Is Health IT a Humpty Dumpty?
 BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion’s Fraser Edward made a poignant comment this week to a Canadian newspaper: “Right now information is a bit fragmented and not quite synchronized, but in time it will all be seamless. Then smartphones will truly break the barriers between hospitals and home care. The next couple of years will be about gluing it all together.”
If smartphones or wireless sensors or any form of consumer-centered healthcare disrupts the healthcare industry, the key to its enduring success will be in being able to put healthcare back together again. What’s the key to making it all work? What is the glue?
For many the glue is workflow management systems, which aim to make it easier for physicians, nurses and other caregivers to use this new influx of data. Take an influx and make it a seamless addition to the day-to-day.
Duke University’s Gopal Chopra told me last week that he also believes that this problem of “gluing it all together” was the big one for wireless healthcare, but instead of smartphones, Chopra believes it’s especially true for integrating wireless sensors’ data into the healthcare IT workflow:
“You can enable ubiquitous [wireless health] sensing, but without a services and disease management workflow system in place, who is this data going to? Who will interpret it? If there are algorithms involved with telling users what to do, well, who is overseeing that? There’s risk in that. You need a care provider to be overseeing it…” Chopra said.
Finding a way to integrate the wireless sensor or the physician’s evidence-based point of care mobile application is key. It can’t be an after thought. It needs to be an integral part of any wireless healthcare start-up or product’s strategy. We can’t feed data to siloed portals. If workflow for physicians and data flow for patients is figured out for these solutions, wireless healthcare has a chance at bucking the Humpty Dumpty fable (remember they couldn’t do it), and to contribute to the task of putting healthcare back together again.
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| BlackBerry: Next we glue health IT together
Canada’s Globe and Mail has a feature on BlackBerry devices and applications driving innovation in healthcare both for healthcare workers and consumers alike. The feature includes a number of wireless health related predictions from Kevin Talbot, the co-managing partner for BlackBerry Partners Fund, a VC fund based in Toronto.
“Smart sensors and smart bandages will monitor patient health and communicate with smart phone health management applications that transmit data to health care professionals,” Mr. Talbot told the newspaper. “Patients will also have a health dashboard that shows them (and their doctors) relevant indicators and warnings.”
Talbot also predicts that healthcare workers will use medication management apps to track prescriptions from doctor to pharmacist to patient and the medication’s smart packaging will keep track of dosing and adherence. Continue >>
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Epocrates ceasing support for older PDAs
A representative from Epocrates has clarified the announcement that the company would no longer support older Windows Mobile and Palm devices — the company said that the majority of Palm OS devices will continue to have support from Epocrates. Here’s the update:
“We are not ceasing support for all Palm and Windows Mobile devices, only a handful of older operating systems that do not have the memory or power to run future content and feature enhancements we have in the pipeline. Some of the devices affected include Palm Zire and iPAQ 3835, however, this will only impact a small percentage of our user base.”
“Palm continues to be a prominent platform for us, and we will continue to support the majority of Palm OS devices as well as work to develop a native application for the Palm Pre. We are proactively reaching out to customers on these older devices to help them migrate to new platforms over the next 4-6 months. Bottomline for your readers: Palm and Windows Mobile are platforms Epocrates continues to proudly support.”
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Insurers snub some text-to-speech devices
It was a hard fight to get insurance companies to cover dedicated text-to-speech devices for speech-impaired patients, but it finally happened in 2001, according to a report in The New York Times. Now the fight is on to get insurers to pay for cheaper devices and software that they claim work just as well or better.
The Times report highlights one patient’s struggle: Kara Lynn, an ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease patient, used to use a PC with text-to-speech software loaded on it because that’s what her insurance would cover. The computer had to be stripped down of all other capabilities to be eligible for coverage — no web browsing, email — nothing. As you might imagine, however, Lynn wanted to “take her voice with her” where ever she went, which wasn’t possible with a PC. Instead she bought an iPhone and an iPhone application that she believes works better.
The iPhone, of course, does much more than text-to-speech, so insurers won’t cover it, according to the New York Times report.
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| Apple sheds light on Illumina’s genome app
“The iPhone can be an integral part in advancing the fundamental science — the very complexities of biology and understanding of the human genome can be made accessible through tools like the iPhone,” Consumer genomics company Illumina’s CEO and President, Jay Flatley told Apple in a recent interview. “I think it is the convergence of the science and IT technology that today creates a unique possibility to manage our human health in new ways,” Flatley said. “It’s an incredibly exciting time.”
Earlier this year at the inaugural Consumer Genetics Show in Boston, Mobihealthnews reported on and included the first photos of Illumina’s concept for an iPhone application, called myGenome, that included information from a person’s genome. Following that sneak peek, Apple published a brief case study that includes a high level over view of Illumina’s use of iPhones among its sales reps and executives. The article also discusses Illumina’s plans for myGenome. Apple also produced a video with a number of images of the concept iPhone application Illumina is developing. (Our original photos from the event earlier this year can be re-visited here.)
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Analyst: The wireless sensor opportunity
Tim Gee, Principal at Medical Connectivity Consulting and the chair of the Medical Device Connectivity conference in Boston last week laid out the market opportunity for wireless sensors in healthcare. Gee broke down some of the drivers for the recent interest in medical sensors, outlined use cases and dissected the market for the more than 200 attendees at last week’s event.
What is driving interest in wireless sensors for healthcare?
Gee listed the big drivers for increased interest in wireless sensors for healthcare as: advancements in circuit design and the availability of SoC (system on a chip); device virtualization: if we can push more functionality into the network, it means less needs to be built into the device; advances in infrastructure to support wireless data on carrier networks as well as advancement of WiFi in hospitals; better workflow architectures, like engine-oriented software architectures.
Unwiring the hospital bed
Why should hospitals consider switching from telemetry cables to wireless sensors? Replacing cables with wireless sensors could reduce the potential for infection. Telemetry cables are reused, which means they need to be cleaned and maintained — a real hassle for some facilities. Wireless sensors, on the other hand, could have a lower cost and may even be disposable in some cases — no cleaning required. That’s a lot of convenience for health providers, Gee noted.
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Mobile robotics improve patient interactions
Sometimes the doctor patient interaction is far from adequate, but new mobile robotic technologies can help resolve the problem. I have a colleague who developed a cardiac arrhythmia called paroxysmal atrial tachycardia or PAT. The treatment was to thread a small catheter via the femoral artery in his groin up to his heart, find the site where the arrhythmia was originating and cauterize it. The procedure went well on a Friday afternoon and my friend was kept in the hospital overnight for observation. On Saturday, the cardiologist never appeared to check him or to discuss the results. From the doctor’s perspective, the patient was fine and he didn’t need to travel into the hospital. But my friend wanted to have a discussion about the procedure. To him, it was a big deal if not to the cardiologist. So, in frustration, he checked out “AMA.” He spent the weekend annoyed and did not get to talk to the doctor until Monday. This could have been solved with a technology that is essentially a computer mounted on a mobile cart. It can be controlled from a computer at home or work to move to the patient’s room where, with two way visual and voice communication much like you may have used with Skype, the doctor can see and communicate with the patient and vice versa. It is simple, relatively inexpensive and effective. I first learned of it at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey where they named it “Mr. Rounder” and put a white coat on it with a stethoscope to make it look interesting.
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Shorts: DataDyne; mHealth in China; AHRQ
DataDyne wins WSJ Tech Innovation Award: One of the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation’s key mHealth partners, DataDyne, won the Wall Street Journal’s Technology Innovation Awards for the Healthcare IT category: “In developing countries, gathering and analyzing time-sensitive health-care information can be a challenge. Rural health clinics typically compile data only in paper records, making it difficult to spot and to respond quickly to emerging trends. With EpiSurveyor, developed with support from the United Nations Foundation and the Vodafone Foundation, health officials can create health-survey forms that can be downloaded to commonly used mobile phones. Health workers carrying the phones can then collect information—about immunization rates, vaccine supplies or possible disease outbreaks—when they visit local clinics. The information can then be quickly analyzed to determine, say, whether medical supplies need to be restocked or to track the spread of a disease.” Continue >>
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Corventis clinical trial enrollment complete
Wireless remote monitoring and diagnostics solutions provider Corventis announced today that it has finished enrolling patients into its MUSIC (Multi-Sensor Monitoring in Congestive Heart Failure) program, which includes two trials: the MUSIC Asia (180 patients) and the pivotal MUSIC study (362 patients). The trials aim to develop and evaluate an algorithm to predict heart failure events.
Corventis has already secured FDA clearance for its core sensor technology and just announced that it received a CE Mark, which means doctors and patients in the European Union and other countries that accept the CE Mark, now can potentially use the technology, which Corventis calls its AVIVO Mobile Patient Management System.
The Corventis system monitors respiration rate, patient activity levels, and fluid levels in a patient’s body through a water-proof, adhesive sensor that is applied to the patient’s skin. Fluid levels are monitored by the sensor’s impedance detector, which measures buildup of body fluid through indirect electrical measurement. That can serve as a proxy for built up fluid levels in the lungs, which leads to shortness of breath and puts pressure on pulmonary arteries. That threatens to cause heart failure and may lead to hospitalization to remove the fluid. Continue >>
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63% of doctors with smartphones use apps
According to a survey conducted by MDsearch, 53 percent of physicians who responded to the survey said that they own a smartphone, and of that group 63 percent use mobile medical applications. Curiously though, MDSearch did not explain how many physicians actually took part in the survey or other details — so take the numbers as light reading or simply fodder for future research.
As might be expected, the survey found that drug reference apps like Epocrates were among the most popular apps along with medical calculators, clinical resource apps, CME apps, medical dictionary apps, and apps for patient scheduling. Surprising, MDSearch found that some physicians are using mobile applications for accessing EHRs and e-prescribing. Here are a number of other metrics from the survey:
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CardioNet upgrades with in-depth data
CardioNet has announced new features for its cardiac remote monitoring and diagnostic MCOT system that give physicians more in-depth data. The new features will help physicians better diagnose atrial fibrillation, heart pauses, and ventricular tachycardia.
The company stated that the new features can be used in conjunction with CardioNet’s SomNet program to help identify indications of sleep disorders.
“CardioNet remains dedicated to meeting the needs of cardiologists and electrophysiologists and to delivering innovative tools that allow these physicians to make more accurate diagnostic decisions,” Randy Thurman, CardioNet Chairman, President and CEO stated in a company release. “The new enhancements sustain MCOT’s diagnostic and reporting superiority in monitoring cardiac events.”
For more on CardioNet’s new features: read the press release.
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Shorts: Augmented reality; ZigBee, WOWs
Augmented reality meets next generation screen technology meets personal health: “A contact lens with augmented-reality powers would take personal health monitoring several steps further, Parvis said, because the surface of the eye can be used to measure much of the data you would read from your blood tests, including cholesterol, sodium, potassium and glucose levels.” (People are getting excited, very excited about AR) This article is a fun read, anyway:
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2009 Health Technology Investment Forum
September 22, NYC
The 2009 Health Technology Investment Forum is a one day conference that will provide an opportunity for investors and healthcare leaders to discover the latest trends and investment opportunities. You will have the opportunity to hear from both public and private high growth companies, gaining unparalleled investment insight.
Register here
First annual Medical Innovation and Strategies Conference: The Future of Healthcare
Sept. 23, Duke University
The conference, which is hosted by Gopal Chopra: MD, FRACS, MBA, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Fuqua School of Business and Kevin Schulman: MD, MBA, Director of Health Sector Management and Associate Director, Duke Clinical Research Institute, will focus primarily on ‘Wireless and Consumer Healthcare’ and will address the following topics:
1. Future impact of wireless technology on the healthcare industry;
2. Understanding the future trends of consumer healthcare; and
3. Expert panel discussions on business models and innovation solutions.
Register here
ATA Mid-Year Meeting
Sept. 24-25, Palm Springs
The Third Annual ATA Mid-Year meeting is one great meeting combining two great tracks & showcasing the latest in products and services:
Track I:
Cutting Edge and Off-The-Shelf Technology: Making the Right Decisions
Track II:
4th Annual Pediatric Telehealth Colloquium
Register here
MobiHealthNews PRESENTS:
Everywhere Healthcare
October 8, San Diego
With today’s wireless networks, the doctor is always in. While connecting patients to caregivers has never been easier, the search for the right business models for wireless health devices and services has just begun.
Don’t miss your appointment at the MobiHealthNews Presents: Everywhere Healthcare event during International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009!
OPEN TO ALL REGISTERED ATTENDEES! There is NO separate registration fee for this event and it is included in ALL registration packages. Please see registration form for details.
Register here
CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009
October 6-9, San Diego
No matter what your business is – healthcare, entertainment, fleet management or financial planning – wireless can transform how you do business. International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment brings this possibility to life. With a focus on applications, network architecture and technologies such as LBS, machine-to-machine and WiMAX (just to name a few), this international event brings a community of users, carriers, developers and manufacturers together to generate dialogue, share ideas and debate the economics of MOBILE BUSINESS.
Register here
Health 2.0
October 6-7, San Francisco
With nearly a hundred speakers and plenty of new healthcare demos and technologies on display on stage and in the exhibit hall, you’ll get a sweeping overview of the ways that information technology and the web are changing healthcare. We’ll be looking at the "traditional" Health 2.0 areas like vertical search, online social networks and tools for consumers. But the conference will also be focusing on how new technologies are connecting patients and clinicians, and examining the impact of Health 2.0 technologies on patients lives.
Register here
6th Annual Connected Health Symposium
October 21-22, Boston
Up from Crisis: Overhauling Healthcare Information, Payment and Delivery in Extraordinary Times
hosted by the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare
Healthcare will have its renaissance when it moves beyond the hospital and clinic and into the day-to-day lives of patients and consumers. The Connected Health Symposium asks how information technology — cell phones, computers, the Internet and other tools — can help people manage chronic conditions, maintain health and wellness, and age with independence.
Use invitation code mobihealth to receive a $100 discount!
Register here
TEDMED 2009
October 27-30,
San Diego
The fifth in a series created by Marc Hodosh and Richard Saul Wurman, TEDMED celebrates conversations that demonstrate the intersection and connections between all things medical and healthcare related: from personal health to public health, devices to design and Hollywood to the hospital. Together, this encompasses more than twenty percent of our GNP in America while touching everyone’s life around the globe.
Register here
2009 NIH mHealth Summit
Oct. 29-30,
Washington, DC
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Will Bring Together Researchers, Mobile Technology Experts, Policy-Makers Industry Visionaries
This two-day event, a public-private partnership of the Foundation for NIH, is being produced in partnership with the NIH, the premiere biomedical research institute in the U.S. It is the first Summit focused on exploring the partnership between biomedical research and the use of mobile technologies to improve public health.
Register here
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