We’re honored to be chosen by Xconomy.com as One of the Top 20 Stories of 2011!  Xconomy is one of our favorite sources of information about the technology world and we’re excited to be included.

http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2011/12/28/editors-picks-xconomy-bostons-top-20ish-stories-of-2011/

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Last week, Kaiser Permanente published a report finding that health information technology can significantly help the environment. One astonishing finding showed the transition to electronic health records (EHR) could lower carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 1.7 million tons across the entire U.S. population. (The pollution equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the roads here in America)

We believe that less than 20% of America’s physicians use EHR and EMR today. When properly implemented, there are huge benefits to the EMR and EHR systems. However, many opportunities exist currently including reducing patient trips to a doctor’s office. “What stands out is the opportunity to reduce automobile trips,” said Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser’s environmental stewardship officer.

Kaiser is a great example for how to manage a company’s data center in an energy-efficient way. The numbers are staggering, and show that beyond organizational efficiency, there are benefits to our planet as well.

Here are some statistics about how EMRs can contribute to environmental health from switching 8.7 million members over to EHRs:

• Eliminating 1,000 tons of paper records
• Eliminating 68 tons of x-ray film by switching to digital x-rays
• Eliminating about 38 tons of toxic chemical used to process film x-rays
• 71.5 million gallons of water saved per year
• Saving 3 million gallons of gasoline per year from avoided medical visits

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It seems like its only a matter of time before iPads in doctors’ offices and hospitals become as commonplace as many of the familiar sights when a patient visits a medical center. An article outlining physicians’ growing affinity for the iPad demonstrates many key points ranging from the mobility and portability of the devices and information, to the interactive characteristics allowing for patients to see their charts and diagnostic images instantly on a touchscreen. A patient’s ability to see an image of an ailment has a great impact in helping them to understand the information, and take the necessary steps to stay healthy.

Dr. John Halamka, chief information officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, MA went so far as to say the iPad “will change the way doctors practice medicine.’’

“The secret for the ideal clinical device,’’ he said, “is it has to weigh a pound, it has to last 10 hours, because that’s their shift, you have to be able to disinfect it so there’s no risk of contamination, and you have to be able to drop it 5 feet onto carpet without damage.’’

General Electric recently announced they are partnering with AirStrip Technologies to put data from GE Healthcare’s MUSE Cardiology Information System onto iPhones and iPads via the Airstrip Cardiology mobile application. Clinicians will be able to view current and historical data from ECGs helping to make informed decisions more quickly.

Many healthcare information technology vendors, including Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and surgical instrument companies are shifting part of their focus into developing systems that are not only innovative, but also simple for physicians to learn how to use. Solutions that are mobile, compatible with other devices and software, and use the cloud for information storage and easy accessibility tend to be the most desired.

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The destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami has lately dominated the headlines. The damage in Japan seen in the news barely scratches the surface, as many long term issues remain hidden beneath the imagery of physical damage throughout the affected areas. We are well aware of the shortage in medical care, with hospitals and clinics being destroyed, scarce resources to treat those desperate for care.

Another major issue is the proper medical treatment of the elderly and sick, much of which will have to be done without any of the patient medical records, which perished in the disaster. The medical profiles of the people in danger remain unknown, and medical teams sometimes hesitate in treating people since they are unaware of the logistics regarding special medical conditions, leading to greater complications.

The importance of having a digital medical records system to provide the backup brings to light the urgent need for many countries, including the United States to continue accelerating the transition to electronic medical records (EMR). IDC’s Health Insights research manager Janet Chiew stated, “Imagine the enhanced effectiveness and savings in resources if rescue parties and medical teams are aware of the profile of people in danger, put on standby the necessary equipment and drugs for those chronically-ill, and quickly identify those with special medical conditions upon rescue. This can be possible if the information is made available via a national EHR (NEHR) [system].”

Japan is developing a health information exchange (HIE) system, and they have a similar EMR landscape similar to the U.S; with adoption being done in certain areas, and gaps in many others. The entire Asia-Pacific region is investing lots of capital in healthcare information technology and are actively developing effective EMR technologies. While many of the same obstacles we face here in the U.S. exist there as well (IT talent, and the investment of lots of time and money for medical organizations), the commitment is high to streamline their entire medical information systems to better deliver patient care.

Medical care in disasters such as the recent events in Japan has the opportunity to bring to light the urgency and long term value of having a fully digitized medical records system. Countless lives can be saved, many treatments can be more efficient and accurate, and medical teams can have the right tools and resources to deliver the best diagnosis and treatment possible, even in the face of a huge catastrophe.

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I came across an article about some Toronto doctors using the Microsoft XBox Kinect to manipulate and view images while still at the operating table. Typically, physicians have to step out of the operating room, scrub out, and view the images outside of the sterilized surgical area, taking up to 20 minutes to view images. Using this gaming technology, hospitals can now save lots of time leading to being able to operate on and treat more patients.

The integration of virtual technology like the Kinect can help the surgeons’ precision during a procedure, as they will no longer need to communicate with assistants to adjust and change images. The medical team was able to calibrate the Xbox 360 depth camera (built into the Kinect) to its medical imaging computer. This allows for the digital imagery to be manipulated in the operating room with a wave of a  hand. This will not only save time, but also could lead to less invasive procedures as well. Combining this technology with patients’ electronic medical records (EMR) will help the teams in operating rooms improve the accuracy and speed of patient care if all of the data and images needed to evaluate the next steps of treatment are all in one place.

Overall, I feel this could hold a huge amount of promise moving forward with regards to allowing surgeons to do more procedures, speed up patient care, lessen infections, and even preserve healthy tissue surrounding the “targets” of operations. In a sense, the medical team at Sunnybrook Hospital created a medical device for a bit more than the cost of a video game console.

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I thought this was humorous and sad to say, quite accurate when evaluating the state of affairs with medical records and healthcare. The Onion had a satirical column on getting an oil change and general car maintenance, and compared it to the organization in a hospital and other medical facilities delivering patient care.

An excerpt from the column:

“We figured that a basic database would help us with everything from scheduling regular appointments to predicting future lubrication requirements,” said the proprietor of the local oil-change shop, Karl Lemke, who has no special logistical or programming skills, and who described his organizational methods, which are far more advanced than those of any hospital emergency room, as “basic, common-sense stuff.”

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I was happy to find this data regarding the amount of money that can be saved by using Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The interactive graphics show numerically what we already know; the healthcare industry is extremely inefficient and many opportunities exist for significant savings resulting in better streamlined patient care.

By year 15 of 90% EMR adoption in the U.S., a savings of $627.5 billion could be realized. (Mean average yearly savings of $41.8 billion)

Another example of how EMRs can benefit the physicians and patients, is the time it takes for paper versus electronic medical records to go from one physician to another. (click the link for another great interactive map)

Hopefully physicians and healthcare organizations alike will realize that the investment and training necessary for EMR implementation and usage will help to make patient care more efficient and cost effective. We’re talking big money here!

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We attended the WebInno29 event in Cambridge, MA last night and saw some great presentations previewing some new companies and services that we thoroughly enjoyed. There were hundreds of people in attendance; a testament to the growth of the organization and interest our local community has in making a mark on innovative web technologies and products.

The “main dish” presentations featured some great products from several people we know. Chris Keller from FollowUp.cc demonstrated a solution turning emails into reminders and almost calendar-like functionality. Then came Susan Hunt Stevens with Practically Green, which is a tool allowing people to assess and act on how “green” they are living their daily life. It is interactive and can be fun using the recommendations provided by the service. Wilson Kerr and Keith Lietzke concluded this segment of the evening by showing us their Unbound Commerce software which allows retailers to capitalize on the use of Facebook and mobile technology to interact and make transactions with their customers.

We finished the night with some Naked Pizza and Narragansett Beer courtesy of friend Mike Salguero at his CustomMade company headquarters. CustomMade is the first online marketplace to connect shoppers seeking customized home furnishings and other items with the people creating them. The evening brought together people with great ideas, products, and services, and we look forward to the next event.

(I was surprised nobody caught Chris Keller’s Steve Jobs joke in the email address…you’ll have to ask him about that)

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While there are many concerns surrounding the security of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), a recent survey conducted at the University of Chicago showed that the majority of Americans (64%) are in favor of being able to access their own personal health records online. Half of the people polled worried about the security of their medical records, but the control and accessibility of their health information took preference to these concerns.

One of the most important benefits of EMRs is the much simpler exchange of health information between the doctor and their patients. However, patients are less in favor of EMRs when asked about having to pay for them.

A large amount of people (80%) find e-prescribing favorable, which allows for doctors to electronically send prescriptions to a pharmacy. E-prescribing also helps to reduce medication errors, and in turn increases patient safety.

If patient medical records are easily accessible and available, patients are more likely to take the initiative to find out how to stay healthier and listen to their physician’s medical advice. Companies like IBM are already leading the way towards creating patient portals to help patients manage all their health data. Long term this will lead to a healthier population with a lower expenditure on their personal healthcare and illnesses, while empowering patients with the tools necessary to have a role in their own diagnosis and treatment.

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Its been exciting keeping up with all the events and exhibits at the HIMSS 2011 Conference in Orlando, FL. I have to say that social media has made it so much easier to keep track of all the innovation in information technology and everything else companies and researchers are building.

Here are some of the highlights:

1) Healthtap: Personalized, accessible, and useful personal health information. The information is organized around easy to navigate topics to help guide people’s healthcare treatment decision making and diagnosis.  Healthtap seems to have a very sound model for personal health information, and the analysis that can help the consumers directly.

2) National Coordinator for Healthcare IT David Blumenthal and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius delivered the keynote addresses for the HIMSS ’11 Conference. They underlined the bipartisan support for the continued investment in healthcare information technology, the opportunity for significant job and economic growth, streamlined statewide health information exchanges, and the emergence of technology that U.S. vendors can not only use domestically, but also sell in overseas markets to help the overall U.S. economy. Blumenthal also stated that Meaningful Use will have requirements for interoperability, and the further development of privacy guidelines for health data during information exchange.

3) HIMSS 2011 breaks the attendance record, with over 30,000 people in attendance. Hopefully this is just the beginning of several years of increased technological advances, more adoption of healthcare IT in organizations, and overall better patient care. Sidenote: I wonder how many iPads total were given away. Seemed like every time I checked twitter, there was another iPad prize at an exhibitor booth.

4) Meet The Bloggers panel was a very informative and worthwhile discussion for people looking to learn how to gain a following through relevant and interesting content. Great questions from the listeners as well.

5) Extormity unmasked brought forth a great parody from Medical Informatics Engineering outlining the issues in health information and electronic medical records (EMR) security and privacy, problems with EMR adoption and cost, and the ambiguity surrounding much of the HITECH Act, Meaningful Use. It was great to see some humor “on stage.”

The general innovation and advances from many of the Healthcare IT vendors was great to see. EMR adoption seems to be taking hold in many healthcare organizations, and would probably gain momentum even faster if anyone can ever decipher the language known as Meaningful Use. IBM Healthcare, MEDecision, Allscripts, GE Healthcare, Practice Fusion, and many others all brought forth outstanding products, demonstrations, and ideas for the future.

Next year is sure to be even better, and maybe we’ll even be able to see Watson in the operating room during surgery.

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