News about Communications, Infrastructures and Networks

Health Care Unplugged: The Evolving Role of Wireless Technology

Source: iHealth Beat (California Healthcare Foundation magazine)  
Nov 2007
By: Richard Adler, M.B.A.

Wireless technology enables clinicians to monitor patients remotely and give them timely health information, reminders, and support—potentially extending the reach of health care by making it available anywhere, anytime. This report is based on interviews with more than two dozen researchers, clinicians, and application developers, along with a review of a broad range of published papers and articles, Web resources, and other materials. It includes an overview of who is using wireless technology and how it is evolving, as well as the wide variety of wireless health care applications that are already available or under development.

The impact these advances could have on providers, patients, and payers is also explored, as are the difficult issues that must still be resolved. The author concludes that the health care industry's appetite for wireless applications will likely depend more on systemic changes in the way medical services are delivered and reimbursed than the capabilities of the technology itself.

The complete report is available under Document Downloads below.

Document Downloads:
Health Care Unplugged: The Evolving Role of Wireless Technology (Pdf; 382K)

Irish cancer centre modeled on remote IT design

Source:  Healthcare IT News.com ( www.imakenews.com/ )
Date: 29 May 2007
Written by Chip Means, Associate Editor

DUBLIN - A new Dublin-based cancer centre will provide Ireland's population with access to state-of-the-art oncology information technology such as remote data management and high-end radiography services.

Beacon Hospital Cancer Centre is the newest international clinic operated by United States-based University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Mary Harney, Ireland's minister for health and children, officially opened the Cancer Centre on 14 May.  The cancer centre features radiography and data solutions included in UPMC's IT model. "We adopt that same model when we do any center outside of Western Pennsylvania," said Deb Salava, director of IT for UPMC Cancer Centers International.

That model includes, among other things, a remote data management system that allows Pittsburgh-based physicists to view and share information collected at Beacon. "It's really an oncology-specific electronic medical record," Salava said. (read more...) 

Bangalore Heart Center Uses Passive RFID Cards to Track Outpatients

The EPC-based system, from Aventyn, has helped the facility increase patient throughput, reduce the use of paper forms and better track equipment.

The Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain (BMJ) Heart Center in Bangalore, India, is using passive UHF RFID tags to help maintain patient records, monitor patient flow and care, and track assets throughout the hospital's outpatient department.  Since the fall of 2006, the cardiac hospital—part of the Vivus Group —has employed the Clinical Information Processing Platform (CLIP), from Aventyn , a wireless technology company based in San Diego, Calif. The facility now tracks an average of 100 new patients a day, as well as returning patients, as they check into its outpatient department.

"We were aware of some hospitals in the United States using [RFID] for asset tracking," says Dr. Satish Chandra, BMJ's director of noninvasive cardiology, "and were interested in how this could really benefit patient care." The Web-based CLIP system includes software and EPC Gen 2 interrogators and tags. In addition, Aventyn helps its customers plan for and implement the software and hardware. In May, the company announced an updated version of its CLIP solution, able to support Microsoft's BizTalk RFID platform for managing auto-ID devices. (read more...)

Bangalore Heart Center Uses Passive RFID Cards to Track Outpatients

The EPC-based system, from Aventyn, has helped the facility increase patient throughput, reduce the use of paper forms and better track equipment.

The Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain (BMJ) Heart Center in Bangalore, India, is using passive UHF RFID tags to help maintain patient records, monitor patient flow and care, and track assets throughout the hospital's outpatient department.  Since the fall of 2006, the cardiac hospital—part of the Vivus Group —has employed the Clinical Information Processing Platform (CLIP), from Aventyn , a wireless technology company based in San Diego, Calif. The facility now tracks an average of 100 new patients a day, as well as returning patients, as they check into its outpatient department.

"We were aware of some hospitals in the United States using [RFID] for asset tracking," says Dr. Satish Chandra, BMJ's director of noninvasive cardiology, "and were interested in how this could really benefit patient care." The Web-based CLIP system includes software and EPC Gen 2 interrogators and tags. In addition, Aventyn helps its customers plan for and implement the software and hardware. In May, the company announced an updated version of its CLIP solution, able to support Microsoft's BizTalk RFID platform for managing auto-ID devices. (read more...)

A Premium Health Care Grid to Be Deployed in Saskatchewan (Canada)

Source: “On The Go Technologies Group” (published at www.gridtoday.com )
Date: 24 of May, 2007

“On The Go Technologies Group”, a leading multi-industry computer hardware, software and systems integrator, announced today that its broad spectrum health care division, OTG Healthcare, has received an order for a turnkey DICOM archive solution inclusive of “Acuo Technologies DICOM Grid software and hardware” to be deployed within Saskatchewan's Provincial health care region. The order is significant and unprecedented as it represents the first of its kind in Canada.

IST: A new approach for better telecom systems
Date: 21.10.2002
Source: Euresom

An EU-funded project is creating the foundations for improved telecom systems through the design and application of a new software development technique. (more)

Managing Diverse Storage Devices - Emerging Solutions
Date: 18.10.2002
Source: Newsfactor E-Commerce Minute (www.newsfactor.com)

Enterprises are using an increasingly diverse mix of data storage equipment to wring out the most cost and boost the efficiency of their storage installations.

This is one of the findings of a recent data storage survey carried out by Internet World magazine in conjunction with investment research firm Punk Ziegal & Co. and market research firm Perseus Development Corp.

Internet World sponsored the survey of 495 executive and line-of-business managers to learn how they plan to spend their money on the latest storage technology. (more)

Wireless Technology Criticized For Vulnerabilities
Date: 29.01.2002
Source: NewsScan Daily (http://www.newsscan.com)

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California has banned all wireless networks, including Microsoft's Wi-Fi, because of security concerns. Wi-Fi supporters say the technology is secure when it's been properly installed, but experts say that only about 10% of all users install them correctly.

For more information visit :
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/2002/01/29/wifi.htm

New OECD study on Broadband access (OECD Countries)
Date: 19.11.2001
Source: Canarie (http://www.canarie.ca)

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released their latest study on the development of broadband access. Some of the data must have been available for the "Broadband blues" article in June issue of The Economist, but here is the adress  for the full report:

• http://www.oecd.org/pdf/M00020000/M00020255.pdf

CA*Net 3 - Optical Internet Backbone

In February 1998, the federal government announced a $55 million commitment to CANARIE build a national optical Internet network. In March 1998 CANARIE issued a Request for Information (RFI) to select potential industry partners to build and deploy this network. The new optical Internet network is intended to be a testbed to showcase Canadian industry capability in next generation Internet products and services and, in parallel with CA*net II, to provide an unparalleled network for the support of research and education. (more)

Future Revolution in Optical Networking - NSF Report

• View or download the full report here.

Canada leads world in the development of fyber-optic networks

• Read the full article here.