The Top 5 TED Talks for Health IT

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Time is often not on our sides and we find ourselves with less hours in the day to catch up on the news and to learn new things.  Video and auditory content is a great alternative to reading and can be convenient and insightful to get informed about things that interest you. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks have been increasing in popularity as well as volume over the years. Here are 5 of our favorite TED Talks from over the years that highlight a wide range of Health IT topics. Enjoy!

Wearables, Beyond the FitBit

What if doctors could monitor patients at home with the same degree of accuracy they’d get during a stay at the hospital? Bioelectronics innovator Todd Coleman shares his quest to develop wearable, flexible electronic health monitoring patches that promise to revolutionize healthcare and make medicine less invasive. More here.

An Oldie, but a Goodie: Innovation in Health IT

Daniel Kraft offers a fast-paced look at the next few years of innovations in medicine, powered by new tools, tests and apps that bring diagnostic information right to the patient’s bedside. More here.

Progression of Collecting Health Data: From Paper to the Cloud

Collecting global health data is an imperfect science: Workers tramp through villages to knock on doors and ask questions, write the answers on paper forms, then input the data — and from this messy, gappy information, countries and NGOs need to make huge decisions. Data geek Joel Selanikio talks through the sea change in collecting health data in the past decade — starting with the PalmPilot and Hotmail, and now moving into the cloud. More here.

Get Curious, Start Innovating

Science is a learning process that involves experimentation, failure and revision — and the science of medicine is no exception. Cancer researcher Kevin B. Jones faces the deep unknowns about surgery and medical care with a simple answer: honesty. In a thoughtful talk about the nature of knowledge, Jones shows how science is at its best when scientists humbly admit what they do not yet understand. More here.

Nanotechnology and the Future of Disease Detection

What if every home had an early-warning cancer detection system? Researcher Joshua Smith is developing a nanobiotechnology “cancer alarm” that scans for traces of disease in the form of special biomarkers called exosomes. In this forward-thinking talk, he shares his dream for how we might revolutionize cancer detection and, ultimately, save lives. More here.

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

The Impact of Digital Health on the Ages

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How does digital health affect the circle of life?

Today, a patient’s well-being rests in the hands of multiple healthcare professionals, including primary care providers, specialists and surgeons – and sometimes in their own hands with the latest medical devices and technological advances.

In keeping up with this new delivery model, it’s important to understand how people of all ages, pediatric to geriatric, attribute to the nation’s overall population health, its effects on the healthcare system and the United States’ bottom line, while also understanding how technology can play a major role.

This free eBook addresses:

• The definition of digital health, the current landscape, as well as what’s to come
• How individuals of all ages affect the health care system and how digital health can help
• Three health care specialties positioned for digital health growth
• The role of technology as we shift to value based care
• Missing pieces of the digital health offering

Download your free copy here!

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescriptsâ„¢ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

The Uber of Healthcare…No, Really.

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As the healthcare industry shifts to a value-based care delivery model, that is, the value equivalent to patient outcomes over cost, more and more initiatives are being introduced as a way to combat the ever-increasing wasted costs our healthcare system experiences. This includes efforts to reduce hospital readmissions, better manage pharmacy drug spend and medication adherence, and broaden access to care, especially for the elderly, disabled and low-income patients.

While many programs are in place to provide services for the above mentioned, one may not realize how transportation costs are attributing to the rising healthcare spend. One may also not view Uber as an innovative solution for reducing such costs, however the company, partnered with Circulation, has recently announced a HIPAA compliant pilot program with certain hospitals that will provide non-emergency medical transportation in urban areas within Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Why does this matter?

In a given year, 3.6 Million Americans, including almost one million children, will miss doctor’s appointments due to a lack of transportation or one’s inability to drive, resulting in wasted spend for the healthcare system. More specifically, Medicaid spends $3 Billion per year on non-emergency medical transportation, with a third of those payments being deemed inappropriate.

How does it work?

Circulation is integrated with existing and on-demand secure healthcare information systems that schedules non-emergency medical rides that are affordable and tailored for patients’ specific needs such as wheelchair accessibility. Patients do not even need to utilize the Uber mobile app or own a smartphone. They can simply call to schedule their pick-up time and after dispatch confirms their eligibility and transport authorization, they will receive a text, call or email confirming the driver’s estimated pick-up time and description of the vehicle to which they are then safely driven to and from their destination.

Research thus far has proven to reduce wait times for transportation by almost 30 percent and cut costs by almost a third, while boasting patient satisfaction at 80 percent.

Uber and Circulation provide more than just a ride – they are creating a seamless experience for patients, providers and hospital staff all from one convenient interface and in real-time. The system not only allows the scheduling of transportation, but also notifies providers when a patient has arrived for their appointment.

With the current unmodernized healthcare transportation system in place, this program proves to be an innovative step in the right direction.

Sources: Business Wire; HealthcareIT News; Circulation; JAMA

Photo Credit: Google Play

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Talkin’ Bout Big Bucks: Wireless Health and Fitness Device Market to Hit $1.8B by 2019

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Even though the year has just begun, financial predictions are already out for the wireless health and fitness device market. According to a recent article published in mobihealthnews, Juniper Research, a UK-based online and digital research firm, is predicting revenues of $320 million by the close of 2015. While this number is certainly promising, the real “head turner” is the four to five year outlook: Juniper also foresees a sixfold increase from 2015 to 2019, with the market reaching a whopping $1.8 billion in annual revenues.

With these statistics out in the open, there’s no denying that a wireless health and fitness device “explosion” is upon us. As far as the experts are concerned, however, there are a few key points to keep in mind as the healthtech arena moves forward. In order to succeed, says connected fitness and health author James Moar, a market shift from hardware to software must occur: “People want to interact with the devices at the app level [beyond merely collecting biometric data]. Because of this, and the omnipresence of sensors, the importance of the hardware will diminish at a much faster rate” than other segments of the consumer electronics market.

Juniper predicts that major growth in the wireless health device market will be driven by the “freemium model,” or a paradigm that offers a basic app and (potentially) device for free and then charges for more sophisticated add-ons. Consumers will be able to track personal fitness and health data for free, but will pay for apps and services that go a step further—interpreting and analyzing the data to make it meaningful. In all, 12.9 million users are predicted to be engaged with these paid service platforms by 2019—will you be one of them?

For more information on key findings, check out Juniper Research’s full press release here!

SOURCES: mobihealthnews and Juniper Research 

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

Retail and Refills: Patient Engagement Technologies on Horizon for Walmart and Target

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Recent digital health initiatives suggest that Walmart, Target and other retail giants are steadfastly marching into the healthcare setting with a focus on customer and employee health. With representatives attending Health 2.0’s WinterTech conference in San Francisco, both Walmart and Target have confirmed plans to provide more in-depth healthcare services including chronic disease management and guidance towards healthier lifestyles.

Last week, MedCity News connected with Walmart and Target spokespersons to learn more. Complete with clinics that serve both customers as well as employees, Target and Walmart will look to enhance healthcare efforts with technologies like mobile coaching apps and telemedicine platforms. For both Target and Walmart, much of this expansion will take place in the form of strategic partnerships with powerhouses like UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser Permanente. In developing its new pharmacy prescription app focused on medication adherence for employees and customers alike, Target partnered with Mscripts, a leader in mobile pharmacy solutions. Michael Laquere, a senior buyer for pharmacy at Target, pointed out that through this app Target hopes to “connect with pharmacies in a more virtual way.”

When taking information access into consideration, retailers could be sitting on a data gold mine. With customer buying patterns and health information at their disposal, retailers could potentially make suggestions to improve health or aid in chronic disease management. With the current privacy barriers and regulations in place, this possibility is far from a reality—however, the opportunity to improve consumer health is salient and two major retail players have taken the reigns. Who will be the next to join?

SOURCE: MedCityNews

To learn more about increasing retail presence in the healthcare industry, check out MedCity News’ full article here!

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

Keeping Up With the Healthcare Happenings

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With the 2014 calendar year coming to a close in just a few months (gasp!), HealthWorks Collective, an online health and editorial community, has released its list of health trends to keep an eye on through 2015. Think your predictions are spot on? Take a look below to see what’s on tap for the U.S. healthcare industry:

1. More providers will be hiring health coaches.
Chronic conditions in the U.S. continue to increase—so will employment. Health coaches fill a unique demand for managing chronic conditions, as they engage with patients one-on-one and keep clinical staff informed about financial or family concerns, marital problems, treatment plan adherence, etc.

2. Healthcare mobile apps on the rise.

With the release of Apple’s new Healthkit along with a slew of other mobile-friendly health apps, this trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Patient-centered apps for monitoring aspects of health like calorie-counting and heart rate are gaining popularity at a quick pace and healthcare systems will continue developing and implementing apps to improve patient experience.

3. New care and payment models will expand.

Insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid programs will continue to push for more relationships with accountable care organizations (ACOs). Different payment models will also be proposed—many healthcare professionals anticipate a trend towards “shared savings” incentives with physicians based on lowering cost and improving care quality.

4. Big Data will play a key role in patient care.

Electronic health records and other emerging technologies enable providers to automate processes and capture vital clinical data. These technologies, however, are limited in not being open to innovation. By the end of 2014, expect provider advocacy for making application interfaces open-source so they can be used to create new and exciting programs.

5. Healthcare comes to the home.

Technological advancements and increasing healthcare access will lead to more remote care services. This means that more patients can be monitored and coached to health at any time and place. “At-home healthcare” will increase patient quality of care, improve patient satisfaction, and reduce costs.

6. Increasing transparency.

Expect the level of transparency demanded from healthcare systems to increase, along with the production of tools to help inform patients. The price of treatments, procedures and clinicians along with performance metrics and hospital outcome reports will all be made available for patients to peruse at the click of a mouse.

7. Partnerships for care delivery will expand.

Healthcare partnerships will soon include community-based groups such as social service agencies, gyms and other non-healthcare service providers. As the industry strives to better address population health management, expect more unconventional approaches to healthcare such as church-based group care sessions, outdoor exercise at nature centers, reduced price health care transportation services, etc.

Source: HealthWorks Collective

For more information on the aforementioned trends, check out HealthWorks Collective’s full article here.

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescriptsâ„¢ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

The Health Tracking Race: Who Will Win?

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Ready to get fit from the comfort of your own smartphone or tablet? Recent developments in the tech sphere likely have you covered. Over the past few weeks, three major players in the digital health industry–Google, Apple and Samsung–have unveiled newly polished, fitness-ready consumer health apps for public viewing. The initial verdicts on Google Fit, Samsung’s Gear Fit, and Apple’s iOS 8 Health app are officially out. Take a look below to see what consumers are saying:

Google Fit 

Google Product Manager Ellie Powers describes the new Google Fit platform at the 2014 Google I/O, Google’s annual developers’ conference held in San Francisco.

Basics: fitness and health tracking platform for Android smart devices. Google Fit will aggregate users’ fitness data in one place, and sync data from popular wearable devices created by Nike, Adidas, and more.

Pros: comprehensive data analysis in one location, complete picture of users’ fitness and better tracking of fitness goals, single set of APIs for all health products.

Cons: too similar to already-existing data aggregation platforms, failure to address how medical professionals might access this data, potential compatibility issues.

Gear Fit by Samsung

Basics: a wearable activity-tracking wristband with a heart rate monitor, pedometer, and flexible display screen. Well-suited for basic activities such as running, walking, cycling, and hiking.

Pros: excellent display resolution, customizable screen features (backgrounds and clock face), changeable watch bands, compatible with at least 17 Samsung smartphones and tablets, notable ‘smartwatch’ features (phone call, text message, and email alerts).

Cons: error-prone and “bare bone” activity trackers, faulty mileage calculations, very low battery life (vs. JawBone and FitBit models), poor accessibility (requires bulky “charging cradle”).

Apple iOS 8 Health

     

Basics: iPhone app that allows users to collect biometric information (i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and automatically send it to doctors or hospitals via the Medical ID feature.

Pros: comprehensive set of activity trackers (fitness, nutrition, sleep patterns, blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, etc.), customizable and seamless user interface.

Cons: performance concerns with exchange of medical data (physicians bombarded with low-priority data and patient compliance issues).

Sources: TechCrunch, Apple, and The Verge. 

Need more convincing? Engage your critical consumer eye with these helpful articles:

Gear Fit by Samsung: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2014/06/22/samsung-gear-fit-review-a-combined-fitness-band-and-stylish-smartwatch-for-your-galaxy-smartphones/

Google Fit: http://news360.com/article/243439279

Apple iOS 8 Health: http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/02/a-closer-look-at-ios-8s-health-app-video/

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts™ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.