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). We are investigating possibilities for catering food as well. Please offer your feedback if you have any ideas.
Feedback
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments about AVI.
Welcome to the February 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. The afternoon session will consist of our Annual Meeting, as called for in the Bylaws.
Our bylaws do not provide for the ability for me to appoint a president-elect (as this position was not filled last year), so a nomination and election process will have to be used. Our bylaws further do not seem to allow special elections, hence the reason I have not filled the position of president-elect up until now. Since the position of president is a one year term AND "until he/she is succeeded in office", I will serve an additional year as president of the organization as their is no one to succeed me at this time.
I will also need to deal with another unresolved issue that I have inherited. As the bylaws clearly state: "The fiscal and membership year of the organization shall begin August 1: and end on July 31: of each calendar year." Somewhere, this train was derailed into a January-December membership year and we will either need to revise the Bylaws or change back to the Aug-July membership year with pro-rated dues, etc. I will leave this discussion for the Annual Meeting as my executive board is a little short on warm bodies at this point.
The 2005 Talbot Symposium Schedule is being compiled right now! I realize that February of 2004 is a long way away from July 2005 in terms of technology related issues, but that is the reality of large conference planning these days - due to publications schedules, the information needs to be in by this time. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Talbot, so please consider attending!
This year should prove to be an interesting one. A "change in direction" is afoot for our organization. We are challenged with the need to re-invent ourselves and to forge forward into new avenues. As technology changes, so must this organization. If you have any ideas for new direction, please do not hesitate to contact me. After all, I serve to serve you.
Dues renewal notices have all been sent out and many have been received back. 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)
GPs
Warned Off Picture Phones
February
27, 2004
BBC
News reports that The Medical Defence Union has warned doctors to
be careful using picture phones for diagnosing patients. While
realizing the potential benefits of phone use, the MDU says there
are serious and legal implications. Complete article available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3517039.stm
Harvard
Physicians Push Research on Tech for 'Non-Visit Care'
February
25, 2004
Two
prominent medical informaticists are calling on Harvard Medical
School to establish a center for the study of electronic
patient-physician communications in hopes of advancing the
technology to help improve preventive care and reduce the number
of office visits. Daniel Z. Sands, M.D., clinical systems
integration architect at Harvard-connected Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center in Boston, and Joseph C. Kvedar, M.D., chief of
telemedicine at Partners HealthCare, another Harvard affiliate,
have proposed the research institution to Harvard leadership and
have applied for a grant from the National Library of Medicine,
according to Sands. Complete article available at:
http://app2.topiksolutions.com/jump.ts?
c=7744&a=296&m=2292&p=906352&t=164
Hospitals
Embracing Information Technology
February
23, 2004
Indianapolis
- the creators of the new Indiana Heart Hospital have fully
embraced technology to improve patient care, reduce errors, and
lower costs. Complete Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article available
at: http://www.jsonline.com/alive/news/feb04/209566.asp
Nurses
Offer 2 Cents on Terminology
February
23, 2004
Creating
standard terminologies and patient safety processes are widely
acknowledged as crucial steps to combat the endemic errors that
plague the health care delivery system. Too often, however, these
efforts have not taken into account the language and processes of
nurses, contended Suzanne Bakken, professor of informatics at New
York-based Columbia University, during the nursing I.T. symposium
at the HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. Complete article
available at: http://www.healthdatamanagement.com…
More
Nurses Becoming CIOs
February
23, 2004
Nurses
and CIOs often are perceived to be on opposite ends of the health
care delivery chain. But nurses increasingly are finding that
their skills and expertise make them well suited to the role of
CIO, said Nancy Staggers, R.N., during a presentation Sunday, Feb.
22, at the nursing I.T. symposium at the HIMSS Conference &
Exhibition. Complete article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com…
IBM
Targets Health Care IT
February
19, 2004
Health
Data Management reports that IBM Corporation will invest $250
million during the next three years. Complete article available
at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/
html/PortalStory.cfm?type=vend&DID=11270
Sweeping
Kaiser Initiative with Epic Running on Schedule
February
18, 2004
Kaiser
Permanente, a year into a $1.8 billion installation of a clinical,
financial, and administrative system from Epic Systems, says the
effort is proceeding well, with parts already in place in some
locations and several sites going live during the next year.
Complete Health IT World News article available at:
http://app2.topiksolutions.com/jump.ts?
c=7705&a=296&m=2289&p=906352&t=164
AAFP's
'Partners for Patients' Endorsed by Microsoft
February
18, 2004
Microsoft
has agreed to join Partners for Patients, a alliance of hardware,
software, networking, and medical device manufacturers offering
family practives deep discounts on electronic medical records and
related services. Complete Health IT World News article available
at:
http://app2.topiksolutions.com/jump.ts?
c=7712&a=296&m=2289&p=906351&t=164
Hospital
Pilots Wireless Monitoring
February
18, 2004
Lakeport,
Calif-based Sutter Lakeside Hospital will implement a wireless
patient monitoring system for a pilot study.
http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?articleid=696
Docs
Take One Tablet and Go Home
February
18, 2004
North
Fulton (GA) Family Medicine on-call physicians are using Tablet
PCs to access the practice's electronic medical records system
from home. Complete Mobile Health Data article available at:
http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/article.cfm?articleid=695
Top-flight
Communication Can Help Patients' Health
February
18, 2004
Every
person who cares for patients at Vanderbilt Medical Center is
being offered a dose of the training program that has worked to
assist pilots in fatigued and stressful situations. Complete
Tennessean article available at:
http://tennessean.com/business/archives/
04/02/47092261.shtml?Element_ID=47092261
Mastering
the PDA: Small Steps Can Yield Big Efficiency Improvements
February
16, 2004
Many
physicians already use PDAs to maintain their calendars, keep a
list of important phone numbers, access reference material, assist
in coding visits, and write prescriptions. But older physicians,
never trained to use a keyboard, fear they cannot master a PDA.
With a little training, however, some are beginning to find that
their effort can go a long way toward reaping the benefits of
handheld technology.Complete Medscape Money & Medicine article
available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/468131
Small
Hospitals Have Mighty IT Plans
February
16, 2004
Though
short on resources, some small provider organizations manage to
implement clinical IT and keep pace with their larger brethren.
Complete Health Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
current/CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=16910
Some
CIOs Tired of Making the Same Old Requests
February
16, 2004
CIOs
and consultants say changing the process for creating requests for
proposals and information is the first step in purchasing more
appropriate technology. Complete Health Data Management article
available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/current/
CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=16922
The
Ascent of Wireless Networks
February
16, 2004
More
providers are opting for the freedom offered by wireless networks
and moblie hardware. However, some experts worry that many health
care organizations implementing wireless LANs are doing so in a
manner that can't handle the burgeoning demand. Complete Health
Data Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/current/
CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=16919
Hospitals
Bring Medical Devices Into the IT Loop
February
16, 2004
Health
Data Management looks at the innovative ways that providers are
linking various medical devices to clinical information systems.
Complete article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
current/CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=16918
Hospital
Take Aim at Errors - Millions Spent to Avoid Medication Mistakes
February
16, 2004
Many
hospitals in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area are pumping
millions of dollars this year into ways to reduce the number of
deaths, injuries and treatment problems that can result from
medication errors. Complete Cincinnati Enquirer article available
at: http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/02/16/loc_loc1ahosp.html
Case
Study: Cardiology Practice Cuts Transcription Costs with EMR
February
16, 2004
A
New England cardiology practice has reduced its transcription
costs by 95% and saved more than $100,000 annually after
implementing a Tablet PC-based electronic medical record system.
Complete iHealthBeat article available at: http://ihealthbeat.org…
St.
Vincent's Launches Nation's First Rural EKG Network
February
16, 2004
A
hospital in Santa Fe, NM has launched the nation's first rural EKG
network. The network allows EMS personnel to administer a 12-lead
EKG in the field through the use of an 18-bound piece of equipment
that transmits the data via satellite phone to a receiving station
at the hospital. Complete New Mexico Business Weekly article
available at: http://www.bizjournals.com…
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
Wireless
Finally Connects
February
11, 2004
Respondents
to CIO's wireless survey said that they are actively looking
beyond personal productivity tools such as e-mail to business
process applications such as updating inventory and accessing
medical records. Complete article available at:
http://www.cio.com/archive/020104/wireless.html
India
to Use Satellite for Health Care
February
11, 2004
Poor
people in India's nearly 600,000 villages will be able to consult
specialist doctors in the cities through live video when a
tele-medicine satellite is launched at the end of 2005. Complete
AP/Washington Post article available at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28223-2004Feb10.html
Technology
Foresight: XML - Wading into Health Care Data Integration Alphabet
Soup
February
10, 2004
iHealth
Beat features XML and how it will move from administrative data to
unlock the huge store of clinical data trapped in unstructured
text. Complete article available at: http://ihealthbeat.org…
Medical
E-Files
February
10, 2004
Hospitals
in the Dallas areaare investing millions in electronic medical
records, bar-coded medicines and equipment that could lead to big
changes in patient care. Complete Star-Telegram article available
at: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/7910857.htm
New
Moniker for GE Medical
February
9, 2004
Milwaukee-based
GE Medical Systems has changed its name to GE Healthcare,
reflecting an expansion of its products and services to the health
care industry. Complete Health Data Management article available
at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=vend&DID=11233
UB
Brings Bioinformatics to a New Generation
February
9, 2004
A
new program implemented at three area high schools by the
University of Buffalo will provide education in computer science
and biology that most high school students aren't exposed to.
Complete Business First of Buffalo article available at:
http://www.bizjournals.com…
Pediatricians'
Use of and Attitudes About Personal Digital Assistants
February
9, 2004
A
recent study shows that thirty-five percent of pediatricians use
PDAs at work, the most commonly used applications were for drug
reference (80%), personal scheduling (67%) and medical
calculations (61%). Article from Pediatrics. 2004 Feb; 113(2):
238-42. You must have paid subscription to access full article,
but abstract available through PubMed at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Project
Shows Potential for Data Exchange
February
9, 2004
The
most recent feature story from iHealth Beat discusses the
demonstration project, Healthcare Collaborative Network - which
involves three hospitals, IBM, and three government agencies. This
is a pilot project first announced in June 2003 that will be a
test to exchange clinical data using uniform standards. Complete
article available at: http://www.ihealthbeat.org…
Hopkins
Dean Backs State Bill for Universall Health Care
February
9, 2004
The
dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
endorsed a state bill yesterday that would force business to offer
health insurance to their employees or pay toward a fund for the
uninsured. Complete Baltimore Sun article available at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com…
Hospital
Moves to Digital Imaging
February
9, 2004
Boca
Raton (FL) Community Hospital has installed six computed
radiography systems as part of its migration from film to digital
imaging. Complete article available at Health Data Management:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=vend&DID=11222
Wireless
to Wellness
February
2, 2004
Parker
Adventist Hospital (CO) will employ wireless technology to help
deliver up-to-date information at the point of care, at the time
of care. Complete Rocky Mountain News article available at:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com…
Health
CEOs: Interest in IT Spending on Rise
February
2, 2004
More
than 97% of hospital leaders believe that improved clinical
quality is tied to their information technology strategy and
investments, and many are spending on clinical, rather than
financial applications. Complete Dallas Business Journal article
available at:
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/
2004/02/02/newscolumn3.html
Doctors
Meet Patients in Cyberspace Office
February
2, 2004
Lifetime
Health Medical Centers (Buffalo, NY) have added an online service
to make doctor-patient encounters more efficient and convenient
for all involved. Complete article available at:
http://www.bizjournals.com/…
The
Changing Face of Oracle
February
2, 2004
Larry
Ellison, CEP of oracle provided an interview to Information Week
during which he was asked how technology could improve
health-care. His answer is available with the complete interview
at:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/cmp/20040131/tc_cmp/17600080
Small
Practices Fuel Sales of EMR Systems
February
2, 2004
Pressure
from payers and a growing interest by physicians have analysts
expecting large growth in electronic medical record sales to small
groups. Complete American Medical News article available at:
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/02/09/bil20209.htm
Huguley
Streamlines Patient Management
February
2, 2004
A
new computerized system at Huguley Memorial Medical Center (TX)
allows physicians to get lab results, x-ray reports, and vital
signs quickly without setting foot in the hospital. Complete Fort
Worth Star-Telegram article available at:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/7854825.htm
Electronic
Patient Care Reporting Systems Improve EMS Performance
February
2, 2004
iHealthBeat
feature story focusses on the use of electronic patient care
reporting systems in emergency medical services. Complete article
available at: http://ihealthbeat.org…
Piedmont
Clinic and Blue Cross and Blue Shield Evaluate Paperless Record
System
February
2, 2004
Piedmont
Clinic, a network of more than 400 physicians affiliated with
Piedmont Medical Center, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia
(BCBSGA), are evaluating the benefits of establishing an
ambulatory electronic medical record system for clinical medical
offices and health plans. Complete Press Release available at:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040129/clth064_1.html