Ramblings: I met up with an old friend…

I met up with an old friend (but she is not old) that I got to know back in 2002 when I first started out as a RIS/PACS Administrator and yes, she is in the health informatics industry too. As a matter of fact, she is from the RIS solution provider that I administered.

So I metup up with her for tea last week to catchup and chat alittle (well, alot actually). We realized that we share several ideology (which is not common in Singapore). Now this friend of mine has 12 years of professional experience in the health informatics industry and when she say she likes my blog (this blog), I was truly humbled (and very excited) because she is the 3rd person I personally know who told me that she reads my blog (I always thought the readership streams from out of Singapore).

Now that’s not the interesting part, the interesting part is that she is the 8th person in this two months to tell me that I should venture more into binaryHealthCare because of my passion. Yes, the key word is passion, I keep finding it amazing when different people, who do not know each other (some healthcare providers, some are solution providers, some are educational providers, some are conference producers, some are peers from other countries, all on the topic of health informatics) tells me that I should keep up the good work because they see the passion in me.

Now I am not praising myself (that would be shameless.. lol) but rather, I had been working on binaryHealthCare, ClubPACS, PACSAdminDay, writing articles, giving talks etc etc because I truly enjoyed it and yes, although I didn’t see it myself, it might actually be considered as ‘passion’

And its timely too, because I was actually thinking if I should be spending all my free time (which is very little left after work and family) on all my ’side gigs’ (there are more in the pipeline, including writing a book and lecturing for institutes of higher learning), hearing words of encouragement from this old friend strengthen my determination to make a difference for this industry and it is definitely quite motivational because the next day, I celebrated the International PACS Administrator Appreciation Day (and I received words of encouragement from peers on the other side of the globe for creating the day of celebration).

So I’m truly motivated (its a Sunday night now) and I’m working on how to better rebuild CluPACS (the effort paid off, I think I came up with something really interesting) so I really want to thank this friend (you know who you are) who gave me a timely morale boost (and some very good pointers on how to best approach some issues).

However in the meantime, I’m going to watch some television

Ramblings : binaryHealthCare.com has a new tagline

That’s right, to better reflect the nature of binaryHealthCare.com , a new tagline has been created – “Bridging the EHealth Divide“.

And looking back, this is exactly what binaryHealthCare.com has been doing all these years… bridging the EHealth Divide

Its finally here! Today is the International PACS Administrator Appreciation Day!

AHA launches first iPhone app: First aid & CPR

Before I start, let me post a disclaimer : I do not work for Apple nor am I paid (in any form) to blog this post.

I think this is a one way to increase public awareness on CPR (which is an important skill to have).

“Emergency information is just one touch away with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) new Pocket First Aid & CPR application for the Apple iPhone, released July 9.

This is the association’s first iPhone application. Users can download the application to review first aid procedures, anytime, anywhere. First aid instructions are available even when out of cell-phone range.

Powered by Jive Media, the application is available for download at Apple’s iTunes store. The cost to download is $3.99 and the application features hundreds of pages with illustrations — topics include CPR, choking, bites, bruises, burns, seizures and diabetic emergencies. Twenty detailed videos show how to respond in critical first aid situations and contain instructions on treating choking, CPR, seizures, cuts and wounds.

An additional component of the application is a phone-based medical profile feature, where users can store their family’s medical information. The application can save doctors’ contact information, emergency contacts, allergies, medications and insurance information for quick access in an emergency. The information is only stored on the individual’s phone and is deleted if the application is removed from the phone.”

I’m going to check for Windows Mobile version later

RT: Radiologic science educators report less burnout than RTs

This article from HealthImaging.com discuss about job burnouts for Radiologic Technologists (or Radiographers) and Educators for Radiologic Technologists. I find it very interesting so do enjoy the article (and think about the PACS Administrators – either clinical or technical, and their supporting staff working in the background ensuring that these images are delivered on time, accurately to not only the radiologists for diagnosis but also to the clinicians throughout the hospitals)

“Although radiologic science educators experience less job burnout than practicing radiologic technologists (RTs), there is a significant correlation between health status and burnout levels among the educators, according to survey results released in the July/August issue of Radiologic Technology.

The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was emailed to 241 members of the Association of Educators in Imaging and Radiologic Sciences. The MBI is designed to measure the three subdimensions of burnout in various occupations. Also, health status and demographic questions were added at the end of the MBI survey. The survey yielded a 62 percent response rate.

Jeffrey B. Killion, PhD, an associate professor at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and colleagues measured burnout, or a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job, by three subscales: levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment.

The authors reported that the “survey’s results were mixed.”

The MBI survey indicated that radiologic science educators experience average levels of emotional exhaustion, low levels of feelings of depersonalization and average levels of feelings about personal accomplishment, when compared with a national norm group and practicing RTs. However, they noted that based on the self-reported health status of the study participants, there seemed to be a strong correlation between those who reported adverse health effects and those experiencing higher burnout levels.

For purposes of the study, the authors defined the ‘adverse health effect’ as the “characteristic that indicates declining health, such as heart disease, hypertension and gastrointestinal problems.” According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, early warning signs of the health symptoms that indicate job stress include headaches, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, short temper, upset stomach, job dissatisfaction and low morale.

Additionally, radiologic science educators reported that headaches, heartburn and increased blood pressure were the top three conditions that forced them to take medication, the authors said. Moreover, burnout may also affect the quality of education provided by the radiologic science educators.

The authors acknowledged that previous research has shown that educators who have greater job control experience less burnout. They also said that radiologic science education programs are generally small and the faculty members have a great deal of autonomy in their daily work.

“Still, it is important for educators to be aware of their stress levels, which can adversely affect their health,” Killion said.

The authors recommended further research to follow up on why radiologic science educators experience less burnout than practicing RTs. The study also outlined the need for further research on educators experiencing both high- and low-burnout levels to determine if the students’ quality of education is affected, and to help address the health of radiologic science educators and similar groups”

Ramblings: I’m taking a course on ‘Entrepreneurship’

Yup, I’ve successfully completed my previous course on ‘Writing a non-fiction book in 30 days’ and I’d strongly encourage all first time non-friction writers to take such a course as it helps one to structure and plan the core outline of the book based on industry guidelines and experiences from the tutor. I personally think it helped speed up my thought process by leaps, although I’ve not started writing the actual contents (I’m holding on to it for other reasons)

So I did what I do best. I took another course, this time, its a 2 weeks (daily) night class on entrepreneurship or ‘new venture creation’. The first and most common reaction I get when I tell friends (and family) that I’m doing an entrepreneurship course is the curiosity (how can entrepreneurship be taught?) and the immediate assumption that I’m going to quit my day job and start a ‘next big thing’ (if only its that easy…).

To explain the first part, the course is actually a condense business course aimed at first time business owner to identify the steps and requirements of doing a business and it does include (common) stuff like marketing, intellectual property, finance, SWOT, PEST, how to write a business plan etc and I think its a great course as it gives non-business graduates a good overview / refresher.

The course does not ‘transform’ one to be an entrepreneur but it prepares one on what entrepreneurship really is (this is very important) and how to minimize your risk and maximize your potential by ensuring you are aware of the basics of business (and where to get capital) and how to ensure sustainability and scalability etc.

Having said the above, I have not completed the entire course so there are possibilities that my verdict might change (although its ’so far so good’).

Now to explain the second part – no, I’m not going to quit my job to start a next big thing. Well, not yet, unless I managed to come up with something really big.. as in ‘world domination’ scale…. But the knowledge gain can be applied in various part of one’s career (and hobbies).

Take for example myself, as a Product Manager of a region, I do need to analyze and decide if a new offering (be it a product or service) to be launch in country x is viable and all the skills I’ve learn so far in the entrepreneurship course can be applied like the market research, marketing, financial, IP, how to ensure sustainability and scalability. It’s not that I’m not already doing such due diligence but to perform these task from the viewpoint of an entrepreneur is very different from that of an employee.

So I’d say entrepreneurship skill-set is quite viable even when one is working as an employee (and for the record, I did start my own business when I was much younger, it was quite successful but I got ‘burnout’ by my own success and decided that I need to do my degree as I want to teach when I retired).

So there you go, that is the course I am participating at the moment – Entrepreneurship.

Ramblings: 3rd East Meets West Cardiology, Thailand

last week, I mentioned that I was flying to Thailand for a business trip as well as to provide sales and application support for the East Meets West Cardiology, which was held from August 14 to 16, 2009 at the Zign Hotel at Pattaya.

The East Meets West Cardiology conference was an interesting one. Organized jointly by the Heart Association of Thailand and the East Meets West Cardiology, the event’s objective is for cardiologists to understand the differences between the “East” and the “West” in various selected areas of cardiovascular diseases, think of it as ‘fusion health’ with informatics in the mix.

There were many innovative and stimulating topics and symposia on the recent developments in the field of cardiology and it was certainly a good ‘gathering spot’ for practitioners and solution providers around the region to mingle and learn from each other.

I’d say its definitely an interesting conference in all.

Cardiology IT market ignited by stimulus package

Alright, last post on Cardiology Informatics (for today), I just can’t resist sharing this interesting article I read off CMIO.

“The adoption of EMRs is ramping up in the United States due to President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, requiring EMR adoption by 2015, an August report from market research firm Millennium Research Group showed. The report also found that hospitals and clinics are already focusing their attention on implementing EMR systems to capitalize on funding, and cardiology will be a large venue for IT adoption.

According to MRG, integrating patient cardiology reports with EMRs allows physicians and healthcare providers to access vital patient information more easily; this contributes to better patient care and more effective use of EMRs. Besides data management and report generation capabilities, facilities can better integrate and improve the management of various types of data, including images, schedules and inventory levels.

“Although the focus is currently on EMR adoption, heightened demand in the cardiology IT workflow systems market will follow in 2010,” says Lexie Code, manager of MRG’s healthcare IT division.

In fact, a recent MRG survey of more than 100 cath labs found that more than 20 percent of facilities that currently do not employ a cath lab IT workflow solution plan on purchasing one by 2011.

Specifically, the report predicted that the echocardiography lab segment will swell over the next five years, with growth landing in the high single digits by 2013. Factors affecting this expansion will include the growing number of echo labs, as well as the mandate of the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL), which requires submission of case studies for accreditation in digital format beginning in 2010. This process can be greatly facilitated by echo IT workflow solutions.

As a result, revenues in the echocardiography lab segment alone will surpass $150 million by 2013, according to MRG analysts.”

I need to start charging people for my ramblings, I reckon people only take advise seriously when  a dollar sign is place next to it.… lol

Philips enhances xcelera with ‘tele-cardiology’

Philips Healthcare has now extended their offerings to include Tele-Cardiology.

“Philips has added a tele-cardiology capability to its multimodality Xcelera product. The informatics technology, Xcelera R3.1, builds remote access to cardiac information into its cardiology image management, analysis and reporting. The tele-cardiology function supports image sharing with referring physicians, as well as access to Xcelera capabilities through other information systems, such as an electronic health records system. Xcelera R3.1 is currently operating at Harborview Medical Center, part of University of Washington Medicine.”

Now for those who are not familiar with Cardiology Informatics, do not think that it is the same as Radiology Informatics – its not. While there are similarities, the workflow is quite different, so even for telemedicine implementation within the two discipline can be drastically different. I wonder how Xcelera R3.1 is handling this………….

Philips nets Australian CVIS order

I thought I share this piece of news I read off HealthImaging.com. I like to receive updates and news of cardiology informatics deals in the Asia region as it helps with the work in my day job. Anyway, here goes;

“Philips Healthcare has entered the cardiovascular information systems (CVIS) market in Australia with a contract at Gold Coast University Hospital in Brisbane, which is currently under construction and slated to be completed in 2012.

Philips said its CVIS software provides a solution for cardiologists, clinicians and administrative staff to manage the care of a patient across the cardiac care cycle. Cardiologists can view a patient’s scans or exam results via any networked PC and file a report that is later accessible by any of the patient’s other care-providers within the system, the company said. The CVIS system also can integrate Cardiac PACS Xcelera for image access and exporting of cath lab and echo reports.

Over the next three years, the 750-bed hospital is focused on increasing its cardiac capabilities to include multiple cardiac catheterization labs, cardiac ultrasound and echocardiography systems and Philips’ CVIS software will assist with the cardiac care cycle.”