The following information has been compiled from publicly available Sources, StratCom does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or the authenticity of the information and StratCom cannot be held liable for errors.

The Centre for Online Health at the University of Queensland, Australia, has launched a pilot project that involves telephone, fax, E-mail, Internet, direct computer links and video conferencing to give patients the option of receiving medical care at home rather than in hospital. As well as regular face-to-face contact, patients will be able to meet their doctor via video conferencing. They will be able to order medication electronically and they will be monitored through system feeds into their computer.

The California Telehealth & Telemedicine Center (CTTC) has awarded $100,000 in grants to 12 organizations to improve and expand access to telemedicine services and information in medically underserved communities in California. The CTTC opened in July 1997, promotes the use of information and communication technologies.

Vancouver, BC-based, medbroadcast.com has released its online personal medical record, enabling users to access personal medical records anywhere and at any time. "My Health Record" on medbroadcast.com is similar to a multi-page medic-alert bracelet and is available anywhere there is access to the Internet and only the owner of the records can retrieve the information, which can include as much medical and dental history as desired.

Cerner Corporation and Ernst & Young LLP have formed a strategic relationship that will provide healthcare organizations with tools and processes to improve the efficiency and quality of care delivery. Ernst & Young will embed Cerner's Health Network Architecture Millennium software into its own business and clinical process improvement solutions.

USIS Health, a healthcare application service provider, has introduced an emergency program that provides healthcare professionals with portable, confidential and medically credible patient records for verification of vital health and insurance information during emergency situations. The program relies on a multi-application smart card that gives automated access, with secured authorization, to an individual's emergency information and is part of the USIS Global e-Health Management Solution offered to consumers, healthcare professionals and insurers. After each visit with a healthcare professional, the individual's file is reviewed for clinical credibility. An electronic seal- of-approval is then posted on files created and verified by a medical professional, whose credentials have been validated, to ensure accuracy of reported information.

Information Technology and Healthcare - September 1999