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More hospitals and medical practices are adopting telemedicine techniques, finding they save money and for some patients work as well as flesh-and-blood visits. The technology is especially being embraced in professions like ophthalmology, psychiatry and dermatology, which face shortages of physicians. At Kaiser Permanente, dermatologists “sit in a suite in San Francisco” and tele-treat patients throughout Northern California, said Dr. Peter Yellowlees, director of the health informatics program at the University of California, Davis, and a board member of the American Telemedicine Association. “It’s much more efficient than having 20 hospitals, each with a dermatologist.”
With Telemedicine as Bridge, No Hospital Is an Island
The case for electronic medical records is compelling: They can make health care more efficient and less expensive, and improve the quality of care by making patients’ medical history easily accessible to all who treat them. Small wonder that the idea has been promoted by the Obama administration, with strong bipartisan and industry support. The government has given $6.5 billion in incentives, and hospitals and doctors have spent billions more. But as health care providers adopt electronic records, the challenges have proved daunting, with a potential for mix-ups and confusion that can be frustrating, costly and even dangerous. Some doctors complain that the electronic systems are clunky and time-consuming, designed more for bureaucrats than physicians.
The Ups and Downs of Electronic Medical Records
Americans over 65, whose health stands to benefit the most from modern digital technology, are the least able and least likely to use it.
As of April, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, 53 percent of Americans 65 and older were using the Internet or e-mail, but after age 75, use dropped off significantly, to 34 percent. By contrast, nearly 90 percent of younger adults are digitally connected. The challenges of getting more of the elderly connected to e-health, a catchall term for digital practices related to health care, are many: lack of awareness; fear of computers and smartphones; problems with vision, hearing, cognition or manual dexterity; limited finances or learning options; and concerns about privacy. But these limitations are being addressed by experts who specialize in digital communication for seniors — government agencies like the National Institute on Aging and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine; organizations like libraries, senior centers and residences, Y.M.C.A.’s and AARP; and a small but growing number of upstart companies that provide services in places like assisted living facilities.
E-Health Opportunities for Seniors
[Commentary] The Pentagon says cyberspace is an operational domain on par with land, sea, air and outer space, and there is little doubt that a global cyberarms race is getting underway. The United States is already well engaged in this race, as evidenced by reports of the computer worm Stuxnet, used to attack Iran’s nuclear enrichment equipment. But so far these efforts have largely been kept secret and conducted as intelligence operations. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s upcoming workshop on cyberwar points again to the need for more transparency. The United States still has no open, overarching doctrine to govern a cyberweapons program. A good place to start would be a declaratory policy that would lay out when and under what circumstances offensive weapons such as Stuxnet might be used. After that, an open discussion is needed about rules of engagement for this complex new field, along with additional study of such issues as how and whether the military should protect non-military assets in government and the private sector.
US needs frank talk about cyberweapons
Cable and satellite TV service subscribers may not be cord-cutting or cord-shaving to any degree, according to one study, yet high levels of channel-surfing and growing use of services like Netflix could lead to more problems.
Almost 70% say they are "always" or "sometimes" frustrated in trying to find something to watch, according to video search technology company Digitalsmiths. It found that 48% of cable customers say they spend 10 minutes or more trying to find something to watch -- channel-surfing. Nearly 30% say they spend even more time flipping on the TV remote -- 10 minutes to 20 minutes. In relation to this, the study says just about 50% of TV viewers watch less than 10% of time-shifted viewing -- which means more channel-surfing. (Other TV researchers now say around 45% of U.S. TV homes have DVR time-shifting technology.)
Cable Subscribers Frustrated, Up Channel Surfing, Streaming
The Philippine Supreme Court suspended implementation of the country's anti-cybercrime law while it decides whether certain provisions violate civil liberties.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the court issued a temporary restraining order stopping the government from enforcing the law signed by President Benigno Aquino III last month. The law took effect last week but there has been no report of anyone being charged with violating it. The court suspended the law for 120 days and scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 15. It ordered the government to respond within 10 days to 15 petitions seeking to declare the law unconstitutional. The law aims to combat Internet crimes such as hacking, identity theft, spamming, cybersex and online child pornography.
Philippine Supreme Court suspends cybercrime law
The United States will oppose any major revision to 24-year-old global telecommunications regulations at an international conference in December, the head of the US delegation said, insisting the Internet must remain free and open.
"We need to avoid suffocating ... the Internet space through well-meaning but overly-proscriptive proposals that would seek to control content or seek to mandate routing and payment practices," said Terry Kramer, the special envoy named for World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai at the end of the year. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Kramer said Washington was eager to cooperate with other nations to reach a consensus on alterations to global regulations set up by the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 1988, but stressed that only minimal changes would be acceptable. Kramer reiterated Washington's opposition to proposals from a number of countries to expand the ITU's authority to regulate the Internet, insisting, for instance, that his country did not want cyber security to fall under the UN agency's mandate.
US says will oppose major revisions of global telecom rules If Internet governance ain't broke, don't fix it: U.S. (Reuters)
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) predicts that President Barack Obama could sign an executive order on cybersecurity within the next month.
In an interview on "Platts Energy Week," an energy news talk show, Sen Lieberman insisted his bill, the Cybersecurity Act, isn't dead. He said lawmakers could strike a compromise during the lame-duck session, but he said the chances are "less than 50-50." He said the president should sign an order to enhance protections for vulnerable computer systems, but acknowledged that the president lacks the legal authority to achieve all of the aspects of his bill.
Sen Lieberman: Obama could issue cybersecurity order in the next month
Obama Administration officials and a bipartisan group of Senate aides met on Oct 5 to discuss a possible executive order aimed at improving cybersecurity. Caitlin Hayden, a White House spokeswoman, said the Administration is seeking input from Congress and private businesses as it drafts the order.
"The process of developing an Executive Order will take time, as we believe that it must take into account the views of our partners in the private sector and the Congress," she said. "We have started reaching out to both the private sector and Congress and we look forward to gaining their input. Given the gravity of the threats we face in cyberspace, we want to get this right in addition to getting it done swiftly." The chairs and ranking members of the committees of jurisdiction over cybersecurity were invited to the meeting, according to an aide.
White House discusses cybersecurity order with Senate staff
Last week's jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed better-than-expected results, including a sizable drop in the national unemployment rate to 7.8% from 8.1%. But for the IT industry, September was a big disappointment. After sustained growth -- including 36,300 jobs added in July and August alone -- the IT industry lost 1,700 jobs in September. September marks the first the monthly decline since August 2010 that wasn't associated with a labor strike or other market anomaly, notes IT analyst firm Foote Partners, which focuses on tech employment research.
IT job numbers decline for first time in 25 months