Nominations for President-elect
Nominations for 2004 President-elect are still open. If you would like to nominate a member, send an email to pittenger@aol.com.
Feedback
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments about AVI.
Welcome to the December 2003 edition of the AVI HTML Newsletter.
The 2004 Talbot Symposium schedule is being finalized at the AVMA offices and should be published soon. We will have two days of Informatics related information. The Talbot Symposium will occur on Sunday, and the Informatics program will continue on Monday all day. In addition, we may have a few poster presentations as well to fit in as time allows.
The Call for Papers for the 2005 AVMA Convention has been posted, but no submissions have been received thus far. We are trying to get back in line with the deadlines imposed by the AVMA Convention staff. In the past, our deadlines were much closer to the convention, but our information was never promoted in the pre-convention materials. By resuming the standard call for papers schedule, we should regain the exposure we have lost in the past several years. February 2, 2004 is going to be a pretty firm deadline. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Talbot, so please consider attending AND presenting!
The Association is still in need of a leader to step up to the plate and assume the role of President-elect. As of this date, no nominations have been received.
Dues renewal notices are in the mail. 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)
Report:
IT Spending to Climb December 18, 2003
The health care
industry's financial pressures will not ease during 2004,
according to a forecast report from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.
Consequently, health care organizations needing to reduce
administrative costs while improving patient safety will ratchet
up spending on information technology in 2004, the consulting firm
predicts. Complete Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11081
Telemedicine Lets Children Go Home December 18, 2003
An
innovative telemedicine project based in Belfast, Northern Ireland
is allowing toddlers and babies to go home to heal. Complete
electricnews.net article available at:
http://www.electricnews.net/news.html?code=9384221
Grant Applications for Electronic Health Information
Exchange Highlight National Interest December 17, 2003
Electronic
health information exchange projects are catching on nationwide, a
report released Wednesday found. The report documents efforts from
hospitals, physicians offices, insurers, and other health care
players to exchange health information electronically. Complete
iHealthBeat article available at: http://ihealthbeat.org…
Launch of Connecting Communities for Better Health Program
Highlights Coast-to-Coast, Community-based, Multi-Stakeholder
Electronic Health Information Exchange Efforts December 17,
2003
Healthcare stakeholders across America are increasingly
coming together to improve patient care by bringing information
online and into the 21st century; so says a report released by the
Foundation for dHealth Initiative as part of its Connecting
Communities for Better Health program. Complete press release and
more information is available at:
http://www.ehealthinitiative.org/news/index.html
Web-based Program Links Health Facilities December 15,
2003
Community health centers on the neighbor islands will be
able to access pediatric specialists on Oahu through a telehealth
consultation network based at Kapiolani Medical Center, the
Pacific Telehealth & Technology. Complete Honolulu Star
Bulletin article available at:
http://starbulletin.com/2003/12/15/news/story6.html/
El Camino Hospital Cuts Medication Errors December 15,
2003
The number of patient medication errors at El Camino
Hospital has been slashed thanks to a new computerized drug
ordering system. Complete Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
available at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
Alabama
Clinic Merges Technology, Low Costs December 15, 2003
By
combining one of the market's cheaper biomonitoring boxes, with a
common digital scale and blood pressure machine, staff at the
University of South Alabama's School of medicine have rigged up a
way patients could have their vitals checked without leaving their
living room. And it requires only a standard phone line, no
computer. Complete Associated Press article available in Yahoo!
News site at: http://story.news.yahoo.com…
Kaleida
ICU Patients Get Dose of Telemedicine December 12, 2003
Patients
in the intensive care units at Kaleida Health hospitals are about
to have their conditions monitored from afar with a telemedicine
system that is gaining recognition for improving care and
decreasing costs. Complete Business First of Buffalo article
available at: http://www.bizjournals.com
Telemedicine Funding Could Increase in 2004 December 15,
2003
While 2003 wasn't exactly a windfall for telemedicine
providers, federal support for telemedicine projects could
increase by as much as 8% in 2004, according to the American
Telemedicine Association, reports iHealth Beat. Complete article
available at: http://ihealthbeat.org/…
Internet Summit Looks at Medical Roles December 11,
2003
Delegates to a UN summit argued that spreading information
technology more equitably can hasten cures for such developing
world ills as poverty, AIDS, poor education and high child
mortality. Complete Associated Press available on the Yahoo! News
site at: http://story.news.yahoo.com…
New
Health Network on Way - 'pMAN' will enable record sharing December
10, 2003
A technology firm that specializes in broadband access
and delivery of Internet-based services, started constructing a
private fiber-optic network that will connect Tallahassee's
medical and health-care providers. Complete Tallahassee Democrat
article available at:
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/business/
7452943.htm
Database to Link Local Hospitals December 8, 2003
Starting
next year, Indianapolis hospitals and doctors plan to implement a
single shared electronic system that would put the city at the
forefront of health care innovation. Through an initiative begun
three years ago with a meeting of 50 doctors at Eli Lilly and Co.,
the city's five hospital systems will install a $2 million
intranet system to let their hospitals and doctors talk to each
other electronically. Complete Indianapolis Star article available
at: http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/100023-2015-031.html
Hospital Cuts Paper Records December 7, 2003
St. Joseph
Mercy of Macomb Hospital is launching a $20 million computer
upgrade to virtually eliminate paper in patient care. Complete
Detroit News article available at:
http://www.detnews.com/2003/technology/0312/07/b12-343326.htm
A Tablet a Day Keeps the Errors Away December 4,
2003
Hospital finds Tablet PCs are an effective weapon against
potential medication errors. Complete Health Data Mangement
article available at:
http://healthdatamanagement.com/html/current/
CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=16592
Paper Records Pain Medical Profession - Too few embrace
efficiency, safety of computerized data December 1, 2003
The
Dayton (Ohio) Heart Center's five locations stopped using paper
charts for active patients months ago. Working instead with
desktop computers and handheld units doctors and nurses have ready
access to the medical and prescription history that has already
saved lives. Complete Dayton Daily News article available at:
http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/
localnews/daily/1201records.html
Call for Speakers & Presentation Proposals for 2005 Talbot Symposium
Please forward to all interested practitioners, colleagues, faculty, and students!
10th Annual Talbot Informatics Symposium - July 2005
"Enhancing the Practice of Veterinary Medicine and Learning
through the use of Computers, Technology and Informatics"
The 2005 Talbot Symposium on
Computers and Veterinary Informatics
This year's focus is on topics that demonstrate how the integration of informatics and computer technology can increase the quality of patient care; provide educational enrichment and enjoyment for practitioners, hospital staff, educators and students. We also hope to demonstrate how Informatics can ultimately effect the bottom lines of both private practices and university teaching hospitals. The Talbot Symposium takes place at the AVMA Annual Convention in Minneapolis, on Sunday July 17th, 2004. The Convention runs in Minneapolis, MN from July 16-20, 2005. The regular Informatics Program continues on Monday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 19, 2005. The Sunday session consists of twelve 30-minute presentations. Monday and Tuesday's programs consist of 45 or 90-minute sessions.
Deadline for submission is February 2, 2004
Additional Information regarding this call for papers may be found on the AVI Website
Continuing Education
MEDINFO2004
The
Triennial Meeting of the International Medical Informatics
Association
September 7-11, 2004
San Francisco, CA, USA
More about
MEDINFO2004
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
Impact
of Imaging: Diagnostic Tools Drive Up Cost December 1, 2003
The
soaring use of diagnostic imaging equipment is driving up the cost
of health care, according to a new study by the Blue Cross and
Blue Shield Association. Complete Atlanta Business Chronicle
article available at: http://www.bizjournals.com
Data Mining: Using Information to Your Advantage December
1, 2003
There may be hidden gold in your computer systems. Data
you've already captured in your practice-management or electronic
medical records software can be unearthed and refined to yield
improved care -- or even higher reimbursements - an article from
American Medical News available at:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2003/12/08/bisa1208.htm
Telemonitors Can Provide 'Virtual Assisted Living'
December 1, 2003
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on a
project that uses telemonitors and video telephones to supplement
their in-home nursing care and connect patients with home health
nurses. Complete article available at:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4240981.html
Not a Panacea: Doctors Debate CPOE November 28,
2003
Doctors in Georgia debate Computerized Physician Order
Entry Systems. Complete Atlanta Business Chronicle article
available at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
All
Stars Provile: Lincoln Stein, Most Innovative in Bioinformatics
November 26, 2003
Lincoln Stein's foray into bioinformatics was
something of a lucky gamble, and not even one he made for himself.
Genome Technology profiles his accomplishments in an article
available at:
http://www.genomeweb.com/articles/view.asp?
Article=20031126151439
Healthcare: Telemedicine Still Struggles November 26,
2003
Telemedicine, once considered the health-care technology
of the future, is not developing in North Dakota at the pace some
officials had hoped. Complete Associated Press article available
in the Grand Forks Herald at:
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/
local/7351830.htm
Diabetes Clinic Links Care Data November 25, 2003
Penn
State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has opened a diabetes
clinic it hopes will eventually have a major impact on the care
received throughout the region. The centerpiec is a database and
computer sysem that enables doctors to view results for various
important tests on a single piece of paper. Complete Patriot-News
article available at:
http://www.pennlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/
business/1069756446123570.xml?pennbiz
Online Patient-provider Communication Tools: An Overview
November 24, 2003
A report from First Consulting Group
available on the California HealthCare Foundation Web site at:
http://www.chcf.org/topics/view.cfm?itemID=21600
State's Telemedicine Network Reaches Milestone November
24, 2003
Health care and communicatios providers in Alaska are
on the leading edge of high-tech telemedicine techniques, reports
the Alaska Journal of Commerce. Complete article available at:
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/112403/
foc_20031124013.shtml
Health First Hospitals to Offer eICU Technology November
24, 2003
Hospitals owned by Health First, Inc. will be the
first in the Southeast to offer anew type of technology to help
care for critical care patients - eICU. Complete Orlando Business
Journal article available at:
http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/
2003/11/24/daily3.html
The Doctor Will See You Now, Online November 24,
2003
Doctors may not be able to listen to a patient's heartbeat
or do a throat culture without a face-to-face visit, but that's
not stoppingb some Metroplex physicians and their patients from
meeting in cyberspace. Complete Fort Worth Star-Telegram article
available at: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/7332254.htm
Healthy Progress: Doctor's offices increase high-tech
methods to boost efficiency November 24, 2003
the Business
Journal of the Greater Triad Area reports that while medical
practices rely on computers to assist them with billing and other
related activities, many are still reluctant to trust patient
medical records to computers. Complete article available at:
http://www.bizjournals.com
Operating in a Competitive Environment November 24,
2003
As health plans offer patients more choices, the latest
technology can be just the image a hospital needs. Complete
Washington Business Journal article available at:
http://www.bizjournals.com…
ePocrates, ASHP
to Launch New Formulary Service November 24, 2003
By coupling
hospitals' formularies with in-depth drug information and then
making the integrated data readily accessible via
Internet-connected PCs, a new service from ePocrates promises to
help hospitals keep a lid on rising drug and related processing
costs. Complete Health IT World article available at:
http://www.imakenews.com/health-itworld/e_article000203643.cfm
High-tech Health Watch Draws Cash, Questions November 23,
2003
The Washington Post looks at the effectiveness of
Syndromic Surveillance and the projects that are taking place in
the greater DC area and through the National Government. Article
available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6729-2003Nov22?language=printer
Hospital Find New Medication Controls November 23,
2003
the Boston Globe takes a look at the Computer Physician
Order Entry System use at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Article
available at: http://www.boston.com…
Doctors
Advised to Keep Records Electronically - Technology Could Prevent
Errors, Report Says November 21, 2003
The Institute of Medicine
yesterday called for hospitals and physicians to adopt electronic
record-keeping systems that would prevent tens of thousands of
fatal medical errors a year and form the basis for a nationwide
flow of patient information among practitioners and medical
facilities. Complete Washington Post article available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com…
Clinics
Recognized for Automation November 20, 2003
Three small
physician practices in Georgia are the inaugural winners of the
2003 Primary Care Davies Award of Excellence. Complete Health Data
Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=11000
Easy-to-Share Medical Records Gain Support, Would Cut
Errors November 20, 2003
The Wall Street Journal explores the
concept of the Continuity of Care Record (CCR). Complete article
only available with paid subscription at: http://online.wsj.com…