RFID for healthcare explored

The European Commission's Information Society and Media Directorate-General has published a call for tenders for a study on requirements and options for actions in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in healthcare, says Cordis.

Patient safety and quality of care are important aspects of the eHealth Action Plan that deals with best practices and experiences from across the European Union.

Part of a public consultation on RFID in 2006 concludes that, in hospitals and healthcare, the use of RFID technology to enhance patient safety should be explored.

Olympia Medical Services has purchased a Physician Collaboration Center from Compuware Covisint, says CNN.com.

The collaborative solution provides a high value, low risk and low maintenance method for physicians to securely collaborate and access a full suite of physician practice applications and patient information in a Web 2.0 environment.

Olympia is an independent physician association of doctors practicing in Southeast Michigan. With Covisint, it has enhanced the capacity of its member physicians to share ideas and information between Olympia's administrative staff, physicians, practice managers and their staffs.

Digitisation has become an integral part in almost every sphere of life, but is yet to make its presence in the world of medical records, says Express Healthcare Management.

On the face of it, the possibilities of using electronic medical records (EMR) seem endless and optimistic, but there are issues that need to be addressed for it to make an impact. Not many healthcare facilities have been successful in implementing IT in healthcare beyond the usual accounts, billing, inventory and occasional laboratory and diagnostic services.

"I don't think an EMR is used in its true sense. As of now, they are mainly used for administration and billing processes," says Sunil Kapoor, director of central buying at Fortis Healthcare, New Delhi.