Mobile phones are used for finance, education, and healthcare in some of the world’s poorest settings. The video above is not health-specific, but is still pretty interesting as it highlights some of the potential of mobile phones in development. Last week we reported on a new Gates grant for cell phone-based health ideas.

On the heels of the Christchurch earthquake, Waikato Hospital (New Zealand) develops a “casualty calculator” app for the iPad, which predicts the strain on hospital services from emergencies involving eight or more people.

Smart phones and mobile devices are becoming more integrated into healthcare delivery as young doctors, more comfortable with the technology, enter the workforce.
 

This interview with Vocera president and COO Brent Lang highlights the evolution of the Vocera Communication Platform from badges to smart phones.

Medical jewelry, even some from Tiffany & CO, is increasingly embedded with medical information for first responders. We reported on invisibleBracelet.org, which is discussed in this store, last week.

NewYork-Presbyterian / Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital partners with CareSpeak to provide SMS medication reminders to teenage patients.

With the growing popularity of medical apps designed to fill a medical purpose (think iStethoscope), the FDA is taking a close look at regulating this space. I’m betting we won’t see many more medical apps written by college or medical students if they require FDA approval.

Three reasons to market ED wait times:1) competitive differentiator, 2) improved throughput, and 3) low cost and high attention.

PerfectServe launches an iPhone app to provide clinicians with mobile access to PerfectServe’s workflow driven communications platform, assisting providers manage their communications with other providers as well as patients.

The New York Times covers the growth of the use of robots, with interactive voice and video, in hospitals as well as other professional settings.

The Economist has a cool story on a remote monitoring device used on a plane with a sick patient to decide whether to divert the flight or not. The device, made by RDT (UK), was “capable of simultaneously transmitting the data for vital signs, including ECG, blood-sugar and blood-oxygen levels, along with voice and video pictures”.  A more rugged version is being tested by the US special forces.

Christiana Care (DE) uses tele-ICU to provide intensivist services to small and rural hospitals in Maryland.

Hazelden Foundation,  a national alcohol and drug addiction treatment organization, teams with LifeWIRE and Banyan Group to conduct study of SMS-based messaging for substance treatment and recovery.

Wales announces ~$1.3 million for telehealth programs to improve access to healthcare in rural areas.

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Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab, a smaller, 7-inch tablet built on Android OS and with support for Adobe Flash. The US launch will be in the coming months and priced between $200 and $300. Samsung says this will be the first of a line of Galaxy Tab tablets of different sizes.

The Nevada Hospital Association gets a $19.6 million grant from the Department of Commerce to build telemedicine network focused on unserved and underserved areas.

ReachMD, which we recently profiled, expands its partnership with Pri-Med to launch two new initiatives: 1) Pri-Med Live CME Event, which is a 15-minute expert interview followed by interactive Q&A and 2) Inspired to Act, which consists of compelling and motivational stories from modern medicine, broadcast on ReachMD XM160.

Telehealth is seen as key to reducing cost of chronic diseases in the UK, as these conditions currently account for 69% of health spending there. They represent roughly 75% of healthcare spending on this side of the pond.

The NIH will lead two tracks, Healthy Behaviors and Innovative Mobile Technologies, at the mHealth Summit in DC in November.

Ohio State University Medical Center reduces time to cardiac cath by 30 minutes by transmitting EKGs wireless to cardiologists’ smart phones. Additionally, the news story also covers the wireless applications being used by OhioHealth.

Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto (MS) is also using wireless EKG transmission over Verizon 3G from first responders to waiting physicians.

The leading journal for retail pharmacists, Pharmacy Times, is released on the iPad.

“Wawanet”, a service which sounds like the text4baby service we’ve reported on, is rolled out by the Inter-American Development Bank in Peru. The program will provide 5,000 pregnant women and new moms with timely health information over SMS.

Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre (India), a 1400-bed facility, teams with SANA, an open source Android-based healthcare delivery system, to detect cancer at early stages instead of late stages as typically is the case in underserved part of India. 

Summit Data Communications, which builds modules to connect wireless medical equipment to computers, is rated the fifth-fastest growing computer hardware company in the country. The company has seen sales growth of 516% the last three years.

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (EHSI) completes internal testing of an e-911 mobile app that transmits medical info to first responders when 911 is dialed.

Another approach to getting health information to first responders is from invisibleBracelet.org (iB, which allows users to create online profiles which are then queried by EMS on arrival at the scene. The iB information is linked to stickers, key fobs, and cards that users are supposed to carry with them. Cost is $10/year.

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A new study out of George Washington University examines the accuracy of physician diagnosis of acute injuries based on patient-taken cell phone images and patient questionnaires.

Eric Dishman of Intel has a nice post on the definition, expectations, and biases of mHealth.

The University of Minnesota offers teledermatology screenings to fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair (the video is from last year’s fair). After attending the fair last year and having everything from fried snickers to beer-on-a-stick, I think some primary care services around nutrition and exercise might also be of value.

Deloitte calls mPHRs, or mobile device enabled PHRs, the "killer app”. mPHR, as Deloitte describes it, would collect info as well as provide customized health guidance to users. 

Iowa forms a committee to study use of video and electronic communication in healthcare. The issue has been hotly debated in Iowa as opponents of Planned Parenthood’s telemedicine system have been very vocal.

Cisco provides remote healthcare to rural areas of India hit by flooding. The project, to be completed within two years, is to “construct 3570 houses, two schools, and one primary health care centre”.

GlobalMedia’s Transport AV system contains exam camera, digital stethoscope, mic, and headset which transmit data from ambulance to ED docs over 3G network.

Sutter Health partners with Healthagen to provide members with symptom checking and facility information via the iTriage mobile app.

The iPhone is replacing the stethoscope and other equipment, though this article highlights limitations to new mobile applications in the UK from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

CarolinaEast Medical Center (NC) uses Specialist On Call to provide teleneurology specialty support to the emergency department.

The new Healthcare.gov Insurance Finder widget can be embedded in any Web site to assist those looking for insurance based on geography and basic demographics.

Orville Hospital (CA) is one of the first to join the new California Telehealth Network.

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A new Virtual Tumor Board, based at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (TX), provides teleconsultations for veterans suffering from cancer.

Apple News Daily has a post on mHealth and the role of Apple mobile devices in medicine. The conclusion: it’s not a mainstream tool yet and still has obstacles to overcome. I agree, but I think the author misses the point on some of the key areas of value around remote clinical data access and order entry.

Health services management company Alere Health teams with Airstrip Technologies to offer Airstrip OB to Alere’s vast network of providers and hospitals. The move, which is essentially a marketing deal, signals the entry of Aistrip into the homecare arena through existing Alere homecare services. 

A trial of cell phone-based malaria treatment monitoring finds it to be an effective tool, especially in remote areas.

EMR vendor iSALUS launhces an iPhone application to provide clinicians and practice managers access to iSALUS on the go.

No-contract mobile provider GreatCall adds two new services: Medication Reminder ($10/month) and Check in Call ($5/month). The med reminder services calls users at predefined times and records responses so that compliance can be tracked.

West Wireless Health’s CEO Don Casey talks about the power of integrating wireless and healthcare, focusing on the assistance the Institute can provide to launch and commercialize new products.

Mega insurer Humana extends its mobile offerings which now include doctor/facility search, claims, SMS, and games.

Southeast Missouri Hospital partners with Healthagen for mobile access to facility and provider information via the iTriage mobile app.

Potomac Photonics announces the successful completion of SBIR Phase I from the NSF. The grant was used to miniaturize wireless sensors to 1/10th current size and include “high density energy storage”.

UC Irvine School of Medicine partners with Elsevier to provide students with digital textbooks, including the med student anatomy bible Netter, on newly issued iPads.

Speaking of free e-books for students, Kaplan is offering free versions of all of its test prep books until August 30. Any readers considering going back to school (GRE, GMAT, MCAT) or taking medical board exams (Step 1-3), now’s your chance to get free test prep. Access to free content is only available through the Kaplan iBookstore (kaplanpublishing.com/iTunes).

Despite all the hype, a new study finds no improvement in birth control compliance with SMS reminders. The study used pill top monitors to track compliance, as opposed to self reporting, which is typically used for these types of studies.

Alt12 Apps launches the Pink Pad ($1.99) women’s health app for the iPhone. The app is specifically geared towards the health tracking needs of women while also connecting women to a global community of users.

Canon USA, having received FDA approval, unveils its first wireless digital radiography system. The portable device weighs 7.5 pounds and has a 14×17 inch viewing area.

RTLS vendor Awarepoint has a music video contest with the theme “where the heck is my equipment?” The winning hospital gets $2,500 for the charity of its choice and winning individual gets an iPad.

The UK is taking patient tracking to a new level with satellite-enabled tracking of violent offenders suffering from psychiatric disorders.

Intelligent Mobile Support platform assists healthcare companies in disseminating timely information to sales representatives in the field.

The tablet market is heating up with HP (now on Palm OS), RIM, and Cisco all gearing up for releases. 

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Scott and White Healthcare (TX) launches an iPhone app with more functionality than most we’ve seen lately from healthcare organizations. The app does symptom checking and location/provider lookup, but goes further by allowing users to fill prescriptions and request appointments, amongst other things.

More ED wait time-related stories. This AP article outlines the reasons for posting wait times and several methods used by different health systems. MetroWest Medical Center (MA) and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (TN) offer SMS wait times.

mHealth and wireless health are booming as big players (Qualcomm, AT&T, GE, Intel, Best Buy) jump into the game and reform provides hope of reimbursement.

Amednews has a good synthesis of recent research of smart phone use by clinicians and the strain it is putting on hospitals to integrate the devices.

AmeriDoc, the telemedicine company we reported on recently because of its staggering growth, launches videoconferencing to its list of available virtual visit types. The addition was made to meet reimbursement requirements. We recently reported on InteracticeMD’s addition of video to its virtual visit offerings. 

Gates Foundation announces a new round of Grand Challenges Explorations Grants, with one topic being "Create Low-Cost Cell Phone-Based Applications for Priority Global Health Conditions.”  Grants are $100,000 for the first year and up to $1 million after that. Applications are due November 2.

Greystone Associates releases a new report titled “Wireless In-Patient Monitors and Monitoring Systems: Devices, Deployment, Connectivity, Portability and Prospect”, which analyzes the market and demand. Cost for the electronic version: $2,850.

Novo Nordisk announces its NovoDose iPhone app, which provides insulin dosing and  blood glucose guidance to physicians.

Clairvia (NC) launches three mobile applications to assist facilities and providers more efficiently manage and communicate scheduling.

iPads use is growing on the business side, including healthcare (Kaiser in this article). I know of four large healthcare organizations that have executive retreats to Apple HQ planned or completed, but I’m sure there are many more. 

iPad-based EMR DrChrono adds e-prescribing.

Secretary Sebelius announces $32 million to increase rural access to care. In these crazy HITECH / ARRA times, am I the only one that reads this and thinks that $32 million isn’t even news?

mPedigree rolls out in several African countries, allowing patients to verify the authenticity of malaria drugs via SMS. According to the article, more than 30% of the malaria drugs in Africa are fake. 
 

Arkansas Children’s Hospital is awarded a $220,000 grant to evaluate mobile PICU use with pediatric transport teams.

On the heels of our report about the launch of an African continent-wide network to link African institutions with Indian institutions, this story highlights the battle between Japan and India for dominance of the African telemedicine market.

We recently reported a story on the potential of the iPad in the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Georgia Tech is now hoping to “substitute technology for experience” to create a technology-based solution that would monitor facial movements and physiologic parameters to assist in the diagnosis of autism. 

Now that medical schools are issuing iPads to incoming students (Stanford and UC Irvine), here’s a nice list of 10 iPad apps for medical students.

IBM teams with Beijing Goodwill Information and Technology in China to build centralized storage for EKGs with analytics and mobile access.  

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