Apollo Hospitals expands access to AI decision support tool

Apollo Hospitals expands access to AI decision support tool

Doctors across India can now access an AI clinical decision support tool from Apollo Hospitals.Last year, the hospital chain launched the Apollo Clinical Intelligence Engine (CIE), a self-learning engine that analyses symptoms, determines causes, and helps recommend the best course of action. 
The technology, which is built, maintained, and periodically reviewed by an in-house team of over 500 Apollo doctors and specialists, is capable of analysing huge amounts of data – it has over 1,300 conditions and 800 symptoms in its vocabulary at present – to help identify patterns that may be otherwise missed by manual diagnoses. 
Built using four decades worth of hospital data,…

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Overhaul 'clunky' My Health Record, Medicare task force recommends

Overhaul ‘clunky’ My Health Record, Medicare task force recommends

A task force of healthcare leaders has given their recommendations to invigorate Australia’s primary healthcare, including the need to upgrade My Health Record and enable more health data sharing. WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The Australian government assembled the Strengthening Medicare Task Force to help identify the “most pressing investments needed in primary care.” It is focused on pointing out immediate actions to strengthen Medicare, the country’s universal healthcare scheme, and lay the foundations for longer-term reform and investment in the primary care system. Their recommendations also build on the government’s 10-year plan for primary care.
One of the task force’s major recommendations is to “modernise” MHR….

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ACT project tries out new mental health care navigation platform

ACT project tries out new mental health care navigation platform

A new project led by the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre is working on a care navigation platform to help patients and healthcare providers navigate the mental healthcare system.This initiative also joins the University of Canberra, Swinburne University of Technology, ACT’s primary health network Capital Health Network, Psicost Research Association, and charity organisation Bupa Foundation.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The research team has designed and developed a multi-applicable, multi-modal and multi-level framework and related tools called Local Mental Health Care Operational Navigation Chart (MChart), which is currently being tested and reviewed for effectiveness in the ACT.
It has two variants: the MChart-P for clinicians, decision-makers and planners…

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Virtual care system designed for COVID-19 grows into a multiuse digital health tool

Virtual care system designed for COVID-19 grows into a multiuse digital health tool

In 2019, Cleveland-based University Hospitals saw an opportunity to use automation and digital care technologies to improve patient engagement, clinical care and outcomes.THE PROBLEM
Ultimately, the health system was looking for ways to improve patient engagement first and foremost and then wanted to see how it could use automated tools to improve outcomes.
It also recognized the foundational changes occurring in the health system – especially when it came to consumer behavior and increased competition from nontraditional healthcare disruptors. The organization wanted to offer its patients tools and options that support their personal healthcare journeys in these ways.
PROPOSAL
“We implemented Amwell Automated Care Programs…

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Australia officially opens connected health research hub

Australia officially opens connected health research hub

The Australian Research Council has formally launched its latest research hub for connected health at the University of New South Wales.Backed by A$24 million ($16.6 million) funding by the ARC’s Industrial Transformation Research Program, the ARC Research Hub for Connected Sensors for Health focuses on developing wearable health technologies.
This new research hub, which became operational in August, brings together seven universities and 26 Australian companies to build a national end-to-end ecosystem that will design, manufacture, and commercialise clinical-grade sensors and predictive analytics. It integrates existing Australian capabilities in sensors, security, software systems, data analytics, and digital health.
WHY IT MATTERS
The research hub,…

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India pilots digital universal vaccination platform

India pilots digital universal vaccination platform

India has started piloting a new digital platform that tracks the routine immunisation of mothers and newborn children across India. Called U-WIN, the online system digitises the government’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), which is providing protection against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases to around 26.7 million newborns and 29 million expectant mothers each year. 
Through this, records of all vaccinations of pregnant women and newborns and their delivery outcomes will be made. It will remind their upcoming vaccine shots and automatically follow up on dropouts. 
Digital registrations to the portal have been ongoing in pilot areas, which include two districts in each state and Union Territory. 
WHY IT MATTERS
U-WIN, which replicates the Co-WIN platform…

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Virtual care enables BrightView Health to increase outpatient access

Virtual care enables BrightView Health to increase outpatient access

BrightView Health, a behavioral health facility that specializes in addiction treatment and substance abuse, already was using telehealth when the COVID-19 pandemic and associated response happened. The organization mostly was using telehealth between its various locations.THE PROBLEM
However, BrightView did not have a secure communications platform to engage with patients either synchronously or asynchronously.
“So, the pandemic and the lockdowns created some potential gaps in access to care that we needed to predict and fill,” said Navdeep S. Kang, chief clinical officer at BrightView Health and a fellow with the Obama Foundation. “We looked at several platforms to implement secure communications.
“We were specifically interested…

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North Queensland GPs get access to Inca's care planning platform

North Queensland GPs get access to Inca’s care planning platform

The Northern Queensland Primary Health Network is deploying a shared care platform to GPs in North Queensland. The care planning platform, INCA, developed by the health IT company Precedence Health Care, enables health professionals to manage patient health data, create and monitor care plans, and share information digitally. 
This system allows the creation of Medicare-compliant GP management plans and team care arrangements, which can be automatically shared with the care team. It also enables GPs to allocate tasks and send automatic reminders for actions needing completion, track and monitor adherence to a plan, and store all approved and shared documentation in one record.
Moreover, INCA…

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Providence forges a new path with a virtual nursing unit

Providence forges a new path with a virtual nursing unit

Virtual nursing is gaining significant momentum as an effective way to redesign and redistribute nursing workload. Virtual models decrease the burden on nurses delivering direct bedside patient care and leverages nurses who want to continue practicing, but may not be able to practice at the bedside, by extending their nursing careers.THE PROBLEM
“The flexibility and various practice areas and models of care may appeal to nurses considering leaving the profession and who may not be able to work in a traditional setting,” said Sylvain Trepanier, RN, chief nursing officer at health system Providence. “Virtual nurses will become a new area of professional…

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