Remote Diagnostics

Smartphone health apps / shutterstock

We are at the dawning of a new age in scrutiny and review of medical apps. Happtique is a mobile health solutions company that maintains an online catalog of over 15,000 health, fitness, and medical apps, but they are not evaluated for their effectiveness and capabilities.[read more]

This company has a tempting and comforting value proposition for new parents: around-the-clock baby monitoring without so much sleep deprivation. Sensible Baby, a new start-up, is hoping its high-tech onesie can calm some parents’ anxiety stemming from sudden infant death syndrome.[read more]

Medicare telehealth

Telehealth is becoming more prevalent and almost a staple in administering healthcare. Great strides are being made to increase reimbursement payments and provide consistency among payers (Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance). But we have a long way to go.[read more]

The FDA has given the OK to digital health startup Nephosity to market its image viewing mobile app for diagnostic purposes. Nephosity said it received 510(k) clearance for use of its app in situations where a clinician doesn’t have access to the traditional means of viewing CT scans, MRIs and X-rays.[read more]

Ivana Schnur, M.D./ Ph.D.

This week, Ivana Schnur explains Sense.ly's Remote Assesment Hub for virtual visits with real care. Sense.ly is a virtual online nurse equipped with a set of remote diagnostic tools. Using speech recognition, augmented reality, and medical devices, Sense.ly can quickly assess a patient’s condition and provide caregivers with relevant insights for meaningful follow-up.[read more]

Healthcare social network

Getting healthcare support can be frustrating, but it may become a little easier with the assistance of 200,000 of your newest friends and a social network called PatientsLikeMe. This data-sharing social platform provides users with tracking information on more than 1,800 diseases.[read more]

(image via Martin Pettitt/Flickr)

Physicians are trained to arrive at a medical diagnosis by starting with the most common potential causes: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses—not zebras.” This is logical and effective if a patient has a common condition, but the diagnosis of an orphan condition requires a different approach.[read more]

Microsoft has correctly read the marketplace, albeit very late. They finally came to the table with Windows 8RT, and Windows 8 Professional as well as a well designed tablet, Surface. Microsoft also recognized the exit from desktop and fixed locations. The transition to mobile should empower and engage patients to get their healthcare from where they are, at work, in the car, or even outside.[read more]

SXSW

The four days I spent at the SXSW Interactive Conference in Austin, TX this past weekend were terrific and informative. Here are my Top 10 healthcare takeaways, in no particular order, including mobile and responsive design, sensors for health, and the shelf-life of print.[read more]

empowered patients/shutterstock

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been speaking with a “ePatients” (empowered patients) about their experiences in healthcare, what they think about digital health, how they interact with providers, and a host of other issues. Here are some answers to questions about digital health.[read more]

Testing urine can reveal many things, such as diseases, pregnancy, drug usage, dehydration and diet problems. Now, a new iPhone app will soon allow you to analyze your own urine. Read on to see how easy it can be to run a urinalysis in your own home.[read more]

telemedicine/shutterstock

The only thing slower than widespread adoption of telemedicine has been the statutory changes necessary to make the ground more fertile for it. But in just the past six or seven weeks there has been a definite change in attitude among lawmakers and regulators.[read more]