A twice-monthly compendium of key health IT news for physicians.
May 23, 2013 - Vol. 4, No. 10


Decision support
Toronto clinic uses Isabel for diagnostic support
Diagnostic errors are bound to happen, since all doctors are human. But software tools like Isabel, a diagnostic support system, can limit these errors. Healthcare 365, an innovative medical clinic in Toronto dedicated to incorporating best practices in its medical systems, recently implemented Isabel to help it manage complex patients. More 

Patient access
Medical records company speaks out
The CBC recently reported about a Thunder Bay woman who was shocked to learn she faced a $600 bill from a records management company, to get copies of her family’s medical files after her doctor retired. But not all records management companies charge patients such princely sums, even for large 1,000-page files like the one in question. More 

Patient portal
Telus pilots new patient portal
A private medical clinic in West Vancouver recently partnered with Telus to launch a pilot project of an online medical records service. Continuum Care Centre provides family physicians, specialists, health care professionals and home care services to 15,000 patients. It was a pioneer in adopting electronic medical records a few years ago and its most recent innovation is an Internet platform called Health eGateway. More 

EMR-Pharma alliance
Nightingale boosts drug safety in Nexia EMR
Nightingale Informatix Corporation a provider of cloud-based EMR software and related services, recently announced that it has partnered with PEPID, a multi-national provider of electronic decision-support resources for healthcare professionals, to incorporate its Canadian drug reference tools into Nightingale’s next-generation platform – Nexia EMR. As part of this agreement, Nightingale has also established a partnership with the Canadian Pharmacists Association (“CPhA”). More 

EMR developments
ABELMed launches rapid deployment EMR
Physicians and medical clinics looking to rapidly deploy a funding eligible electronic medical record (EMR) solution with a simplified, single monthly fee have a new option with ABEL-in-a-Box, a practice enhancing system developed by ABELMed Inc., working in partnership with TracMed Inc. ABEL-in-a-Box is a bundle of EMR software, hardware and services designed to be activated and deployed onsite within a week. More 

OB/GYN specialist clinic implements Accuro EMR
Located in Edmonton, the South Side Women’s Health Centre (South Side) is an obstetrical & gynecological (OB/GYN) clinic consisting of nine physician-surgeons, 12 medical office assistants, and a licensed practical nurse. Each month, South Side physicians share their time between seeing the 2,400 women patients who visit the clinic, performing 120 surgeries and “catching 250 babies,” as clinic staff like to call it, at the nearby Grey Nuns Community Hospital, which boasts the largest obstetrical department in the Edmonton area. More 

Alberta heart app downloaded by 65 nations
An Alberta-made iPhone app is now shaping the way clinicians care for heart failure patients the world-over. Med-HF, an application that puts heart failure medication and side-effect information at the fingertips of physicians and pharmacists, was designed by Alberta Health Services (AHS) and University of Alberta. More 

Approval of device for depression, epilepsy
California-based NeuroSigma, Inc announced that it has received a Class 2 medical device license for its Monarch eTNS (external trigeminal nerve stimulation) System from Health Canada. The license covers the use of the Monarch eTNS System for treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), major depressive disorder (MDD), and treatment-resistant depression. More 

Doximity releases iPad app, has 160,000 members
Doximity, the largest online physician network, recently launched its new iPad app, bringing its HIPAA-secure communication platform for doctors to the big screen. Already available online and for iPhone and Android smartphone devices, the new Doximity iPad app enables seamless digital communication and collaboration among physicians leveraging the iPad’s larger screen and performance. More 

iPhone app allows patients to conduct urine tests
Mumbai-based Biosense Technologies has released uChek, an app that allows patients to conduct their own urine tests. Developers claim it can analyze a urine specimen for up to 25 different diseases. More 

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