The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Connected Nation, Inc., today announced the launch of Connect!, a new campaign to promote the critical need for expanding broadband to all communities throughout the Nation.  A key element of the campaign is a series of public dialogues. Brian and I also briefed reporters on the economic impact of accelerating broadband deployment in various states and the broadband mapping bills that Congress is now considering.

We’re hoping to build on the success of initiatives like ConnectKentucky, a public-private partnership that helped boost broadband availability in the state to 95 percent of Kentucky households last year, from only 60 percent in 2004.

Click Here to Read More and See Coverage of the Announcement

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NextGenWeb recently attended a Health IT Now coalition event where members of the coalition called on Congress to pass health information technology legislation this year.

In a briefing for Members of the House and Senate and their staff, former Congresswoman Nancy Johnson was joined by representatives from coalition member groups the American Diabetes Association, the Genetic Alliance, Consumers for Competitive Choice, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Click Below to See Highlights from the Event

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One of the more compelling panels at this year’s NXTcomm conference in Chicago was the “Rhetoric versus Reality: Putting the Broadband Debate into Perspective.��? The panel was well-attended by industry leaders, but one of the more interesting testimonials came from Theresa Davis, the outpatient care director at iNOVA. Ms. Davis spent some time with NextGenWeb.org after the panel to discuss the role telemedicine and broadband play in improving the efficiency and quality of patient care. Click below to see her comments.

To Watch Her Interview Click Here

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NextGenWeb recently attended a press conference hosted by the Health IT Now! Coalition entitled “Governors Urge Congress to Pass Health Information Technology”. Chet Culver, Governor of Iowa, Jim Douglas, Governor of Vermont, and Joe Manchin, Governor of West Virginia, spoke about the need for health IT legislation. The governors collectively declared that progress in every state is limited because the federal government has yet to establish health IT standards. The Governors agreed that standards must be set by Congress in order to finally allow care providers, insurers and state programs to adopt software and hardware systems that will allow every state to be interoperable with one another.

Click below to watch the Governor’s speeches

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NextGenWeb recently attended an ITIF and HealthITNow policy forum titled “Health IT: Why a dose of Health IT may be just what the doctor ordered.” The panel discussed the current state of health care and specifically the ways electronic health records can improve care. ITIF released a study that examines the power of health IT and how health record data banks can play a role.

Dr. Edna DeVries, Medical Director at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin provided a practitioner’s perspective on the role of IT in medical practices. Rob Atkinson, President of ITIF and Daniel Castro Senior Analyst at ITIF discussed the benefits of establishing independent health record data banks as a sustainable and market-based approach to implementing Electronic Health Records. Finally, Nancy Johnson, a leading former member of Congress and co-chair of HealthITNow discussed the importance of IT for transforming the American health care system.

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NextGenWeb is committed to highlighting ways broadband can improve our quality of life – and receiving health care over the Internet is a great example. In addition to posting and commentating on the latest studies highlighting such applications, NextGenWeb has hit the road to cover events focused on e-Health and its dependence on broadband connections to the Internet.

This has led to the comprehensive package below focused on what e-Health is, how it is improving the quality of life for those using it, where it is going, and why we need continued, rapid deployment of broadband so Americans everywhere can have access.

And don’t just take it from us. We invite you to explore the resources below and listen to some of the nation’s most renowned practitioners, third party leaders and industry experts who are involved with the e-Health application every day. And for future reference, please click here to see our e-Health resources center for the latest news on this initiative.

Connected Health – Massachusetts General Hospital

Connected Health Requires a Robust Communications Infrastructure
Joseph C. Kvedar, MD
Center for Connected Health
Health care is changing rapidly

We are at the tipping point for adoption of an exciting, refreshing new way of providing health care – Connected Health. Since we all have such a personal stake in health care (we are all patients at some point in our lives), this is directly relevant to all of us. Connected health is about bringing care to you the patient, wherever you are and just in time – when you need it. Think of the power and convenience that offers! Current successful examples of Connected Health include…

To view Dr. Kvedar’s full post please click here.

Connected Health Symposium Interviews

Jon Linkous, President and CEO, American Telemedicine Association

Dr. Karen Bell, Director, Office of Health IT Adoption, Department of Health & Human Services

Dena Puskin, ScD, Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth

Thomas A. Gustafson, PhD, Senior Policy Advisor at Arent Fox LLP

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NextGenWeb recently spoke with Maria Pallavicini, Dean of Natural Sciences at the University of California Merced, who is spearheading efforts to establish a San Joaquin Valley eHealth Network. The project is made possible due to three grants totaling nearly $1million from the ATT Foundation, the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley , and the California Emerging Technology Fund. The program will improve access to health care and connect underserved communities with advanced communications services. In this interview, Maria highlights the vital role broadband deployment plays in creating the eHealth network, and how the telehealth network will help bridge the digital divide in San Joaquin.

Click here to listen to the podcast

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NextGenWeb was on Capitol Hill recently covering an Alliance for Public Technology. It is part of APT’s campaign to show how broadband is changing people’s lives – for the better. It was a well-attended panel of seasoned telemedicine experts, including Dr. Jay Sanders, President & CEO of the Global Telemedicine Group at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Sanders got his start in e-Health in 1967 and is a sought after spokesperson on the issue.

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NextGenWeb recently spoke with Dr. Elizabeth Cowboy, medical director of the Via Christi Health System eCare program. Dr. Cowboy is a triple board certified critical care physician (internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care) with 15 years experience in various fields of medicine. Before joining the Via Christi Health System, Dr. Cowboy worked as medical director for iNOVA Health System’s eICU® Envision program in Falls Church, VA.

To listen to Dr. Cowboy’s commentary on telemedicine, click the link below.

• Click here to listen to the podcast

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