Clinical

The move, announced June 28, expands Medsphere’s enterprise healthcare IT products and services to include ChartLogic’s ambulatory EHR, practice management and medical billing technology.

Cedars Sinai Medical Center will begin to use virtual reality technology from Applied VR, in hopes of easing patients' pain with without use of drugs. Hospital executives say it will introduce VR content first in its Spine Center. Cedars-Sinai is among the first hospitals to employ scalable VR technology. It invested in AppliedVR via its TechStars healthcare accelerator. AppliedVR’s developed its main products in partnership with Cedars-Sinai. The first product suite, Pain RelieVR, offers immersive VR games that divert the patient's focus away from the procedure or recovery process. As an example, Guided Relaxation, which was developed with psychologists and leading academics, is used to help transport a patient from the medical environment to a peaceful scenic place, to relax and learn mindfulness and acceptance-based techniques. It is designed to help the patient manage stress and anxiety. "VR is entering an 'age of utilization' in healthcare, with hospitals and surgery centers seeking new ways to increase patient satisfaction, better manage pain, and reduce hospital stays, Matthew Stoudt, AppliedVR, co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. [Also: Cedars-Sinai deploys HomeHero's Apple CareKit app for care transitions] "AppliedVR is an extremely valuable option for healthcare providers seeking to enhance the patient experience and positively impact patient outcomes," Richard B. Jacobs, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Cedars-Sinai, added. Brennan M. Spiegel, MD, director of Health Services Research in Academic Affairs and Clinical Transformation at Cedars-Sinai, describes virtual reality as similar to "dreaming with your eyes open." It helps patients reduce pain without medications or drugs. AppliedVR has begun a limited roll out of the technology in the Orthopaedic Center with the remaining areas scheduled to come onboard next month. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

Doctors used a 3D rendering of Linda Green’s kidney to determine the best way to maneuver around arteries and remove a tumor.

The company focused on care coordination, population health management and preventive care, has inked several deals this month to create Accountable Care Organizations. CEO Farzad Mostashari, MD, said Aledade is also expanding beyond Medicare.

The emerging smartphone technology will target half-a-dozen diseases such as malaria and typhoid in the field to enable clinicians to deliver better treatment immediately.

InterSystems' Russell Leftwich, MD, says 'there's still a lot of data yet to be incorporated' with the HL7 standard.

Sutter, Alameda Health System and others to share real-time patient data via a portable health record called PreManage ED, to help redirect frequent flyers.

The supercomputer will be used to mine insights from ‘previously invisible’ unstructured imaging data and combine it with other information to make personalized care decisions that also impact broader patient populations.

Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center have begun recruiting volunteers to participate in a clinical trial that will decode the immune system through the immunome – the genetic backbone of the immune system.

More and more organizations are harnessing kiosks as a venue for less expensive and more accessible care but it remains unclear whether they can achieve similar results with existing personal devices.