Q: Why should my company hire Champions In Healthcare instead of other companies offering the same services?

A: Because Champions in Healthcare offers the only strategic consulting services offered by an expert team of physicians and nurses who are also specialists in healthcare technologies and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems and MEMS industry technical experts with expertise dealing with availability, research and production of MEMS devices. Our clinicians are informaticists with decades of experience in delivering clinical care and healthcare information technology, and we are also connected with the healthcare industry vendor world with extensive contacts at all levels. We have business expertise, medical expertise, technology expertise, and funding capabilities — everything anyone needs who is in this industry. We have intimate knowledge of all of the EHR systems, their capabilities and where MEMS technologies can be applied. In addition, CIH stays well informed about what MEMS technologies are available and has the MEMS technical expertise to evaluate your needs (materials, costs, current state of the technologies, where the research is being done, availability of components, etc.)

 

Q: What could occur if my organization or hospital decides to wait and see what happens with MEMS in the next few years?

A: MEMS is the future and it is unstoppable. Many EHR vendors have not realized this yet because they are totally immersed in configuring their clinical EHR products to meet the government mandates for Meaningful Use and to meet the demands of their hospital clients now that the government is actually going to penalize hospitals who don’t implement EHRs. So that is where the vendors are currently putting their energy and dollars.

 

Q: Why is it so important for EHRs to embrace MEMS?

A: MEMS technologies will exponentially enhance caregivers to have access to real time, accurate healthcare measurements, and therefore improve their ability to gauge response to treatment — both on inpatients and outpatients. Beginning in 2014, the government will be penalizing hospitals for any re-admission rates within 30 days that exceed what CMS considers a reasonable rate. This may result in withholding of 1% of Medicare funds due for 2014 increasing to 3% by 2016. Hospitals are already struggling to survive financially, and will soon be dealing with another 40 million people who have gained access to the healthcare system through healthcare reform. Emergency rooms are already over-burdened and our shortage of primary care doctors will force more and more people to use them as a means of primary care. Hospitals desperately need EHR systems that monitor people at home to see how they are doing and if they are getting into trouble so they can intervene before that person is admitted or re-admitted.

What issues does implantable monitoring bring up vis-a-vis privacy?
There are many associated questions on this issue, but in brief:
* Appropriate consents would have to be obtained
* It is possible that some could be against the wishes of the patient. An elderly patient might not want the monitoring being offered for example, but the family may feel it is essential to monitor their well-being.

Who owns the information–the doctor or hospital,  or the patient?  (or is that yet to be determined)…if it’s the doctor or hospital how can it be used, does the patient have any say, etc?

In general, patients can be assumed to have ultimate ownership of their own data< However, gathered anonymized data may be owned by other entities, and if not-anonymized, permission must be given for the use of sharing of that data. Anonymized data means that all information that identifies that data to a specific person has been removed.

How does HIPAA play into this?  Is there a risk of breaching it with implantable constant monitoring?

A breach would occur only if the information is shared beyond HIPAA and HITECH regulations on caregivers and device manufacturers.. I don’t believe that there are issues specific to implantable MEMS devices

What else should I know about implantable medical monitoring?

Implantable medical monitoring and therapy is the future of healthcare. In many ways the patient will become the interface with the electronic health record in many instances allowing for augmented clinical decision support (computerized assessment and decision making that assists doctors and caregivers in their diagnosis and treatment approaches.)

 

Pros:
* Information is available without the patient having to report to an office or medical care facility, and often with no action on the part of the patient except for the possible use of a data measuring device near their bodies.
* Accuracy of data
* Ability to monitor status and compliance to treatment remotely
* Ability to monitor elderly patients who are otherwise on their own and without help or supervision
* Better adherence to treatment regimens
* Capture of data and incorporation in the patients electronic health record
* Portability of data — available to all care givers in differing locations

Cons:
* We still have a lot to learn about the effects of some of these materials and technologies on the body if implanted
* Need for power source replacement in many cases
* Some devices may require patient use of detection devices which may or may not be difficult for some to use
* FDA involvement required — may take a long time to come to market
* We may be generating too much data !
* Expectations of 24/7 monitoring

 

Medical MEMS Frequently Asked Questions