The USA is behind the rest of the World!

Live-Vu is in the right place at the right time!

Telemedicine/Telehealth Update
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

This is an amazing time and we are at the center of the storm with everyone ready to see telemedicine and telehealth move forward said Jonathan Linkous, CEO, of the American Telemedicine Association. He continued to say that telemedicine has been growing with 200 networks, at 300 sites, and 100,000 units in homes treating individuals with chronic conditions. Yet we are behind the rest of the world.

Posted by Carolyn Bloch at 3:03 PM

Telemedicine can serve the critical care needs of rural communities.

Study shows that Telemedicine works for rural critical care!

eICUs Can Save Millions
Saturday, April 18, 2009

Telemedicine can serve the critical care needs of rural communities and already has saved millions of dollars while improving patient survival. Dr. Edward Zawada, Medical Director of Avera eICU® CARE, a service of Avera Health based in Sioux Falls, S.D., authored a study that found that significant financial benefits can be accomplished ranging from improved quality, less stress on rural physicians and nurses, along with higher patient and family satisfaction.The study presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s annual meeting compared data before eICU implementation, and then did a comparison 30 months after implementation. The findings showed:

• Rural hospitals had fewer patients requiring transfer, which represented a cost savings of more than $1.2 million
• There were shorter lengths of stay in intensive care units resulting in a saving of an estimated $8 million
• Hospital mortality rates were 65-80 percent lower than predicted after implementation of the eICU as compared to 50 percent lower than predicted before implementation
• Ninety percent of rural hospital clinical leaders reported being more comfortable caring for critically ill patients with eICU
• Ninety percent of rural hospital leaders agreed that patients and families are comfortable staying in the hospital with the added eICU care
• One hundred percent of rural physicians agreed that better and safer care can be supported by a remote critical care team

While numerous studies documented by the Leapfrog Group show that intensivist staffing reduces the risk of ICU mortality by up to 40 percent, a shortage of intensivists makes such bedside care impossible in most locations. With only about 6,000 of these specialists in practice, less than 15 percent of ICUs have dedicated intensivist care which is especially true in rural areas.

Posted by Carolyn Bloch at 12:30 PM

Global Telemedicine Market to Exceed $18 Billion by 2015

The Telemedicine market is huge and money from the Federal Government is being injected into it to make it grow faster!

According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Driven by aging population, increased medical requirements in remote locations and technology advancements, the world market for telemedicine is projected to exceed $18 billion by the year 2015. Application of telemedicine is expanding virtually across all the medical areas. Telemedicine currently finds application in majority of medical domains including radiology, cardiology, dermatology, psychiatry, dentistry, pediatrics and pathology, among others.

San Jose, California (PRWEB) April 6, 2009 -- Telemedicine, offering quality services with significant cost savings, has given a new dimension to the healthcare sector. Although telemedicine programs have been in vogue for nearly half a century, the recent health care reforms have been instrumental in promoting the increased usage of such applications. Telemedicine services are used in several medical areas including diabetes control, primary health care, psychiatry, genetics, radiology, pathology, cardiology, dermatology and pediatrics, among others. Telemedicine programs have proved cost effective, and with curtailment of health care expenditures becoming one of the major concerns, such programs are being increasingly implemented in several nations across the globe.

The US and Europe dominate the world telemedicine market, as stated by the recent report published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. In the US, federal grants to encourage telemedicine deployment and develop telecommunications infrastructure, has been responsible for wide adoption of the technology. Moreover, growing number of multiple chronic disease patients coupled with rapidly increasing population of aging baby boomers and lack of disease management and requisite healthcare facilities are expected to propel the market for remote monitoring of patients. Consequently, increased remote monitoring of patients bodes long-term growth for the telemedicine market.

How the stimulus package affects healthcare.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. This landmark bill sets aside approximately $180 billion in federal funding for healthcare-related spending. Included in the legislation are significant provisions for health IT to encourage physicians, hospitals, and other providers to adopt and use electronic health records as well as other technology to advance the delivery of healthcare.

This unprecedented federal funding and support for technology-enabled healthcare will permanently alter the landscape of the industry for hospitals, physicians, payers, and ultimately patients.

Obama announces joint virtual lifetime electronic record

Electronic Medical Records are in the news again.
Live-Vu is working with the VA and will work on being a part of this effort.

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama announced plans today to create a joint virtual lifetime electronic record that will improve care and services to transitioning veterans by smoothing the flow of medical records between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. The concept, long advocated by officials in both departments, is considered a major step toward improving the delivery of care and services to service members transitioning from military to civilian life.

The goal, he said, is simple and straightforward."When a member of the armed forces separates from the military, he or she will no longer have to walk paperwork from a [Defense Department] duty station to a local VA health center," Obama explained. "Their electronic records will transition along with them and remain with them forever."

No comprehensive system is currently in place to streamline the transition of health records between the two departments, the president noted. "And that results in extraordinary hardship for an awful lot of veterans who end up finding their records lost [or] unable to get their benefits processed in a timely fashion," he said.Obama said he's heard countless stories over the years about veterans who found it almost impossible to get the benefits they had earned - even when their disabilities and needs were clearly evident."

That's why I'm asking both departments to work together to define and build a seamless system of integration," he said.

NeoTool EMR Blog

Suspect arrested in nursing home abuse case

Nursing homes have problems!
Regular use of our Telemedicine roll-around carts with our EMR system would catch many of these problems before they become critical!

April 10, 2009 07:47 AM PDT
LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - Lufkin Police have arrested a woman suspected in the Castle Pines nursing home abuse case.

Bail was set at $5,000 and Rodriguez posted bond Thursday and left the Angelina County Jail. According to an arrest affidavit, Rodriguez abused an 80-year-old woman on March 22, 2009.

One of the nursing staff, the affidavit states, noticed the victim's door was closed and her help light was activated. The worker went to check on the victim and saw Rodriguez striking the resident on her left hand. The worker then saw blood on the bed and reported it to the hall desk. According to the affidavit, other staff came into the room and saw bruising begin to develop on both of the victim's hands and arms. Rodriguez admitted to "popping the victim," the affidavit states and to holding her hands down and trying to fight with her. Rodgriguez is a certified nurse aid, the affidavit states.

Problems at a Nursing Home
Reported by: Nate Potter
Friday, Mar 13, 2009 @02:43pm EST
CAMBRIA TOWNSHIP, CAMBRIA COUNTY – Several problems have been found at a nursing home.

Inspectors found three concerns at Laurel Crest Nursing Home. The report was released in March. It found deficiencies in the monitoring of the nurses, the care by staff and the documentation procedures.

Nursing Home Ratings & Inspection Reports - IQ Nursing Homes.com
Database Statistics
Last Checked: March 23, 2009
Facilities: 15,354
Deficiencies: 462,747

Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect, and Negligence are at Epidemic Levels. Abuse can occur even in the best facilities. Problems can range from Bed Sores and Neglect to outright Abuse and Wrongful Death. IQ Nursing Homes is dedicated to protecting the elderly. We provide tools so you can easily:
Assess Nursing Homes Nationwide
Choose a Safe Nursing Home
Recognize Signs of Elder Abuse
Prevent Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Protect your Elder from Nursing Home Negligence

Research each facility's record before you make any choices. Unfortunately, our loved ones are mistreated, abused, and even die in Nursing Home facilities across the United States. We strongly recommend you review the performance record for any facilities you are considering, or currently have loved ones in. Protect your loved ones from elder abuse.

Nursing Home Neglect

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR)

Some Nursing Home Settlements

Nursing Home Settlements & Verdicts Reported

Diabetes and skin problems

Bed sores are common!
We must watch for them with a medical professional making the judgement!

by Melissa Dopp

It is very common for people who have diabetes to have skin problems. Especially when they get older. Skin problems with people who have diabetes is very hard to cure. They don't heal very well. It is also easy to prevent the skin problems.

Mainly people who have diabetes get sores around their pressure points. If not taken care of they can turn real bad. They can also hurt. This stuff mainly happens when they are in the hospital. They are known as bed soars. The soars can spread and smell bad. Once you have one it takes quite a while to get ride of. These are more common in people who can't move around by themselves than people who are ambulatory.

It is real easy to prevent people from getting bed soars. You just gotta get them to move around so that they are not on there pressure points. If you lay or sit on a pressure point for to long even a healthy person it starts to bother you. That is when you switch positions. You moved to get the blood flowing and to get air to the spot you where sitting on. You have pressure points in your legs, arms, and your back side. So if you can stay off them as much as possible than you will never have a problem. People with diabetes have a hard time healing but if any one can keep their skin clean, dry, and get them moving it really shouldn't,t be a problem.

People with diabetes also have problems with there nails. They become very brittle. So you have to be careful not to hurt them when you are trimming their nails. It is because when they check their blood sugar the fingers is where they check. It is much easier for them to check at the top of the fingers then it is to do it from any where else.

People with diabetes you have to watch, because their diet and sugar. They get all their problems, because they have to watch what they eat. So they don't get all the nutrition that people who don't have diabetes do. It is all do to their diet.

Also, people who are diabetic can't scratch an itch that they might have or they can't get scratched by any one else. If they do their skin will easily open up and then they will have a soar that will be harder than normal to heal. That is why they are probably the most careful people around. Their skin is so easy to break open it is really unreal. That is why if your taking care of someone that is a diabetic you have to be careful not to scratch them with you rings or nails.
They also bruise very easily. So they have to be careful that nobody hits them or they bang in to anything. Even a bruise can cause them problems. They don't heal very well either. Just like nay thing else for them a bruise is real hard to get rid of. It may take weeks for it to go away.

Senior had bed sores, ants crawling on her

If she had a Live-Vu system monitoring her with a doctor or a nurse watching over her as needed, this may not have happened!

By Hal Conick, hconick@mysuburbanlife.com
GateHouse News Service
Thu Apr 02, 2009, 05:38 PM CDT

Geneva, IL - Geneva paramedics told today of an elderly woman covered with bed soars in a urine-soaked bed and ants crawling on her body during the first day of testimony in the bench trial of two Geneva women charged with elder abuse.Sisters Jill, 55, and Julie M. Barry, 48, were each previously charged with two counts of criminal neglect of an elderly person in relation to the death of their mother, MaryKane County State's Attorney John Barsanti said in his opening statement that this is a different case because there has yet to be a definitive negligence case under Illinois law.

Barsanti said his case would revolve around Mary Barry’s condition upon arrival at Delnor-Community Hospital and at the time of the autopsy. Geneva firefighter John McCaffery, who was working as a paramedic the day of the emergency call, said that upon entering the home there was an “overwhelming odor of urine and fecal (matter).” Jill and Julie Barry, who were living with their mother, called 911 at 9:45 a.m. April 20, 2007 after they found Barry unresponsive, paramedics said, noting that they thought she had suffered a stroke. Geneva paramedics arrived at Mary Barry’s home to find her near death in a urine-soaked bed, covered with bed sores and with ants crawling on her body, according to Thursday’s testimony.

Mary Barry, 84, died that day at Delnor. The Kane County coroner determined Barry died of pneumonia. The sisters’ trial will continue at 9:30 a.m. Friday in Kane County Circuit Court.

Case for Improving Communications

Prior use of Live-Vu's carts or kits with our EMR would make the patient's record available in the Emergency Room or anywhere else that he required medical care.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

A story on AHRQ’s Morbidity & Mortality website makes a strong case for better communication between non-acute care facilities and emergency departments. The case commentary was provided by Christopher Fee, M.D. Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCSF Medical Center.

The case highlights the communication failures that can and have occurred between nursing homes and the emergency departments as well as between emergency medical services personnel and emergency departments.

How do failures occur while transporting a patient? In one situation, paramedics delivered a patient to the emergency department and left without speaking with the doctor plus the paramedics did not leave any paperwork or documentation.

The physician managed to find some papers with the patient that identified him as a 68 year old nursing home resident with shortness of breath and some scant notes about his medications but there wasn’t any further information on the patient’s past medical history. Because of the inadequate handoff from the paramedics, the ED physician had no choice but to proceed with the evaluation and treatment of the patient despite only having minimal information.

Although the majority of patients seen in EDs present directly or are brought by ambulance, many are referred from outside facilities such as other EDs, nursing homes, or local clinics. These patients are frequently quite ill and may have received significant medical evaluation or treatment prior to transfer.

Unfortunately, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) only applies to the transfer of patients to the ED from another ED, hospital, or medical center and does not apply to patients from non-acute facilities.

Wound care is key!

Our carts and kits can help handle Wound care, even at remote locations when a medical practitioner cannot be locally present!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The public health impact of chronic wounds is staggering. An estimated 1.3 to 3 million people in the U.S. are believed to have pressure ulcers and as many as 10 to 15 percent of the 20 million individuals with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic ulcers. Many more people have had venous ulcers or wounds resulting from arterial disease. Treating these wounds costs an estimated $5 to $10 billion each year with additional costs to patients in terms of lost productivity.

Posted by Carolyn Bloch at 8:38 AM

CMS over the past several years established new ulcer guidelines that will raise the bar for wound care documentation. Wound images, objective measurements, and tracking information have to be available to any authorized level of a medical or provider organization. This needs to be done instantaneously allowing clinicians to make accurate evidence-based decisions.

Telemedicine and ATA’s Annual Meeting Defy Slowdown, Witness Strong Growth

The market is being prepared for Live-Vu's Telemedicine products!

For Immediate Release Contact: Alice Watland 202-223-3333
April 1, 2009, Washington, DC

Bucking nationwide trends toward decreased attendance at meetings, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is witnessing the strongest growth in its history for its upcoming annual meeting this April. With a record 20 percent increase in attendance and sold-out trade show with 200 exhibiting companies, ATA is experiencing the largest surge in interest since its creation in 1993. The ATA meeting is apparently viewed by many of the first time attendees and exhibitors as an opportunity to take advantage of the sudden increase in attention to remote healthcare services, considered a hot topic in Washington and elsewhere as part of healthcare reform. Congressional leaders and the Obama administration have stated their interest in accelerating the adoption of telemedicine services. For example, the nation’s economic stimulus package targets millions of dollars to fund accelerated use of telemedicine networks. ATA will hold its annual meeting on April 26-28 at the Rio Hotel and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. More information is available at http://www.americantelemed.org/