Maintaining the “Biobank in Nephrological Diseases in the Netherlands” (BIND-NL) is part of what is referred to as the “String of Pearls Initiative” (PSI). This initiative is the product of a unique partnership between eight University Medical Centers (UMC) in the Netherlands currently gathering clinical data and biomaterials from all of the participating institutions. The goal is to not only advance science but to improve patient treatment and encourage the development of new products. (more…)
VHA Releases RFP
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health (OPH) released an RFP in June titled “Rural Provider and Health Care Staff Training and Education Initiative” (RPSTI) seeking applications from entities wishing to implement locally-based training and education programs in rural facilities. (more…)
HHS HIT Safety Plan Issued
The “HHS Health IT Patient Safety Action and Surveillance Plan” addresses how health IT can eliminate medical errors, protect patients, and improve the quality and safety of healthcare. The Safety Plan enables authorities to strengthen patient safety efforts across government programs and the private sector by applying safety efforts to healthcare providers, HIT developers, patient safety organizations, and oversight bodies. (more…)
Telemedicine Helps in Emergencies
When a child ends up in the Emergency Department (ED) at one of Pennsylvania’s rural hospitals, the emergency doctor has a tough decision to make. The doctor can either treat the child there with limited pediatric expertise or send the child to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at UPMC. (more…)
Developing Clinical Trial Data System
Army and Navy researchers have been working on a new clinical trial data system and are conducting collaborative clinical trials at the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center campus, plus at other affiliated facilities. This Navy-Army joint effort to develop a clinical trials record keeping system has been in progress for two years. (more…)
NIH Anticipates Funding Announcement
NIH’s Office of Strategic Coordination intends to release a new funding initiative August 2013 with applications estimated to be due by December 2013. The NIH Funding Opportunity Notice (FOA) when released will solicit applications for “Demonstration Projects for Pragmatic Clinical Trials” to address the management of multiple chronic conditions. (more…)
NYC Tracking Population Health
New York City is developing the NYC Macroscope, an EHR-based population health surveillance system to track conditions managed by primary care practices to focus on chronic conditions as they relate to public health. To date, there has been relatively little focus on using EHRs for population health surveillance in spite of the fact, that 72 percent of office-based medical practices nationwide use some kind of EHR system. (more…)