
will put his money where his mouth is when it comes to
computerization of health records. The latest HIMSS survey shows
that while the industry believes government funding can accelerate
IT utilization, the $100M Bush has allocated in the proposed 2005
budget "is not sufficient" to achieve that goal.
Complete Healthcare IT News article available at:
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/News
ArticleView.aspx?ContentID=468
Three
Hospitals Won't Join Web Service
April
3, 2004
Three
Wisconsin hospital systems, members of an online service that
compiles quality-of-care and patient-safety data for consumers are
refusing to join a second service, citing the cost. Complete
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article available at:
http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/apr04/219075.asp
AHIMA
Introduces National Health Information Privacy and Security Week
April
3, 2004
The
American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is
proud to introduce National Health Information Privacy and
Security Week, scheduled for April 11 through 17, 2004. Privacy
and Security Week is designed to raise awareness among healthcare
professionals, their employers, and the public of the importance
of protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of
personal health information. During the week, AHIMA and its
members will work to educate and inform these groups of their
rights and responsibilities related to the use and disclosure of
personal health information by: Further expanding awareness of the
HIM profession and its unique responsibilities through a public
relations campaign Developing a toolkit of resources including a
PowerPoint presentation, sample articles and letters, and a
Privacy and Security Week poster Providing a list of existing
AHIMA resources in the Body of Knowledge and on the AHIMA Web
site. More information is available on their Web site at:
http://www.ahima.org/hipsweek/
Using
Computerized Registries in Chronic Disease Care
April
2, 2004
The
California HealthCare Foundation released a report that examined
disease registries and found them to be an effective tool for
improving management of chronic conditions. Complete information
and the report available on the CHCF Web site at:
http://www.chcf.org/topics/view.cfm?itemID=21718
Kodak
to Aid in Brazilian Mission
April
2, 2004
Eastman
Kodak Co. is providing state-of-the-art medical imaging and
computer networking equipment and related expertise to a team of
physicians who will conduct medical exams with Indians in
Columbia. Complete article available at:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/biznews
/forprint/0401G43P973_business.shtml
Online
Directory for IT Health Standards
April
2, 2004
The
National Alliance for Health Information Technology has created a
new online directory listing and summarizing more than 450
mandatory and voluntary standards.Complete Information Week
article available at:
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/
showArticle.jhtml?articleID=18700102
Blueprint
Unveiled for Effort to Share Patient Histories
April
2, 2004
There
is a program underway in Indiana to provide all hospitals with
access to patients' lab results, medical histories, and other
information they can use to provide better care. This summer the
project will start at St. Vincent Health facilities. The project
is overseen by the Indiana Health Information Exchange, Inc. and
assisted by experts from the city of Indianapolis to the
Regenstrief Institute at the Indiana University School of
Medicine. Complete Indianapolis Star article available at:
http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/134098-3425-031.html
New
Alliance for Primary Care IT (NAPCI)
April
2, 2004
Organizations
representing clinicians and medical informatics professionals have
formed a new group to enable the primary care community to speak
with one voice on information technology issues, according to its
founders. Members of the National Alliance for Primary Care
Informatics are: the American Academy of Pediatrics; American
College of Physicians; American Medical Informatics Association;
American Nurses Association; National Organization of Nurse
Practitioner Faculties; North American Primary Care Research
Group; Society of General Internal Medicine; and the Society of
Teachers of Family Medicine. Complete article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11450
Survey:
Big Move to Clinical IT
April
2, 2004
Pusing
information systems into clinical areas is a major priority for
provider organizations according to the Health Data Management
2004 CIO survey. Complete article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11453
NAPCI
- National Alliance Established to Promote Use of Informatics and
Information Technology in Primary Care
April
1, 2004
The
National Alliance for Primary Care Informatics is official - this
organization came from the hard work of the members of the AMIA
Primary Care Informatics Working Group. The group's Web site is
located at http://www.napci.org and the press release with more
information is available at: http://www.napci.org/news.asp
AMIA
Board Member Takes New Position
April
1, 2004
Dr.
Daniel Sands, AMIA Board Member, has recently been appointed VP
and Chief Medical officer for Zix Corporation. Complete
information is available through their press release at:
http://phx.corporate…