HHS Releases Consumer Focused Website In Spanish.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the development of the first consumer focused website in Spanish to help patients share decision of their healthcare by providing them with new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable healthcare coverage.
CuidadodeSalud.gov for Latin citizens.

Consistent with the mandate in the Affordable Care Act, CuidadodeSalud.gov is the partner site of HealthCare.gov, which was released in July 2010, and is the first website in Spanish to provide consumers with both public and private health information designed particularly to meet their needs in a single, easy-to-use tool. "CuidadoDeSalud.gov like HealthCare.gov is an unprecedented website which provides consumers with the power of information at their fingertips. Individuals, families, and small businesses will be able to easily compare both public and private health coverage options tailored specifically for their needs, said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "CuidadoDeSalud.gov will give Latinos across the nation better information about the choices they have, how much they cost, and what they can expect from their doctors specific to their life situation and local community."

Partnership Between Roche Diabetes Care And ICW To Promote Diabetes Management.

Roche Diabetes Care, a global leader in diabetes care, and eHealth specialist InterComponentWare (ICW) have announced a global partnership that will last for multiple years to design the next-generation web-based solution for efficient diabetes management. Burkhard G. Piper, President Roche Diabetes Care, said, "We conducted a comprehensive search for a technology partner and we were pleased to select ICW. It is our goal to continuously improve the information exchange between patients and their caregivers. We aim to provide new solutions that can facilitate the exchange of health data that are key for successful therapeutic interventions. Combining our knowledge and expertise, we will be able to leverage web-based technologies and make significant advances in the areas of connectivity between patients and healthcare professionals."

Using EMR Facilitates Genetic Study Of Vascular Diseases.

Scientific research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) argues that studying of genetic variants that play a role of human susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), made possible by using electronic medical records (EMRs) or electronic health records (EHRs). A team of authors from the Mayo Clinic Divisions of Cardiovascular Diseases and Biomedical Informatics and Statistics conducted the study and concluded that: "EMR-based data, used across institutions in a structured way offers great potential for diverse research studies, including those related to understanding the genetic bases of common diseases."
Using EHRs to study genetic variants of PAD....

Warning Labels Updates on MRI Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents

Gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents have been proving to carry great risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). This has caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to announce warning labels updates on three of these agents. The three agents are Magnevist, sold by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals of Wayne, NJ; Omniscan, marketed by GE Healthcare of Chalfont St. Giles, U.K.; and Optimark, sold by Covidien of Dublin, Ireland.

Bridgehead And Dell Provides A New Joint Medical Archive Solution

BridgeHead Software and Dell are providing hospitals with a new option for storing their medical and administrative data: in a centralized repository, within a robust, secured, and intelligent enterprise storage environment. The Medical Archive solution uses a combination between the strength of Dell’s hardware offerings and the pedigree of BridgeHead’s healthcare data management software to design a holistic and fully interoperable enterprise system for hospitals seeking to take control of their digital patient and administrative information.

Lantheus Medical Imaging Declares Supporting FDA's Warning Updates for MRI Contrast Agents

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced warning labels updates requirements for three of the currently used MRI gadolinium-based contrast agents, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., has declared its full support for this decision.

Using EMR Facilitates Genetic Study Of Vascular Diseases

Scientific research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) argues that studying of genetic variants that play a role of human susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), made possible by using electronic medical records (EMRs) or electronic health records (EHRs). A team of authors from the Mayo Clinic Divisions of Cardiovascular Diseases and Biomedical Informatics and Statistics conducted the study and concluded that: "EMR-based data, used across institutions in a structured way offers great potential for diverse research studies, including those related to understanding the genetic bases of common diseases."