Secure messaging for everyone?

HIE has it on good authority that the feds are looking at a particularly attractive combination of technologies to enable all sorts of users, from sophisticated gear heads with fancy EMR installations to solo docs with just a web browser, to exchange secure messages across platforms. This would be a substantial step forward for both one-at-a-time patient coordination across practices and for automatic messaging to provide decision support and other intelligence. It will need an interface that is really, really simple for the basic user (not much different than a standard e-mail program), flexible hooks to allow interfacing with EMRs and registries, AND highly secure transmission across firewalls. If it meets all these criteria, NHIN Direct will be a winner.

How do you actually DO the "exchange" part of Health Information Exchange?

In spite of the great leaps made in standardization of message formats and contents (HL7, CCR, XML, etc., etc.), it is still sometimes remarkably difficult to get a message out of one electronic system and into another. Each laboratory information system, Electronic Health Record, registry or portal has its own requirements, issues and quirks.  Absent a true lingua franca, those of us doing health information exchange spend a lot of time and money designing, negotiating, implementing and repairing interfaces.

A financial services company out of San Mateo, CA called CloudPrime has been doing this kind of translation and interfacing for banks for some time and is now moving into health care. They say they can build an encrypted interface between two systems in a matter of days and can guarantee delivery of all messages. Their stuff looks good on paper (on browser?) and their rep, Jeremy Miller, quoted some pretty attractive prices, so it could be a real resource as we develop new ways to move the data around.

Mobile technology and global health

The National Institutes of Health, through its Foundation, is getting more interested in mobile technology for health care.

Call for presentations about mobile technology and global health

mHealth Summit A Public-Private Partnership of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health November 8–10, 2010 Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. Abstract Submission Deadline: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 11:59 p.m. EDT The 2010 mHealth Summit will bring together leaders enabling cutting-edge research, evidenced-based practice and innovative policy solutions to advance the benefits mobile technology can bring to the health and well-being of developed and developing world populations. The event organizers are seeking abstracts for presentations from the public and private sectors that highlight ground-breaking health research, information and communication technologies, systems architecture and global partnerships that leverage mobile technology to improve global health outcomes. The organizers also are seeking demonstrations of research technologies such as mobile phones, smart phones, mobile phone applications, global positioning systems (GPS), personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile electronic sensors (e.g., accelerometers), portable physiological sensors (e.g., ambulatory glucose monitors), mobile environmental sensors, integrated mobile devices and other wireless technologies. Topic areas include: Remote Data Collection & Patient Monitoring (assess/track health in the real world) Health Disparities & Underserved Populations (high-risk and difficult to reach groups) Disease Prevention & Health Promotion (reducing risk factors for disease) Medical Compliance & Adherence (following treatment regimen) Environmental Exposure Assessment (studying environmental causes of disease) Childhood Obesity (energy intake and expenditure in individuals) Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (prenatal and postpartum health) Infectious Diseases (diseases attributed to virus, bacteria, or other infections) Patient Reported Outcomes (quality of life and other patient-driven health indicators) Point of Care Diagnostics (diagnostic testing performed at or near patient care setting) Educational Tools for Health Professional Training Software System Development and Information Technology Infrastructure (enterprise architecture) Emergency or Urgent Care (medical care where threat of disability or death is imminent) All submissions will be reviewed by the mHealth Summit steering committee. Oral presentations will be grouped thematically in tracks, presented as moderated sessions, and are expected to last 12 minutes with additional time for a Q&A session. Some presentations will be integrated into planned super sessions. To submit an abstract or for more information, please visit http://fnih.omnicms.com/fnih/mHealth10/collection.cgi Discounted registration for the mHealth Summit is available through September 24. Register today athttp://www.mHealthsummit.org