MedInfo 2004: a global view of health connectivity
Health IT leaders from England, Australia, Canada and the US met at the recent MedInfo 2004 conference to compare notes on health connectivity. Neil Versel reports.
Feature
Health connectivity: the global holy grail
SAN FRANCISCO— The National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) may be the envy of many a country for its £6.2 billion bankroll, but the NHS officials and their counterparts abroad are finding that money is not the only obstacle to nationwide healthcare connectivity, Neil Versel reports from MedInfo, the 11th triennial world congress on medical […]
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Plymouth moves to IP telephony
NHS organisations in Plymouth are beginning the roll-out of one of the largest Internet Protocol (IP)-based telephone implementations yet seen in the NHS, in a move that should deliver £600,000 in savings. The Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust (PHNT) and Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust have signed a ten-year £1.2 million deal with Mitel and HP […]
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NHS close to signing new Microsoft deal
The NHS is on the brink of signing a new three-year corporate licensing agreement with Microsoft to provide desktop applications for the entire NHS. A National Programme for IT (NPfIT) spokesperson told E-Health Insider: "The National Programme for IT can confirm it has reached an agreement with Microsoft for the provision of desk-top licences, which […]
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E-prescribing benefits flow for Liverpool hospital
Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Trust has announced the completion of e-prescribing in all but one of its in-patient clinical areas. Only the neonatal unit remains to be covered by the Meditech EP system, built with technology partners FileTek UK. The system provides total integration between the pharmacy stock system, patient prescriptions and other patient-based Meditech […]
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Six new companies brought under NPfIT banner
The National Programme for IT have announced six new “enterprise-wide" agreements between suppliers of software and hardware infrastructure and services, saving an estimated £30m on market price figures for the project and the NHS in general. Cisco, EMC Computer Systems, Hewlett Packard, SeeBeyond and Sun will supply a number of backup, infrastructure and migration services […]
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Evidence of e-health benefits needed, says IPPR report
A new report by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) has highlighted the lack of reliable research into the benefits delivered by e-health projects in the UK. The report, entitled ‘Public Value and e-Health’, says that effective evaluation of current investments will be crucial for benefits to be proven and professional and public support […]
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EMIS rolls out web-based GP appointment booking
EMIS have nationally launched their own online appointment booking service, EMIS Access, which allows patients to send secure messages or book appointments with their GPs over the web. The website www.patient.co.uk links into the EMIS system; however, GPs’ own websites will also be able to interface with the system. Patients will also be able to […]
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Treasury plans £6.8bn NHS savings through IT
Today’s Gershon report, “Releasing resources to the front line: Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency", has said that IT reform is critical to the NHS achieving its target of saving of £6.8bn by 2008. The report was published on the same day that Chancellor Gordon Brown announced the Treasury’s 2004 spending review in Parliament, which […]
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Big savings for NHS PASA through internet auctions
A report published today has shown that the NHS Purchasing And Supply Agency’s (PASA) pilot of eAuctions has been a resounding success, with savings of up to 80% in some areas – leading Health Minister Lord Warner to admit that the DH probably ought to have “engaged in them earlier." An enthusiastic Lord Warner, speaking […]
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