IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

A National Task Force was formed to bring in telemedicine into the mainstream of healthcare delivery. The guidelines are for image transfer, HL-7 (global authority on standards for interoperability of health information technology), DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine), privacy and confidentiality. Now the onus of having a full-fledged policy is on the ministry of health, according to ISRO officials.

IIIT-A director MD Tiwari said that Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications are consistently growing for Healthcare. ICT has found utility in providing quick access to vast amount of medical information, automating the process of clinical diagnosis and also clinical investigations.

After handing out health smart cards to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families of the state, the Uttarakhand government is now all set to deliver these cards to state government employees and pensioners.

"These cards would be handed to them next month. This unique scheme covers around two lakh state government employees and pensioners and entitles them to cash free treatment,” a senior government official said.

But wait — fortunately for Mupanna, there’s a telemedicine pilot project happening in Mupanna’s village with all the facilities available — ultrasound, XRay, ECG, the works. Mupanna can’t believe his eyes: a doctor in Bangalore checks him up over a video-conferencing solution, and tells him he has a severe viral fever, that’s all. The attendants at Mupanna’s end hands out the medicines he’s prescribed. Now Mupanna’s sold on the idea of future broadband technologies and their applications.

The healthcare sector would undergo a dramatic change with mobile broadband making electronic medical records, insurance and claims data, scheduling, billing, drug information and other patient management systems easily accessible.

In a country where seventy percent of the population lives in villages, and eighty percent of healthcare professionals live in cities, “m-health could provide high quality services at low prices even in remote areas,” states Hemant Joshi, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells, India.

The project will be led by hi-tech entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani and is based on computer application called SCOSTA.

The biometric smart card will have personal details related to retina, fingerprints, credit histories, name, sex, address, marital status, photo, identification mark and criminal background details (if any). These details will be linked to a central online database or repository.

Hays noted that American Indians and Alaska Natives have high rates of heart disease, diabetes and certain mental health conditions but limited access to specialists. Telehealth tools -- such as videoconferencing technology and electronic health information exchanges -- can help close the distance gap between patients and specialists, according to Hays.

Picture “The Jetsons” character Mr. Spacely screaming at his subordinate, George Jetson (below), except that Mr. Spacely is actually a doctor and he’s nice and wearing a doctor’s white garb and tenderly treating George Jetson, his patient.

The government aims to ensure universal healthcare in the state through a robust IT-enabled management and monitoring system.

Supported by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Central Government of India, the project will first capture demographic data in the state, then automate hospital processes and bring all information into a centralised State Health Information system.

A premature baby, weighing less than 2,000 grams at birth, Tabassum is being screened by specialists using a software developed by a Bangalore based start-up i2i Telesolutions. The software links ophthalmologists at urban centres with patients in remote areas.

Das Schweizer Gesundheitssystem ist nicht eben für seine Effizienz bekannt. Rund 50 Milliarden Franken werden hierzulande pro Jahr für die Gesundheit ausgegeben und die Kosten steigen fortlaufend an. Mit immer neuen Massnahmen wird versucht, die Kosten in den Griff zu bekommen, wobei beispielsweise tranzparenzschaffende elektronische Krankenakten seit Jahren im Gespräch sind, ohne dass es wirklich vorangeht.

Through this transaction, Telkom aims to develop InsureNet, an Indonesian insurance shared services platform, for the national e-health program. The platform is an online collaboration and transaction network that aims to enhance effectiveness, productivity and quality of services provided by insurers.

Marzan A. Iskandar, the head of the agency known as the BPPT, said e-Health, an information and communication technology program, was expected to provide the public with better access to health services.

“E-Health will contain the medical history of a patient, which will make it easier for paramedics to take action,” Marzan said on Wednesday at the e-Indonesia Initiatives Forum in Jakarta. “People will also be able to consult doctors without having to meet face-to-face.”

E-health in general consists of various telecommunication and IT solutions for the healthcare sector connecting medical informatics, health services and the delivery of information through the Internet and other related technologies. Most of e-health solutions are services supporting physicians and hospital staff, analysis services via mobile phones, emergency and locating services, healthcare hotlines and information services, multimedia solutions, offers for disabled people, reminder services and tele-monitoring.

Sybernet CEO Ilham Namazov informs that within the project it is created database and electronic medical history sheet of country’s citizens, containing the collection of information about the state of human health throughout his life, including personal history and diseases, the results of medical diagnostic tests, immunizations, prescribing medications, treatments, and other information generated in electronic form.

Computers and other electronic devices simplify the storage, sharing, and access of health information for healthcare providers in hospitals, labs, X-ray facilities and so on. The usage of computers for this application is called Health Information Technology (HIT) or Health IT.

Through a collaborative process led by eHI's multi-stakeholder leadership, development of the Blueprint involved nearly 200 organizations representing the many diverse stakeholders in health care, including clinicians, consumers, employers and health care purchasers, IT suppliers, health plans, hospitals and other providers, laboratories, the life sciences industry, pharmacies, public health agencies, and state and regional leaders.

A few years ago, international experts reported that Greece’s healthcare system was on the brink of collapse with government health spending dropping year after year. Since 2009, Greece’s GDP has dropped 26% affecting the already high unemployment rate leading to more people without health insurance and limited access to healthcare services. The financial crisis put pressure on a healthcare system under a lot of strain and in urgent need for reform, making it vulnerable to economic fluctuation and ill prepared to meet the changing needs of society.

Rolling out a state-wide electronic health record system is no mean feat for the CIO of SA Health, David Johnston. The government organisation last month switched on enterprise patient administration system (EPAS) that is set to transform 12 hospitals across South Australia.

“This would be the largest IT-enabled project that the state has ever undertaken,” Johnston told CIO Australia. “It’s a significant initiative because it means that if it works here then it’s completely applicable to other states or countries, other jurisdictions.