The exploding black market in healthcare data

August 6, 2013 | by

When medical records’ black market value is estimated at an average of $50 per record–94 percent of health care organizations have had at least one breach in the past two years–and 2 million Americans were medical identity theft victims in 2011–it’s one unpleasant ‘pointer to the future.’

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IDExperts_Infographic_v4_72-crop1.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]Data firm ID Experts studied a decade of data breaches and notes that medical data has become very attractive to professional hackers and cyber thieves. ID Experts’ full infographic.

  • First, there is so much of it with the increasing electronification of health data.
  • Second, so much of it resides on insecure or unsecured networks: smartphone, tablet, laptop.
  • Third, organizations and individuals still are only semi-conscious of fraud reality, and are negligent and sloppy when it comes to securing devices and over-reliance on the cloud without tight enterprise security. The new and underfunded health insurance ‘exchanges’ are particularly vulnerable as they, as well as other healthcare organizations, can over-rely on technology to protect data–which clever hackers can work around. Moreover, they can extract and sit on data till the trail goes cold. (Scroll down infographic to find out more). Also Ponemon Institute’s recent report in Healthcare Technology Online.

ID Experts’ study conclusions are reinforced by the California State Attorney General’s report that 55 percent of breaches “were intentional intrusions by outsiders or by unauthorized insiders” and that healthcare breaches were the third largest in reported incidents. A counter-measure may be the Medical ID Fraud Alliance, a collaboration in progress that is planned to include the Federal Trade Commission, the Secret Service and the Veterans Administration. More in Amednews.com (published by the American Medical Association)

Healthcare breaches due to criminal activity and plain error are becoming more common as well. All one has to do is bop over to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, click on ‘MED’ for healthcare and 2013 and check the frequency to date (113) of breaches both tiny and huge. (By comparison, full year 2012 totaled 224.) Our TTA ‘Into The Breach’ Awards go to:   (more…)

Now an accelerator for aging tech

August 2, 2013 | by

Major Midwest non-profit aging services provider Ecumen and ‘innovation co-operative’ MoJo Minnesota are co-sponsoring The Age Power Tech Search, seeking young companies or subsidiaries of larger companies which have pioneered technology that improves the quality of life of older adults. To quote their announcement email, “AgePower differs from “incubators” or “accelerators” in that its focus is on transforming the future of aging and providing real-life test environments, along with access to business strategy experts in key areas necessary to fueling a successful new venture.” Advisory board includes many well-recognized leaders in aging services, thought and tech, refreshingly outside the usual Digital Health Hypester Horde (D3H). Four finalists gain a real-world test environment in Ecumen communities for six months. Both Ecumen and MoJo will take small equity stakes in the finalists as well.  Applications are due on 31 October; a 90-minute information session will take place on 13 August in Minneapolis (register here). Age Power Tech information and specs here.

Note to developers: This may be Minneapolis, but Ecumen is not only #17 on the 2012 Ziegler/LeadingAge list of US largest non-profit senior living organizations, but also a quick Google or LeadingAge search will uncover their large ‘thought leader’ role in both care and tech implementation. There’s no restriction on origination, but since MoJo’s put is developing business in MN,  if you are outside the state this Editor would expect a major factor would be a commitment to establishing a base there.

Angels to the rescue in health tech

August 2, 2013 | by

Funding ‘angels’ in the health tech space are increasingly taking on roles that go beyond investing.  Venture-Med Angels has funded 24 companies in seed and Series A rounds, generally at less than $500,000 along with larger syndications, in areas as diverse as Class 1 and 2 medical devices, including diagnostics, as well as mobile health, health IT, telehealth and remote diagnosis. A key problem is in this admission–so many companies have similar products or services. Common to accelerators, the Angels give their help to startups in pitches, achieving milestones and understanding the importance of their intellectual property. From company name to investment, Venture-Med Angels advise startups (Entrepreneurship.com’s eMed/MedCityNews)

Alere under shareholder fire

August 2, 2013 | by

Medical device and care management company Alere has come under fire from ‘activist investor’ Coppersmith Capital Management, which owns 7 percent of the company’s shares. Most recently in our pages for their acquisition and restaging of MedApps, now Alere Connect [TTA 4 Jan], Alere’s recent acquisition streak has added to revenues in its diagnostic unit and to about 9.1 percent growth in the past quarter, but not to profits. Struggling units such as Diagnostics and Health Information Solutions have helped to spiral debt. Coppersmith wishes to place three directors on the board at the shareholder meeting 7 August to stop the car crash of shareholder value and sell off assets. Management believes that it is carefully investing for the future of the company. Next week will tell. Alere’s losses triple as investor fight awaits (FierceMedicalDevices)

Smartwatches as the 2014 tablet, redux

August 2, 2013 | by

Mobihealthnews does a very good roundup of smartwatchesboth familiar and not in this 10 page report. Most are in kickstarter mode, raising funds and some may never see daylight, but all a Pointer to the Near Future:  Pebble, AGENT, Kreyos Meteor (sounds like a sportscar), Sony Smartwatch, i’m Watch (from Italia), Motorola’s MotoActv, Androidly, Neptune Pine, the unfortunately named GEAK Watch, Toshiba, the Qualcomm Zola and the rumored Apple iWatch and Google Watch. If you want to watch smartwatches more, there is a website called The Smart Watch Review. 10 smartwatches that may take on fitness trackers

Previously in TTA: Smartwatches as the 2013-2014 tablet…and will they knock out fitness bands? at the end of the ‘Apple-ologist” article. A situation we spotted two weeks ago.

No more lying through your teeth, indeed!

August 2, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/tooth-sensor.jpg” thumb_width=”200″ /]By: Toni Bunting

A sensor embedded in your tooth could tell doctors if you have defied medical advice to give up smoking or to eat less!

Built into a tiny circuit board, the sensor includes an accelerometer that transmits data to a smartphone. So from each tell-tale jaw motion pattern, the software can work out how much chewing, teeth grinding, smoking, coughing, talking or (…okay I’ll stop there!) that you are doing.

The device can be fitted into dentures or a dental brace, and the team at the National Taiwan University in Taipei plan to miniaturise it further to fit into a cavity or crown. Results so far look promising, with the system having recognised ‘oral activities’ correctly 94 per cent of the time in tests to date. New Scientist and IEEE Spectrum have both covered the story. Paper: Sensor-Embedded Teeth for Oral Activity Recognition 

It kind of takes ‘wearables’ into a whole new sphere! Don’t you think?

Editor Donna addendum 2 August: We are refreshing Contributing Editor Toni Bunting’s story originally posted 26 July (original story and comments here), and moving it up as current. Once again TTA’s fresh set of Eagle Eyes have broken stories ahead of the competition, now twice in two weeks: first Charles Lowe with the O2 withdrawal (now up to 41 comments!) on 23 July and now this story.* While TTA will never be the spot for breaking news on a regular basis, when we see something, we will say something (to quote the NYPD). Our team of Editors will continue to interpret trends, cast the occasional Gimlet Eye or Blue Blaze in amazement at the direction some item is taking–and letting you know about it.

In Founder Steve’s words:

We make no apology for being independent and opinionated or for trying to be interesting rather than comprehensive.

* Oh yes. Mobihealthnews just featured this dental sensor in an article dated 30 July (but they beat us to the Quantified Tooth), and got around to O2 on 29 July (see our Australia-based Contributing Editor George Margelis’ comments). We appreciate that UK and international is not their focus, plus we have benefited and cited from their timely coverage more times than I can cite….but a dapper hat tip would have been appreciated!

Telehealth in Thailand from Canadian company

August 2, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/KNT_ReFleX_Poster_H300.png” thumb_width=”180″ /]Demonstrating that companies can cross borders successfully [TTA 26 July], Vancouver-based ReFleX Wireless is conducting a paid trial of its telehealth system with Kluaynamthai Hospital Group (KNT) in Bangkok starting in October. Their eVitals patient portal/monitoring service will be used with KNT’s remote patients via its Geriatric and Stroke Centres as part of the KNT Virtual Hospital Strategy (see left). It connects with monitors such as the AQWave HeartRhythm mobile application. The lessons here for developers are:

  1. Trade missions can work, and quickly. ReFleX’s initial contact with KNT was through the British Columbia ICT Trade mission in June. Your Editor has not heard of US health tech using this channel–or maybe the barriers are higher.
  2. US and UK products should look to international competitions and markets. ReFleX Wireless originated as Project Z out of University of British Columbia, gained support from the local Wavefront Accelerator and was one of two winners in the 2010-2011 New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) Next Idea competition, which invites ex-US applicants to NYC.
  3. Accept that the design will shift. ReFleX started as a multi-patient monitoring system for use in hospital wards. It’s now clearly being used for remote, at-home post-discharge patient monitoring.

ReFleX Wireless press release.

Health 2.0 Fall Conference 2013

July 31, 2013 | by

29 September – 2 October 2013, Santa Clara (California) Convention Center

The 7th Annual Health 2.0 national conference will be held in the heart of Silicon Valley. It is 2 1/2 days and the ‘carefully curated lineup’ will feature the role of consumers, big data and health care marketplaces. The Health IT Startup Showcase is staged like ‘The Voice’, Tim Kelsey of NHS England is a speaker and the demo ‘bake-off’ Launch! is on Day 2, and Day 3 features Health 2.0 Around The World.  Information, agenda, registration link.

How To Design Killer Apps for Healthy Living (KA4HL)

July 31, 2013 | by

21 August 2013, 6-9:30pm, John Jay College, New York, NY

This evening meeting sponsored by the 3,000+ member Health 2.0 NYC concentrates on the impact of smartphone apps and their use in health tracking. 95% of all downloaded apps are never used more than once. This event explores what factors make a behavior-changing app effective in helping people to be healthier, and what makes an app ‘viral’. Two KA4HL Rock Stars will discuss app design and then up to 10 apps will present and be judged on points. Applications are still open. Watch this spot for further information on presenters and format. Further information is on Meetup (registration on Meetup and for the group is required for access) but final registration and information will be in a week or so on Eventbrite. Health 2.0 NYC events average about 100-125 attendees and you can always expect a lively presentation, bountiful networking plus drinks and snacks.

Editor’s note: TTA is a media sponsor of and Editor Donna is a co-organizer/event producer/social media chair/bottlewasher for Health 2.0 NYC.

Contact lenses for measuring eye pressure

July 31, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1-s2.0-S1471489212001993-gr3.jpg” thumb_width=”200″ /]Swiss company Sensimed Triggerfish (a most un-Swiss name!) has developed a soft contact lens for long-term (up to 24 hours) active measurement of intra-ocular pressure, a key indicator of glaucoma. Within the lens are small gauges and a transmitter which sends an output signal to a larger antenna affixed to a bandage worn around the eye. This antenna is then cable-connected to a recorder. From the recorder, the data is downloaded to the practitioner’s computer via Bluetooth. In ‘restricted commercial stage’  in CE-mark countries; submitted for 510(k) review to FDA but not yet approved in the US. Short article in ApplySci Discoveries; remarkably detailed MedGadget interview with Sensimed’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. René Goedkoop; Acta Ophthalmologica abstract.  Website. Hat tip to our Contributing Editor and TANN Ireland Editor Toni Bunting. 

Disturbing program on assisted living (US)

July 30, 2013 | by

The other (and darker) side of how many live out the last years of their lives and the poor (but expensive) quality of care will be televised tonight in the US. PBS’ Frontline will air what is termed in Forbes a ‘powerful exposé’, Life and Death in Assisted Living, premiering Tuesday 30 July at 10 pm Eastern Time. It focuses on major problems in assisted living housing, especially at market leader Emeritus. For our many readers who cannot view PBS, the ProPublica investigative journalism group who worked on this series is also publishing a series online with the same title over the next few days and as a Kindle e-book. One case taken up is a woman with advanced dementia and chronic medical conditions who would have been previously in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility (SNF). Your Editor noted that assisted living was developed as an alternative (see next article) to nursing homes in the late 1980s, ironically by the founder of Emeritus who is no longer with the company.

LeadingAge, the association representing US non-profit aging services providers (AL, SNF, home care) and the US branch of IAHSA, has wisely prepared a heads-up for members and press talking points differentiating themselves from for-profit operators like Emeritus, starting with “The Not-for-Profit Difference: Unlike for-profit communities, the leadership at our organization does not “push to fill facilities and maximize revenues.” We are not driven by bottom lines.” On point advice on talking to the press here including a communications lifeline from the association.

‘Green Houses’: a better model for senior living (US)

July 30, 2013 | by

“Let’s abolish the nursing home”–Dr. Bill Thomas

In the US, the ‘Green House Project’ model has made tremendous progress in developing homes for older adults as an alternative to nursing homes. A ‘design for living’ for 10-12 residents, a Green House is a home-like model built from the ground up with private rooms, bathrooms and community living. Currently 260 homes are open or under development across 32 states. From their website, the intent is for “Those who live in, work in, and care about a Green House [home] share the duty to foster the emergence of late-life development within the daily life they create together.” The care ratio is also much higher; care teams are organized on self-managed work teams to care for the mostly high acuity residents (including dementia). Yet costs, according to NPR, are about the same as the median for nursing homes nationally (many residents are on Medicaid) and in quality of life, it respects residents habits, privacy with the outcome that it supports residents longer in a level of independence.

The Green House concept came from the work of Bill Thomas MD, a geriatrician who also developed the Eden Alternative and frequently writes on ChangingAging.org. The news is the backing of the Green House Project by the prestigious and well-funded Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NCB Capital Partners. The Project provides the model and guidance to independent organizations for organization, implementation and certification of these homes. MedCityNews was wowed by it (Wall Street Journal link does not work, however). See the video from RWJF on what they saw as ‘a catalyst for significant social change’.  Green House Project website   RWJF page on their support of this ‘force multiplier’.

What if you added non-intrusive health tech to these homes? The opportunities could be as varied as the ELSI Smart Floors and alert system for safety (Charles)…fitness bracelets/wearables to monitor basic vitals and ADL/activity (Jawbone, Misfit, AFrame)…biosensor ‘tattoos’ (Toni). Tablet/PC based socialization/brain stimulation (GeriJoy, GrandCare, It’s Never 2 Late). Could this humane environment move to a higher level with a touch of tech?

[This video is no longer available on this site but may be findable via an internet search]

Apple’s ‘tarnished luster’, Round 2

July 29, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/headeriwatchfinal.jpg” thumb_width=”200″ /]Today’s disclosure provides Apple-ologists with a major ‘what does this mean’ field day. The exec on the right no longer is on the executive team of the man on the left. On the right, Bob Mansfield, former SVP Technologies; on the left, CEO Tim Cook. AllThingsD last night (US Pacific Time) reported and confirmed that the early Sunday removal of Mr. Mansfield from the website, uncovered by the appropriately named MacRumors, meant precisely that. The ‘special projects’ assignment is usually a face-saver until the contract runs out.

We’ve gleaned some trouble in AppleLand on the odd reiteration of their eHealthy moves but slow progress on the iWatch [TTA 20 July]. It turns out that Mr. Mansfield had already announced his retirement from Apple in last year, but after some internal controversy was persuaded to return in October 2012 with a major title and compensation as head of Technologies until 2014. In this Editor’s experience, these lurebacks never turn out well even when beaucoup bucks are in the mix. We will leave it to the Apple-ologists to figure out the permutations and emanations.

Related: Will this add to the tarnish on the former Appleshine as Dave Logan had it just last week? [TTA 26 July]

Photo credit: 9to5Mac

Nurses using social media for health tech collaboration

July 29, 2013 | by

Interesting article and longish (26:04) video on how nurses are using Google Hangout for collaboration, especially on using technology as part of their practice and getting involved in tech development. The four onscreen are located in Canada, Australia and Hawaii. The author is herself an RN and health care advisor for the US Strategic Perspective Institute, a think tank whose main job is advocating ‘saving jobs’, a Sisyphean task if there ever was one. (Don’t bother to look at the healthcare blog–the last entry there was 2010.)  This is from ZDNet. Nurses use Google Hangouts to collaborate on technology

Pondering the squandering of taxpayer money on IT projects (US)

July 27, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gimlet-eye.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]The Gimlet Eye has been in Observation Mode this week. But this handful of Dust-In-Eye necessitates a Benny Goodman-style Ray on another US governmental ‘fail’. When it comes to IT, the government admits…

Agencies Have Spent Billions on Failed and Poorly Performing Investments

Exhibit #1: FierceHealthIT summarizes five big ones out of a 51-page Government Accountability Office (GAO) report focusing on the inefficiency of agency IT initiatives–just in healthcare.

  1. Veterans Affairs (VA) VistA EHR system transitioning to a new architecture: terminated October 2010 at a cost of $1.9 billion
  2. VA-Department of Defense (DOD) iEHR integration: as previously written about, it collapsed under its own weight for another $1 billion [TTA 8 March]

  3. DoD-VA’s Federal Health Care Center (FHCC). Opened in 2010 as a joint facility under a single authority line, but somehow none of the IT capabilities were up and running when the doors opened. ‘Jake, it’s ChiTown.’ Only $122 million.

  4. DoD’s own EHR, AHLTA (no VistA–that’s VA’s) still doesn’t work right; speed, usability and availability all problematic. A mere $2 billion over 13 years.
  5. VA’s outpatient system is 25 years old. Modernization failed after $127 million over 9 years before the plug was pulled in September 2009

You’ll need Iron Eyes to slog through the detail, but it is a remarkable and damning document. PDF (link)

but…there’s more. Excruciating, hair-hurting, and would be amusing if not so painfully, and expensively, inept. Malware Removal Gone Wild at Commerce… (more…)

A question for our readers: what does it take for health tech to cross borders well?

July 26, 2013 | by | 1 Comment

In considering the culture gap surrounding Telefónica’s stumble down the pit with O2–and other projects they had that didn’t cross borders well–this Editor thought it worthwhile to ask our readers, particularly our new ones, to kick off a conversation in Comments about this observation. There seem to be national barriers in health tech. Why?

What are the factors that enable health tech companies to cross borders and be successful?

This is not a comprehensive survey by any means, but in your Editor’s experience, it appears that most health tech innovation by smaller companies stays in the country of design. When it is purchased by a multi-national organization, cautiousness takes hold. Much of the liveliness of PERS market leader Lifeline has dimmed since Philips acquired it about 2008, (more…)