Monthly Archives: December 2009

Health2.0, Technology

Flumonitor helps physicians identify influenza hotspots

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Sermo, the largest online physician social networking site founded by Dr. Daniel Palestrant, recently launched FluMonitor to help track the spread of Influenza in the US. FluMonitor(see pic above) lets physicians submit flu cases they might encounter with a few clicks.

HealthCare Management spoke with Sermo’s chief medical officer Adam Sharp. According to Dr. Sharp, the FluMonitor provides near real-time access to physicians on the spread of influenza across the United States.

This is definitely the first of its kind in tracking the spread of disease in real time exclusively through an online social networking platform for physicians. FluMonitor can give doctors the ability to track and predict outbreaks and, share notes on treatment and trends. Specifically, it can provide granular details such as, Patient breakdown for vaccinated vs. not vaccinated Age distribution- which age is most affected Symptom breakdown- which symptoms are presenting more than others voracity of outbreak- how many per day/week/month, etc.

If doctors know the flu is coming, it helps them to know that flu likelihood is much higher so they can be confident to base a diagnosis solely on observations in patients vs. having to use a Rapid Flu test- which is quite expensive. This will also help them avoid taking other, expensive, tests in order to rule out other ailments/diseases because they know it’s likely to be the flu.

Technology

Wavemark-Lumedx RFID technology helps Florida Hospital reduce costs

HealthCare Management was recently informed of a product launch that could potentially, help hospitals lower their inventory costs, improve tracking of medical devices, and positively impact patient care.

The new RFID technology enabled system is being launched jointly by Wavemark: a market leader in real-time inventory management (RTIM) solutions for the healthcare supply chain, and Lumedx, the market leader in developing end–to-end cardiovascular information and imaging systems.

Florida Hospital Pilot

A strategic customer to WaveMark and LUMEDX, Florida Hospital Orlando facilitated the development of this interface by becoming the pilot site. The goal was to achieve accurate and timely inventory data that would enable the department to reduce its device and equipment inventory by $30,000 to $40,000. According to the RFID journal, the system allowed the department to post a savings of $65,000 at the end of the pilot.

From a patient care standpoint the system is expected to enhance the level of care and, the accuracy of their medical records while at the same time improving the billing process.

HealthCare Management plans to talk to WaveMark-Lumedx and, Florida hospital to bring you more details on the technology in future posts. Stay tuned!.