Voalté’s Connectivity Enables Hospitals to Leverage Infrastructure

Voalté enables caregivers at the medical center to make high-definition VoIP calls, receive critical alarms and send and receive presence-based text messages on the iPhone. This unique deployment includes integrations to the hospital’s Siemens PBX, GE Dukane nurse call system, and Cerner ADT alarms through Philips’ Emergin Enterprise Service Bus over its Cisco wireless network.

Heartland Regional Medical Center’s GE, Siemens, Cisco, Philips and Cerner systems integrated to Apple iPhone

SARASOTA, Fla. April 28, 2011 – As tablets and smart phones evolve and make their way into hospitals, many health care executives are working to develop a successful mobile-integration strategy. St. Joseph, Mo.-based Heartland Regional Medical Center recently implemented Voalté’s iPhone solution, which leverages the hospital’s disparate systems onto a single communication platform.

Voalté enables caregivers at the medical center to make high-definition VoIP calls, receive critical alarms and send and receive presence-based text messages on the iPhone. This unique deployment includes integrations to the hospital’s Siemens PBX, GE Dukane nurse call system, and Cerner ADT alarms through Philips’ Emergin Enterprise Service Bus over its Cisco wireless network.

“Our nurses wanted iPhones because they can communicate faster using only one device and smart phones offer anywhere access,” said Dr. Joe Boyce, chief medical information officer at Heartland Regional Medical Center. “We evaluated handsets and voice badges and chose to implement Voalté’s iPhone solution because it works with our existing infrastructure and allows our clinical staff to provide a higher level of care. Replacing legacy phones with Voalté has been a smart decision.”

Health care organizations like Heartland Regional Medical Center need to find a communication solution that leverages their current investment and provides a platform for future expansion and functionality, according to Trey Lauderdale, vice president of innovation at Voalté.

“We are excited to have a partner like Heartland Health that is helping us drive the future of point-of-care communication,” he said.

Streamlined and simplified communications allows nurses to focus on providing care and service.

According to Julia Jacobs, a registered nurse at Heartland, texting another clinician is much easier for the nurses than roaming from room to room or having them paged overhead, which often disturbs patients who are resting.

“When I am in the room trying to comfort a patient or the patient’s family, I need to provide a peaceful environment for them,” said Jacobs.  ”It was hard to do that when my pager and phone would continue to go off.”

According to Boyce, nurses want to see the right information at the right time in the right form.

“Our nurses don’t care about all the integration that is happening behind the scenes,” said Boyce. “Voalté enables them to spend more time with their patients.”

Anything that relieves nurses of non-clinical duties frees them up for patient care, Lauderdale said.

“The time alone that we will save by being able to text message a group of people is priceless,” said Jacobs. “I love being there to hold my patient’s hand or provide support for my patient’s family. Now I have more time to do that.”

About Heartland Health

Heartland Health is a not-for-profit, fully-integrated health system serving community members of northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa. More than 3,200 caregivers (employees, volunteers and providers) provide the best and safest care by focusing on acute illness and injury through physician and hospital care services including cardiac; women and children; primary care; oncology; surgery; orthopedics; and neurosciences. Heartland Health caregivers are dedicated to improving the health of the community, one individual at a time through the work of Community Health Improvement Solutions and the innovative initiatives of the Heartland Foundation. All entities work collaboratively to fulfill Heartland Health’s mission — to improve the health of individuals and communities located in the Heartland Health region and provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place, at the right cost with outcomes second to none. For more information on Heartland Health, please visit www.heartland-health.com <http://www.heartland-health.com> .

About Voalté
Voaltéâ provides compelling software solutions for healthcare institutions that solve communication problems at the point-of-care. Voalté products are designed to be intuitive, high value, mission critical applications running on the latest generation of touch-based smartphones.  For more information, visit www.Voalte.com

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April 30, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Apple  Health Care  Healthcare IT  iPhone  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:Cerner ADT  Cisco Wireless Network  GE Dukane  Heartland Regional Medical Center    Joe Boyce  Julia Jacobs  Philips' Emergin Enterprise Service Bus  Siemens PBX  Trey Lauderdale  Voalte

Text Messaging as a Tool for Behavior Change in Disease Prevention and Management

Recently I posted a few different pieces about technology being used to help people quit smoking, lose weight, and even manage their diabetes.  A new study is showing how valuable text messaging can be when it comes to managing your health.  It is by far the most expansive study I have read and makes a lot of interesting points and logical conclusions.

One of the biggest advantages to text messaging is that it is already widely used, and it is extremely inexpensive to use.  This low cost allows organizations without major financial backing to use text messaging as a tool for their patients.  There is no need create a new device or develop expensive software.  You simply use text messaging to distribute the desired messages to your patients.

The study specifically referenced studies that showed how text messaging was beneficial to people that were trying to quit smoking by holding them accountable for their actions.  The same principle applied to people that were trying to lose weight.  Taking responsibility for your actions is a huge part of both of these issues, and using text messaging allowed the affected people to accept that responsibility.

Text messaging can also be used to help manage diseases such as diabetes by sending out reminders to the patients.  There are so many aspects to properly managing diabetes that getting helpful reminders can only be a good thing.

While the study doesn’t compare text messaging to other technology that can be used for managing our health it does an excellent job of analyzing the benefits of this inexpensive and widely used technology.  The numbers that they present are quite staggering in some areas, and it is definitely worth a look at the complete study.

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April 29, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:Diabetes Management  Heather Cole-Lewis  PubMed  Quit Smoking  Text Messaging  Trace Kershaw  

New GPS Tracking Bracelet Revolutionizes Healthcare Industry – Those With Autism, Alzheimer’s, Dementia And Other Cognitive Disorders Can Now More Easily And Effectively Avoid Wandering, Drowning And Possibly Death

The issue of wandering and resulting deaths is unnecessary.  Our new GPS tracking bracelet is revolutionizing the healthcare industry – Those with Autism, Alzheimer’s, Dementia And Other Cognitive Disorders can now more easily and effectively avoid wandering, drowning and possibly death.  The bracelet enables family members and caregivers to better monitor and protect loved ones and individuals with cognitive disorders — and at a very low cost.  Adiant’s is the only solution endorsed by Jenny McCarthy’s autism foundation Generation Rescue.

Yes, there are other tracking devices available, but Adiant’s solution is the only one with true real-time tracking up to the second and within a few feet of the bracelet (wearer).  It features real-time tracking, geo-fencing, a g-force sensor, a panic button, a speed sensor.  It is perfect for people living with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Autism and any other cognitive disorder, as well as for law enforcement agencies needing to track sex offenders or other predators.

New tracking bracelet enables family members and caregivers to better monitor and protect loved ones and individuals with cognitive disorders — and at a much lower cost!

Scottsdale, AZ – April 28, 2011 – Adiant Solutions, a leading distributor of GPS safety and tracking solutions, today announced that its S-911 tracking bracelet is generally available and families and caregivers of those with cognitive disorders can now rest easier knowing that their loved ones are wearing the only tracking bracelet that offers true real-time tracking with accuracy up-to-the-second and within several feet 24/7/365.

In addition to having the only true real-time tracking function, the S-911 is the only bracelet on the market that features customer controlled geo-fencing, two-way communication with automatic answering after three rings, a G-force sensor alert to detect falls, a speed sensor, a panic button in case of emergency and a watch.  All of this is contained in the small wristwatch style bracelet.

“We have seen many different tracking solutions over the years,” says Candace McDonald, executive director of Jenny McCarthy’s autism foundation Generation Rescue.  “The Adiant S-911 bracelet is a comprehensive device.  This product is something families should strongly consider if they are a caregiver of a child with autism or a person with another cognitive disorder that has a tendency to wander or run.  In our community wandering is a tremendous issue and it’s valuable to know there is a product that can help families in need.”

In 2010, at least nine children with autism died in the U.S. after wandering, all of them by drowning.  Already in 2011, at least three children with autism have drowned in the U.S. after wandering.  On March 30, a child with autism in Victoria, Australia died after being struck by a train.  He wandered from home.  On April 3, a child with autism in Quebec, Canada went missing after wandering and has not been found.

“Adiant Solutions is founded on the premise of helping people,” says Adiant founder and CEO Jim Jeselun.  “And the S-911 bracelet does just that.  It helps families and caregivers not only help the ones they love and care for, but the device enables them to lead happier and more productive lives because they always know that their loved one or responsibility is safe – and if they do wander they will be immediately notified and retrieve them without incident – and typically before they make it half way down the block!  If we can help one person avoid an unnecessary fate, we will have succeeded, but I feel we will help many, many people with this solution.”

If a person wearing an S-911 bracelet leaves or enters a designated geo-fenced area, the caregiver receives a text, an e-mail and a phone call to their pre-designated handheld device (cell phone/smart phone) within three seconds alerting them to the fact that the bracelet has compromised a geo-fence.  The alert gives them the location of the bracelet and they can either go to that location immediately, use the two-way communication feature and speak with the wearer or get on their personal website to track them and call someone or the police who may be closer to the person.

Laipac Technology, the global leader in the development and manufacturing of a world-class GPS location and tracking products, manufactures the S-911 bracelet.  Adiant Solutions is the sole distributor for Laipac Technology’s solutions in the United States.

About Adiant Solutions Founded in 2010, Adiant Solutions has emerged as an industry leader in the sale and distribution of GPS devices that protect people in their homes and preserve their dignity, independence and resources.  The company touts a growing roster of blue chip clients.  For more information, please visit www.adiant-solutions.com.

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April 28, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:Adiant Solutions  Alzheimer's  Autism  Candace McDonald  Dementia  G-Force Sensor  Generation Rescue  Geo-Fencing  GPS Tracking  Jenny McCarthy  Jim Jeselun  Laipac Technology  Real-Time Tracking  S-911  Tracking Bracelets

Survey: 61 Percent of Physicians to use iPhones

MONTREAL–According to a recent survey of U.S. physicians, 61% intend to own an iPhone by the end of 2011. This is up from 39% at the beginning of the year and compares with the iPhone’s 24.7% adoption among general U.S. smartphone users.“HCPs have signalled a clear preference for their smartphones”

Aptilon Corporation, (TSX-V: APZ), a leader in online access to and interaction with HCPs on behalf of pharmaceutical sales and marketing programs, used its ReachNet Physician Access Channel to recruit HCP participation in a survey on mobile technology and convenience options for HCPs. ReachNet provides access to over 450,000 HCPs through multiple channels, including the Internet, email and through mobile and tablet devices. Between February 7 and February 16, 2011, 341 HCPs from throughout the U.S. participated in the survey.

The research found that by the end of 2011, 84% of U.S. physicians will be using a smartphone; corresponding with Manhattan Research’s forecast of 82% smartphone adoption during this same time period. Segmenting smartphone users by major platform, the Aptilon survey data revealed that 61% of healthcare professionals (HCPs) will be using an iPhone, 16% a regular cell phone, 9% Google’s Android platform and 9% RIM’s BlackBerry platform.

“HCPs have signalled a clear preference for their smartphones,” remarks Mark Benthin, Aptilon COO, “Professionals are taking advantage of the latest advancements to connect with information, tools and live resources when, where and how it suits them.”

Aptilon provides HCP access across multiple channels, including multiple different smartphone and tablet devices. As a result, the Aptilon Mobile platform enables access to and consumption of sales and marketing activities across various different mobile devices.

It is no surprise to anyone that iPhones continue to dominate the smartphone market.  Especially with the addition of Verizon as a wireless provider, more people than ever are carrying iPhones.  Doctors appear to be right there with everyone else in their love of Apple’s smartphone leader.  It is to be expected that they would go with iPhones as they tend to have the most apps, as well as the fact that the public tends to use them which should make it easier to interface with patients.

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Filed Under: Android  Apple  Blackberry  Health Care  Healthcare IT  iPad  iPhone  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:  Aptilon Corporation  Aptilon Mobile Platform      Manhattan Research  Mark Benthin  ReachNetPhysician Access Channel

PatientsLikeMe Social Network Refutes Published Clinical Trial

Here is the actual press release from PatientsLikeMe:

Nature Biotechnology Paper Details Breakthrough in Real World Outcomes Measurement

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 25, 2011

Today, PatientsLikeMe reveals the results of a patient-initiated observational study refuting a 2008(1) published study that claimed lithium carbonate could slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). PatientsLikeMe, a health data-sharing website with more than 100,000 patients and 500+ conditions, announces its study results in the journal, Nature Biotechnology.

“This is the first time a social network has been used to evaluate a treatment in a patient population in real time,” says ALS pioneer and PatientsLikeMe Co-Founder Jamie Heywood. “While not a replacement for the gold standard double blind clinical trial, our platform can provide supplementary data to support effective decision-making in medicine and discovery. Patients win when reliable data is made available, sooner.”

After the original claim was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 348 ALS patient members reported their off label use of lithium on PatientsLikeMe. Just 9 months later at the International ALS/MND Symposium, PatientsLikeMe presented preliminary results that lithium was not having an observable effect on the disease progression of these patients. The results were revealed before any of the formal follow up trials enrolled patients.

PatientsLikeMe developed a novel algorithm designed to match patients who reported taking lithium with a number of other ALS patients that had similar disease courses. By using a matched control group, PatientsLikeMe was able to reduce biases associated with evaluating the effects of treatments in open label, real world situations and improve the statistical power of the study making each patients contribution more meaningful.

Heywood adds, “The rising costs of healthcare and increasing complexity of managing disease require new approaches to comparative effectiveness research and real time management of disease. While there is much work to do, we have demonstrated a patient-centric approach that provides dramatic cost and time advantages.”

Nature Biotechnology has made the final publication, titled, “Accelerated clinical discovery using self-reported patient data collected online and a patient-matching algorithm,” available for free to the public on its website (DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1837).

(1) (Fornai et al., “Lithium delays progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.”
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Feb 12;105(6):2052-7.)

About PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe® (www.patientslikeme.com) is the world’s leading online health data sharing platform. PatientsLikeMe® creates new knowledge by charting the real-world course of disease through the shared experiences of patients. While patients interact to help improve their outcomes, the data they provide helps researchers learn how these diseases act in the real world and accelerate the discovery of new, more effective treatments.

We are all aware of the power of social networking in numerous arenas, but this is taking it to a whole new level.  Smart businesses are now understanding the power of social networking.  I have participated in all kinds of surveys and focus groups but social networking provides an unfettered opinion from the people that are actually using products.  People write exactly what they are thinking without any consideration of what a company wants to hear.

Healthcare companies would be stupid not to take advantage of this free information.  Like they said in the press release, this is not a replacement for true clinical trials, but it does provide worthwhile supplementary data for people to consider.  As a regular person, the information from a clinical trial can be as easy to understand as a foreign language, but being able to read exactly what other people are saying can help you understand the information.  Why do you think company review sites are so successful?

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April 27, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care
Tags:ALS  Jamie Heywood  National Academy of Science  Nature Biotechnology  Patient-centric Approach    Social Networking in Healthcare

Presentations from the 3rd mHealth Networking Conference

The third mHealth Networking Conference was held on March 30-31 in Chicago, IL.  The presentations from the conference can be found here.  The full list of presentations can be found below.  It doesn’t take an in depth look to see that the scope of mHealth is broadening widely and rapidly.  The technology that exists in our world would be wasted if we did not take advantage of it to improve our health.

BANT: A Diabetes App for the Teen – Joseph A. Cafazzo. Lead, Center for Global Health Innovation, Toronto General Hospital

Cellular Telephones Measure Activity and Lifespace – Evan H. Goulding, Addiction Psychiatry Fellow, Northwestern University

Data-driven Health Behavior Change and mHealth – M. Courtney Hughes PhD, Approach Health

Drug Adherence and Diet Selection through Cell Phones – Parloop A. Bhatt, Professor, LM College of Pharmacy, Gujarat, India

Effects of Medication Telemonitoring on Compliance and Rates of Re-Hospitalization in CHF and Pneumonia Patients: Pilot Study – Barbara Rapchak, Leap of Faith Technologies

Engaging the Patient with Text, Email, and Social Media – Mike Unger, Managing Director, Mikko

Explosion of mHealth Services in Africa: Any Implications for the US? – Enoma Alade, Partner, Andach Group

Future of mHealth, The – Jay Srini, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh

Going Mobile in the Emergency Department: Early Experiences – Dennis Cochrane MD and Ed Kocher, Emergency Medical Associates

Healthcare Delivery and Remote Monitoring – David Kovach, Managing Member, Reflection Solutions

Helping Patients Make Health Decisions – Jonathan White, iTriage

Information Society and Healthcare, The– C. Peter Waegemann, Vice President, mHealth Initiative

Integrating System, An: Mobile Clinic Service and Prescription – Luis Tavares, Professor, OPET, Portugal

Managing Health Information on Mobile Devices – Claudia Tessier RHIA, mHealth Initiative

mHealth and the Wired Generation: Quitting Smoking with Text Messages – Catherine Lavoie-M., Project Manager, Canadian Cancer Society, and Rachel Fournier, Evolution Health

mHealth by and for Women – Patricia Mechael, Director of Strategic Application of Mobile Technology for Public Health and Development, Center for Global Health and Economic Development, Earth Institute at Columbia University

mHealth is the New Lifestyle Diet –Michel Nadeau, P.Eng., Tactio Software

mHealth Unleashes Pharmacy 2.0 – Michel Nadeau, P.Eng., Tactio Software

Mobile Device-enabled Remote Coding – Richard Vander Burg, DOMA Technologies

Mobile Medicine in Portugal – Tiago Tavares, Veterinary Master, OPET, Portugal

Next Step for mHealth, The: Medical  Device Connectivity – Phillip Olla, Founder and CEO, Mobile Diagnostic Services

New Partnerships for mHealth: Creating Collaboration Across Public, Private, and Research Institutions – Evan Russell, MD/PhD Candidate, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Operation ASHA: Using Biometrics to Prevent MDR-TB – Sonali Batra, CTO, Operation ASHA

Role of Telecommunications Companies in mHealth, The: A Discussion: C. Peter Waegemann; David Shilharvey, Healthcare Accounts Manager, Sprint; David Kovach, Reflection Solutions

Text Messaging as a Tool to Reduce Health Disparities: A Pilot Study – Shantanu Nundy, Medical Resident, University of Chicago Hospitals

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April 26, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:C. Peter Waegemann  Catherine Lavoie-M.  Diabetes App  Enoma Alade  iTriage  Joseph Cafazzo  mHealth in Africa  mHealth Networking Conference  Parloop A. Bhatt  Patricia Mechael  Quit Smoking App  Rachel Fournier

Microsoft Implements Chronic Condition Management Platform at Denver Health

The program is based on a bidirectional, CCM platform that enables patient-provider communication. It facilitates patient-provided data collection through text message queries to diabetic patients about home blood sugar measurements and also facilitates sending reminders to patients of upcoming appointments. Case coordinators at Denver Health review self-reported patient data and follow up with patients by phone, in accordance with established clinical guidelines.

Program uses familiar technology for communication between caregivers and diabetes patients.

REDMOND, Wash., and DENVER — April 20, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today announced early results from a Chronic Condition Management (CCM) platform deployment at Denver Health. The platform is the foundation of a larger program designed to encourage patients to self-manage conditions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetes affects more than 25 million people, or a little more than 8 percent of the U.S. population.  Because of this, during the demonstration and study phases of the program, Denver Health first assessed the effectiveness of a between-visit, chronic-disease management program for its high-risk diabetes patients. The program is based on a bidirectional, CCM platform that enables patient-provider communication. It facilitates patient-provided data collection through text message queries to diabetic patients about home blood sugar measurements and also facilitates sending reminders to patients of upcoming appointments. Case coordinators at Denver Health review self-reported patient data and follow up with patients by phone, in accordance with established clinical guidelines.

In the first phase of Denver Health’s CCM program, patients both responded to the text messages and improved their home glucose monitoring. Providers reported on the engagement of patients around their diabetes care and on the identification of patients suffering from low blood sugar.

“The long-standing model of chronic disease management through the standard provider office visit does not support the patients’ need to manage their disease on a daily basis. We believe that using bidirectional communications within a chronic condition management system may be an effective method to provide care for chronic conditions beyond the traditional clinic setting,” said Andy Steele, M.D., director of Medical Informatics at Denver Health.

The CCM platform was developed using several integrated Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft SQL Server 2008. This software, coupled with EMC Corp.’s healthcare process design and technology development service, which was implemented by EMC Consulting as part of its trusted-advisor role on the project, creates a flexible platform for providers of any size to address a number of chronic diseases, each with increasing program complexity.

“We are considering expanding the CCM platform to integrate with other clinical databases in order to identify and reach out to at-risk patients,” said Gregg Veltri, chief information officer at Denver Health.

“Changes in reimbursement policies are driving the need for organizations to quickly develop strategies and deploy programs to reduce re-admission rates for patients with chronic conditions,” said Jack Hersey, general manager for the U.S. Public Sector Health and Human Services at Microsoft. “Solutions such as Denver Health’s Chronic Condition Management platform can have an immediate impact on re-admission rates and are easily replicated and implemented as part of any hospital or clinic’s at-home chronic condition management programs.”

“Denver Health is always looking for new ways to improve patient care, and EMC is pleased to be collaborating with them and with Microsoft on this innovative initiative. These types of efforts can have far-reaching impacts on the healthcare industry, and EMC is constantly striving to help its customers to better use technology to enhance patient care and streamline the healthcare delivery process,” said David Dimond, national healthcare leader, EMC Consulting.

About Denver Health

Denver Health is the Rocky Mountain Region’s Level 1 academic trauma center, and the safety net hospital for the Denver area. The Denver Health system, which integrates acute and emergency care with public and community health, includes the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center, Denver’s 911 emergency medical response system, Denver Health Paramedic Division, eight family health centers, 13 school-based health centers, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, NurseLine, Correctional Care, Denver CARES, Denver Public Health, the Denver Health Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Center for Medical Response to Terrorism, Mass Casualties and Epidemics.

About Microsoft in Health

Microsoft is committed to improving health around the world through software innovation. Over the past 13 years, Microsoft has steadily increased its investments in health with a focus on addressing the challenges of health providers, health and social services organizations, payers, consumers and life sciences companies worldwide. Microsoft closely collaborates with a broad ecosystem of partners and delivers its own powerful health solutions, such as Amalga, HealthVault, and a portfolio of identity and access management technologies acquired from Sentillion Inc. in 2010. Together, Microsoft and its industry partners are working to deliver health solutions for the way people aspire to work and live.

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April 25, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care
Tags:Andy Steele  Chronic Condition Management  David Dimond  Denver Health  Diabetes Care  EMC Consulting  Gregg Veltri  Jack Hersey  Medical Informatics  

Rock Health Launches –The First Seed Accelerator to Promote Interactive Health

A new startup seed-accelerator, Rock Health, wants to give you $20,000, no strings attached, along with mentorship and office space for five months, in order to turn your health-related startup or idea into a reality. Supported by some serious names (see below),  Rock Health aims to catalyze software-based innovation in the health sector. They’re structured as a non-profit, and are opening doors to their first startup class this June.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2011 – Rock Health, a seed accelerator for interactive health, announces its new incubator program linking developers and entrepreneurs with the most innovative minds in health and technology.

Rock Health’s sponsors include Aberdare Ventures, Accel Partners, the California HealthCare Foundation, Fenwick & West, Microsoft, Mohr Davidow Ventures, NEA, Nike and Qualcomm. Rock Health also has an expansive network of medical advisors, led by the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

The first five-month incubator program will commence in June 2011 in San Francisco, and aims to catalyze health app innovation, turning ideas into products and businesses. “We’re creating an environment where entrepreneurs and developers from other sectors can approach problems in health care in new, product-centric ways,” says Rock Health’s managing director, Halle Tecco.
Selected startups receive a $20,000 grant in addition to free office space, mentorship, and access to Rock Health’s medical experts and partners.

“Health care is the most important challenge facing our nation, yet patient care and healthy living do not yet exhibit the technological creativity found in social media, games and other verticals,” adds Rock Health’s medical director, Nate Gross. “Physicians are excited to work with our developers because they recognize that product design should not be an afterthought.”

Rock Health is building a diverse advisor and mentor community with experts from design, data science, gaming and health care IT. Rock Health’s advisory board includes Frank Moss, head of the New Media Medicine group at the MIT Media Lab, and Michael Abbott, VP of Engineering at Twitter. Startup mentors include Charles Huang, co-founder of GuitarHero, and Linda Avey, co-founder of 23andMe. A full list of advisors and mentors can be found at http://rockhealth.com/.

Applications to join Rock Health are open until May 13.

About Rock Health
Rock Health is a seed accelerator that challenges developers and entrepreneurs to address issues in health and wellness through consumer web and mobile technologies. Founded in 2011, it provides early stage funding and strategic support as well as mentorship and office space to new companies. The incubator is backed by Aberdare Ventures, Accel Partners, the California HealthCare Foundation, Fenwick & West, Microsoft HealthVault, Mohr Davidow Ventures, NEA, Nike, and Qualcomm and is in
partnership with the Mayo Clinic and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. For more information, or to apply, visit RockHealth.com.

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April 24, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:                              NEA      

Connecting Wireless, Mobile and the Future of Healthcare: Healthcare Honchos Address Issues Head-on

There are tons of conferences out there relating to healthcare, and an increasing number are related to technology and specifically to mobile healthcare.  This conference focuses specifically on taking advantage of the opportunities that wireless and mobile healthcare provides.  Plus, it is in San Diego so you can’t really miss there.

Convergence Summit Runs May 10-12, 2011 in San Diego

How will advances in mobile technology improve access to healthcare in the U.S. and globally? What role will wireless technology play in improving productivity in healthcare? Will the new regulations outlined recently by the Health and Human Services department regarding Accountable Care Organizations (ACO’s) play a role? Wireless and mobile healthcare may well form the basis for new methods of healthcare delivery—for instance, “to treat an individual patient across care settings—including doctor’s offices, hospitals, and long-term care facilities” (CMS Office of Media Affairs).

These and other wireless healthcare issues are to be the star subjects of the Convergence Summit, a three-day event to be held May 10-12, 2011 in San Diego, hosted by the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) and its partner TripleTree, LLC.

Featured speakers include:

  • Paul Jacobs, Ph.D, CEO of Qualcomm, who is slated to give the opening-day keynote on May 10, 2011;
  • Bill McGuire, M.D., the former CEO of United Healthcare, who is to open the second day of the summit on May 11, 2011;
  • Harry Greenspun, M.D., chief medical officer at Dell, kicks off the final day on May 12, 2011.

A post-lunch keynote on May 12 is to feature Dan Buettner, the New York Times best-selling author of, most recently, Thrive: Finding Happiness in the Blue Zones Way (National Geographic, 2010).

The Convergence Summit is an exclusive gathering of executives, investors, developers and policy makers who come together annually to address issues of advancing innovations in wireless and mobile healthcare technology. Other speakers include John Kelliher, The Marwood Group; Richard Migliori, Optum; Preetha Reddy, Apollo Health Systems; and Tien Tzuo, Zuora.

“Wireless coverage is nearly ubiquitous within the U.S. and many parts of the world. This opens up opportunities for advancing healthcare globally in ways we haven’t even dreamed of,” says TripleTree senior director and chief marketing officer Chris Hoffmann.

WLSA organizers devote each day to a forward-looking theme about uniting wireless and healthcare. Conference themes for this, the sixth annual Convergence Summit, include “Defining a global platform for wireless and mobile health” (Day 1), “Best approaches for streamlining patient-doctor interactions” (Day 2) and “The convergence of mobile and cloud, and the simplification of healthcare solutions” (Day 3). Day 2 also features the presentation of the third annual I Awards, sponsored exclusively by TripleTree, for innovation in wireless healthcare.

Several lively forums dovetail with the conference themes; the forums are open exchanges, with executives, innovators, investors and others brainstorming the topics. No PowerPoint presentations allowed!

Conference participants for the three days of forums include representatives from large and small companies on the cutting edge of the convergence of wireless and healthcare. A sampling of participating companies includes Appirio, Ascension Health, AT&T, Banner Health, CareFusion, Dell, EmpowHER, Healthagen, InstyMeds, WhiteGlove House Call, Johnson & Johnson, Jitterbug, Mental Workout, Optum, Procter and Gamble, RehabCare, Teladoc and Telcare. A total of 300-400 participants are expected to attend the summit.

“When we put all these people in the same room—innovators and users, entrepreneurs and HMO chiefs, technology wizards and policy wonks—the mix is exhilarating,” TripleTree’s Hoffmann says. “The future of healthcare swirls into shape before your eyes.”

The WLSA is an international nonprofit think tank that puts CEOs from the world’s most innovative wireless and mobile health companies together with global leaders in healthcare and technology and financial sponsors.

TripleTree, LLC, a founding member of the WLSA, is an independent investment bank and strategic advisor providing growth companies in healthcare and other technology-enabled vertical industries with merger and acquisition, private capital and principal investing services.

For more information about the 2011 WLSA Convergence Summit, go to http://www.wlsa2011.com.

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April 23, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care
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HealthTap Launches First Interactive Expert Health Companion — Free to All

There are numerous apps out there to help you monitor your help but here is a brand new one that is also free.  It currently only supports pregnancy and the first year of life but will be expanding into all fields in the near future.  The full release can be seen here, but here are the major features that it will offer:

How HealthTap Works

Consumers on HealthTap can:

* Create a Home for Health with personalized health feeds, a dynamic customizable checklist, and secure storage of health information.
* Get succinct answers and tips from doctors, data from an extensive proprietary medical Knowledge-Base, and validated insight from community members similar to them.
* Find trusted doctors locally and nationally by exploring their insight, expertise and care.
Print a personalized Doctor Visit Prep-Sheet to make the visit smoother and more productive for both doctor and patient.

U.S. licensed physicians admitted to HealthTap’s Medical Expert Network can:

* Grow their practices and improve the quality of care that they provide patients, while reducing costs through HealthTap’s one-of-a-kind digital platform.
* Automatically amplify their knowledge and broaden their reach in social media.
* Create their own Online Medical Home where they can easily store and share their medical wisdom, extending relationships with patients beyond office hours.

“HealthTap is revolutionizing the way people and physicians find, share, and use health information, both on- and offline,” said Dr. Alan Greene, HealthTap medical director and clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. “HealthTap puts us all — physicians and users — on the same page, delivering an integrated health experience that gives patients succinct, actionable medical information from trusted doctors — anytime, anywhere. Simultaneously, it empowers physicians to effortlessly extend their wisdom and improve the quality of patient care beyond their office hours.”

To join HealthTap’s free public beta, visit www.healthtap.com.

About HealthTap
HealthTap, your Home for Health, is an Expert Health Companion that tailors information to each of its unique users based on their individual health characteristics. HealthTap’s free, interactive Expert Health Companion combines expert input from physicians, together with community insight, and data from its proprietary medical Knowledge-Base to help users make better decisions about their health and well-being. The HealthTap team includes highly experienced and accomplished members who have built health and mobile applications that have served hundreds of millions of people. Based in Palo Alto, HealthTap is backed by Mohr Davidow Ventures and prominent Silicon Valley angel investors, including Esther Dyson, Mark Leslie, and Aaron Patzer. For more information, visit www.healthtap.com.

 

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April 22, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: Health Care  mHealth  Mobile Health Care
Tags:Aaron Patzer  Dr. Alan Greene  Esther Dyson  Expert Health Companion    Mark Leslie  Medical Expert Network    Personalized Health App


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