Kodak announces new push into healthcare IT
Eastman Kodak this week announced plans for a concerted push into the fast-growing market for healthcare information technology with the introduction of a new portfolio of software and systems. The new approach was announced at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) conference in Dallas this week. Kodak’s health imaging business serving the health […]
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London NHS trust publishes cardiac death rates online
St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, London, has started publishing mortality data online for its cardiology department, along with details about complications and data for individual surgeons. The data is collected on a monthly basis from patient records, and is audited by a clinically-qualified database manager and in cardiology department meetings. Data adjusted for risk through […]
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Practices could get £6,000 for Choose and Book by June
GPs could receive about £6,000 per practice by the end of June this year if their primary care trust meets the Department of Health’s targets for Choose and Book, according to implementation details. Strategic health authority chief executives have been sent more details of the £95 million package which was announced by health secretary John […]
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InPS updates Vision with DXS software
In Practice Systems (InPS) has announced that it is to upgrade its Vision system with a free version of Point of Care, a decision support software package from DXS. The CD upgrades will be sent out to all practices using Vision, and will also include training videos and support for all users. A spokesperson for […]
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£300k offered for research into NHS IT attitudes
The NHS Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) R&D programme have put out a call for proposals, offering £300,000 for research into topics including attitudes of healthcare professionals towards e-health and how uptake of technology can be increased. Sums of £300,000 are also available for research into how the internet can be used as a health […]
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Pacemaker sends SMS to warn of heart problems
A Dutch university medical centre has carried out the first patient implant of a pacemaker system that sends out SMS messages or faxes if it detects heart irregularities, and can also upload heart monitoring data to the internet. The Philos II DR-T Dual-Chamber Pacemaker with Home Monitoring (right, top), manufactured by Biotronik, can be configured […]
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Decision support software can reduce hospitalisation
A study published in this month’s American Journal of Managed Care has found that clinical decision support software, backed up with electronic health records, can help to reduce hospital admissions and costs. Hospital admissions of patients whose GPs were using decision support software were down by 19%, and costs were reduced by 13%. Nearly 35,000 […]
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John Radcliffe develops e-prescribing for blood
John Radcliffe Hospital, part of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, is developing a new electronic prescribing system for blood products to support its transfusion processes. The aim is to improve patient safety and cut inappropriate blood prescribing. The initiative is the latest step in the development of its electronic blood transfusion system, which uses […]
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NPfIT urged to communicate with nurses
The Royal College of Nursing have called for better communication between nursing staff and the National Programme for IT, and have offered to help the programme reach out and talk to them. Sharon Levy, Informatics Adviser at the RCN, speaking at the ‘Practical Steps to Implementation of NPfIT’ conference in London, said that nurses "have to […]
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Scotland considering buying replacement GP system
The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) is considering the procurement of an alternative IT system for Scottish GPs. Dr Stuart Scott, chair of the BMA’s Scottish General Practitioner Committee’s IT sub-committee, told EHI Primary Care that the SEHD are discussing the possible procurement of an alternative system with the SGPC and the RCGP. He added: […]
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