Information Center，Shanghai Advanced Research Institute，CAS

Information Center，Shanghai Advanced

Research Institute，CAS

No.99 Haike Road，Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park，

Pudong，Shanghai

Zip Code：201210 Tel：021-20325075 E-mail：library@sari.ac.cn

Dynamic Monitoring Express of

Scientific Research and Industry

Development

Issue 7

Smart Pension

Apr,2014

Information Center，Shanghai Advanced Research Institute，CAS

Information Center，Shanghai Advanced

Research Institute，CAS

No.99 Haike Road，Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park，

Pudong，Shanghai

Zip Code：201210 Tel：021-20325075 E-mail：library@sari.ac.cn

CONTENT

FOCUS ........................................................................................................ 2

HIMSS: The State of Healthcare Innovation 2014 Infographic ........................ 2

INTERNATIONAL VISION ..................................................................... 5

Smarter Health and Wellness Models : Smart participatory care models....... 5

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE ................................................................... 18

Feros Care Rolls out Wifi For Telehealth，PCEHR and Online Bingo ............. 18

Israel's Largest Healthcare Monitoring Provider Chooses Essence's

Care@Home[TM] Senior Independence Seamless Home Care Solution ...... 21

Healthcare Systems Harness Predictive Intelligence from Explorys to Power

Next-Generation Patient Engagement via Emmi Solutions ........................... 22

Caremerge and Lively Announce Partnership to Improve Senior Care ......... 24

Canon U.S.A. to Showcase Latest Paper to EHR Solutions for Healthcare

Environments at HIMSS 2014 ........................................................................ 25

BEST PRACTICES .................................................................................. 26

Health and Aged Care .................................................................................... 26

Tech-Savvy Seniors in Canada Seeking Digital Tools to Manage Health,

According to Accenture Survey ...................................................................... 30

CONFERENCE ........................................................................................ 33

The International eHealth, Telemedicine AND Health ICT Forum For

Education, Networking and Business ............................................................. 33

4th International Conference on Wireless Mobile Communication and

Healthcare - "Transforming healthcare through innovations in mobile and

wireless technologies ..................................................................................... 36

COPYRIGHT ............................................................................................ 38

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

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FOCUS

HIMSS: The State of Healthcare Innovation 2014 Infographic

Healthcare is undergoing a period of rapid and unprecedented change as we transition to a

business model of shared risk，accountability and value-based compensation. Concurrently，

implementation of Electronic Health Records（EHRs） has hit a critical mass. Now，providers

can look beyond implementation and more towards data use. The hope is that innovation will

help organization adapt and thrive in this new environment.

HIMSS and AVIA collaborated to produce the 2013 healthcare Provider Innovation Survey of

select U.S. hospitals， academic medical centers，children„s and ambulatory care centers to

understand the current state of innovation within provider organizations.

HIMSS and AVIA recently collaborated to produce the 2013 Healthcare Provider Innovation

Survey with select U.S. hospitals, academic medical centers, children‘s and ambulatory care

centers to understand the current state of innovation within provider organizations.

Cost reduction and dedicated funding were among the top innovation initiatives for healthcare

providers, according to the survey findings. Shown below is a visual summary of the survey

results.

Survey key findings include:

Cost reduction is the focal point of innovation initiatives. Almost 65 percent of respondents

ranked this as their top innovation priority.

Fig 1. 2013 Healthcare Provider Innovation Survey state of healthcare innovation infographic(1)

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Fig 2. 2013 Healthcare Provider Innovation Survey state of healthcare innovation infographic(2)

Dedicated funding for innovation exists, but amounts remain modest and sources of funding

are diverse. According to survey results, 67 percent of providers reported their annual

innovation budgets total under $2 million.

Significant risks of inefficiency and redundancy exist. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of

respondents shared that communication amongst internal staff is the dominant source on

information regarding healthcare innovation

Fig 3. 2013 Healthcare Provider Innovation Survey state of healthcare innovation infographic(3)

Providers are making progress implementing innovative solutions specifically in areas of

high importance. These include: population health management, patient follow-up,

predictive analytics, clinical decision support and care coordination.

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Fig 4. 2013 Healthcare Provider Innovation Survey state of healthcare innovation infographic(4)

Source：

http://www.himss.org/ResourceLibrary/genResourceDetailPDFReg.aspx?ItemNumber=27481

http://hitconsultant.net/2014/02/05/himss-state-healthcare-innovation-2014-infographic/

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

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INTERNATIONAL VISION

Smarter Health and Wellness Models : Smart participatory care

models

Better health outcomes require greater patient empowerment. Personally controlled health

records, participatory mobile health and health apps, and social networks today provide an

environment conducive to more “coownership and co-production” of health and wellness. They

represent a new participatory care paradigm and are transforming the ways in which patients

connect and communicate, share personal health information, discover and access new care

options. The effectiveness, safety and utility of these innovations for accelerating the diffusion

of information on healthy lifestyles, fostering behavioural modification and health innovations,

including clinical research, require further exploration.

Achieving smarter health and wellness requires changes not only in health-care delivery but also

in how patients are engaged and informed so that they have better health outcomes.

Advocates of patient-centred health have long argued that individuals should take responsibility

for their own health. Awareness of the difficulties of self-management - including poor rates of

adherence to treatment guide-lines, reduced quality of life and poor psychological well-being

-point to the need for improved self-management strategies. The argument for self-management

clearly applies to chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, and health systems increasingly

see their roles in terms of support. To the extent that individuals are the best judges of their own

welfare, the chances of success of any care or prevention programme will depend on patient

engagement and meaningful co-ownership and co-production of healthy behaviours. A growing

body of literature shows in fact that when patients assume responsibility for their health care, they

may achieve measurable improvements in safety and quality.

By putting the patient at the centre of health-care transactions, health-care providers can also

begin to break down the silos of specialty-based medical care and of the various disciplines

involved in alternative care. In a patient-centred data system, every patient is a data point from

which much can be learned.

At Kaiser Permanente, an integrated managed care consortium, for example, electronic health

records (EHRs) incorporate algorithms that analyse patients‘ data to create individualised support

tools. The tools are used by teams of caregivers as they work with and advise individual patients.

Personalised information is used to select treatment but may also be used to suggest changes in

behaviour, best weight and activity levels, and other health-promotion opportunities. In Colorado,

using intensified team care that is guided by patients‘ data, Kaiser has experienced a 72%

reduction in deaths from heart disease (A. Silvestre, 2011).

With the explosion of mobile health and social media, ICTs are uniquely positioned to deliver

prevention and wellness messages to help people change their lifestyle and behaviours to prevent

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disease and maximise well-being. In particular, personal health records (PHRs), participatory

m-health, and social networks represent a new care paradigm and are transforming the ways in

which patients connect and communicate, share personal health information, discover and access

new care options. This section reviews developments in these areas; Chapter 7 provides a focused

perspective on Australia.

Personal health records

A personal health record (PHR) is a web-based medical history in which copies of medical records,

reports about diagnosed medical conditions, medications, vital signs, immunisations, laboratory

results, and personal characteristics such as age and weight are stored. Implementations to date

have ranged from web pages for patients to enter their own data, to physician-hosted patient

portals that give patients access to their EHRs, to employer/payer portals that give patients access

to claims data.

PHRs have been much discussed over the past few years, and there is much interest in this area in

health information technology, policy and market sectors. Personally controlled electronic health

records (PCEHRs) are a special class of PHRs, which are distinguished by the extent to which

users control access to their records.

PHRs, as discussed in Chapter 7, offer a major opportunity to improve the quality and safety of

health care, reduce waste and inefficiency, and improve continuity and health outcomes for

patients.

In the United States, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) and Kaiser Permanente were

among the early adopters of PHRs. In 1999, Epic Systems (Madison, WI), an established vendor

of ambulatory care EHR systems, decided to develop a patient portal to their EHR product, which

they called My Chart. The PAMF worked with Epic to develop the functionality requirements for

a PHR that was integrated with their EHR.

PAMF became the first customer of My Chart, which was implemented at the end of 2000. Since

then, over 90 000 patients have used PAMF Online (www.pamfonline.org, the PAMF version of

My Chart); they represent approximately 45% of the primary care base of the Palo Alto division of

PAMF. Across the United States, 2.4 million patients use My Chart. As of September 2007, 26 000

patients logged in to PAMF‘s My Chart each month and sent 20 000 secure messages.

Kaiser Permanente introduced its PHR system, My Health Manager, in 2000 to allow patients to

view their information on line and to provide them with health management tools (Figure 5). My

Health Manager gives members access to their clinical records and to time-saving tools which

allow them to interact with their providers and health plan. More than 3.3 million Kaiser

Permanente members had activated their PHR on kp.org by 2011, making it one of the most

actively used PHRs in the world. Over 890 000 secure e-mail messages are sent each month to

Kaiser Permanente doctors and clinicians, proof of growing consumer interest in e-visits. More

than 25.8 million lab test results have been viewed online by Kaiser Permanente members (A.

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Silvestre, 2011).

Fig 5. Kaiser Permanente’s My Health Manager

Source:https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/health/care/consumer/my-health-manager .

A number of large consumer-focused technology infrastructure companies, most notably

Microsoft and Google, have also launched PHR software plat-forms. These services, intended as

Internet-accessible health-care data repositories for individual patient records, aim to facilitate the

importing of a wide variety of personal health data, such as prescription history and treatment

records.

Microsoft‘s Health Vault, launched in 2007, now includes a component called Community

Connect, which provides point-of-care access to PHRs for practitioners via an institutional portal.

Community Connect was launched in 2010, and has been adopted by several small regional

hospitals and health-care networks across the United States (McGee, 2010).

Google Health, released by Google in 2008, was discontinued in 2011. The platform was very

similar to Health Vault; it offered a centralised health data repository that gave physician and

institutional point of care access to data, subject to patient discretion. The service initially

announced partnership plans with several well-known American hospitals, pharmacies and health

diagnostics companies. When it closed the service, Google announced that the service had failed

to find sufficient interest among its intended audience – patients and health-care providers (Lohr,

2011).

PHRs are developing rapidly and are being introduced as part of national e-health agendas in a

number of OECD countries. Early experience in the United Kingdom suggests that patients have,

on the whole, responded positively. While some express concerns over security and confidentiality,

few problems have been reported and it would appear that potential risks are being traded off

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against the utility gains afforded by PHRs (Pagliari et al., 2007).

In order for PHRs to be beneficial, as discussed in Chapter 7, they need to be appropriately

integrated into the care process. Early online PHRs only included patient data with no integration

with health-care providers, but these failed to deliver significant value. PHRs have since become

increasingly complex and interactive, by incorporating electronic communications and education

and increasing the portability of records.

Such an architecture requires agreed standards for transmitting clinical data, terminology and

security to ensure interoperability. Changes in patient-clinician relationships must also be

anticipated and effectively managed. This is likely to require changes in professional practice and

culture.

Over the next several years, a range of products are likely to be introduced that will enable the

patient to connect to numerous data sources and consolidate data from pharmacies, clinics and

hospitals. Patients will be able to view consolidated data and add entries such as over-the-counter

medications, quantitative measurements (e.g. glucometer readings), and qualitative observations

(e.g. report of subjective symptoms or notes).

Participatory mobile health and health apps

M-health is by far the fastest growing segment of IT-based health-care delivery systems. It offers a

wide range of smart modalities that allow patients to interact with health professionals or with

systems that can provide helpful real-time feedback along the care continuum from prevention to

diagnosis, treatment and monitoring (Figure 6). M-health is of particular value for the

management of health conditions for which continuous interaction is important, such as diabetes

and cardiac disease. A wide range of devices are utilised for m-health today, including mobile

phones tablets, global positioning system (GPS) devices, mobile tele-care devices, mobile patient

monitoring devices.

Fig 6. Smart m-health applications

Source: OECD adapted from PricewaterhouseCoopers (2012), “Touching Lives through Mobile

Health:Assessment of the Global Market Opportunity”, GSMA, February,

www.gsma.com/connectedliving/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/gsmapwctouchinglivesthroughm

obilehealthreport.pdf.

Among these devices, mobile phones in particular offer the potential to diffuse, broadly and

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cheaply, more intensive self-monitoring, feedback, self-management and clinical support than was

previously possible. Smart phones in particular support a diverse set of data streams and

monitoring activities: automated traces of actigraphy, location and other data that can infer

physical activities, sleep, and environment; automated and manually entered physiological

measures (e.g. readings from a glucose meter); and prompted or user-initiated self-reports of the

user‘s symptoms or behaviour. This information, appropriately managed, ca n be leveraged to

trigger highly personalised interventions, and thus significantly improve an individual‘s ability to

understand and manage his or her behaviour.

Four areas are important to successful widespread adoption of partici-patory m-health: i)

establishing and sustaining the engagement of participants; ii) widely accepted privacy and

security standards for personal data collection, analysis and use; iii) integration and

interoperability (the mobile devices have to function seamlessly and adapt to users‘ multiple

health needs); iv) financing and new business models: there is a need to adapt regulatory

structures and align incentives at different levels of the health delivery system to encourage

investment in, and use of, m-health.

To achieve widespread use, mobile and health-care industries will need to work towards

interoperable solutions that enable economies of scale. Without agreed standards and connectivity

for information exchange across the ecosystem of personal mobile devices and care services

(Table 1), there will be wide variation in the granularity and quality of the information that is

collected and analysed. This would limit clinical utility and payers would be reluctant to invest.

Table 1. A typical personal m-health ecosystem

Source: Carroll et al. (2007), “Continua: an interoperable personal health ecosystem”,

IEEE.

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The current mobile technology ecosystem is overly reliant on siloed proprietary systems. Tools

and technologies that catalyse open innovation are needed to enable a health-care system that is

responsive to continuing discovery, invention, evolution and use. Many of the barriers to

deploying open systems are non-technical, but they can only be broken down if the technological

foundations of open systems are in place (Estrin, D. OECD-NSF Workshop, 2011). Open

platforms encourage sharing and standardisation of software, methodologies, data and analytics.

They can create infrastructure that can be tested in a specific context and adapted to others. They

can also include reference implementations of modular system components and can be used to

support novel workflow elements, explore alternate cost models, evaluate new techniques and

tools, and compare approaches to the same problem.

The business potential of participatory m-health solutions is tremendous. Mobile monitoring

services and applications are expected to drive the m-health market and are expected to account

for about 65% of the market, corresponding to USD 15 billion, in 2017. Chronic disease

management and post-acute-care monitoring services will be a large share, with a projected

USD10.7 billion in revenue in 2017, with a majority of revenues contributed by the former.

Independent ageing solutions also offer significant opportunities with potential revenue of USD

4.3 billion in 2017 (PwC, 2012).

Health system reimbursement regimes do not currently cover this type of product. Very few

mobile solutions are reimbursed by payers today, and most are still in the pilot stage. In addition,

to be reimbursed, mobile health solutions need to prove value for money or evidence that their use

can generate greater efficiencies and quality of care.

Mobile health apps

As mobile platforms become more user friendly, computationally powerful, and readily available,

innovators have begun to develop increasingly complex mobile apps to leverage the portability

mobile platforms offer. Some of these apps aim specifically to help individuals manage their own

health and wellness. Other mobile apps target health-care providers as tools to improve and

facilitate the delivery of patient care, e.g. for wound measurement or ultrasound imaging (Franko,

2011; Freshwater, 2011). This section focuses on apps marketed to consumers.

The variety and availability of consumer health apps has exploded in recent years (Table 2).

According to Research2Guidance and MobiHealthNews, in 2012 there were between 10 000 and

13 600 health apps in the Apple iTunes store, making them one of the fastest-growing categories.

Research2Guidance estimates that the world market for m-health apps will reach over USD 1.2

billion in 2012.

Health apps range from exercise and fitness apps, dieting, heart rate monitors, sleep trackers and

mood trackers to a host of peripherals that attach to a smartphone to provide everything from aid

to monitoring diseases to EKGs and eye exams (Handel, 2011). Some m-health apps use game

dynamics to motivate collective action. Others combine patient data with passive data to provide

insights on how individuals are using the device and better understand social and psychological

factors that can determine outcomes.

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Table 2. Apps for health and wellness

Source: MobilHealthNews (2012), “An analysis of consumer health apps for Apple iPhone

2012”.

Patient View‘s European Directory of Health Apps 2012 reports mobile apps for 62 health

specialties and features apps in 32 European languages. The most commonly featured health apps

are for dietary control, diabetes management and medication reminders.

This ranking reflects market priorities and possible medical utility. People with diabetes have a

heavy data tracking burden. The regular use of a dedicated app and ―automatic journaling‖ can

provide critical insights on disease management. Glucose-level data coupled with information on

insulin administration, dietary intake and physical activity can give a personalised view of overall

blood glucose management that allows for a degree of troubleshooting and prevention. Estimating

the carbohydrate content of meals is another challenge for those with insulin-dependent diabetes.

For these individuals, miscalculating the carbohydrate content can lead to dangerously low or high

blood glucose values. Mobile apps can be used to consult the carbohydrate content of many foods

to improve estimates of carbohydrate or calorie content.

Governments are also gradually using mobile health apps to deliver medical information to

consumers, promote healthy life styles and behavioural changes to manage specific health

conditions in vulnerable populations. The US National Institutes of Health‘s LactMed app, for

example, gives nursing mothers information about the effects of medicines on breast milk and

nursing infants.

In the United Kingdom, the National Health Services launched in 2011 a mobile app that provides

health-care advice. It gives access to information on health and symptoms for problems

including dental pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, abdominal pain, rashes, back pain and burns. The

apps are linked to NHS Direct‘s telephone service. If further assessment is recommended, patients

can submit their contact details and request advice from the NHS Direct nurse.

Supply chain and business models

The supply chain for health apps is very complex. Four types of companies are mainly responsible

for smart phone-based app products and services: mobile carriers (which provide smart phone

users with access to wireless networks for voice and data uses); operating systems (the main

operating systems are Apple‘s iPhone iOS, Google‘s Android, and Research in Motion‘s

BlackBerry); manufacturers (smart phones are made by a variety of electronics companies); and

application developers.

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The products and services developed by these companies allow users to take advantage of the

various functions smartphones provide. Big pharma-ceutical companies are also entering this

market and generally sponsor m-health apps that go far beyond a simple allergy tracker or pill

reminder (e.g. Sanofi Aventis‘ sensor-based iBGStar Diabetes monitoring app) and sensors are a

growing part of this landscape.

From a business perspective, the use and sharing of behavioural, health, wellness and mobile

location data offer potentially significant returns to the mobile industry and pharmaceutical

companies, by providing and improving goods and services and increasing advertising revenue.

Pharmaceutical companies are very interested in solutions that increase the value of their

medicines and diagnostics. Solutions may be provided free of charge or may be added to ―service

packages‖ with the medicine.

A scan of iPhone apps of a few of the largest pharmaceutical companies (GSK, Novartis,

Sanofi-Aventis, Roche, Johnson &Johnson), illustrates the interest in this space (Table 3). The

2011 pharmaceutical industry report by Ernst & Young reveals that in 2010, new initiatives in

health technology by pharmaceutical companies increased by 78%. A staggering 41% of these

were smart phone apps.

Table 3．Functionalities of iPhone apps offered by large pharmaceutical companies

Source: Adapted from A.T. Kearney (2010), “Mobile health, who pays?”,

www.atkearney.com/documents/10192/178350/mobile_health.pdf.

The benefits for the consumer and health systems are potentially very significant as well. One of

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the challenges for promoting healthier behaviours is to raise awareness of how small changes

build over time to achieve a specific health outcome. For example, relatively small changes in

activity level or dietary intake can create a 500 calorie deficit each day and produce a modest one

pound a week weight loss. The impact of such small changes often requires extensive tracking of a

particular behaviour. Mobile apps can facilitate this process.

The learning that occurs may also correct commonly held misconceptions. Apps that offer

personalised online services, with information for a particular individual, can also help to cope em

otionally by providing strategies and tactics for disease management and stressful or emotionally

charged life events. Social network features of many apps can also help to cope, for example

through possibilities of both online and live exchange with a health care provider. Tracking data

electronically also allows for automatic virtual rewards or reinforcement when individuals reach

particular goals. A common example is devices that track physical activity such as walking and

running. Data are uploaded from the device to an interactive website that gives virtual or actual

rewards on the basis of the level of activity.

Although health and wellness apps are evolving rapidly, various regula-tory and economic

challenges need to be addressed if they are to be taken up more widely by health-care systems.

First, while these apps appear to offer many potential benefits, they can also present risks. Major

concerns relate to the quality of the information and services provided, to privacy (e.g. the risk of

disclosure of data to unauthorised third parties for unspecified uses), to consumer tracking, to

identity theft, threats to personal safety, and to surveillance. Mobile industry associations and

privacy advocacy organisations have recommended practices to better protect consumers‘ privacy

when use is made of customers‘ personal information. These practices, however, are often not

mandato ry (GAO, 2012). In the absence of clear disclosure to consumers about how their data are

used and shared, consumers lack the information they need to give informed consent about the use

of these data.

Second, a range of new partnerships are emerging around the health apps sector. There is a need to

better understand this rapidly evolving ecosystem, the business models, the market potential and

the related governance frameworks.

Finally, more robust evidence is needed on the efficacy of these apps as a way to condition

individuals‘ health attitudes and practices and as tools to foster their adherence to medication or

therapy routines.

Social networks and virtual communities

Social networks provide patients with life-changing illnesses a platform to find other patients with

similar demographic and clinical characteristics and to learn from their experience. They also

provide patients with unparalleled access to information and to choices in terms of prevention,

treatment and providers. In the past few years, in countries across the globe, the power of social

networks has shown that health providers and regulators need to respect and work in tandem with

these expressions of unconstrained citizen communication.

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These networks seem particularly well suited to empower patients through coaching and to

support changes of behaviour. Social interactions can have a high ―persuasive potential‖ and can

intervene at the right time, in the right context and in a convenient way. This is important because

one of the pre-requisites for a patient to become an active participant in his or her care is

self-confidence and motivation.

Online social communities provide a vehicle for individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes

to share information. Participants contribute personal stories and experiences that provide

learning opportunities for other partici-pants with similar problems (Figure 7). Observing other

patients‘ disease management techniques gives individuals a means of evaluating their own

behaviour. Some online communities are moderated by health-care profes-sionals who can offer

expert advice via message board posts or synchronous chat sessions.

Fig 7. User-reported benefits (PatientsLikeMe, 2011)

Source: PatientsLikeMe, www.patientslikeme.com.

As these online communities grow in numbers and in scope, there is a need for studies on their

quality, safety and effectiveness. Users‘ behaviour in health networks suggests, for example,

different attitudes regarding privacy from what might be expected in face-to-face interactions. In a

social network, members may share personal information that could be used to identify them, such

as their name, a photograph or an email address. Sensitive information that members provide

about themselves and that is widely shared with the social network community may include

prescriptions, genetic disease, sexual dysfunctions, and surgical or other treatment complications

that would be considered imprudent to share in public and would certainly violate most privacy

legislation if released by health-care providers. It is possible that many users do not grasp the

longer-term privacy implications of their actions.

The broader social returns

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There is growing recognition that online communities not only provide a place for members to

support each other but also generate information that can be mined for public health research,

monitoring, and other health-related activities.

Hospitals increasingly use social networks for promotional purposes and to gauge consumer

experiences with their organisations. More than 700 of the United States‘ 5 000 hospitals have a

social media and social networking presence to enhance their ability to market services and

communicate with stakeholders (Bennett, 2010). Medical centres are also developing communities

to understand how their patients view their care experiences. For their part, government agencies

are using social networks to engage the public (for example, during product recalls and in

preparations for the H1N1 flu pandemic) (CDC, 2009).

Although such studies cannot meet the standards of randomised clinical trials, social networks

are increasingly viewed as an opportunity to collect possibly useful early-phase data by cap turing

patients‘ self-experimentation. For example, the social network PatientsLikeMe recently

developed a lithium-specific data collection process to capture information about 348 individuals

suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS ) who were registered with the network and

who began taking the drug off-label via their physician (Wicks, 2010) (Figure 8). Neither

randomised trials nor non-randomised clinical studies have yet to provide an effective therapy for

ALS. It is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive weakness and muscle atrophy and

is rapidly fatal; median survival from symptom onset is 2–5 years.

Fig 8. Lithium tracking tool, individual patient view

Source: PatientsLikeMe, www.patientslikeme.com.

Increased sharing of health information creates a useful resource on disease treatments and patient

self-reported outcomes, an advantage that PatientsLikeMe explicitly embraces in its ―openness

philosophy‖. The observation that patients are ―ready and willing to share with each other so that

other people can benefit from their experiences suggests the need to look beyond a purely

information-seeking behaviour. Patients may surrender privacy not simply to obtain information or

to gain emotional support for themselves but to provide such support to other members of their

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online community. Indeed, some users of health social networks report finding information that

they otherwise may not find among their regular health providers.

Conclusions

The most significant health and wellness challenges in most OECD countries involve chronic

illnesses from diabetes, hypertension and asthma to depression and poor lifestyle behaviours (poor

diet, lack of exercise and smoking). Giving people access to their own health information is

essential to promote healthier lifestyles, support self-management and make informed decisions.

The increasing 3G and 4G rollouts and fibre have opened up a whole new world of possibilities

for using mobile devices and the Internet to address health-care challenges. The potential of

mobile devices, services and applications to support self-management, behavioural modification

and participatory health care is greater than ever before.

The platforms reviewed in this section have the potential to increase patients‘ access to health

services and information and their empowerment and self-care. They can influence a person‘s

subjective assessment of the effectiveness and feasibility of specific behaviours and health actions.

PHRs, participatory m-health and mobile apps use the power of ICTs to assist individuals and their

doctors to monitor and manage symptoms, side effects and treatment of chronic illnesses outside

the clinical setting, and to address the lifestyle factors that can bring on or exacerbate these

conditions. By empowering individuals to track and manage their health-related behaviours and

outcomes, these approaches, particularly if combined in an integrated ecosystem, have the

potential to greatly improve people‘s health and quality of life, while reducing societies‘ overall

health-care costs. They hold the promise to become an integral part of the health-care landscape.

Through social networks patients increasingly have the ability to evaluate what works and what

does not work, seek support and feedback in closely matched cohorts and bring that information

back to their care providers. In addition, through rich, longitudinal obser vation of patient

outcomes, public health actors can begin to make deci sions based on higher-value samples of

patient populations that provide feedback in close to real time. Adverse events due to

pharmaceuticals can more easily be monitored and modelled.

The implementation of these platforms and the new participatory health models nonetheless raises

a number of research and policy questions.

First, establishing and maintaining participants‘ engagement is essential to the success of any

participatory hea lth initiative. It will be important to examine carefully how the introduction of

these various platforms and technologies affect the lives of those they are intended to help and to

ensure that their use improves individual care experiences directly.

Second, it is important to balance benefits, sharing, collaboration and ease of use against the

potential risks of these technologies. Social networks and mobile platforms may accelerate the

exchange of health-care informa-tion, but careful attention must be given to policy related to

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privacy, security, data stewardship and personal control.

The rapid advances in technology in this area have outpaced regulatory frameworks. This raises

concerns that range from the potentially modest risks to the privacy of data on activity (e.g. data

collected by a pedometer) to safety-critical risks and quality assurance (e.g. the integrity of the

software in a sensor used in combination with a health app to manage diabetes). These

technological advances have also blurred the distinction between areas such as medical devices

and medical apps and raise concerns for government regulatory agencies.

Research is needed to determine threats and requirements and ―safe rules of the road‖ such as

proper procedures for securing device software and for the handling of data by intermediaries that

stand between these platforms and users. For example, it w ill be important for participants to be

able to specify what information is shared, with whom and for how long. It is also necessary to

protect consumers from misinformation that might lead to potentially harmful consequences.

Third, a range of new partnerships are emerging around these applica-tions. There is a need to

better understand this rapidly evolving ecosystem, the business models, the market potential and

the related governance frame-works. This should be combined with the development of robust

metrics for measurement and evaluation.

Excerpted From:

ICTs and the Health Sector: Towards Smarter Health and Wellness Models (Oct 2013), OECD

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Feros Care Rolls out Wifi For Telehealth，PCEHR and Online Bingo

Aged and community care provider Feros Care has upgraded all of its residential aged care

villages to the next generation WiFi standard, 802.11ac, which will allow the organisation to

provide high-definition video conferencing and VoIP phones to every bedside and to further

develop its telehealth capability.

Having been one of the first to install a WiFi nurse call system at its Byron Bay facility in 2011,

Feros Care will use the newGigabit WiFi 802.11ac technology from Aruba to install WiFi nurse

call throughout the organisation‘s facilities.

It plans to provide video conferencing to the bedside using custom-built touchscreen robots,

deliver clinical care systems to the bedside, provide internet access to residents and guests, use

RFID tracking for assets and replace its DECT phone system. It also plans to introduce new

services for residents such as virtual museum tours and online bingo.

Feros Care‘s CIO, Glenn Payne, said one of the benefits of WiFi nurse call was that it would allow

the organisation to be more flexible and versatile with room set-ups to cater for the individual

needs of each resident.

―Our goal is to transform our facilities into ‗Smartvillages‘ and we love the idea of not relying on

the wiring in the walls to determine the technology we use in the rooms, [and] we have the

opportunity to install and remove items as the resident needs change,‖ Mr Payne said.

―With the help of a partner, Surecom, we heat-mapped each site to enable ultimate coverage as the

scope was to enable and prioritise voice and HD video throughout each site.‖

VoIP and WiFi internet will allow residents to use cloud-based products like Skype, Facebook and

Google+ to keep in touch with their families in the comfort of their own rooms. Mr Payne said

Feros Care will offer ―silver surfer‖ training to get the residents on-board and using these

technologies to connect.

Feros also plans to provide virtual tours for less mobile residents through live streaming of

museum tours and cultural events. Mr Payne said he was currently investigating the use of camera

technology similar to a GoPro and microphones to enable two-way interactions at special events.

Feros Care also wants to connect its residential sites with virtual games like bingo and trivia using

high definition video and multiparty rooms. ―It‘s a way to use gamification and get sites excited

about connecting with each other socially using technology, and at the same time having a little

fun,‖ he said.

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

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Telehealth

Feros Care has long been interested in the potential of telehealth, particularly as the company

provides home and community care as well as residential aged care. It has launched a three-year

pilot program called TEMCAS using video conferencing with GPs and specialists for residents

with complex health needs.

Feros Care has invested in a LifeSize teleconferencing suite that is used not just for telehealth but

for staff recruitment and communication, which has more than paid for itself through reducing

travelling times for remote staff.

Added to the new WiFi capability, the technology will allow virtual consultations between

residents and their health professionals anywhere within Feros Care‘s facilities, Mr Payne said. It

will also improve privacy and convenience for residents, particularly if they are very frail or ill

and are unable to get out of bed.

―Our WiFi technology will support virtual education sessions, group allied health programs and

case coordination across our three residential villages,‖ he said.

―We have custom-built video conferencing touchscreen robots that can be wheeled around the

villages using the gigabyte WiFi network.‖

Feros Care is also running a telehealth pilot project called My Health Clinic AT Home (MHCAH)

for older people living at home in Coffs Harbour in NSW. The idea is to showcase the benefits of

high speed broadband and to get an independent evaluation of the viability of the service.

Mr Payne said that although the report will not be published until later in the year, ―it is safe to say

that the pilot has opened Feros Care‘s eyes to what is possible‖.

MHCAH involves a touchscreen tablet, health monitoring equipment, training, ongoing support

and the capability to video conference with health professionals such as GPs, nurses, specialists

and case managers.

―Our goal from the pilot is to develop up a cost model and include the My Health Clinic AT Home

(MHCAH) technology as a standard service option for Feros Care in all areas as a part of our

Home Care Package services,‖ he said.

―[That] allows for technology to be included as service options within the consumer-directed care

model. So this will allow Feros Care to consider this service anywhere in our footprint, not just

Coffs Harbour.‖

Mr Payne said Feros Care had also been given initial notification of a successful tender to

commence operation of its MHCAH in Sydney South, which is a mainstream service under the

Home and Community Care Program. ―I think there will be other funding options that will be

available into the future.‖

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

20

The company is also looking at self-funding a pilot with its Tasmanian clients later in the year,

using the MHCAH technology as a standard part of Feros Care‘s case management model. ―That

is, providing our package care clients with the standard MHCAH tablet to allow for virtual case

management of our clients in conjunction with traditional face to face case management visits.

―The goal is to connect with clients more often, to improve the efficiencies around travel, and to

give the client the ability to connect virtually with friends, families, GPs, clinicians and other

stakeholders in their lives.‖

PCEHR and home telecare

Another benefit of the WiFi roll-out will be allowing residents who have registered for a PCEHR

to access their record easily and speedily.

Feros Care has worked with its clinical software provider, DCA Health‘s The Care Manager

(TCM), to roll out the PCEHR in its facilities, one of the first in the country to do so. Mr Payne

said Feros Care piloted the TCM interface with the PCEHR in June 2013, and successfully

connected that July.

―This technology has enabled community care managers to make clinical decisions about client‘s

wellbeing through the read access to the client eHealth record,‖ he said. ―This is the future of

health and clinical decision making and Feros were very proud to be one of the first aged care

companies to connect.‖

Feros Care is currently working with Medicare Locals to significantly increase the number of its

clients and residents registered for their own PCEHR. ―We are particularly excited about more

hospitals coming on board to provide hospital discharge summaries and for our clients being able

to include their own advanced care directives on their eHealth record,‖ he said.

In addition to providing residential and community care, Feros Care also runs a thriving home

monitoring subsidiary calledLifelink, which supplies telecare products and services to people

living at home. The organisation recently installed its one-thousandth Smart Home with its range

of telecare and telehealth products.

The Lifelink team includes technicians, nurses and other care professionals who are able offer

advice and solutions to clients and families on what technology could support their ability to

remain living independently. This includes 24/7 emergency pendants, falls detectors, auto lighting,

bed and chair sensors, medication reminders and environmental sensors for smoke, flooding and

gas for people living with dementia.

Feros Care has also been trialling GPS-enabled smart watches for residents and clients, running a

pilot recently. Mr Payne said that while he was not in a position to recommend any particular

product, he was pretty excited about their potential.

―Waterproofing and size are our two requirements we are searching for the moment. But we will

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

21

keep trialling as they will provide a huge piece of mind for families who may have a loved one

who wanders or may get confused or lost at times. This type of technology may allow some

seniors to remain living in their home for longer and it‘s our priority at present to find the right

solution.‖

Source：

http://www.feroscare.com.au/news/company/feros-care-rolls-wifi-telehealth-pcehr-online-bingo

/

Israel's Largest Healthcare Monitoring Provider Chooses Essence's

Care@Home[TM] Senior Independence Seamless Home Care

Solution

Essence, the leading provider of M2M connected-living solutions announced an agreement with

Natali Healthcare Solutions, the largest health solutions provider in Israel, for Essence's

Care@Home[TM] to promote senior independence and provide peace of mind to family members.

Care@Home[TM] is a seamless M2M, cloud-based in-home care solution for the elderly and

chronic disease sufferers.

"We chose Essence's solution because they have more than 20 years of home monitoring

experience," says Haim Cohen, VP Business Development of Natali Healthcare Solutions. "They

developed the product hand-in-hand with end-users and healthcare providers, so our clients are

receiving proven technology that encourages the highest quality of life possible as their health

challenges increase."

The Care@Home[TM] solution consists of mobile and web apps, a control panel, a set of wireless,

easy-to-install devices, and remote management tools for service providers - all backed by a

unique smart algorithm, an analytics engine, and cloud technology. The self-learning monitoring

system collects real-time information on a senior's daily activity levels and builds recognition of

personal patterns. When those patterns deviate from the norm, the system alerts both caregivers

and family members, allowing them to take immediate action. The system also monitors fire and

water leakage, adding an additional layer of safety and security.

The product has already demonstrated efficacy in detecting early warning signals for changes in

health conditions, enabling prevention, proactive care, and rapid intervention, consequently,

preventing health deterioration and enabling independent living at home for seniors and the

chronically ill.

"Life expectancy has grown significantly over the past few decades; the elderly population is

expected to reach ~10% of the world population by 2020," said Dr. Haim Amir, Chairman and

CEO of Essence. "This has a direct impact on people's quality of life as well as on health systems

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

22

worldwide. Naturally, people want to maintain their independence at home as long as possible,

and countries need to ease the burden on the public health system. We developed this technology

to reduce cost and directly address these needs."

Natali Healthcare Solutions has already begun to deliver the Care@Home[TM] system to its

clients, providing a unique "independent living at home" service.

About Essence

Essence is a privately held, global company and provider of scalable, end-to-end connected-living

solutions for security, communication, and healthcare service providers. Over the past 20 years,

Essence has built an impressive installed base, with over 10 million products deployed and used

by Tier-1 service providers worldwide. Essence is committed to developing and supporting

solutions that both enhance partners' businesses and enable people to live fuller, better lives.

About Natali Healthcare Solutions

Natali was founded in 1991 and soon became the leading private healthcare and homecare services

company in Israel, providing lifesaving services to over 100,000 customers including private

subscribers, corporations, HMOs, insurance companies, government ministries, organizations and

more. Understanding that above all health begins with improving one's lifestyle and daily peace of

mind, Natali offers a unique system of operational platforms that offers personally suited services

and products for all family members based on their needs, regardless of age.

Source：

http://www.essence-grp.com/smart-care/care-at-home

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/israels-largest-healthcare-monitoring-provider-choo

ses-essences-carehometm-senior-independence-seamless-home-care-solution-246799021.html

Healthcare Systems Harness Predictive Intelligence from Explorys to

Power Next-Generation Patient Engagement via Emmi Solutions

Big Data Analytics Platform and Patient Engagement Solution Streamline

Interfaces to Deliver Thoughtful Outreach

Explorys, the pioneer in big data-driven healthcare transformation, and Emmi

Solutions (Emmi), a leader in outcomes-driven patient engagement, today announced

new capabilities that enable healthcare systems to inject predictive intelligence

derived from the Explorys Platform into Emmi‘s interactive communication

solutions. This integration delivers actionable health information to patients via

multiple modalities – including computers, mobile phones, and tablets – at key

moments across the continuum of care.

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

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Working together at integrated healthcare systems, Explorys and Emmi are enabling

cost efficient patient engagement, particularly to address the situations where

population management programs require thoughtful deployment of their clinical

resources - such as care managers, care coordinators, and providers - in order to stay

connected to patients and manage risks such as readmissions or declining health.

The relationship will enable provider organizations to utilize Emmi in a more

streamlined way by prioritizing patients that are risk-stratified by the Explorys

Platform, based on a rich longitudinal data set that spans the care

continuum. Provider organizations will be enabled to provide personalized patient

engagement for at-risk patient populations, as well as ongoing feedback loops to

gauge performance.

―Explorys and Emmi have been growing quickly and we are finding ourselves being

independently deployed in many of the same health systems across the country,‖ said

Charlie Lougheed, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Explorys. ―Leveraging

the integration capabilities between our solutions not only makes sense to our

customers, but also presents a great opportunity to put big data to work as provider

organizations broaden their engagement with patients; especially those that are

engaged in value-based care and payment initiatives.‖

Using their own data plus models and benchmarks derived from a clinically in-depth

data set, the Explorys cloud-based big data platform enables healthcare systems to

better understand their patient populations, quantify future risk and costs, and manage

performance across their diverse employed and independent provider networks.

Combined with Emmi‘s solutions that are designed to encourage engagement while

delivering essential health information, provider organizations can effectively operate

value-based care initiatives, such as Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), bundled

payments, and direct-to-employer offerings.

―Truly effective patient engagement requires a multi-prong approach in today‘s

healthcare market,‖ said Devin Gross, CEO of Emmi Solutions. ―Leveraging

Explorys‘ analytics is an invaluable complement to our engagement solutions,

enabling automation of the patient identification process for campaigns. We are able

to measure actual interactions, enabling healthcare systems to personalize outreach

and messaging for improved clinical outcomes and help increase ROI.‖

Source：

https://www.explorys.com/results/news-results/2014/02/21/healthcare-systems-harness-predict

ive-intelligence-from-explorys-to-power-next-generation-patient-engagement-via-emmi-solution

s

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

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Caremerge and Lively Announce Partnership to Improve Senior

Care

Digital health partnership marries clinical and sensor data for more proactive

senior care

Caremerge serves more than a hundred senior living facilities with mobile and web tools to help

them communicate and coordinate care. Lively is a startup that uses sensors and algorithms to

detect changes in seniors‘ daily behaviors that could indicate that something‘s wrong.

Together, they‘re hoping to give senior care providers a better way to make sure patients are OK

when they‘re not being tended to.

Senior living facilities, home care providers and ACOs that utilize the Caremerge platform use it

to collect and store patient data – from diagnoses, medications and allergies to their eating and

social habits – as well as record when and how caretakers interact with them. CEO Asif Khan said

that data could become even more powerful in enabling proactive care when it‘s put into the

context of a resident‘s daily life.

―The challenge in working in the medical field is that everybody is so reactive, because you‘re

always trying to treat a disease or condition,‖ he said. ―But clinical (condition) is actually driven

by our lifestyles.‖

That‘s where Lively comes in. The company makes passive movement sensors that are placed in

various spots within an apartment or home – on the refrigerator door, a pillbox or a keychain, for

example. They communicate wirelessly with a hub that transmits data to the cloud about when

someone opens the fridge to eat, opens the pillbox to take his medicine or picks up the keys to

leave the house. Caretakers can view graphs of that data on an online interface and be alerted

when a disruption from a daily routine occurs.

Khan said that when Lively data is able to flow into Caremerge‘s platform, it could help

caretakers better understand how a new prescription medication is affecting the senior, for

example. Or, it could alert a caretaker if there‘s no activity in a senior‘s apartment when he‘s

usually up and about.

The partnership illustrates the need to break down silos in healthcare data and create solutions that

give providers the right data that they need at the right time and in the right way, Khan said.

Indeed, the need for better information and workflow technology is one of the key things driving

mergers, acquisitions and partnerships in the post-acute care sector right now. It‘s also driving a

lot of innovation from the startup community. Technology for vital sign monitoring and

emergency detection/response are two categories within the senior care sector that have seen

investment growth, according to a recent AARP and StartupHealth report.

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

25

It‘s likely that the post-acute care-focused segment of the health IT sector will see more

partnerships like this going forward, as these facilities face cuts in Medicare reimbursement and

more pressure to coordinate care.

Khan said Caremerge is already in discussions with a few customers about integrating Lively‘s

sensors and expects to have the first customers for the project lined up within a few weeks.

Source：

http://caremerge.com/news/?p=829

Canon U.S.A. to Showcase Latest Paper to EHR Solutions for

Healthcare Environments at HIMSS 2014

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, will demonstrate its document capture

strategies designed to help expedite workflows and enhance information exchange at the

Healthcare Information Management Systems Society Annual Conference (HIMSS) Orange

County Convention Center, Orlando from February 23-27, 2014 in booth # 829.

As new healthcare legislation continues to transform the industry, providers are seeking new ways

to help organizations streamline costs while providing outstanding patient care. At the show,

Canon will feature a comprehensive set of products and solutions that support the organization,

security and mobility of patient information - while helping to increase productivity and create

more seamless business processes.

In addition, two of Canon's Software Partners, ChartCapture (Canon's booth, #829) and ErgoTron,

Inc. (booth #3039), will showcase solutions that can integrate with compatible Canon scanners to

further assist in the enhancement of healthcare workflows. Visitors to these booths can experience

how ChartCapture, a leader in capturing chart history for EMR environments, converts paper

records to digital files using the Canon imageFORMULA DR-M160 document scanner, while

ErgoTron, a manufacturer of digital display mounting and mobility products, will exhibit its

StyleView LCD Cart and demonstrate how its mobile cart solutions can work in tandem with the

Canon imageFORMULA P-215 "Scan-tini" document scanners for hospital and clinical use.

Source：

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon?pageKeyCode=pressreldetail&docId=0901e02480

b523d7

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

26

BEST PRACTICES

Health and Aged Care

By July 2015, 495,000 telehealth consultations will have been delivered with this technology

facilitating remote access to specialists for patients in rural, remote and outer metropolitan areas.

By 2020, 90 per cent of high priority consumers such as older Australians, mothers with babies

and those with a chronic disease or their carers will be able to access individual electronic health

records.

To advance our progress towards this goal the Government will:

determine the costs and benefits of a potential expansion of the range of Medicare Benefits

Schedule telehealth items

evaluate outcomes from the current telehealth trials to determine possible approaches to achieving

expanded take up of telehealth

begin a phased implementation of video-consultation capabilities, starting with the after-hours GP

Helpline and the Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline

enhance the functionality of the Personally Controlled eHealth Record

support the increased use of digital platforms to provide aged care services.

As a proportion of GDP, spending on health is projected to rise from 4.0 per cent in 2009–10 to

7.1 per cent in 2049–50.97 Aged care spending is projected to grow from 0.8 per cent of GDP in

2009–10 to 1.8 per cent of GDP in 2049–50.98 Digital delivery of services or telehealth offers a

significant opportunity to improve the quality, efficiency and responsiveness of health and aged

care services. The Government is considering the following issues to inform policy responses for

the development of telehealth options:

Sustainable business and care models—incorporating telehealth into mainstream practice and

workflow requires sustainable and flexible business and care models

Building the Australian evidence base—pilots or trials of telehealth service provision and models

of care should generate evidence for causality, validity and whether the results are generalised and

repeatable

Leadership, coordination and sharing of lessons—experience and expertise in the use of telehealth

can be fragmented or occur in isolation with limited opportunity for ongoing coordination and

sharing of lessons

Behaviour and capability—telehealth introduces new ways of working and requires cultural and

behavioural change, as well as new skills and capabilities

Interoperable systems—further evolution, development and agreement around standards within

the health IT sector would assist in building the capability for telehealth services to be accessible

across the health system

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

27

Awareness, trust and confidence—willingness by health care professionals and patients to engage

in online health care delivery is critical to the success of telehealth.

Progress update

Personally controlled electronic health records:

At 8 May 2013, more than 138,000 people had registered for a personally controlled electronic

health record. Around 24 per cent were aged 65 years or above

56 per cent of these registrations were completed online (with 30 per cent using assisted

registration); 14 per cent were completed with the assistance of DHS Medicare call centres and

shopfronts or received through the mail

At 8 May 2013, 11.1 million Medicare documents had been uploaded to the Personally Controlled

Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system.

Medicare Benefits Schedule telehealth consultations:

Since 1 July 2011, the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) has expanded to include 40 new items

for online video telehealth consultations with specialists and clinically relevant services provided

by health practitioners supporting the patient

At 31 March 2013, more than 77,000 telehealth consultations had been processed by DHS across a

range of specialities. More than 7,700 practitioners had helped more than 33,600 patients get the

specialist care they needed without the time and expense of travelling long distances

By 31 March 2013, more than 11 per cent of specialists had provided an MBS telehealth service.

Meeting the challenge

Health care reforms

The introduction of MBS funded telehealth consultations was a significant change in MBS

arrangements. It has increased patient access to specialist care, particularly for those outside major

cities or in aged care facilities. The possible expansion of telehealth arrangements to general

practitioners and allied health providers represents an opportunity to use innovative technologies

to increase access to primary health care services and to improve health outcomes, although

careful consideration of policy and financial implications is required.

The accessibility of health services is a particular challenge in regional communities. Distance

from health services can contribute to poor health.99 People living in rural and remote areas

tend to have higher levels of disease risk factors and illness than those in major cities.100 The

CSIRO notes that Australians living in remote regions of Australia experience gaps in health

service availability.101

Those set to benefit most from the digital delivery of health and aged care services include people

living in regional and remote communities, and older Australians at home or in residential aged

care.

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

28

Consider the expansion of the Medicare Benefits Schedule for

telehealth items

In 2013, the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA), in collaboration with the Department of

Veterans' Affairs (DVA), will lead a review to determine the costs and benefits of expanding the

range of MBS telehealth items to include patients participating in video-based consultations with

their GPs. The review will ensure that any expansion in telehealth items will:

target the delivery of services to improve health outcomes and equity

see that consultations are practised in a safe and clinically effective manner

be a cost effective use of government resources.

The Government, in conjunction with state and territory health agencies, Medicare Locals, aged

care providers, research agencies and telehealth industry vendors, is implementing a range of

telehealth trials (see Appendix C). The trials make use of high-speed broadband to facilitate a

team-based approach to health care for clients. They also test different ways of using high-speed

broadband to improve the quality of care delivery to make it more efficient and reduce the need

for access to primary or acute care services by delaying entry into residential aged care. Telehealth

can effectively address complex co-morbidity issues as Australia's population ages by meeting

health needs through coordinated telehealth care. Other examples of health services that might be

delivered efficiently using video include wound management, palliative care and rehabilitation

services. The current trials will test how best to take advantage of high-speed broadband in these

areas, where it is safe, clinically appropriate and efficient to do so.

Evaluate outcomes from telehealth trials and develop action plans to address key

challenges

During 2014–15, DoHA and DVA will evaluate the current telehealth trials and ensure the trials'

findings and lessons are shared across the health-care community and inform future policy

development. They will report to the Government on the lessons learned and on possible

approaches to achieving expanded take-up of telehealth and incorporating it into mainstream

health and aged care service delivery.

Additionally, during 2014–15 DoHA and DVA will develop action plans based on these findings

to address key challenges associated with telehealth. This could include mechanisms such as:

business and care models

skills and training for the health and aged care workforce

ongoing stakeholder engagement and collaboration

opportunities to generate productivity benefits using eHealth and telehealth

opportunities to leverage high-capacity, high-speed broadband delivered by the NBN

pathways towards mainstream integration of eHealth and telehealth.

Aged care reforms

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

29

The Living Longer Living Better aged care reforms, announced in April 2012, will modernise

Australia's aged care system. A central component of the reforms will be the establishment from

July 2013 of the Aged Care Gateway including, the My Aged Care website and a national contact

centre to provide information on ageing and aged care services. The functionality of the

My Aged Care website will be enhanced over time and will include the ability to use social media

technology.

Key features of the Aged Care Gateway include a central (electronic) client record as well as a

central service provider register. It also offers an assessment capability to identify needs based on

a nationally consistent assessment framework and standardised tools. It offers a linking service to

identify and support older people with multiple needs by assisting them to access appropriate care

and services in and beyond aged care.

Ultimately, the Aged Care Gateway will include the real time exchange of information between

service provider businesses and government which will inform the central client record and

service availability mechanisms, exposing service availability to patients and carers.

From 1 July 2013, under reforms to Home Care Package program guidelines, new Consumer

Directed Care arrangements and guidelines will provide greater flexibility in care and services,

which could include increased access to a defined range of technologies and innovations (such as

remote monitoring). These arrangements will be evaluated during 2014 to inform the way in

which Consumer Directed Care packages will be rolled out to all home care consumers from

1 July 2015.

The Australian Government's Home and Community Care Program (HACC) funds service system

development activities that specifically allow for projects and services designed to support the

development of the service system, including service delivery models incorporating new

technologies. Through the 2013–14 funding round for HACC, DoHA will consider how it can

target specific digital and virtual service projects.

From 1 July 2015, the Government will establish the national Commonwealth Home Support

Program. As part of the development of the program, consideration is being given to digital and

virtual service options and to specifically identifying them in any new program material.

Through the implementation of new program arrangements commencing in 2013, DoHA and

DVA will continue to encourage innovation and flexibility in the delivery of aged care services,

including the use of digital delivery channels. Ongoing analysis of program outcomes, costs and

benefits will contribute to the evidence base for telehealth and digital service delivery.

Support increased use of digital platforms to provide aged care services

To increase options for the digital delivery of aged care services, the Government will:

develop an introductory statement to all relevant aged care guidelines advising that

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

30

where safe, effective and clinically appropriate, aged care providers will be encouraged to use

innovative and digital delivery options to provide services

references to a particular form of service delivery should not be read as precluding the use of

digital means

expand the Community Visitors Scheme into home care, including through the use of technology

revise the Home Care Package guidelines to encourage innovation and digital delivery options

consider innovative digital delivery options as part of the HACC growth funding rounds

launch the early deliverables of the Aged Care Gateway, such as the My Aged Care website in

July 2013, to provide coordinated information and the evolution of the Aged Care Gateway point

for aged care services and further developments planned over the next two years

develop new Commonwealth Home Support program guidelines that will include and recognise

digital channels for the provision of aged care services

clarify the types of telehealth equipment that aged care providers can purchase with aged care

subsidies on behalf of clients.

Source：

http://www.archive.dbcde.gov.au/2013/september/national_digital_economy_strategy/advancin

g_australia_as_a_digital_economy/part_three_achieving_our_goalsbuilding_on_the_2011_natio

nal_digital_economystrategy/health_and_aged_care

Tech-Savvy Seniors in Canada Seeking Digital Tools to Manage

Health, According to Accenture Survey

TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2014 /CNW/ - With Canada's aging population accelerating, there is more

focus on the growing number of tech-savvy seniors (60 percent) who are seeking digital options

for managing their health services remotely, according to a new Accenture NYSE:ACN survey.

Although seniors in Canada want access to healthcare technology, such as electronic reminders

(58 percent) and online appointment scheduling (65 percent), research shows only 10 percent of

healthcare providers currently offer such capabilities.

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

31

Fig 9. Canadian seniors want digital options to manage their health remotely, according to new

Accenture survey. (CNW Group/Accenture)

The growing population of seniors in Canada are active online users, as documented by Revera's

2013 report, showing regular Internet use has more than tripled for citizens ages 65 and older over

the past decade. Accenture's research shows 29 percent of seniors are self-tracking health

indicators, such as weight and blood pressure, and one-in-four track information pertaining to their

health history.

"Just as seniors are turning to the Internet for banking, shopping, entertainment and

communications, they also expect to virtually manage certain aspects of their healthcare services,"

said Debra Sandomirsky, managing director of Accenture's health business in Canada. "What this

means is that health systems need to expand their digital options if they want to attract older

patients and help them track and manage their care outside their doctor's office."

Three-fourths of seniors (75 percent) surveyed say that access to their health information is

important, but only 14 percent currently can access their records. Similarly, more than half of

seniors (55 percent) believe it's important to be able to request prescription refills electronically,

but, only 14 percent say they can do so today. And, roughly half (46 percent) want to be able to

email healthcare providers, but only 7 percent say they currently have that capability.

"As a growing number of seniors are digitally-engaged, healthcare systems need to consider the

role the Internet can play in making healthcare more convenient for patients of all ages at every

touch point," Sandomirsky added.

Methodology

Accenture conducted consumer research with 9,015 adults across nine countries

(Australia, Brazil, Canada, England,France, Germany, Singapore, Spain and the United States),

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

32

including 1,000 citizens seniors (ages 65+) receiving Medicare benefits, assessing their

perceptions of using digital tools to manage their own healthcare.

Source：

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1312223/tech-savvy-seniors-in-canada-seeking-digital-to

ols-to-manage-health-according-to-accenture-survey

Smart Pension Issue 7, 2014

33

CONFERENCE

The International eHealth, Telemedicine AND Health ICT

Forum For Education, Networking and Business

9-11 April 2014 Luxembourg

Med-e-Tel is an event of the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH), THE

international federation of national associations who represent their country's Telemedicine and

eHealth stakeholders.

The ISfTeH exists to facilitate the international dissemination of knowledge and experience in

Telemedicine and eHealth, to provide access to recognized experts in the field worldwide, and to

offer unprecedented networking opportunities. Med-e-Tel is one of the instruments that help the

ISfTeH to realize this mission.

eHealth, Telemedicine and Health ICT are a tool at the service of medical and nurse practitioners,

patients, citizens, healthcare institutions and governments. It involves many different stakeholders

who need to be brought face-to-face to share aspirations, learn from research and experiences,

show the possibilities, understand the market, discover new applications. Med-e-Tel is the meeting

place with a proven potential for Education, Networking and Business among a global audience

with diverse professional backgrounds.

EDUCATION

Attend the vast conference program featuring over 150 presentations and workshops, and learn

from experience built up by experts from around the world. Hear about current applications and

best practice examples, see a glimpse of future trends in Telemedicine and eHealth, and their

effect on the healthcare system as a whole. Get an update on new developments that will allow

you to stay ahead and make more effective and efficient use of technologies to improve quality of

health, medical and social care.

NETWORKING

Med-e-Tel promotes and enhances cooperation opportunities, and is the place to establish

partnerships and contacts, both globally and locally. Meet and network with healthcare and

industry stakeholders, use the dedicated meeting areas and events at Med-e-Tel to exchange ideas.

Attend meetings from a number of international and regional associations, and expand your

network.

BUSINESS

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Meet with industry representatives and see the solutions and technology at work in the expo and

networking area. Participate in demonstrations that will give you a better view on the potential

behind Telemedicine and eHealth tools.

Med-e-Tel focuses on ehealth and telemedicine applications and a wide range of other medical

ICT applications and on the convergence of information and communication technology with

medical applications, which lead to higher quality of care, cost reductions, workflow efficiency,

and widespread availability of healthcare services.

The "Med" in Med-e-Tel stands for healthcare services (institutional and home based care,

prevention and education) and for medical products and equipment (medical imaging equipment,

monitoring devices, electronic health records, etc.).

The "e" stands for the electronic and IT industry and services (hard- & software, internet, etc.).

The "Tel" stands for telecommunications (whether it is POTS, mobile, satellite, videoconferencing,

VoIP, or other).

The services and applications presented at Med-e-Tel include:

computer hard/software and peripherals

consulting services

diagnostic/monitoring systems and devices

electronic health cards

electronic medical records and personal health records

home and personal monitoring services and equipment

hospital information systems

imaging devices and systems

internet/intranet services

mobile/wireless devices and applications

satellite communication

secure data transmission

surgical systems

systems integration

telecommunication services and devices

telecare/telehealth/telemedicine equipment and assistive technologies

videoconferencing

vital signs monitoring

In a professional and business-minded environment, Med-e-Tel brings manufacturers and

suppliers together with a qualified and international audience of healthcare service providers and

other key contacts such as:

association executives

consultants

distributors and agents

educators and researchers

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funding agencies

government representatives

health insurance providers, mutualities

homecare service organizations

hospital management and department heads

international authorities

medical specialists and general practitioners

nurses

venture capitalists, investors

for the purpose of establishing new contacts and developing existing relationships.

The event also features many educational opportunities through its extensive program of

presentations, panel discussions and satellite conferences on topics such as:

bio-informatics

broadband and wireless networks

business models

cost-benefit studies

current ehealth realizations and projects

developing countries and ehealth

distance education

ehealth integration into routine medical practice

electronic medical records

home monitoring and homecare applications

legal and ethical aspects

reimbursement issues

satellites and ehealth

standardization and interconnectivity

telemedicine applications and projects

The event is supported by a wide range of national and international associations, institutions and

media who are equally involved in the research, development or funding of ehealth and

telemedicine initiatives.

Source：

http://www.medetel.eu/index.php

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4th International Conference on Wireless Mobile

Communication and Healthcare - "Transforming healthcare

through innovations in mobile and wireless technologies

Welcome to MOBIHEALTH 2014, 4th International Conference on Wireless Mobile

Communication and Healthcare - "Transforming healthcare through innovations in mobile

and wireless technologies", that will take place in Athens, Greece, November 3–5, 2014

Scope

The 4th edition of MobiHealth proposes to continue and extend the focus areas of the first three

editions, emphasizing on specific research and scientific challenges in the Healthcare Technology

domain faced in Europe and globally and hence more interactive input from industry. The

objectives of the conference are to advance medical diagnosis, treatment, and patient care through

application of wireless communications, mobile computing and sensing technologies.

Contributions will be solicited regarding the interdisciplinary design of efficient protocols and

technologies to help implement and provide advanced mobile health care applications. The

essence of the conference lies in its interdisciplinary nature, with original contributions cutting

across boundaries but all within the ambit of the application of mobile communications

(technologies, standards, solutions, methodologies, …) aiming at the improvement of human

health.

Topics

Advances in sensor devices for biomedical monitoring

Miniaturization of wireless devices and micro sensors for medical applications

RF Integrated Circuits for Low Power Medical Applications

Printable-flexible-stretchable electronics for wearable systems

Personal area networks and body area sensor networks

High data rate wireless protocols for biosignals

Heterogeneous wireless technologies and their co-existence in clinical environments

Ad hoc wireless networks for enhanced monitoring

Health monitoring

Healthcare telemetry and telemedicine

Remote diagnosis and patient management

Biomedical devices for remote monitoring

Energy scavenging for wireless biomedical applications

Energy management and optimisation issues in biomedical devices and networks

E-textile integrated biosensors and circuits

Wearable, outdoor and home-based applications

Intra-body communication issues (propagation & transmission)

Wearable medical devices and sensors

Implantable and ingestible medical devices and sensors

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Decision support algorithms for data analysis

Accuracy, reliability, security, protection, identity, privacy, of diagnoses and data

Radio-Frequency Wireless Technology in Medical Devices and Safety

Microwave interaction with biological tissues

All-pervasive wireless systems for health applications

Factoring in the environment (hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living…)

Highlights

Conference content will be submitted for inclusion into IEEE Xplore as well as other Abstracting

and Indexing (A&I) databases. (pending)

Proceedings will be submitted for indexing by Google Scholar, ISI, EI Compendex, Scopus and

many more,

A Student Contest will be held during Mobihealth 2014. The contest is open to all Master and PhD

students, who appear as the first author and present the paper at the conference. Students intending

to participate in the contest are invited to tick the appropriate box during the online submission

process.

Source：

http://mobihealth.name/2014/show/home

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COPYRIGHT

Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted

by the Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, CAS. All rights reserved.

No part of these pages, either text or image may be used for any purpose

other than personal use. Therefore, reproduction, modification, storage in

a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use,

is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.