HealthTech

Can Technology Help Us To Help Them? Behavioral Health for Children and Adolescents – by Molly Coye: Children and adolescents’ needs for behavioral health services have been skyrocketing almost everywhere in the country, and states, communities and caregivers are struggling to find the resources to meet them. One encouraging sign is the emergence of technologies that offer promising opportunities to stretch resources, and to meet the needs of families, communities and individuals in new and innovative ways. Article

Interview with Michael Cantor, MD, JD: Telehealth technologies for the elderly are primarily used for those with advanced chronic illnesses that impact their functional status. As cost decreases and insurers become more willing to pay, these technologies will expand to reach additional populations. Technology used in the assessment process continues to grow with the use of biometrics, video-equipped communications, and integrated voice response systems. Interview Summary

Interview with John Parrish: The process by which the Erickson Foundation team evaluates technologies is multi-dimensional, and goes will beyond the value proposition to predict the actual value added. Several criteria are evoked during the assessment of candidate technologies. Interview Summary

Interview with Michael Chorost, PhD: There is development along several fronts in hearing technology. Hearing aids have more features and are easier to use. There is development in both hybrid cochlear implants and fully implantable cochlear implants, but there are still some barriers to overcome. Hair cell regeneration, if it happens, will transform the landscape of hearing technology. Interview Summary

Oncology Services Expert Panel Videos: Expert panelist discussion on HealthTech generated forecasts in Oncology Services at the Expert Panel. Video

Statin Use Upheld: Is CRP the Most Targeted Predictor? Results from the JUPITER (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Interventional Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin) trial support an expanded role for statins in primary cardiovascular disease prevention. The use of Crestor in people with normal cholesterol levels but high levels of high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP), reduced CRP levels and lowered the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events by 54%. Research Abstract

CTA Shows Efficacy but Skeptics Still Remain: A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine compared 64-row multidetector CTA with conventional coronary angiography for patients with substantial risk for coronary artery disease. Though CTA performed comparatively well in its ability to accurately diagnose the presence of obstructive coronary disease, assess disease severity, and evaluate subsequent revascularization status, the authors suggest that CTA has yet to meet the required standard of evidence to support replacement of coronary angiography. Research Abstract

Updated Stroke Care Forecasts: The Future of Stroke Care Webinar Series discussed HealthTech forecasts in key areas including: clinical care, workforce, cost and reimbursement, regulations and standards, and IT and communications over the next 10 years Forecasts

Interview with John Nilon: Kern County faces many challenges posed by the county’s demographics and limited funding, and is currently involved in many initiatives to improve children’s health. Some of these initiatives include the Promatora Project, Nurse Family Partnership, NICU Initiative, health TV programs, and application assister payments. In the future, Kern County hopes to see more usage of social networking and blast-email/text messaging in improving children’s health, as well as finding a way for counties to share best practices. Interview Summary

Webinar: Emerging Technologies and the Future of Independent Living Project Overview: This webinar will discuss research in the area of emerging technologies that will impact independent living, across all forms of disability and aging-related functional limitations. To introduce this project and its objectives to our partners, we will be holding a webinar on January 13, 8:00am – 9:00am, PST. Webinar

Expert Panel: Emerging Technologies and the Future of Independent Living: This Expert Panel will discuss research in the area of emerging technologies that will impact independent living, across all forms of disability and aging-related functional limitations. The Expert Panel will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2009 in Washington, DC. Expert Panel

Webinar: Highlights of the Future of Behavioral Health Services Expert Panel: This webinar provided a summary of the recent expert panel session, highlighting key points from the panel discussion while taking a deeper look into the trends. Webinar

As always, please contact Steve DeMello, Executive Director, sdemello@healthtech.org, or Andrew Broderick, Director of Research and Forecasting, abroderick@healthtech.org, with any questions about our research activities.