Your officers for 2004-05 are:
President - Dr. Stephen Pittenger
President-elect - Dr.
Michael Martin
Secretary/Treasurer - Ms. Valerie Ball
Feedback
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments about AVI.
Welcome to the August 2004 edition of the AVI HTML Newsletter.
The official Call for Papers for the 2006 Talbot Symposium is still being ironed out. We are planning to make this Talbot one to remember. There will be 8 tracks of information available to us for programming (Sun-Wed, AM & PM) and we will be assigning broad topics to those sessions. Of course, if you have a submission that is definitely worthy, yet doesn't fit neatly into the broad topics, we will still consider it!
I am pleased to see that more and more of the major meetings are beginning to have substantial "upgrades" in there programming to include advances in technology. Our profession is slowly advancing more and more into the technological age. For those of us on the cutting edge, it is rewarding to see the gains in efficiency and patient care being delivered with the tools and concepts we and others have created over the years.
I look forward to working with Dr. Martin over the next year to continue to move the Association in a positive direction. 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)
California
Hospitals Reflect Successes, Challenges to Wired Health System
August
23, 2004
Six
California hospitals and health systems made this year's annual
Hospitals & Health Networks list of the 100 "Most Wired"
U.S. hospitals. In many ways, these hospitals reflect the
incremental progress, and the formidable barriers to the health
sector's adoption of new technologies. Complete iHealthBeat
article available at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=
dspItem&itemid=105127
BMJ
article: Email Consultations in Health Care: 1 - Scope and
Effectiveness
August
23, 2004
Electronic
communication promises to revolutionize the delivery of health
care. In the first of two articles considering the potential for
email consultations, Car and Sheikh summarize the evidence about
their use for preventive health care, health education, and
managing non-urgent conditions . Complete Journal article
available at:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329
/7463/435
Sisters
of Mercy Launches $226 Million Technology Upgrade
August
20, 2004
Sisters
of Mercy Health System is putting money and people on a project to
improve patient care through information technology. The St.
Louis-based system, which includes 18 hospitals in four states, is
investigating an estimated $226 million on its four-year Genesis
Project. Complete article available at:
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/
2004/08/23/story3.html
After
Shakeout, Medical Web sites find New Health
August
23, 2004
Sixty-four
percent of all US practicing physicians use online technologies
for pharmaceutical-related products and services according to a
study released last week. Complete Boston Globe article available
at: http://www.boston.com…
School
to Develop a Warning System for Big Outbreaks
August
19, 2004
Monmouth
University has landed a defense department contract to develop a
rapid response computer system to notify authorities of the first
signs of a bioterror attack or major disease outbreak. Complete
New Jersey Star-Ledger article available at:
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1092894836273930.xml?starledger?nnj
Budgetary
Black Holes
August
16, 2004
ComputerWorld
outlines 10 mistakes that can suck the funds out of your IT
project budget - and how to avoid them. Complete article available
at: http://www.computerworld.com
How
Big is the Health IT Market?
August
18, 2004
Health
care provider and payer organizations in the United States spent
$36.7 billion on information technology in 2003, reports a Health
Data Management article available at:
http://healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/
NewsStory.cfm?DID=11881
Frustrated
by Bureaucracy, Carmel Valley Doctor Runs His Office Without Help
August
15, 2004
The
San Diego Union-Tribune highlights a doctor who has improved his
single practice with the use of health information technology.
Complete article available at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty
/20040815-9999-m1m15ochi.html
Electronic
Patient Records Secure Athens Olympics
August
17, 2004
Electronic
health records are providing an important piece of security around
the Athens 2004 Olympics, thanks to a collaboration between a
UK-based e-health company and a US security firm. All employees of
the Attika Metro System have been issued with 'Global Health ID'
cards as part of general security measures. Complete E-Health
Insider newsletter article available at:
http://www.e-health-insider.com/news/item.cfm?ID=834
I,
Doctor Robot - Machine allows physicians to check on patients
while away from the hospital
August
17, 2004
UC
Davis is using a 200-pound robot as the star participant in a
multi-hospital clinical trial to determine whether patients who
have undergone certain types of surgery can be safely taken care
of by a doctor in a different location. Complete Sacramento Bee
article available at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/10407403p-11327112c.html
Firm
Posts Comprehensive Mobile Guide
August
16, 2004
BBC
Consulting has compiled a comprehensive overview of the mobile
healthcare industry and has created a free reference guide
available on their site at http://www.hitbcc.com. Complete Mobile
Health Data Article available at:
http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?
articleid=991
In
Bumpy Economy, Some Health IT Vendors Find Smooth Sailing
August
16, 2004
Healthcare
information technology companies continued to post strong revenue
gains in 2004. Complete Health-IT World News article available at:
http://tmlr.net/jump/?c=9809&a=296&m=2623&
p=1086588&t=164
Hospitals
Embrace SMS Technology
August
12, 2004
Text
messaging is increasingly being used by UK hospitals to remind
patients about outpatient appointments - and could potentially
save the National Health Service millions of pounds every year.
Complete CNN.com article available at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/08/12/hospital
.texts/index.html
'Big
Easy' Hospital Goes Paperless
August
16, 2004
eweek
article highlights the steps recently taken to make Touro
Infirmary - the 152-year-old nonprofit New Orleans hospital - a
paperless operation. Complete article available at:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1634049,00.asp
Laptops
to Take Guesswork out of Docs' Handwriting - Christ, University
among local hospitals to use CPOEs
August
13, 2004
Doctors
at the University and Christ hospitals will start entering their
medication and treatment orders into mobile laptop computers - and
stop handwriting them - in a pilot project set to begin next year.
Complete Cincinnati Business Courier article available at:
http://www.bizjournals.com…
Community
Data-sharing Project Aims to Improve Public Health
August
16, 2004
An
emerging regional health information project in the Tri-Cities
Tennessee/Virginia area has taken a few lesions from a regional
data-sharing project in Santa Barbara and reinvented it with a
local spin. Complete iHealthBeat article available at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?action=
dspItem&itemID=105006&changedID=104925
Australia
Looks to Create Unified Health Infrastructure
August
13, 2004
In
one of its most ambitious projects, Australia is creating
HealthConnect, a national health information network that would
let health care providers securely exchange, collect and store
patient data, as well as gain online access to test results and
prescription information. Complete iHealthBeat article available
at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=
dspItem&itemid=104903
NMMC
Earns National Info Systems Kudos
August
11, 2004
A
national survey of hospitals has put North Mississippi Medical
Center at the top of the information systems class. For the fourth
time, NMMC was named among the 100 most wired hospitals. Complete
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal article available at:
http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=
65651&pub=1&div=News
Early
Tales from the RFID Front
August
13, 2004
A
health system in Richmond, VA is utilizing radio frequency
identification technology to keep track of its movable medical
equipment. Complete Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/current
/CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=18021
Patients
at The Nebraska Medical Center Can Get Their Medical Records to Go
August
11, 2004
The
Nebraska Medical Center is now providing some of its patients with
their medical history on CD. Complete press release available at:
http://www.prnewswire.com…
Successful
Strategies for Planning the Digital Hospital
August
13, 2004
The
members of the C-suite in most hospitals are grappling with
dizzying messages about the pending explosion of IT. Increased
national policy attention, technology advancements, emergence of
standards and patient safety initiatives are driving momentum for
renewing energy behind information technology's role in
transforming the healthcare system. Without a doubt, the "digital
hospital" is upon us, prompting executives to start
understanding how the pieces fit together to shape IT strategy.
HealthLeaders feature article available at:
http://www.healthleaders.com/news/feature1.
php?contentid=56786
Medical
PDA Program To Grow
August
12, 2004
Gold
Standard Multimedia, a Tampa company that publishes an electronic
reference on drugs has won nearly $6 million in contracts from the
state to expand a program that gives doctors quick, confidential
access to a patient's prescription history. Complete Tampa Tribune
article available at:
http://tampatrib.com/Business/MGBFSO07SXD.html
Continuing Education
MEDINFO2004
The
Triennial Meeting of the International Medical Informatics
Association
September 7-11, 2004
San Francisco, CA, USA
More about
MEDINFO2004 
Southwest
Veterinary Symposium
Grapevine, Texas
September 23-26,
2004
SWVS is a four-day conference held September 23-26, 2004
at the brand new Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in
Grapevine, Texas. It offers more than 325 hours of continuing
education, interactive labs and practice management for
veterinarians, technicians, clinic staff, hospital personnel and
students. This is the source of up-to-date information on the
symposium.
American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP)
55th Annual Meeting
and the 39th Annual Meeting of the
American Society for Veterinary
Clinical Pathology
(ASVCP)
November 13-17, 2004
Disney¹s Coronado Springs
Resort, Orlando, Florida, USA
Telephone: 608-833-8725,
Ext. 145
Fax:
608-831-5485
Email: meetings@acvp.org
Website:
http://www.acvp.org/meeting
ACVP is approved
to conduct educational programs by the American
Association of
Veterinary State Boards¹ RACE.
For more
information, please contact the American College of Veterinary
Pathologists at 7600 Terrace Ave., Suite 203, Middleton, WI
53562
News, continued
E-Prescribing
is Featured Drink at Café Rx Consortium
August
12, 2004
Eight
general and health-IT vendors as well as an e-prescribing
standards body have created a new consortium to promote
e-prescribing. Café Rx, as it is called, will help to
create best practices, incentives, reimbursement, and educational
programs as well as physician workflow models that encourage the
adoption of e-prescribing. Complete Health-IT World News article
available at:
http://tmlr.net/jump/?c=9747&a=296&m=2620
&p=1086588&t=164
Article
of Interest: The Impact of Peer Management on Test-Ordering
Behavior
August
12, 2004
Annals
of Medicine article available at:
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/
141/3/196
CDC
Chief Calls Info Technology Vital in the Fight Against
Bioterrorism
August
12, 2004
Information
technology is a crucial component in efforts to protect America
from bioterrorism, the director of the Centers for Disease Control
and prevention said in North Kansas City. Complete Kansas City
Star article available with free subscription at:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/
business/9376599.htm
Health
Plan That Cuts Costs Raises Doctors' Ire
August
11, 2004
New
York times article discusses innovative health care program that
has lowered costs by, among other things, assigning nurses and
creating electronic records for some patients in Bellingham and
surrounding Whatcom County, in northwest Washington. Complete
article available at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/11/health/11
model.html
You
Say Tom(ay)to, I Say Tom(ah)to
August
10, 2004
I
say "EMR"; you say "HER." The argument sounds
trivial. But the debate over what to call the systems at the core
of modern clinical informatics presages a shakedown among
healthcare informatics vendors -- one that should leave healthcare
organizations with better choices for streamlining medical
practice. Complete Health IT World article available at:
http://tmlr.net/jump/?c=9711&a=296&m=2616&
p=1086588&t=164
Drug
Problem? Try a Brain Dump
August
9, 2004
An
Australian company hopes to elicit change by creating a gigantic,
international, standardized database of neurological information
that can be held up as a benchmark next to individual patients.
Complete Wired News article available at:
http://wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64503
,00.html
Health
Records Go Digital
August
9, 2004
Two
health systems in Arkansas are using electronic medical records
and automated administrative systems. Complete Fort Smith Times
Record article available at:
http://www.swtimes.com/archive/2004/August/08/
business/health_records.html
South
Carolina Data Sharing Project in the Works
August
9, 2004
Four
academic medical organizations in South Carolina are starting a
cooperative effort to share data about clinical trial research.
Called the South Carolina Health Sciences Collaborative, the
initiative is intended to be the starting point for data sharing
in the state. The exchange of data is intended to increase the
state’s stature as a place to conduct medical research, said
Frank Clark, CIO and vice president at the Medical University of
South Carolina, Charleston. Also participating in the effort are
Greenville (S.C.) Hospital System, and Palmetto Health and
University of South Carolina, both of Columbia. Complete
Healthcare IT News article available at:
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/NewsArticle
View.aspx?ContentID=1275
Doctor's
Database Nails Down Correct Diagnosis
August
6, 2004
trauma
surgeon and Oregon Health & Science University assistant
professor of surgery Dr. Stephen Datena in 1997 embarked on a
mission to create a computerized diagnostic system that would take
into account all the variables needed to help doctors reach an
accurate diagnosis. The result of his journey is the startup
company Lifecom Inc., located in North Portland. Complete Business
Journal of Portland article available at:
http://www.bizjournals.com…
Vision
of the Future
August
5, 2004
Article
on new wearable technology that is being tested at Vanderbilt
University Medical Center. Complete information available at:
http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/8009220/
main.html
Firm
Grades Physician Software
August
3, 2004
CTS,
Inc., which reviews and rates software used in several industries,
has released its 2004 reports on 11 vendors of software for
physician practices. The Rockville, MD-based company requests and
receives software products from vendors, tests the products, and
rates the features, ease of use, pricing, hardware, support
policies and other aspects of the applications. In health care,
the company does research on the ambulatory market and offers
online reports and comparative tools. Complete Health Data
Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=vend&DID=11839
Malicious
Code Targeting PDAs Identified
August
5, 2004
The
first backdoor code for personal digital assistants has emerged,
raising concerns that handheld devices soon could be targeted by
hackers. Complete Government Computer News article available at:
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/26848-1.html
Hospitals
Move Toward 'Paperless' Age
August
9, 2004
CNN
has posted an Associated Press article highlighting Indiana Heart
Hospitals use of information technology. Complete article
available at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/biztech/08/04/
paperless.hospitals.ap/index.html
Health
Proposal Likely to Spark Controversy
August
5, 2004
An
independent state HMO watchdog agency would be eliminated. HIV
patients would be tracked by name. Patients in Medi-Cal,
California's health care program for the poor, could be
fingerprinted and required to use computerized cards to prevent
fraud. These are a few of the more controversial health and human
services proposals in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to
overhaul state government. The proposal, known as the California
Performance Review, would increase the governor's authority,
create 11 new super-agencies and erase 118 boards or commissions.
The goal: to streamline government, provide better service to
Californians, and above all, save money to ease California's
crushing deficit. The report estimates that the state could save
$32 billion over five years. Complete San Jose Mercury News
article available at:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews
/9324642.htm?1c
Mayo,
IBM Join to Mine Medical Data
August
4, 2004
Hoping
to mine its vast collection of records to make medical care more
effective, the Mayo Clinic agreed to work with International
Business Machines Corp. in an ambitious project aimed at
eventually using computers to design individualized patient
treatments. Complete article available only with full subscription
to Wall Street Journal at: http://online.wsj.com…
US
Government Makes a Push for Health Care IT Standards
July
30, 2004
The
Wall Street Journal looks at the recent government push for the
electronic medical record. Complete article only available with
subscription at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB10911370286
9878189,00.html?mod=The%20Daily%20Scan
Hospitals
are Laying the Groundwork for EMRs
August
9, 2004
Hospitals
nationwide are increasingly focusing on implementing full-blown
electronic medical record systems - according to a new survey
released by an American Hospital Association publication. Complete
American Medical News article available at:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/08/09/bisd0809.htm
NCQA's
New "Quality Plus" Program to Highlight Innovative,
Web-enabled Health Plans
August
3, 2004
The
National Committee for Quality Assurance released for public
comment, draft standards for "Quality Plus", a new
supplemental accreditation program that in content and intent
breaks new ground for NCQA. Complete article available at:
http://www.ncqa.org/
Linux
Sees Open Field for Open Source
August
3, 2004
Plenty
of tech experts have spent years trying to convince the general
public that the Linux operating system is becoming more of a
threat to Microsoft's Windows. With the LinuxWorld conference
underway this week in San Francisco, there is finally a sure-fire
sign that this may be the case: Microsoft won't be there. Complete
Washington Post article available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36325-2004Aug3.html?referrer=email
Survey
Examines Medical Errors
August
3, 2004
Otolaryngologists
at Boston's Children's Hospital, Tufts University School of
Medicine, and Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland
randomly mailed an anonymous survey to 2,500 of their colleagues
last summer and fall. Of the 466 surgeons who replied, 45 percent
reported that a medical error had occurred in their practice in
the previous six months. Complete Boston Globe article available
at:
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/08
/03/survey_examines_medical_errors/