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 November 2003 edition of the AVI HTML Newsletter.
AMIA Annual Symposium was held November 8-12, 2003 in Washington, D.C. I was unable to attend and news reports are lacking on attendance and overall evaluation of the symposium. Hopefully, someone will report to us for the December newsletter.
The most exciting thing coming in the near future seems to be SNOMED. Starting in January 2004, free-of-charge access to SNOMED CT core content and all version updates will be available through the NLM’s Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus, a knowledge source containing biomedical concepts and terms from many controlled vocabularies and classifications.
The Call for Papers for the 2005 AVMA Convention has been posted. 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.
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 will go out in the month of December. 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 bi-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)
Accord
Will Help Doctors Get Wired
November
14, 2003
The
American Academy of Family Physicians, hoping to remove some of
the barriers that have kept doctors from embracing new technology,
struck an agreement with General Electric Co., Siemens AG and six
other companies to lower the prices charged for computer systems
that store patients' medical records electronically. Under the
agreement, the participating companies also will cooperate to
develop standards to make it possible for physicians to input and
send information to and from hospitals, laboratories and
pharmacies, and transfer records to other providers. The
partnership includes not only companies that sell electronic
medical records, but also makers of medical equipment, laboratory
information systems and billing databases.Complete Wall Street
Journal Article available with paid subscription at:
http://online.wsj.com/…
Automated
Dosing: Computerized Physician Order Entry Reduces Risk of
Medication and Dosing Errors in Neonatal ICU
November
14, 2003
Health
Management Technology looks to CPOE to serve as the backbone of a
hospital's patient safety initiative, especially when it comes to
reducing medication errors. Complete article available at:
http://www.healthmgttech.com/archives/h1103dosing.htm
WiFi
Helps Make Paging the Doctor Easier
November
11, 2003
The
San Jose Mercury News reviews new wireless technology to assist
locating and communicating with nurses or doctors. Complete
article available at:
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/7228872.htm
21st
Century Librarian Awards November
10, 2003
We would like to call your attention
to the fourth annual competition for the 21st-Century Librarian
Awards. These two awards recognize librarians who have been
leaders in the evolution of the profession in the new information
environment. These awards are a project of the Masters of Science
in Library and Information Science (MSLIS) students at Syracuse
University's School of Information Studies. The 4th Annual 21st
Century National Librarian Award competition is open to all
librarians with more than 5 years post-MLS working experience. The
2004 21st Century New Librarian Award competition is open to all
librarians who are in their first 5 years post-MLS working
experience. Candidates should apply for the award themselves or
have a second party complete all application materials by Friday,
December 5, 2003. Please visit our website for more details on how
to apply, award criteria, and other information
(http://21stcentury.syr.edu). All application procedures will be
handled via Web forms. All questions can be addressed to:
libaward@syr.edu.
When
Docs Take Calls, They're Usually Wireless
November
10, 2003
The
Business Journal of Portland looks at doctors and nurses on the
front lines in health care who are turning to the latest wireless
technology to make sure they get what they need. Complete article
available at: http://www.bizjournals.com
Europe
Exceeds US in Refining Grid Computing
November
10, 2003
When
the Swiss-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis needed a new
supercomputer for designing drugs, the company found it already
had one. It was hidden in the unused computing power the company
had available in the thousands of PC's that were already being
used in its offices. Complete NY Times article available at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/10/technology/10grid.html
Journal
article from the British Medical Journal
November
10, 2003
Randomised
Controlled trial of clinical decision support tools to improve
learning of evidence based medicine in medical students Article
available at:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/327/7423/1090
Patient
e-Mails: Time Pit or Newest Profit Center?
November
10, 2003
The
Business Journal of Portland looks at recent pilot programs run by
health care organizations to review the feasibility and
profitability of physician-patient e-mail communication. Complete
article avaialble at: http://www.bizjournals.com
Patient
Challenges Contractor Storing Medical Records
November
7, 2003
The
Greenville News reports on a person who is challenging doctors who
use third-party contractors to store electronic medical records.
Complete article available at:
http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/11/03/2003110318186.htm
AHCAHP
Medicaid-focused Plans and Commercial Health Plans Find Similar
Uses for Information Technology
November
7, 2003
A
new survey of community health center affiliated health plans
serving Medicaid and SCHIP populations shows how these plans use
IT systems to improve preventive care. Press release available at:
http://www.ahcahp.org
State's
Report Tallies IT Savings
November
7, 2003
Massachusetts
could save $2.48 billion each year if providers and payers in the
state widely implement seven specific information technologies,
according to a new report from a workgroup of the Massachusetts
Technology Collaborative. Complete Health Data Management article
available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/
PortalStory.cfm?type=trend&DID=10956
Health
Care Information Technology Gets a Geography Lesson
November
5, 2003
Health
Data Management looks in-depth at how health information
technology can benefit through the use of aerial photographs and
geographic information systems. Complete article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/current/
CurrentIssueStory.cfm?PostID=16417
NJ
Doctors Can Go Digital with eMail Perscriptions
November
5, 2003
New
New Jersey state rules allow doctors to e-mail drug orders
straight to the pharmacy. Complete Star-Ledger article at:
http://nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1068017668182200.xml?starledger?nnj
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
Eight
of 10 Hospitals in US Has a Web site, AHA Annual Survey finds
November
3, 2003
The
share of U.S. hospitals with Web addresses jumped to 81% in 2002
from roughly 68% the previous year, data from this year's AHA
Annual Survey of Hospitals indicates.Complete AHA News article
available at: http://www.hospitalconnect.com/ahanews…
HIPAA
2003 - Standard Transactions and Code Sets: Practical Steps and
Strategic Options
November
3, 2003
Healthleaders
Feature article highlights some practical steps that entities can
take that are struggling with the HIPAA deadlines. Complete
article available at:
http://www.healthleaders.com/news/
feature1.php?contentid=49718
Health
Information Online Still Has Room to Improve, Studies Find
October
30, 2003
iHealthBeat
commentary on Consumer health informatics indicates that news for
consumers who want an easy way to find credible health information
online isn't good. Complete article available at:
http://www.ihealthbeat.org…
Cart
54, Where are you? The Tracking System Knows
October
30, 2003
The
New York Times looks at the implementation of Global Positioning
Systems and other technology to keep tabs on people and equipment
in hospitals. Complete article available at:
http://nytimes.com/2003/10/30/technology/
circuits/30room.html
Hospitals
Adopt New Measures to Avoid Medical Errors
October
28, 2003
The
New Jersey Star Ledger reports on the new steps local hospitals
are taking to avoid medical errors. Complete article available at:
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1067150262251970.xml?starledger?nnj
Massachusetts
Medical Society and DrFirst Announce Agreement to Introduce
Electronic Prescribing to Massachusetts
October
28, 2003
Massachusetts
Medical Society becomes the first state-based physician
organization to endorse an electronic prescribing application.
Joint press release available at:
http://www.drfirst.com/press_room.htm
Grid
Computing Takes on Breast Cancer
October
27, 2003
The
technology needed to create the first U.S.-wide digital
mammography archive is finally being introduced to the commercial
health care industry. If it sells, the archive will spur sales of
digital mammography, which has been slow to catch on. And that
could save lives. Complete Forbes article available at:
http://www.forbes.com/home/2003/10/27/
cx_pp_1027mammography.html
Net
Lifeline for African Doctors
October
23, 2003
Doctors
in East Africa have been given access to thousands of online
medical papers thanks to a unique project with the University of
Toronto. Complete BBC News article available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3211844.stm
Gadget
Knows Grandma Inside Out
October
23, 2003
The
New York Times reports on the increased use of home monitoring
systems for the elderly. Complete article available with free
subscription at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/23/technology/
circuits/23elde.html
Political,
Medical Leaders Support National Data Network
October
23, 2003
The
Miami Herald discusses the advancements made by the Kanter
Foundation for a national electronic network of health data.
Complete article available at:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7077925.htm
Alberta
Health Providers to Share Patient Medical Records via Computer
October
22, 2003
Alberta
is moving to place people's medical records into a computer base
that will be linked to health providers across the province.
Complete Canadian Press article available at:
http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=F078B671-B341-4D5C-A576-DC691D94D261
Grant
to Fund Online Access to Health Data
October
22, 2003
Armed
with a one-year grant from NLM, Florida A&M University's
College of Pharmacy will install computers at Bond and Nims that
will offer free access to the library's extensive database of
health and medical resources. Complete Tallahessee Democrat
article is available at:
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/
local/7063006.htm
AHIMA
Tries to Ease IT Transition
October
21, 2003
AHIMA
has unveiled recommendations that six AHIMA workgroups have
developed to recommend practice standards in a number of areas as
providers migrate to electronic records. Complete Health Data
Management article available at:
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/html/news/
NewsStory.cfm?DID=10899
Chronicling
Medical Errors
October
21, 2003
ECRI,
an independent health services research agency, is getting ready
to unveil a new Web-based system for reporting medical
errors.Complete Philadelphia Business Journal article available
at: http://www.bizjournals.com/…
OHSU
System Could Sniff Out Early Warnings from ER Data
October
21, 2003
The
Oregonian reports that computer analysis information of hospital
diagnoses of 230,000 patients gathered over the past five years by
Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, may help detect
new diseases, new outbreaks or bioterrorism. Complete article
available at: http://www.oregonlive.com/…
Mentoring
May Increase Ranks of Women in Top Medical Jobs
October
21, 2003
The
Wall Street Journal reports on women in medicine, stating that
some women believe that one way to help increase the number of
women who move into top-level positions in medicine is to increase
mentoring and networking opportunities. Complete Wall Street
Journal article is only available with subscription at:
http://online.wsj.com…