The Department of Health and Human Services has provided billions of dollars in incentive payments to doctors and hospitals to drive the adoption of health information technologies, such as electronic health records systems.Read more

InformationWeek reports that a new Federal program will soon fund technology improvements for behavioral health organizations. "The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded $25 million to help behavioral health organizations implement health IT to enable clinicians to access, manage, and monitor patient data."Read more

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will host a bill signing ceremony for state legislation that will expand telemedicine services across the state.

The signing takes place at 2pm today at the VCU Minimally Invasive Surgery Center in Richmond.

You can find more details about the signing ceremony here. And if you’re at one of the state’s six telemedicine centers, you can watch a “broadcast” of the ceremony as well. The Southside Sentinel has more details here.

This week's CTIA conference in Las Vegas hosted a panel on the future of mobile broadband driven “mhealth.” Broadband for America has focused on efforts to use current and emerging broadband technology to improve healthcare across the country, from the doctor to the patient. Innovations in Health IT can save costs, improve access to medical care and even save lives. Here are some highlights from the panel:
 
John Maschenic, Associate Director, Vertical Data Sales, Verizon Wireless: “You’ll start to see third party solutions for patients. I think that will change the way we adopt [Health IT] solutions.” “I don’t think a lot of the hospitals wanted the reforms pushed on them. So, we started seeing a lot of these outside companies looking at how they can address these issues.”

Read more from Maschenic here.
 
Clint McClellan; Sr. Director Bus Dev. Wireless Health; Qualcomm: “These prices will come down. We’re just at the beginning phase. All this just makes too much sense not to happen.”

“We’ll need to focus on rural. I’ve heard horror stories of a patient driving 42 miles for a check-up only to have the doctor say, “You look great, have a nice day.” You could have that visit over a live chat and save time, money and resources.”Read more

This blog is a crosspost from http://theworldwellinherit.blogspot.com/2010/03/american-national-broadband-plan-on.html

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) was issued last week to a warm reception and many high profile endorsements of its overriding objectives. The NBP addresses the issues of telemedicine, mobile health and the health care information technology (HCIT) industry as a whole through a candid snapshot of the current marketplace in chapter 10 (download the chapter here). In short, there is a clear acknowledgment of the possibility for innovation and new economic activity. Above all else, it is a clear attempt to stimulate entrepreneurial activity in new and clearly under-served markets.Read more

I can think of no more rewarding use of broadband communications services than the application of the Internet to healthcare, known as telemedicine.   Telemedicine brings patients and health professionals together regardless of geographic location so as to provide consultations, ongoing care and health related distance learning. I am the Medical Director in the Office of Telemedicine for the University of Virginia Medical System and President of the American Telemedicine Association.  I am also a  pediatric cardiologist, which  provides me with real-life, experience in the uses of Telemedicine.

As an example, on New Year’s Day 2000, a newborn's abnormal echocardiogram was transmitted from a cardiologist in Winchester, Virginia – about 130 miles away – to my office in Charlottesville.  Through the use of broadband, I was able to spot a very rare, imminently life-threatening but treatable cardiac defect in the newborn.  Broadband helped to save that baby’s life.

Hundreds of my colleagues at the University of Virginia have supported thousands of clinical encounters using broadband communications networks since our program launched in 1995.  Via our network, physicians and patients participate in  clinical consultations with specialists at our Medical Center without bearing the burden, expense and in some cases, the discomfort of travel many hours from home.   We are about to launch a home telehealth program in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity and Comcast.  We work with Verizon to connect many patients from Virginia’s federally qualified health centers. We provide mobile digital mammography services in rural Virginia linking back to our radiologists for early reads via our broadband communications network.  Read more