The New York City, Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) has negotiated a contract for $30,853,396 with CyraCom International, Inc, Language Line Services, and Pacific Interpreters Inc. to provide Over-the-Phone-Medical Interpreting (OPI) services to HHC patients with limited English proficiency. The need for OPI services will not diminish in the future. (more…)
More Open Data Available
An Executive Order recently signed requires data generated by the government be made available in open machine-readable formats. This move will make previously inaccessible or unmanageable data easily available to entrepreneurs, researchers, and others who will use the files to generate new products and services, build businesses, and jobs. (more…)
Treating Pain in Rural Areas
The newsletter “News and Views”, published by the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, reports that rural providers can be uncomfortable treating patients with chronic pain. To help remedy this situation, the University of Washington (UW) Division of Pain Medicine now offers weekly TelePain services using a panel of inter-professional specialists with expertise in managing challenging chronic pain problems. Dr. David Tauben, Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine (interim) and Medical Director of UW Center for Pain Relief serves as the clinical lead for UW TelePain. (more…)
Data & Analytics at MSKCC
Ari Caroline, Director of Quantitative Analysis and Strategic Initiatives or referred to as QuantStrat at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and his team are examining ways that data and analytics could be used to make strategic decisions at the medical center. (more…)
NIH To Award $40 Million
Four research centers will develop high impact culturally tailored interventions aimed at lowering stroke risk among racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. Together the centers are expected to receive $40 million in funding over five years, contingent on the availability of funds from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) part of NIH. (more…)
Mobile Technology & Diabetes Care
A pilot study is underway to see how mobile technology can be used to improve diabetes care in adults with Type 1 diabetes. The REMOTE-T1D (NCT01825382) study is sponsored by the University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine in the Barbara Davis Center along with collaborators Sanofi, and the Colorado Prevention Center.
The Principal Investigator Satish K. Garg MD reports that the goal is to evaluate the use of remote technology such as iBGStar in combination with Diabetes Manager App on the iPhone in terms of patient related outcomes and satisfaction with the treatment. There may be possible reductions of glucose excursions, A1C, and severe hypoglycemia as compared to routine clinical care using the traditional glucose meter SMBG-Accu-chek. The study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of these technologies in a clinical setting with the hope to improve outcomes and achieve healthcare cost savings.
In the future, this study might lead to investigating the role of social media used with mobile phones for Type 1 Diabetes care. As the number of patients with Type1Diabetes continues to increase, the use of this technology could possibly help compensate for the shortage of endocrinologists available to provide care.
The study started December 2012 and the completion date is scheduled to be November 2013. The study enrolled 100 patients from the Barbara Davis Center Adult Clinic over the age of 18, and the study will be randomized to an intervention group using mobile technology (iBGStar) versus continued routine clinical care using SMBG-Acc-chek meter. Subjects will be followed frequently and will wear a continuous glucose monitor using a DexCom SEVEN Plus system for 7 days.
For more information, go to http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01825382.
Montana’s Public Health Projects
Montana’s public health services are delivered primarily through contracts with local and tribal public health agencies in every county and reservation in the state as well as to private providers, clinics, hospitals, and other organizations. The Public Health and Safety Division (PHSD) leads the state’s public health efforts and provides state-level coordination of key public health services to local and tribal public health agencies. (more…)