Digital Pathology Blog

Webinar: PathXL Tutor - Build a Microscopy Course

2012-02-27T08:00:00-05:00

PathXL^TM Tutor: Digital Pathology Software for Education and Training

7th March 2012, 4.15pmGMT / 11.15amEST / 8.15amPST / 5.15pmCET

PathXL^TM Tutor allows users to create and manage digital slides and other content, publish online, share and view from anywhere in the world.

Customers include The London Deanery, The Pathological Society of Great Britain & Ireland, University of Giessen, Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Queen's University Belfast.

Guest Speaker

Dr Stephen McCullough, Queen's University Belfast

Why Attend

Learn how you can build online teaching modules for large groups of students and trainees, incorporating virtual slides, X-ray images, gross images and other multimedia. Test students and trainees using PathXL Online Test.

No Digital Scanner? No problem! We have virtual slide catalogues covering a wide range of human and animal pathology, histology and cytology. The digital slides can be pre-loaded to your account. This means you can immediately start to build modules and use the pre-loaded slides as cases.

Click here to register

Digital Health NOW Spotlight Report: The Evolving Field of Digital Pathology

2012-02-26T21:47:56-05:00

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Digital Health NOW Spotlight Report: The Evolving Field of Digital Pathology" report to their offering.

"Digital pathology is a disruptive technology; however, the consensus is that digital pathology is clearly our future. This iteration of Branham's Digital Health NOW Spotlight report takes a look at the emerging Digital Pathology market segment in health care. The report provides an overview and a general understanding of Digital Pathology rather than a detailed discussion of underlying technologies and vendors.

Digital pathology is rapidly gaining momentum as a proven and essential technology that is helping to reduce laboratory expenses, improve operational efficiency, enhance productivity and improve treatment decisions and patient care. It is used worldwide in drug development, reference lab, hospital, and academic medical centre settings. Applications include education, research, image analysis, archival and retrieval, LIS/LIMS integration, secondary consultations and virtual slide sharing. However, widespread adoption of digital pathology has been hindered not only by cost and technical factors but also largely by the mind set of technophobic pathologists.

Key Topics Covered:

What is Digital Pathology?

Steps in Digital Pathology
Scanning
Quantitative Analysis and Computer-Assisted Image Data Mining
Pathology Image Management and Storage

Benefits of Digital Pathology

Dramatic Reduction in Misdiagnosis
Remote Diagnosis and Support
Educational Benefits

Market Trends

Evolving Market
Validation is Still Incomplete
Archival and Retrieval Systems
Regulatory Challenges
Sluggish Growth
Lack of Standards
Telepathology
Vendor Landscape

Final Thoughts

For more information visit:

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/548166/digital_health_now

Visiopharm Introduces APPsolute Digital Pathology

2012-02-24T08:59:00-05:00

Cloud computing and models using software as a service are increasingly being used on a "per use" or "per case" basis as similar stories related to cloud computing on this blog have appeared.

It is getting increasingly harder to talk about software with folks without being asked "Is there an app for that?" The reasons for this are many - lower cost, ease of use, minimal development needed and ready "out of the box" as well as potentially increased portability on small screen mobile devices, tablets and pads.

Now comes word from Visiopharm their entrance into this space with some patent pending technology to facilitate image analysis with free trial, low cost and lowered upfront costs to implement software locally and maintain.

For the clinical market, "per-click" models have been attempted on the hardware side in the past. These models may create a

disincentive to use versus a larger initial investment as folks get charged per case, per slide or per view. For software such as image analysis, however, this model makes a lot of sense. Use what you need when you need it that is proven and reliable from a library of tried and true algorithms.

If you need to customize, you can create on demand with lower cost, risk and demonstration of performance as you need it.

Dr. Grunkin's quote below pretty much sums this up by lowering many barriers to entry.

For more information on this new offering leverage hosted computing and per analysis offering, check out Visiopharm's webinar mentioned at the end of the below press release and their booth at the upcoming USCAP meeting.

APPsolute Digital Pathology offers a novel approach to Quantitative Digital Pathology. Powered by CloudAnalysis and the APPCenter; currently featuring over 25 ready-to-use Analysis Protocol Packages (APPs).

APPsolute Digital Pathology is a novel approach to Quantitative Digital Pathology (QDP); costs are reduced, the learning curve is minimized, and the common risks of adoption are eliminated. The Visiopharm APPCenter provides access to a library of solutions that are ready-to-run and can be used with minimum training. Analysis Protocol Packages (APPs) can be tested free of charge before investing, productivity is achieved immediately, the upfront costs are low, and solutions can be scaled to fit customer needs.

A Pay-As-You-Go Solution: Low upfront costs

CloudAnalysis and APPs provide a low cost, easy to budget solution for customers who need access to sophisticated image analysis capabilities for a specific amount of time. Whether it is a week, a month, or longer you only pay for analysis when you need it.

Michael Grunkin, PhD, President of Visiopharm, stated "Currently, the cost structure of commercially available deployed Quantitative Digital Pathology solutions prevents the majority of researchers from benefitting from this increasingly important technology. This has to change. With our CloudAnalysis the upfront investment can be reduced to a fraction of any existing deployed solution. With CloudAnalysis there is always access to the most recent software version, studies can be run from anywhere, and technical deployment issues are eliminated."

The patent pending APPCenter provides customers with easy access to an extensive library of ready-to-run APPs. Each APP includes detailed descriptions, references to scientific literature, illustrated examples, webinars, and more. There is no need to become an expert in image analysis; APPs are created and validated in collaboration between experts in the field and Visiopharm’s application scientists and programmers.

Customers try an APP free of charge, before investing, to make sure that 1) the APP is working according to specifications, 2) the APP provides useful results, and 3) the APP can be understood and operated.

APPs are purchased for a low fixed cost, are yours to keep, and will work with both Visiopharm’s DeployedAnalysis and CloudAnalysis solutions. Custom APPs can be developed upon request, at a fixed known cost, and are also risk free with a complimentary trial.

"In a research project involving 300 patients, we worked with Visiopharm’s Image Analysis APPs developed for five different biomarkers. We could work seamlessly on the cloud, we were productive within an hour or two of training, and were able to complete and review the analysis of 5 x 300 tissue specimens in less than a week. The results we achieved were at least as good as manual scoring, and in several cases significantly better. The speed, convenience, and cost structure offered by CloudAnalysis and Image APPs makes Quantitative Digital Pathology an efficient, affordable, and attractive research tool", says Dr. Lars D. Andersen, Associate Professor, Group Leader, Center for Molecular Clinical Cancer Research, Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA).

Built on leading technology

CloudAnalysis provides instant access from work, home, or from anywhere to the complete suite of Visiopharm software solutions; including advanced image analysis and stereology. Simply log in to your secure account and start to analyze your slides locally or in the cloud.

CloudAnalysis is built upon proven Whole Slide image analysis technology. Johan Doré, CTO at Visiopharm says, "Our solutions have been stress-tested over the last 10 years in the most demanding environments when it comes to capabilities, automation, and throughput. The feedback we consistently get from the world’s most experienced and sophisticated Digital Pathology users is, that we provide solutions with a lower learning curve, lower cost of ownership, by far the lowest computational costs, while providing high quality results."

Visit Visiopharm’s new website at http://www.visiopharm.com to learn more about APPsolute Digital Pathology and [register] for an introductory webinar on March 14, 2012 at 11 AM EST titled “Squaring the Circle of Quantitative Digital Pathology: instant implementation, while increasing productivity and achieving a return on investment." In this webinar Visiopharm will demonstrate this new generation of software for Quantitative Digital Pathology with a flexible, affordable method of delivery in the Cloud.

About Visiopharm

Over the past 10 years, Visiopharm image analysis and stereology software has become the preferred Quantitative Digital Pathology solution for leading biopharmaceutical companies, clinical researchers, and academic researchers all over the world. Visiopharm has more than 300 deployed systems worldwide and a large network of distribution and support partners, and is featured in over 400 scientific publications.

Source: Visiopharm

Attend APF's Spring Conference Next Week

2012-02-24T00:11:25-05:00

American Pathology Foundation's

2012 Spring Conference

"Charting a New Course for Pathology;

Navigation and Leadership In Turbulent Times"

February 29 - March 2, 2012, Marriott Marquis, San Diego

LAST WEEK TO REGISTER!

Make plans to join the American Pathology Foundation next week in San Diego, CA for our 2012 Spring Conference. Attendees can look forward to three full days of informative sessions on best practices in the business of pathology and plenty of practical, "take home" ideas for better managing their time and resources.

APF conferences set the standard for pathology business and management education. Our programs provide ample opportunities for you to collaborate and share experiences with your colleagues. The Spring Program has been carefully crafted to include the most timely topics and knowledgeable speakers to help you address critical practice management issues and is designated for 20.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits.

In light of recent regulatory changes - YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS -these valuable sessions that will help you protect your practice, improve your bottom line and prepare for the future.

2012 Spring Conference Speakers & Topics Include:

Navigating a Perfect Storm in Pathology - George Lundberg, MD
Sink or Swim with Accountable Care Organizations -James Crawford, MD, PhD
Key Compliance and Regulatory Issues Update - Rick Cooper, Esq.
2012 Coding Issues Update - Dennis Padget, MBA, CPA, FHFMA
Ensuring the Delivery of Vendor Obligations - Eric Carbonneau, John Allen, MBA
LIS Implementation in Academic Health Systems-Joe Rondinelli, Raj Dash, MD
Avoiding Common Lab Inspection Issues - Gerald Hoeltge, MD
Improving Quality in CP/AP-LEAN Production Systems-Richard Zarbo,MD
Leadership Development for Today and Tomorrow - CPT. Mark Brouker
Choose Your Crew-Leadership Culture Drives Performance- Larry Siedlick, CEO
2012 Pathology Legal and Risk Management Update - Jane Pine Wood, Esq.
PAP vs HPV Screening - What Does the Data Show? - Walter Kinney, MD
Implementing New Molecular Tests and Controlling Costs- Samuel Caughron, MD
Virtual Pathology -What is on the Horizon? -Gary Tearney, MD, PhD
Creating Pathology Reports that Market Your Practice - Eric Glassy, MD

For online conference registration visit: www.apfconnect.org

You may also register over the phone by calling the

APF National Office toll-free at: 877-993-9935, ext. 202

Reserve your room at the Marriott Marquis San Diego

Contact hotel reservations toll-free at: 1-800-266-9432

Corista inks deal with MGH and Partners Healthcare

2012-02-23T07:00:00-05:00

Corista to provide platform for Massachusetts General Hospital's Pathology Network

The Massachusetts General Hospital Pathology Service has chosen Corista's Digital Image Management Platform (DP3) to support its goal of providing clinical review of pathology cases with a digital platform. This new capability will allow MGH clinical experts to extend their reach to remote patients and their physicians for second opinions in real time.

"Recent technological advances have enabled immediate and widespread access to highly specific pathology expertise, speeding up both diagnosis and the start of treatment," said David Wilbur, MD, Director , Clinical Imaging -Pathology Services at MGH and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. "The key is having an image-centric platform that provides access together with the tools needed to respond and interact with multiple systems in the community."

Corista’s CEO, Elizabth Wingard said , "We’re pleased to be working with MGH and Partners Healthcare to extend the reach of the hospital’s expertise in pathology to physicians and patients in communities near and far. The Corista platform provides an intuitive case management dashboard that manages workflow and patient cases with digital images, and which can be integrated with existing hospital information systems," Wingard said. "In accessing specialists online and getting an immediate response, remote patients and hospitals can improve patient care with expertise that would have been delayed by days using couriers and FedEx. Eliminating the delay improves the patient’s care by enabling providers to initiate the appropriate treatment plan immediately."

Corista provides Pathologists with a single point of access to read and manipulate patient images with an extensive toolset for analysis, collaboration, diagnosis and report generation. With Corista's platform, MGH will be able to improve the process and quality of pathology medicine while extending real time clinical support for remote patients.

About Corista

Since 2005, Corista has been developing its image-based processing software and proprietary browser-based software platform. The patent-pending platform, DP3, provides a comprehensive solution for pathology practices that includes: a universal viewer that reads images from any whole slide imaging platform; secure local and remote image viewing and navigation, image management, on-demand colleague consultation, annotation, measurement diagnoses; notifications to physicians of new cases or consults to be reviewed, and a centralized Physician Dashboard integrating in-house and remote patient cases into a single view for physicians. DP3 can integrate with existing hospital information systems, is hardware agnostic and supports a complete range of physician devices including high resolution monitors, tablets and touchscreens.

Full size image

Source: Corista

Aurora to DICOMize Digital Pathology Images for Inclusion in PACS

2012-02-22T18:54:00-05:00

Exciting news from Aurora Interactive mentioning inclusion of a DICOMizer within their functionality adding another needed piece to integration of pathology images into the PACS and electronic health record (EHR).

Aurora Interactive is including this new functionality in its mScope suite of products to allow a better integration of digital pathology images with radiology images and to simplify the inclusion of digital pathology images in the electronic health record (EHR)

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA- FEBRUARY 22, 2012 – Aurora Interactive announced today that it has added a DICOMizer to its mScope digital pathology product. This tool will make the inclusion of report images in the hospital PACS possible which will allow the inclusion of these images in the electronic health record (EHR) where the PACS and the EHR are integrated.

“Aurora continues to reinforce its commitment to universality, interoperability, our client’s strategic flexibility and service. We believe in supporting our client’s in their efforts to deliver pathology diagnosis information to all diagnostic stakeholders through whatever means they choose.” stated Pierre Le Fèvre, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aurora Interactive.

About Aurora Interactive Ltd.

Aurora Interactive has developed the leading web based software platform (mScope) for simplification, productivity and ease of communications. mScope’s Universal Web Viewer has collaborative tools to view medical slides and images anytime, anywhere, regardless of file format. The software has four applications to aid digital pathology web based communications needs: mScope Education, mScope Clinical, mScope Research and mScope Universal Viewer. Aurora’s mission is to improve patient outcomes and help members of the medical community achieve their full potential by eliminating the learning, diagnostic and collaborative restrictions imposed by time and space. www.aurorainteractive.com

AMA and AT&T Combine Care Management Platforms to Improve Collaboration Among Caregivers Nationwide

2012-02-22T08:00:00-05:00

Perhaps in the end this "strategic alliance" aka acquisition of AMA's physician portal by AT&T could be a good thing but commercial ventures by the AMA in the past of this sort have not ended well. Not sure this impacts pathology to a great degree, perhaps laboratory medicine in the general sense but AMA, in my opinion has not done terribly much on behalf of pathologists or the greater public health and why a majority of physicians are not members of the AMA. Time will tell if this "alliance" between two widely recognized brands will benefit patients and providers and offer a more robust and flexible health information exchange platform. Meaningful use incentives while important for primary care providers, again, do not impact pathology or laboratories, both in terms of incentives or penalties. This thanks to recent efforts by CAP to amend meaningful use penalties. This of course would not have come about if the original legislation excluded laboratories and pathologists from the reporting requirements recognizing that while we manage a huge amount of data often times the outcome assessment cannot be complete without missing corresponding clinical information collected by the clinical provider at the point of service of clinical services. In any event, pathologists are now neither eligible for incentives and won't be penalized for not being able to do it. Meanwhile, physician organizations can focus on working with communication companies to faciliate transfer of lab order and results so non-laboratory providers can be compensated for "meaningful use".

How about some "incentives" for reporting accurate timely data that is used to meet meaningful use?

AMA Press Release:

Strategic Alliance Helps Thousands of Physicians Modernize Practices

Chicago and Dallas – In a union of two iconic American brands, the American Medical Association (AMA) and AT&T* have formed a strategic alliance that will enable hundreds of thousands of physicians, physician organizations and medical societies nationwide to connect and collaborate with hospitals, payers and patients to help enhance patient care and reduce costs.

The organizations will integrate AMA's AMAGINE™ physician community portal for physicians with AT&T Healthcare Community Online, creating an advanced collaborative care and Healthcare Information Exchange (HIE) platform. By combining the platforms, both powered by Covisint, physicians will have more tools at their fingertips to modernize the management of their practices.

AMA and AT&T will advance the adoption of health information technology (health IT) across the healthcare ecosystem by enabling customers that use the platforms – physicians, hospitals, payers and patients – to access health IT applications and exchange highly-secure clinical and administrative data. The alliance will create one seamless solution that will enable highly-secure, virtually anywhere, anytime access to advanced applications, aggregated clinical information and data analytics that enable the coordination and management of patient care and population health.

The relationship will expand the functions and capabilities of the AMAGINE physician community portal that was created to help physicians easily integrate health IT into the management of their practices through a single source with affordable choices. AT&T Healthcare Community Online provides the foundation for a fully clinically integrated system across the entire care team and helps improve collaboration, reduce paperwork and potential errors, and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

Together, the combined platform will:

Increase caregiver collaboration by connecting AMAGINE customers with AT&T Healthcare Community Online customers
Provide access to AT&T's patient care and clinical integration solutions that help bring evidence-based information to the point of care
Enable access to important applications such as clinical decision support, e-prescribing, care management and electronic medical records
Improve workflow efficiency and streamline processes associated with physician orders and referrals, lab orders and results, medications and discharge planning
Help physicians to take further advantage of "meaningful use” incentives

"This alliance with AT&T makes the combined product offering that much stronger and more beneficial to physicians,” said Robert Musacchio, Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the American Medical Association. "With the AMA's extensive knowledge of physician and patient needs, and AT&T's proven track record delivering technology solutions to clients, we expect that physicians and their patients will be able to enjoy the benefits of advanced health IT sooner and with more dramatic results.”

AT&T will own and operate the combined platform as AT&T Healthcare Community Online and lead efforts to evolve technology solutions and bridge clinical and information needs across patients, physicians, hospitals and ancillary organizations. AMA will remain actively engaged and will collaborate with AT&T on business strategies to expand availability and accessibility of health IT for physicians and practices.

"If caregivers across the country aren't connected, they can't collaborate effectively as a team. By joining forces with the nation's largest physician organization, we're providing a seamless solution to meet the "last mile' of connectivity across the entire healthcare ecosystem,” said Randall Porter, Assistant Vice President, AT&T ForHealth, AT&T Business Solutions.

Both organizations will be discussing the alliance at booth #3829 at HIMSS12 in Las Vegas from Feb. 20 - Feb. 24, 2012.

###

For more information contact:

Robert J. Mills
American Medical Association
312-543-7268
robert.mills@ama-assn.org

Wendi Fuller
AT&T Corporate Communications
214-373-0118
wendi.fuller@att.com

Hopkins Pancreas App

2012-02-20T08:00:00-05:00

The pancreas folks over at Johns Hopkins recently updated their already fantastic pancreas pathology app within the past week. Search for "pancreas" in the app store and you would be hard pressed to find more than a couple of apps.

If you have any interests in pancreatic pathology, be it student or practioner, this is a must have app. Stunning images in the atlas, teaching algorithm derived from the AFIP fascicle and a quiz for self-study. The over 1400 images in the atlas are high resolution color images of awesome quality with captions covering over 100 entities. A top notch app which can be found here:

Description provided by developers:

This app is a teaching tool for medical residents, fellows, and practicing pathologists.

The Atlas of Pancreas Pathology is comprised of three modules: an interactive teaching algorithm, a search-able image atlas, and an image-based quiz. Viewing multiple examples of the same entity or feature from this large, rich image atlas will strengthen your diagnostic skills.

Teaching Algorithm. The teaching algorithm is a tool to teach the diagnostic criteria for the most common neoplasms of the pancreas. The algorithm consists of a series of usually dichotomous decision points, starting with determining if the tumor is solid or cystic, which end in specific diagnoses. Gross and microscopic photographs, together with didactic illustrations created by medical illustrator Bona Kim, support the instructional design of the algorithm. The algorithm was adapted with permission from RH Hruban, MB Pitman, and DS Klimstra, Tumors of the Pancreas. Washington D.C.: American registry of Pathology; 2007. Atlas of Tumor Pathology; 4th series, fascicle 6.

Image Atlas. The image atlas contains over 1,400 high resolution color images with captions authored by a leading expert, and covers 115 diagnostic entities. These gross and microscopic photographs can be viewed together or separately, and two entities can be compared, side by side. The atlas can be viewed by diagnosis or by features (these features re-enforce the diagnostic features used in the algorithm), and the atlas can be searched using a key word search. You can create your own albums and add images you select from from the atlas to these albums.

Quiz: The Quiz contains 166 multiple choice questions for self-study.

CBLPath Offers Only FDA-Approved BRAF Companion Diagnostic In-House After Approval From New York State Department of Health

2012-02-18T00:41:13-05:00

Test Determines Which Melanoma Patients Are Candidates for Zelboraf(R)

RYE BROOK, NY, Feb 16, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --

CBLPath announced that it received approval from the New York State Department of Health to perform in-house the cobas(R) 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test for metastatic melanoma.

The laboratory is one of a few in the U.S. that is offering the test.

The BRAF V600 companion diagnostic is the sole test approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Zelboraf(R) (vemurafenib), and aids physicians in making the best treatment decisions for patients with inoperable or metastatic melanoma who may be candidates for the drug.

The test detects the BRAF V600E mutation in the BRAF proto-oncogene from human melanoma tumor specimens, which is necessary to identify patients who are eligible for Zelboraf treatment. About half of all melanoma patients test positive for the BRAF mutation. BRAF V600 has shown improved sensitivity and accuracy when compared to other commonly used, unapproved detection methods.

"The approval by the State of New York provides CBLPath with a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool designed to deliver more timely, expert medical care to melanoma patients not only in New York, but also across the country," said Chief Medical Officer Carlos D. Urmacher, M.D., FCAP, FASCP. "It's another step in CBLPath's commitment to remain at the forefront of personalized medicine tailoring healthcare practices to individual patients. By offering tests such as this, we truly help to make a qualitative difference in patients' lives."

Melanoma is the deadliest and most aggressive form of skin cancer. Only modest response rates are typically seen with treatment options available for patients with advanced melanoma. Zelboraf provides a new and more effective treatment for late-stage melanoma, and works by inhibiting the mutated form of BRAF protein. It is the first and only FDA-approved targeted therapy shown to improve survival in patients with BRAF V600E mutation-positive metastatic melanoma.

FDA approval was given to Roche Molecular Systems for the new cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test and concurrently to Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, for Zelboraf. CBLPath is offering the test through its affiliation with Roche Diagnostics.

Back to the Future: Video Telepathology

2012-02-17T07:00:00-05:00

The following non-bolded text that appears are excerpts from an upcoming book chapter to be published shortly.

Preparation for the book chapter pre-dated now a couple of looks at Remote Meeting Technologies "Anytime, anywhere, anything!" technology that makes the claim "No specimen is too big or too small for iMedHD™ and our Be There Anywhere™ telemedicine solutions. Even gross specimens, autopsy, gram stains, and transbronchial needle aspirations can be safely and securely broadcasted to another location on site, across town, across the country, or across the world! The compact iMedHD™ is the ideal solution for cost effective, real-time High Definition sharing of images over the internet. iMedHD™ is compatible, flexible, and will enable collaboration on multiple applications throughout the pathology department and laboratories including Consultations, Gross, Intraoperative, Tumor Boards and FNA & TBNA".

Reviewing slides and gross images in high-definition got me to thinking about the first experiences with telepathology and video microsocopy:

Telepathology is the practice of pathology at a distance, obtaining macroscopic and/or microscopic images for transmission along telecommunication links with remote interpretations (telediagnosis), second opinions or consultations (teleconsultation), and/or for educational purposes. “Tele” is a Greek prefix that means “distant.” Various terms that have been used in conjunction with telepathology include digital microscopy, remote robotic microscopy, teleconferencing, teleconsultation, telemicroscopy, video microscopy, virtual microscopy, and whole slide imaging. In the practice of telepathology, the original material (tissue, glass histology slide, etc) is separated by distance from the remote consultant (telepathologist). Remotely viewed digital or analog images, or digital whole slides, get interpreted by the telepathologist on a computer monitor (or even a cell phone screen) rather than through conventional light microscope eyepieces. Today, virtually ubiquitous access to the Internet, or to other broadband telecommunications linkages, on many continents, facilitates nearly global image sharing. As a result, telepathology has been used to aid a growing number of laboratories in providing pathology services over great distances, and has even been used by others to increase the efficiency of services between hospitals less than a mile apart.

With increasing sub-specialization in pathology, the use of telepathology to access subspecialists (e.g. neuropathologists, dermatopathologists) is also on the upswing and is proving to be cost-effective in at least certain settings. The practice of telepathology is not only limited to rendering diagnoses, but can also play important roles in quality assurance (e.g. re-review of cases), teaching, and research. When telepathology is widely viewed as an acceptable ancillary technique, it will likely become a common tool integrated into mainstream diagnostic pathology.

Pathology and oncology, just as the rest of medicine is becoming increasingly subspecialized, particularly in community settings.

Dr. Ron Weinstein introduced the term “telepathology” into the English language in 1986. In the late 1960’s, he was a pathology resident at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) when the first real-time “television microscopy” service was established between the Logan Airport Medical Station and the MGH in Boston, Massachusetts. He observed early demonstrations of the technology and became aware of the limitations of video microscopy when microscopic field selection was performed by a nurse or a medical technologist at the Logan Airport clinic. The vast majority of cases did not require an on-site pathologist, since most of the clinical cases involved remotely viewing blood smears and urines. This Logan Airport television microscopy system was not used for surgical pathology cases.

Nearly two decades later, Weinstein differentiated video microscope technologies, including “television microscopy” and “video microscopy,” from “telepathology” for good reason. He proposed that the “practice of telepathology” would require that a “telepathologist”, who would be rendering a telediagnosis, should be able to control remotely all relevant light microscope functions (e.g., using a motorized, robotically controlled light microscope) in order to use telepathology for surgical pathology cases. Ideally, selection of the diagnostic microscopic fields would be made by the remote telepathologist, using some type of dynamic telepathology system that would accentuate inclusive microscope field selection at a range of viewing magnifications.

Now, thanks to Remote Meeting Technologies, true high-definition, brilliant color, high-definition video is possible for pathology for both gross and microscopic imaging. True 1920 x 1080p resolution shared very quickly over standard networks.

No scanning, uploading or downloading required. Point-to-point connectivity with browser-based viewer for ease of use and easy to control.

Perfect technology for remote consultations, frozen sections, cytology evaluations, gross review at a distance, etc...

This is not to suggest you can avoid purchasing a whole slide scanner as well for the complete imaging platform but I think there is going to be a renewed trend towards live non-robotic imaging between pathologists, although the lack of stitching here to create an image is a nice point from the regulatory perspective, like, not subject to it...

True 1080p microscopy to share with colleagues, cinicians and patients with brilliant monitors to show every detail.

If you are looking for real-time imaging with high-def video, check out Remote Meeting Technologies. Combined with very low-cost high-speed networks you can share diagnostic quality images quickly and easily.

So now, more than 25 years after the first telepathology demonstration in this country, forget about low resolution of 300 lines over expensive satellite networks and the like, and see pathology in high-definition.

It is fun to look back and to the future. What will the next generation of this latest technology look like? Perhaps teleport to the bedside without the Delorean?

Telepathology became a newsworthy item in 1986 with the first public demonstration of a satellite-linked color-video dynamic telepathology system. Fort William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, and Washington DC were linked for the demonstration. The dynamic-robotic telepathology system used for the demonstration was designed and fabricated by Weinstein’s group at Rush Medical College, in Chicago in partnership with Corabi International Telemetrics, Inc., a Rush University spin-off company located in a nearby Illinois state-owned biotechnology incubator facility, in west Chicago. The Corabi patented technology combined the use of digital and analog video imaging for the first time. Digital imaging was used to produce a small tissue map, which was captured and displayed, in a low resolution digital image format, on a navigation system monitor. This auxiliary imaging system was used by the remote telepathologist to manage the robotic motorized microscope’s functions. The telepathologist always knew exactly where the motorized microscope’s objective was positioned in relation to the actual tissue section mounted on the glass slide. Use of the auxiliary navigation system also helped ensure that each entire slide was imaged by the telepathologist-system operator in the course of a telepathology diagnostic session. The magnitude and expense of the effort to create this external navigation system reflected Weinstein’s high level of concern that the Achilles heel of telepathology could turn out to be inadequate histopathology image sampling. His concern proved to be well founded as “limiting sampling” static image telepathology (i.e., sampling of one or only a few fields), was practiced in early commercial static image telepathology systems. Such systems are no longer marketed in the United States. Real-time analog imaging was used for viewing the images of the slide during the diagnostic session in the Texas-Washington, D.C. robotic telepathology demonstration.

The story appeared on page 7 of the Metro section in the Washington Post:

For the actual Texas-to-Washington, D.C. proof-of-concept demonstration of robotic-dynamic telepathology, a histopathology slide of a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained breast frozen section, was processed into a low resolution whole slide digital image, using a low resolution camera mounted on a light box. After the navigation system digital slide was produced, the same breast tissue frozen section slide was remounted on the stage of an Olympus remotely controllable motorized photo-microscope. A stream of analog video images, viewed on a larger monitor, was used for rendering the diagnosis. The analog video images were transmitted, via satellite, to the boardroom of COMSAT Corporation, in Washington, D.C. A telepathologist, Dr. Alexander Miller, seated at a Corabi prototype workstation, was able to control all of the functions of the motorized microscope in Texas, including stage movements, magnification, focus and illumination, while viewing the real-time images, at 525 lines of resolution, with a video monitor refresh rate of 30 frames per second. The navigation system, positioned near the large video monitor, displayed tissue mapping parameters. Superimposed over the low resolution digital image of the breast frozen section, displayed on the navigation system screen, was a small box-shaped icon indicating the location and size of the field-of-view (FOV) of the glass slide being actively displayed on the main video monitor. Velocity of the stage movements, displayed as lateral movements of the small FOV box, showed the exact relationship of the light microscope’s objective lens to the underlying tissue section. The location of FOV was automatically updated as Dr. Miller, in Washington, D.C., robotically repositioned the glass slide on the microscope’s motorized stage in Texas. Changes in magnification initiated by Dr. Miller, by the press of a button, appeared natural. Focus was easily controlled during scanning of the slide, and readily re-established with each change in magnification. Two-way audio communication was maintained between the laboratory in Texas and the Washington, D.C. COMSTAT boardroom throughout the dynamic telepathology diagnostic session. Technicians and doctors in Texas were in constant communication with Dr. Miller.

Political debacle with "doc fix" continues...

2012-02-16T12:20:03-05:00

Now the "doc fix" to address permanently the SGR formula is getting bundled with payroll and unemployment monies, or "programs" as they are sometimes referred to. Conveniently, Congress can stall the issue further, "kick the can down the road", respond to physician advocates by not repealing the SGR once and for all and continue to add to uncertaintly in the healthcare morass. But do not fret providers and patients, Congress will take a holiday of their own after the vote Friday paid for by our taxes.

Really good thing the government is not involved with healthcare and a payor system until the Healthcare Law goes into full effect...

The deal on the Medicare "doc fix" received widespread coverage, both in print and online, but mostly in the context of it being part of a larger deal involving extensions of both the payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits. The AP (2/16, Taylor) reports congressional negotiators worked "into Wednesday night ironing out final details of an agreement to extend a cut in the payroll taxes paid by most Americans. The legislation also would renew jobless benefits for millions more."

The Washington Post (2/16, Kane) says the plan "includes a temporary fix for Medicare's payment plan, which, left unchecked, would lead to a 27 percent drop in fees paid to doctors who treat elderly patients."

In a front-page story, the New York Times (2/15, A1, Steinhauer, Subscription Publication) reports, "A vote on the measure would most likely happen by Friday, when Congress is set to recess for a week."

Deal Would Include $11.6 Billion In Cuts To Healthcare Law. CQ (2/16, Reichard, Subscription Publication) reports, "The tentative agreement House and Senate negotiators reached on Medicare physician payments would block cuts through 2012 and offset part of the cost with $11.6 billion in cuts to the health care law, a GOP aide said Wednesday." The federal health "law cuts would take $5 billion from the $15 billion fund created under the measure to boost programs to prevent chronic diseases, the aide said." Meanwhile, "Medicaid spending for hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of low-income patients would be cut by $4 billion."

The Kaiser Health News (2/16, Carey) "Capsules" blog reports that additionally, "Louisiana would not receive $2.5 billion in additional Medicaid funds included in the health law, according to" the "GOP aide." Lawmakers also "plan to take $9.6 billion from areas that include payment cuts for clinical laboratory services and Medicare 'bad debt,' payments Medicare makes to hospitals and nursing homes when patients cannot pay for their medical care."

Medscape (2/16, Lowes) reports, "Assuming that both the House and the Senate approve the measure, physicians could face another doc-fix drama in the lame-duck Congress that follows the November 6 general election." As of "January 1, 2013, the scheduled Medicare pay cut would top 27.4%, as calculated by the program's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula." MedPage Today (2/16, Walker) also covers the story.

CQ (2/16, Reichard, Subscription Publication) reports that "despite concerted efforts by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., to apply war savings, it appears that the latest temporary 'doc fix' to block Medicare physician payment cuts under the 'Sustainable Growth Rate' (SGR) physician payment formula without getting rid of the formula itself have come to naught." Some physician groups were critical of the move. In a statement, the American Osteopathic Association said, "It is troubling that Congress continues to operate the nation's largest and most influential health care programs on an ad hoc basis." Meanwhile, American Medical Association President Peter W. Carmel said, "We are deeply disappointed that Congress chose to just do another patch - kicking the can, growing the problem and missing a clear opportunity to protect access to care for patients."

Modern Healthcare (2/16, Zigmond, Subscription Publication) reports that in a statement, Dr. Susan Turney, president and CEO of MGMA-ACMPE, formerly the Medical Group Management Association, said, "We are deeply disappointed that Congress has missed a unique opportunity to repeal the SGR once and for all and instead has chosen political expediency over patients." Dr. Turney also said in the statement, "Group practices are telling us that this congressional decision exacerbates an already unhealthy environment that limits their ability to plan for the future and balance their practice's fiscal health with their desire to continue to serve Medicare beneficiaries."

Specialists On Call Renews Joint Commission Accreditation

2012-02-15T08:00:00-05:00

Courtesy of Business Wire:

Specialists On Call, Inc. (SOC), the nation's leading provider of clinical telemedicine, announced today that it has completed its 2012 Joint Commission review and maintained their accreditation. SOC provides hospitals nationwide with immediate 24/7 access to board certified specialty physicians via telemedicine and delivers over 1,500 emergency consultations each month.

"This is a very big deal for Specialists On Call," commented Dr. Joe Peterson, CEO of SOC. "We've always distinguished ourselves by the clinical quality we offer hospitals and renewing our Joint Commission accreditation validates that commitment to excellence. Completing this Joint Commission Survey with no findings is rare and furthers our leadership position within the industry."

Specialists On Call was the first free-standing and commercial telemedicine service to earn Joint Commission accreditation and this latest evaluation was SOC's third formal review. To date, SOC has helped more than 40,000 patients and their family members with time sensitive clinical consultations via telemedicine.

SOC's growth plan for 2012 includes multiple new telemedicine service lines that address the nation's growing specialty physician shortage. Last year Specialists On Call launched an emergency telepsychiatry service for hospitals that are hard pressed to provide 24/7/365 psychiatric on-call coverage in their emergency room. Thus far, the telepsychiatry service has produced six times the consult volume that SOC's long-established teleneurology service generated during its first year.

About Specialists On Call

Specialists On Call, Inc. (SOC), is a Joint Commission-accredited organization that is changing emergency medicine. As the leading provider of emergency telemedicine consultations, SOC gives hospitals vital 24/7/365 access to more than 50 board certified, fellowship trained academic specialists, each with a minimum of 10 years experience. With operations on both coasts, SOC provides more than 1,500 emergency consultations per month for hospitals nationwide and hospital systems such as Vanguard Health Systems, HCA, Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

For more information please visit www.specialistsoncall.com

Source: Specialists On Call, Inc.

Long-Travel Piezomotors: New Innovations, New Solutions

2012-02-13T01:31:26-05:00

This newly announced technology has the potential to be a disruptive game-changer for creating a new generation of ultra-fast, “personal” WSI scanners. Stay tuned for more on this.

Read full story.

by Scott Jordan and Stefan Vorndran, PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P., www.pi-usa.com; posted by Chris Warner | Tuesday, February 7, 2012 (ECN)

In a variety of fields, applications are placing conflicting demands on structural and motion subassemblies. Increasingly, positions must be controlled in more degrees of freedom with higher dynamic and static accuracy, yet faster throughputs and longer travels are necessary to meet financial metrics. Compactness is prized, yet high speeds are demanded. These conflicting requirements have, until recently, had no solution. Application examples abound:

• Optic assemblies of escalating sophistication require multiple axes of nano-precision alignment, yet they must remain aligned for months of around-the-clock use.

• Emerging nanoimprint lithographies demand exquisite positioning and trajectory control, yet they must retain alignment integrity under significant physical and thermal stresses.

• Applications ranging from cell-phone cameras to endoscopy and fluid
delivery require exceedingly small but stiff and responsive and reliable positioning of optics, probes, shutters and other small loads.

Fortunately, a confluence of new piezo-based approaches has breathed new capability into the nano- and micro-positioning world. Some of these represent significant incremental advancement of essentially traditional mechanisms; others represent significant forks in the road of positioning technology.

Read full story.

A NEW Dark Report Audio Conference: Important New Trends on Med-Tech Recruiting, Salaries, and Compensation: National Changes, Regional Developments

2012-02-08T17:43:18-05:00

Avoid critical shortages, reduce overtime pay, and create an environment
that fosters long-term employment

Listen LIVE !

YOUR PRESENTERS:

Chris Harol, Laboratory Recruiter, Lighthouse Recruiting

Laura Lee Feiner, Laboratory Educator, PeaceHealth Laboratories

You may be surprised to learn that the supply-demand equation in the labor market for medical technologists (MT) and other medical laboratory scientists is changing nationally.

Skilled med techs and experienced lab scientists are getting multiple job offers. That’s why they’re asking for more money-and why many labs are willing to outbid competitors to hire these top candidates. Employer demand is another reason why other forms of compensation, such as recruitment bonuses, student-loan forgiveness, and incentive payments, are also fueling increased costs to hire and retain the best candidates.

These important developments may catch some clinical laboratories and pathology groups unawares, making it difficult for them to recruit enough med techs to maintain staffing. Worse yet, if salaries at your lab lag behind the competitive labor market, you may see some of your most valued employees leave to earn more money at a lab across town.

To get you up to speed on these fast-moving changes in the med-tech labor marketplace, THE DARK REPORT has lined up laboratory recruiter Chris Harol of Lighthouse Recruiting to lead a special audio conference, “Important New Trends on Med Tech Recruiting, Salaries, and Compensation: National Changes, Regional Developments,” on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

Harol is the “go-to” recruiter for many well known clinical laboratory organizations. He has the pulse of the labor market for med techs, cytotechs, and other lab scientist skills. In this concise and focused session, Harol will give you an insider’s view of the current supply and demand concerns in the med-tech laboratory marketplace.

You and your team will learn what’s different about today’s labor pool compared with just 12 months ago. Harol will identify how the supply of med techs is changing-but in ways that run contrary to popular wisdom. Because some regions in the United States actually have an ample supply of med techs.

Harol’s experience negotiating between labs and hiring candidates, makes him amply qualified to provide an invaluable analysis of what goes into successful job offers. You’ll learn why some top candidates are less interested in a prime salary, preferring other benefits, such as a schedule that better meets their lifestyle needs.

Is your lab using expensive temporary help agencies to keep enough med techs on duty? Is overtime at your lab above targeted limits because it’s the only way to have enough people to get the work done? If so, you’ll want to participate in this audio conference and get the recommended steps your lab can take to wean itself away from these expensive staffing remedies.

You’ll get a clear understanding of what drives today’s lab labor marketplace and come away from this information-packed session with a checklist of do’s and don’ts that you can use to recruit experienced medical technologists.

Next, you’ll hear from Laura Lee Feiner, Laboratory Educator at PeaceHealth Laboratories, which is owned by a major health system and operates a successful laboratory outreach program. PeaceHealth Labs has a fascinating story. It’s a fast-growing lab with hundreds of employees, yet it’s based in a rural university town with a population of less than 150,000.

You’ll learn about the innovative strategies Feiner and her team use to attract talented people to their lab-and give them career advancement opportunities that boost employee retention. The secret is to create different career paths that foster personal growth, without having to incur expensive relocation costs to move newly hired med techs into your community.

Along the way, PeaceHealth used economic development grants and distance learning programs to tap a ready pool of bachelor of science (BS) graduates already living in the community. Feiner will share how you can use these same strategies in your lab to recruit talented people, then motivate them to pursue a career path that makes them long-time contributors to your laboratory staff.

With the oldest generation of med techs reaching retirement years, both Harol and Feiner will provide tips on the best way to attract and retain the generation now graduating from school. These are the people with an entire career ahead of them that will help you build a stable lab workforce.

Find out how you can address staffing shortages and boost the effectiveness of your med-tech recruiting and retention programs when you join The Dark Report and DarkDaily.com for “Important New Trends on Med-Tech Recruiting, Salaries, and Compensation: National Changes, Regional Developments” on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

Listen as these two nationally prominent experts on med-tech staffing, recruiting, retention, and compensation give you the latest intelligence on the changing supply/demand situation and salary/compensations packages.

Find out how to use this knowledge to help your lab be more successful at recruiting new, highly qualified medical technicians. Creating a work environment that reduces turnover and increases retention of long-term employees translates into a significant reduction in your hiring budget.

Whether you’re a laboratory manager, trainer, medical technologist, histotechnologist, cytotechnologist, or recruiter at an independent clinical/medical laboratory (both for-profit and not-for-profit), hospital, or reference lab, this is one session you won’t want to miss.

Register today to guarantee your place at this essential learning session. And remember that your entire management team can learn and participate when you register.

THE DARK REPORT AUDIO CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 2012

TIME: 1 p.m. EST; 12 p.m. CST; 11 a.m. MST; 10 a.m. PST

PLACE: Your telephone or speakerphone

COST: $195 per dial-in site (unlimited attendance per site) through 2/15/12, $245 thereafter

TO REGISTER NOW: Click here or call 1-800-560-6363 toll-free

For one low price—just $245— you and your entire team can take part in this fast-paced, insightful audio conference. Best of all, you’ll be able to connect personally with our speakers when we open up the phone lines for live Q&A.

Here’s just some of what you’ll learn during this in-depth 90-minute audio conference recording:

National trends and the current state of medical technologist supply and demand.
Insights about increased salaries and what non-salary compensation incentives competing laboratories are offering that could steal your med techs.
What successful labs are doing to recruit top-performing med techs.
Why a defined career path is important to new med-tech graduates.
How to increase employee morale to reduce turnover and the need for new hires.
What job seekers are really looking for and how to ensure your lab meets their employment needs.
How to effectively recruit new talent for your lab.
Learn how to identify if the med-tech “retirement bomb” is ticking in your lab-and what you can do about it.

…and much more!

How to Order Now:

1. Online
2. Call toll free: 800-560-6363.

Your audio conference registration includes:

A site license to attend the conference (invite as many people as you can fit around your speakerphone at no extra charge)
A downloadable PowerPoint presentations from our speaker
A full transcript emailed to you soon after the conference
The opportunity to connect directly with the speaker during the audience Q&A session

Register NOW ! Or for more information, call us toll-free at 800-560-6363

Distinguished Presenters:

Chris Harol is a Laboratory Recruitment expert with Lighthouse Recruiting. For the past six years, he has successfully recruited and placed laboratory professionals in new positions nationwide. Mr. Harol specializes in recruiting medical technologists, histotechnologists, and cytotechnologists for the staff to director level. He works with employers ranging from the Hospital Corporation of America to Quest Diagnostics to small critical access hospitals in rural locations. Mr. Harol has an in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of the laboratory market and what the future holds.

Laura Lee Feiner is a Laboratory Educator for PeaceHealth Laboratories and a Medical Technologist (ASCP). Her clinical lab experience includes diverse settings, from managing a lab in a small private physician office to performing special chemistry testing in South Korea. She has worked as a technologist in labs across five states. Ms. Feiner has held business and management positions in clinical labs, patient financial services, a cardiovascular service line, and biopharmaceuticals. Her training and education roles have included Director of the MLT program at a community college; instructor of theory, bench, and clinical lab skills; and trainer in various clinical departments. She has a master's degree in public administration.

ACCENT® Continuing Education Credit
The American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) designates this program for a maximum of 1.5 ACCENT® credit hours towards the AACC Clinical Chemist’s Recognition Award. AACC is an approved provider of continuing education for clinical laboratory scientists in the states of California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.

Top Tumor Website now Available as Mobile App

2012-02-08T08:00:00-05:00

Newton, MA - prMac Medical (courtesy of a loyal reader for passing this along)

[prMac.com] Newton, Massachusetts - The Tumorpedia / Bonetumor team announces the launch of Tumorpedia, a suite of mobile medical reference applications designed for healthcare providers and students. The Tumorpedia mobile applications deliver comprehensive, authoritative, and up-to-date information on the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of bone and soft tissue tumors.

Tumorpedia is designed for physicians, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, primary care providers, podiatrists, residents, interns, medical students, and patients as well, Tumorpedia is available for iPhone and iPad, and is available now in the Apple App store.

Tumorpedia comprises a suite of mobile applications focusing on different types of tumors. The applications released today include Tumorpedia-lite, Tumorpedia-bone, Tumorpedia-soft tissue, Tumorpedia-foot and ankle, and Tumorpedia-Espanol, designed for Spanish-language users.

The Tumorpedia applications allow healthcare providers rapid mobile access to the content from Bonetumor, the web's most comprehensive medical information site covering all aspects of benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors. The website Bonetumor has been ranked #1 on Google since its inception in 1996.

Each Tumorpedia app contains information on 20 to 50 different tumors, covering the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and examination findings, as well as the xray, MRI, and CT scan appearance of the tumor. The diagnostic features of each tumor are illustrated with hundreds of images from actual case examples. In addition, the microscopic pathology findings are described and illustrated. The app provides treatment options, outcomes information, and prognosis for each tumor.

"There is no textbook in print that has the information available in this application, presented in the manner that it is. It's a great tool for orthopedic surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, podiatrists, residents and students who might be caring for patients with these tumors. It's hard to memorize the variable presentations and diagnostic features of these tumors, which can range anywhere from minor, benign conditions to serious, aggressive cancers. Zeroing in on the right diagnosis is really essential in determining the most accurate and appropriate tests to use. Having this information readily available, right at the point of care is invaluable," explains Dr. Henry DeGroot, principal content author of the applications.

It took DeGroot and his team more than five hundred hours of work to create and organize the content presented in Tumorpedia. Their goal was to make sure the app's information was accurate, evidence-based, comprehensive and easy to access in a clinical setting or at the point of care.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (also available on Android)
* Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or higher (iOS 4.0 Tested)
* 1.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Tumorpedia-Lite for universal iOS devices is free, Tumorpedia-Bone, Tumorpedia- Soft Tissue, Tumorpedia - Foot and Ankle and Tumorpedia - Espanol for universal iOS devices is only $2.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Medical category. Promo codes will be supplied to qualified reviewers. Please identify the website or blog you represent when requesting promo codes.

Bonetumor

Tumorpedia Lite
Tumorpedia Bone
Tumorpedia Soft Tissue
Screenshot
Tumorpedia App Icon

Located in Newton, MA, Tumorpedia and the bonetumor.org website were created by Dr. Henry DeGroot III, M.D., F.A.A.O.S. with the help of a group of talented clinicians and scientists who are active in patient care, surgery, radiology, pathology, clinical and bench research, and academic teaching. Dr. DeGroot is an Instructor in Orthopaedic Surgery at the Tufts Medical School, as well as an Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He teaches orthopaedics, orthopaedic oncology, and foot and ankle surgery. All Material and Software (C) 1996-2012 Digital Image Flow and Bonetumor.org / All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPod, the iPod logo, are registered trademarks of Apple Computer in the U.S. and/or other countries.

###

Henry DeGroot
Proprietor

Reference iOS

Caffeinated Coffee May Protect Against Liver Fibrosis In Certain Patients

2012-02-07T08:57:51-05:00

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and other associated metabolic conditions. Fibrosis in chronic liver disease, regardless of etiology is generally thought to be irreversible.

Good news from Army medicine suggesting that if you drink coffee with your hamburger, fries and milkshake you may gain some protective effect from the coffee in terms of liver injury and fibrosis. Bad news is that other caffeinated drinks may not have as a protective effect as coffee.

Medscape (2/7, Newman) reports, "Drinking caffeinated coffee protects against liver fibrosis in patients with" nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to a study published in the February issue of Hepatology. "The new finding comes from a validated caffeine questionnaire administered to four patient groups" comprising 306 patients "at the Brooke Army Medical Center Hepatology Clinic in Fort Sam Houston, Texas: negative controls, bland steatosis/not-NASH, NASH stage 0 to 1, and NASH stage 2 to 4." Notably, "no other caffeinated beverages showed a correlation with any dimension of liver protection (e.g., NASH, insulin resistance, diabetes, liver enzymes)."

Innovative Imaging Concepts is the Authorized Distributor in USA for ViewsIQ

2012-02-06T11:53:28-05:00

Canadian-based slide imaging technology company, ViewsIQ, announces their entrance to the digital pathology market in USA with the authorized Distributor Innovative Imaging Concepts. Their flagship product, Panoptiq, is designed to bring real-time slide digitization and affordable telepathology to the world of virtual microscopy.

Oxford, Massachusetts (PRWEB) February 06, 2012

ViewsIQ develops innovative microscopy imaging systems for hospitals, research institutions and laboratories. Panoptiq allows real-time communication between microscopist and pathologist anywhere in the world. With Panoptiq, the user can interactively create a digital scan of their slide with a microscope then easily share the digital scan for consultation purposes.

Herman Lo, CEO of ViewsIQ, said, “Our mission is to create an easy-to-use and low-cost slide scanning solution that integrate intricately with the typical workflow of a microscope user. We are excited to introduce Panoptiq, the world’s first interactive slide scanning system.”

“The image acquisition and slide-scanning speed is in real-time, making the experience truly interactive” said Jason Fung, VP Sales & Marketing of ViewsIQ. “As a software-based solution, Panoptiq eliminates the need for expensive hardware in conventional slide scanning systems. Our clients feel that Panoptiq is the most natural and affordable way to scan slides with a microscope.”
See Demo Video at http://viewsiq.ca/digital-pathology-software-products#tabs-1-5

Company Profile
Innovative Imaging Concepts
340 Main Street
Oxford, MA 01540
Phone 508 581 0251
Fax 508 987 7310
http://www.innovative-imaging.net

The corporate mission is to position Innovative Imaging Concepts as a new product development company, generating imaging hardware applications and the imaging software technology for integrating medical imaging, storage, retrieval, and sharing of hospital, clinical pathology, research and patient diagnostic imaging between local medical services and research departments and through internet connection to a broader and concurrent viewing audience.

Company Profile
ViewsIQ is a Canadian healthcare technology company that develops microscopy imaging solutions for research and clinical laboratories. Its recent innovation called Panoptiq™ is set to create a revolution in pathology practice. This tool enables pathologists to view their slides digitally in real-time with no delay to their workflow.

The company has a very well experienced management and technical team consisting of engineers and MBAs as well as a strong advisory board consisting of industry experts and university professors. Concerted efforts of these teams will ensure long-term aggressive growth of the company.

The target customers for this product are all the hospitals and diagnostic centers around the world. The company plans to grow rapidly in North America in the next few years and then leverage this scale to further expand to other continents.

Blog App to be Launched

2012-02-05T08:00:00-05:00

Coming to an iPhone near you soon. The Digital Pathology Blog App. Look for iPad and Android OS versions to follow. Stay connected and up to date from your mobile device to the blog with Twitter (@tissuepathology) and Pathology 2.0 Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pathology2.0) tabs.

BREAKING: Healthcare Hero SAVES HIMSS12!

2012-02-02T13:04:32-05:00

Confused by EHRs, Meaningful Use, medication management, federal regulations, and other health IT topics?

Want more, positive clinical outcomes, greater information exchange, increased office efficiency, and cost savings?

Visit booth 5456 at HIMSS12 to meet the DRFIRST Defender and learn how he helps protect providers!

Comment on the video, Tweet us @DrFirst #HIMSShero, or comment on www.facebook.com/drfirstinc to be entered into a drawing for a night on the town in Vegas at HIMSS12!

Recently published articles in Journal of Pathology Informatics

2012-02-02T08:00:00-05:00

Number of great articles recently published in the increasingly popular Journal of Pathology Informatics.

Number of recent works dealing with digital pathology related projects:

Multi-field-of-view strategy for image-based outcome prediction of multi-parametric estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer histopathology: Comparison to Oncotype DX
Ajay Basavanhally, Michael Feldman, Natalie Shih, Carolyn Mies, John Tomaszewski, Shridar Ganesan, Anant Madabhushi
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:1 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Local isotropic phase symmetry measure for detection of beta cells and lymphocytes
Manohar Kuse, Yi-Fang Wang, Vinay Kalasannavar, Michael Khan, Nasir Rajpoot
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:2 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Prostate cancer detection: Fusion of cytological and textural features

Kien Nguyen, Anil K Jain, Bikash Sabata
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:3 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Automatic annotation of histopathological images using a latent topic model based on non-negative matrix factorization
Angel Cruz-Roa, Gloria Díaz, Eduardo Romero, Fabio A González
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:4 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

A fully automated approach to prostate biopsy segmentation based on level-set and mean filtering

Juan Vidal, Gloria Bueno, John Galeotti, Marcial García-Rojo, Fernanda Relea, Oscar Déniz
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:5 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Feasibility analysis of high resolution tissue image registration using 3-D synthetic data
Yachna Sharma, Richard A Moffitt, Todd H Stokes, Qaiser Chaudry, May D Wang
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:6 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Atlas-guided correction of brain histology distortion
Xi Qiu, Lin Shi, Tony Pridmore, Alain Pitiot, Defeng Wang
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:7 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Global error minimization in image mosaicing using graph connectivity and its applications in microscopy
Parmeshwar Khurd, Leo Grady, Rafiou Oketokoun, Hari Sundar, Tejas Gajera, Summer Gibbs-Strauss, John V Frangioni, Ali Kamen
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:8 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Interactive registration of 2D histology and 3D CT data for assessment of radiofrequency ablation treatment
Matthias Seise, Tuomas Alhonnoro, Marina Kolesnik
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:9 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Biomechanical model-based deformable registration of MRI and histopathology for clinical prostatectomy
Navid Samavati, Deirdre M McGrath, Jenny Lee, Theodorus van der Kwast, Michael Jewett, Cynthia Ménard, Kristy K Brock
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:10 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

A comparison of sampling strategies for histological image analysis
André Homeyer, Andrea Schenk, Uta Dahmen, Olaf Dirsch, Hai Huang, Horst K Hahn
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:11 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Learning histopathological patterns
Andreas Kårsnäs, Anders L Dahl, Rasmus Larsen
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:12 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]

Graphical processing unit implementation of an integrated shape-based active contour: Application to digital pathology
Sahirzeeshan Ali, Anant Madabhushi
J Pathol Inform 2011, 2:13 (19 January 2012)
[ABSTRACT] [HTML FULL TEXT] [PDF] [Mobile HTML Full text ] [EPub]