MY PWeR (Personal Wellness electronic Record) is an intelligent, comprehensive system is equipped with 24 applications ranging from Electronic Medical Records to electronic prescriptions to transcription solutions. MY PWeR also assists with electronic billing, reporting and analytics, and many other practice management tools.
Earlier this year Quantum announced the launch of the PWeR healthcare information platform and selected IBM as a cornerstone of its information management, storage, security and privacy focus.
See more on the Smarter Planet: Healthcare channel on our Tumblr site.
Crucial breakthroughs in the treatment of many common diseases such as
diabetes and Parkinson's could be achieved by harnessing a powerful
scientific approach called systems biology, according to leading scientists from across Europe. Systems biology is a rapidly advancing field that combines empirical, mathematical and computational techniques to gain understanding of complex biological and physiological phenomena. (via Key to future medical breakthroughs is systems biology)
This useful health tip comes to HealthNex courtesy of Amy Quinn at the Livesmarter blog.
Let me start by saying while I prefer elliptical and treadmill trainers, I hate stationary bikes, spinning classes etc. I don't even much like riding a bike in the real world.
But I did find the Expresso virtual cycling experience compelling, and offer it as an example of where 3D technologies may play a bigger role in healthcare by turning gym exercising from a chore into a game.
Gyms and healthclubs already have many kinds of displays, including plain-old-television, integrated into workout equipment to distract or entertain people will they burn some calories and raise their heart rates. What was refreshing about the Expresso experience was the way in which I didn't just feel distracted, but more immersed in the activity, like I was actually riding a bike through a beautiful park at sunset.
In fact "Bliss Park" was one of dozens of scenarios that I could choose to ride through. I could really see how this "exergaming" approach might lend itself to other scenarios, like turning a stairmaster into a mountain climbing adventure or an elliptical machine into a cross-country ski mini-vacation.
I'm sure that some people's reaction to the idea of virtual worlds workouts will be: why not just go ride a bike in a park, climb a mountain or run in the real world? To that understandable reaction I've got two thoughts. First, I prefer to run on a treadmill than actual streets or parks.
The treadmill really compels me to keep moving, and allows me to count the calories and heart rate, while actual running requires me to convince myself to keep picking them up and putting them down. Of course, its also about the value of something like the rush of mountain climbing or skiing, without the travel, time and expense of the realdeal. (Though I'll stipulate that there's nothing better, in my view, than a great day of realworld skiiing.)
Second, there seems to be something about simulated reality that tickles our brains. Just look at the breadth and depth of electronic, multiplayer games. In fact, there is something about the game-like, playful nature of electronic experiences that may be the real secret sauce here.
I grew up playing all kinds of sports--ice hockey, baseball, football, basketball, skiing, tennis, windsurfing, rock climbing-- and like most kids the impetus was the fun of the game itself, not the exercise or health benefit that I might derive. As an adult I've been faced with the reality that working out is a necessary evil...the work you need to do to stay healthy for one's family and one's economic well-being.
In the final analysis, I'm hungry for anything that can turn exercising back into a game. Back into fun. And I that score, I think Expresso's virtual cycling experience (which can also become a kind of competitive, online multiplayer experience as well) feels to me like the shape of much bigger things to come.
Robin Willner, Vice President, Global Community Initiatives, IBM
It's unfortunate, but we've probably all been affected by cancer, whether it's personal, close family or even sad news about a long lost friend. We all know the urgency and understand the desire to find a cure, or at least a better treatment. And we've all heard the mantra -- the sooner the better and we know that early diagnosis is key to success.
There is a lot of promising research but many times it is not in a stage to be funded. That's why I think last week's announcement with IBM and researchers from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and Rutgers University was so exciting and reallly showed the impact of IBM's innovation.
We announced a collaborative research effort to further the development of diagnostic tools that will help pathologists more accurately classify cancer and develop personalized treatment options for patients.
This project was awarded a $2.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health and received an equipment grant from IBM. None of this could have happened without the critical proof of concept to assure that the new approach was valid and reliable and would provide results of great accuracy and detail than ever before.
All that was needed was some time on a supercomputer and luckily, we could mobilize the computational power of our "virtual supercomputer", World Community Grid. Our "Help Defeat Cancer” (HDC) project, spearheaded by Dr. Foran at CINJ, harnessed the unused computational power from hundreds of thousands of PCs and laptops donated by individuals around the glove. You can read more about it here in this Scientific American article.
It's a great proof point that World Community Grid is having a positive impact on research...and anyone with a computer and Internet access can help advance other research that may one day save lives! Sign up easily by going to http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org and installing a small, secure and free program.
PCs and laptops running Windows, Linux and Mac OS are all welcome. And note to researchers, World Community Grid can provide the virtual supercomputing power you may need for free as well. Submit a proposal here.
Lots of interesting news on the medical imaging front, and great work by my colleagues Tim Washer on the podcast, and Jeff Gluck with a related video clip on how IBM is working with Mayo Clinic to advance medical imaging.
What if algorithms from the high-resolution gaming industry and analytics from oil exploration were applied to the field of medical imaging? Using supercomputers to integrate data from multiple sources and display it in a 3D representation could help doctors improve the accuracy of diagnoses, while reducing costs to make these advancements available to more patients. Tune in to a conversation with Dr. Brad Erickson, director of radiology informatics lab at the Mayo Clinic and Bill Rapp, IBM healthcare and life sciences CTO.
Dr. Brad Erickson director of radiology informatics lab, Mayo Clinic
Bill Rapp
IBM CTO, healthcare
Listen to the podcast hosted by Lorie Luedke:
Download FutureOfMedicalImaging.mp3
And watch this video on the new Medical Imaging Research Center that Mayo Clinic and IBM are launching.
For more information on the new field of medical imaging informatics, check out this site for a white paper, photos, etc.
I was delighted to come across Dr. Paul's podcast, part of the package on IBM's new corporate responsibility report: Global Citizenship. I'm also excited to see how this new view of the kind of good that major global businesses can do in the world is taking root, and resonates with the Global Citizen's Portfolio program that I'm working on, with many other IBMers, including Kevin Thompson, who interviews Dr. Paul in this podcast.
Paul, IBM's director of healthcare technology and strategic initiatives, is also the kind of IBMers who exemplifies the way in which we can all contribute to making the world a better place.
Run time: 18:27
File size: 16.9 MB.
Download this audio file
Right click, save target as
IBM 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report
We are surrounded today by vast new possibilities. To achieve them, we
must come together in new ways, and assume new responsibilities.
Spotted this series of five papers gathered in an issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) which are part of the Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development, organized by the Council of Science Editors.
As Dr. Gunther Eysenbach, JMIR's editor and director of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation at University of Toronto points out, this online resource was the only Medline-indexed health informatics journal participating in this initiative.
In this reflective season, I am glad to be reminded that many aspects of eHealth are about saving lives, and that the kinds of innovations that technology may offer to improve human life may be most important in parts of the world struggling with the complex matrix of poverty, disease and despair.
Communications and strategy expert specializing in smarter planet, virtual worlds & 3D Internet, social software and networking, Web 2.0 and collaborative innovation, healthcare information technologies,corporate strategy and communications, nanotechnology commercialization
Recent Comments