January 27, 2010 -- Hospital Impact has been ranked one of the top 50 healthcare blogs by Wikio.
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by Tony Chen
At HIMSS today, MSFT announced that it's setting up a $3MM Be Well fund. It'll award approximately 20 proposals (of ~$150k) that "should make use of shared health data and connected home health devices to improve the potential for positive health outcomes for patients."
Of course, this probably doesn't come as a huge surprise. Microsoft is essentially accelerating their ecosystem vision (and of course, HealthVault would be central). But nonetheless, it is a strategic and smart move that brings in talent & expertise that they don't have internally.
From their press release, they are specifically looking for:
Microsoft is soliciting proposals from areas that include, but are not limited to, the following:
* TRACK 1: Primary Prevention Applications
Proposals targeting primary prevention could help people and caregivers create and maintain strategies that prevent or delay onset of disease by reinforcing healthy lifestyle factors and addressing modifiable risk factors such as hypertension and weight.
* TRACK 2: Secondary Prevention Applications
The identification of major modifiable risk factors (such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, smoking, obesity and inactivity) is a prerequisite to the implementation of preventative interventions — known as secondary prevention. Proposals in this category could help people and their caregivers measure things such as blood pressure, lipid profile components (LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides), diet and nutrition, weight, smoking, and activity level to create the optimal plan to prevent or delay morbidity and acute care.
* TRACK 3: Acute Care Applications
Certain conditions require immediate diagnosis and treatment, whether at the doctor’s office or in an urgent care setting. Proposals targeting acute care scenarios might track progress, improve communication and share data between the silos in the healthcare system, providing caregivers with a longitudinal view of a patient’s health history that ultimately may lead to superior outcomes.
* TRACK 4: Juvenile Disease Management Applications
Health conditions in children often require specialized detection, diagnosis and treatment. Parents typically become eager partners in the plan of care, and seek information specifically related to their child’s condition. Proposals focusing on juvenile disease management might provide age-appropriate tools to help children, parents and caregivers understand and manage their conditions.
* TRACK 5: Women’s Health Management Applications
Women’s health issues can be complex and are often influenced by biopsychosocial and environmental factors. Proposals targeting this track might choose to create online tools or services that help manage health within the context of lifestyle and family.
* TRACK 6: Community and Social Health Applications
Patients and caregivers dealing with illness or people interested in wellness are increasingly sharing information and support with each other through various Web-based social applications. Proposals targeting this category might include applications for health in areas such as collaboration, communication and the use of social relationships to improve care.
Alright, all you wired up hospitals and health solutions start-ups, start your engines!
Safety TipHospital facilities built today do not include asbestos, but many older buildings still have asbestos components in them. Steam pipes, boilers and furnace ducts were often insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape because of their fireproof and insulating properties. Resilient floor tiles were made from vinyl asbestos. Asbestos cement was employed in roofing, shingles and siding materials. The hazard of this carcinogen increases when the fibers become airborne, and untrained contractors can inadvertently increase risks by cutting, tearing, sawing, scraping, or sanding asbestos materials. Elevated asbestos levels can occur in hospitals where old materials are damaged or disturbed. It is best to leave undamaged asbestos material alone if it is not likely to be disturbed. Inhaling asbestos fibers is known to cause mesothelioma and other diseases. Be sure to use an experienced asbestos removal contractor when you need to get rid of old materials that might contain asbestos. |