Losing ground: Alzheimer’s as a leading cause of death

March 25, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Alz-bar-graph.png” thumb_width=”200″ /]This short bar chart (Change in Number of Deaths between 2000 and 2010) tells a story that your Editor did not realize. Alzheimer’s disease currently is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States overall–and where the opposite of progress has been made. Part of this could be better diagnosis, but in large part it is the aging population.

For those innovating health tech, there’s a big job to be done here: not a cure, but to support those with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias in everyday quality of life (brain fitness, mental stimulation, activities of daily living/ADLs); to aid their caregivers in caring for them, as well as their own quality of life; and geriatric professionals in lengthening time at home and creating stimulating communities, not ‘memory care floors’. Not perhaps as fun as a fitness app, but potentially more rewarding and disruptive to the current distressing model. Graph courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association (US)

The further adventures of the Ozcan cellphone microscope

March 23, 2013 | by

Can your phone do this? (Armed With Science) discusses how the US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) is developing cellphone-based wide-field fluorescent imaging for pathogen detection in the field, but also mentions partnering with a team at UCLA as the developers of the clip-on microscope and a small firm called Holomic LLC for a second add-on for assay purposes. Both devices sounded familiar to this Editor, and it turns out that Dr. Ayodgan Ozcan is the common denominator–and head of the team–on both (Holomic is his spinoff commercialization company). The microscope is the LUCAS [covered since its debut in May 2010] and the assay is likely the iTube [TTA 13 Dec]. Interesting that the Army not only is pushing this forward, but also the partnership.

Google Glass: a proper potential in healthcare

March 22, 2013 | by

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gimlet-eye.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]The Gimlet Eye and your Editor have had a tête-à-tête and finally have agreed on something other than the oeuvré of Jean-Pierre Melville. The Eye remains In Revolt on Google Glass but barely…barely…concedes a proper, limited role in health. Overlooked in the overheated hullabaloo: for normal people, it can aid in actions like looking at food and counting nutritional values or ‘fullness’, sending and receiving information on fitness tracking, identifying pill bottles; for physicians, nurses and clinical staff, as an adjunct to telemedicine, visualizing monitoring on a patient and recording an exam or report. This Editor can also see potential in surgery, particularly the minimally invasive type which are camera and data-driven. This EHR Intelligence article is short and refreshingly hype-free. (But readers, rest assured that The Gimlet will continue to keep a restless eye on Mr. Brin and his devilish device’s developments.)

Clothing, watches and what’s under your skin

March 22, 2013 | by

Three from GizMag:

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/wearabletechnologiesispo-5.jpg” thumb_width=”125″ /]Health tracking may be finding an inexpensive home in your phone–but what about those clonky bracelets, clipons and pendants? Why not integrate sensors into wearables? The next generation is in development, as seen at the Wearable Technologies conference and the Innovation World Cup in Munich: Heapsylon Sensoria Fitness socks which not only tracks steps but also gait technique; the Fraunhofer Institute’s FitnessSHIRT from Germany; Kolon Heatex heat-generating fabric from South Korea; AiQ BioMan Fabric for a wide variety of monitoring from Taiwan and (my favorite) the T.Ware T.Jacket from Singapore that gives you a hug.

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/samsung-smart-watch.jpg” thumb_width=”125″ /]Samsung may call the new S4 a ‘life companion’ but they are working on a Life Companion watch to match the Apple Watch rumored for end of 2013. But why this prototype looks clonky and not sleek…doesn’t incorporate Samsung’s bendable phone tech as debuted at CES….and compared to the rumored Apple Watch depicted in the article? Red herring? Samsung confirms it’s making a smart watch

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/blood-test-implant-7.jpg” thumb_width=”125″ /]The heck with the clothing and watches, implant it! A blood-testing laboratory in a 14 mm long implant is being tested to measure up to five proteins and organic acids at once, such as lactate, glucose, or Adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It provides monitoring that serves to tailor oncology medications or chronic conditions. The signal is transmitted first to a patch then a phone or computer. Drawback is that at present it only lasts one month. Researched at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Tiny, personal blood testing laboratory gets under your skin

Quantified Selfers keep on reinterpreting Pew

March 22, 2013 | by

The Quantified Self has its own blog (dog bites man) and just cannot believe the recent Pew Internet Life study [TTA 29 Jan] that unsurprisingly revealed, despite the explosive takeup of smartphones in the US, that most trackers are still using their heads (49 percent) or paper tracking (34 percent). So the two QS writers question the questions, and how potential QSers may not define ‘self-tracking’ as ‘fit(ting) neatly into health’. However, survey leader Suzannah Fox of Pew details the screener and specific questions–and being plain and straightforward, there’s not much wiggle room. How people interpret ‘tracking’ may be where the problem is–that long-term, over time tracking is a quite different pursuit than getting an immediate reading (e.g. blood glucose) to make a quick decision on what to eat and dose. (see Rajiv Mehta’s comment) The state of self-tracking

Updated 25 March   Related: Laurie Orlov on Pew induces chest pains in the body of the health tech market and the low single digits of app participation over age 50. (Reinterpret this: 3% of those aged 50-64 and 1% of those aged 65+.)

FDA regulating medical apps–or not? The Hearings. (US)

March 22, 2013 | by

Much coverage of this past Tuesday-Thursday’s US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearings on how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be regulating developing mobile health technologies.  Some key issues are if the 2.3 percent Obamacare medical device tax will apply to apps (after chilling development on surgical devices–see day 1 hearings), whether FDA will ever get around to publishing a final guidance (end of year), will FDA consider smartphones medical devices (no) and if FDA should share some of the responsibility with–or give it over entirely to–the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information (ONC) under Health and Human Services (HHS). Can FDA even keep up at this stage? (it takes them about three months on average review) and How much will regulation add to the price? are major questions. The representatives have heard from numerous leaders in the field: Tuesday, Happtique’s CEO Ben Chodor and the mHealth Regulatory Coalition’s Bradley Merrill Thompson; Wednesday, West Wireless Institute’s chief medical officer Joseph Smith; Thursday, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator, Health Information Technology, HHS and Ms. Christy Foreman of FDA. Mobihealthnews’ Brian Dolan live blogged from the hearings; there are also testimony statements. From these reports, the hearings have decided exactly nothing and revealed little about FDA’s inaction, but at least the issues have received some fresh air from those in the industry.

An overview of the articles/blogs to date.  Updated 23 March  (more…)

Telehealth Soapbox: A random walk through privacy, “the right to be forgotten” and health tech

March 21, 2013 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Button-lock.jpg” thumb_width=”100″ /]Google Never Forgets, How Drones=Flying Smartphones and the Big Stick of Corporate Wellness.

Privacy. Intrusiveness…two of the key hot buttons in reactions on The Gimlet Eye’s latest sally-ho on Google Glass. While Google has been able to settle with 38 US states on Google Street View’s’ ‘Wi-Spy’ on illegally acquiring unencrypted personal data, including health data, for a bag-of-shells price of $7.3 million (iHealthBeat), the beat goes on in Europe. Spain’s data protection authority and Google are slugging it out in the European Court of Justice after Google lost in the Audiencia Nacional on whether Spanish or California (Google HQ) law regulates the continued distribution of potentially embarrassing, but long past, information. According to EURactiv.com:

The case could determine the scope of a draft EU law intended to strengthen citizens’ privacy. Rules proposed by the European Commission in 2012 and being debated by the European Parliament would give people “the right to be forgotten” – to have personal data deleted – in particular from the web.

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Cell-Phone-With-Wings.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]And while Glass gives the ground view, how about Dem Drones? Are they not, after all, just smartphones with wings? They take pictures, track locations and…spy. (more…)

Look at face, calculate pulse

March 21, 2013 | by | 1 Comment

Japan’s Fujitsu is developing software that measures increased pulse through changes in facial color. There’s a projected health use, but this Editor’s guess is that the real market is security systems in airports, banks and other secured sites, if Fujitsu can get it right in their anticipated year to prototype. According to the article, “a recent iPhone app from MIT [Cardiio] works similarly. MIT has also developed software that exaggerates that color change so it’s visible to the naked eye.” But don’t tell Google–they’ll put it in Glass. Smartphone Tech Measures Your Pulse By Looking At Your Face (Popular Science)

The revolt against Google Glass

March 18, 2013 | by | 7 Comments

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gimlet-eye.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]The Gimlet Eye’s meat-locker temperature gaze on Sergey Brin’s latest device for world domination.

Now I, the Gimlet, read with the appropriate horror Editor Donna’s version of March Madness, ‘Smart tech=dumber people‘, denying any fit in Eye Life for Google Glass. After all, one does not properly stroll down a boulevard rubbing featureless glass or mumbling Brando-like into the air, except when disdaining spectacularly bad taste in ornamentation (piercings, tattoos) and dress, or lack thereof. Thus Glass has no job to do, unless it has the ability to screen the collected works of Jean-Pierre Melville or the best roles of George Sanders on demand. However, Google does not ladle les billions into development without thoughts of further gathering the biggest of data to sell on all that is holy (or unholy) in our lives, eroding whatever privacy we have left, in order to keep Mr. Brin’s yacht in diesel and deck wax enroute to the next TEDx or remote island. Thus the Eye raises a glass to the new ‘refuseniks’ who cry ‘Stop the Cyborgs!’, rebelling against a world where “privacy is impossible and corporate control total”, cleverly inserting sharp-nailed fingers in Google’s spy-in-the-eye.  After all, WWBS? (What Would Brando Say?) Google Glass: The opposition grows (CNet)

Eye tracking to diagnose stroke: study

March 18, 2013 | by

A simple, inexpensive way to diagnose life-threatening stroke has been developed by a team from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Their device–special goggles wired to a laptop with new software–is able to differentiate key eye movements that are indicative of stroke versus other conditions such as inner ear infections. The goggles (made by GN Otometrics for balance conditions) combine a USB-connected webcam and an accelerometer in the frame to track the eyeballs, while a clinician performs head impulse testing (rotating the patient’s head while he looks at a stationary object); the software interprets the subtle signs that “directly predict” stroke. The researchers dub the technique as “ECG for the eyes.” Now put this into a tablet or smartphone….  Medgadget   Johns Hopkins Medicine release

Fitting wearable, designed tech into your life

March 18, 2013 | by

Design, with a few leading exceptions generally prefaced with ‘i’, is generally kludgy in the health tech area, because ‘better mousetrap’ and off-shelf components tend to subsume design imperatives. (Has anyone seen a remotely aesthetically pleasing mousetrap other than the MiceCube?) This design discussion in Co.design (part of Fast Company) is, without saying so, marketing oriented because it is oriented to getting tech into everyday life at an affordable price. Three ways to make wearable tech actually wearable: make it beautiful (Misfit), peripheral (Guide Me Home GPS shoes), meaningful (the Pulse ring prototype). Raymond Loewy would give a thumbs-up.

Samsung Galaxy S4’s S Health: fitness tracker disruptor?

March 15, 2013 | by

The much-heralded second quarter intro of the Samsung Galaxy S4 mobile phone is, according to multiple reviewers, a sustaining innovation (improvement). But embedded in it is a disruptive innovation to the fitness app sector dominated by Fitbit, Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand and a raft of low-cost/free tracking apps.  It’s S Health, which according to Gizmodo’s incredibly detailed review monitors key activities and sleep (Editor emphasis):

Holy crap, Samsung put a health tracker in its phone! Which is actually a great idea. S Health is an app that will track your steps, stairs climbed, and the ambient temperature and humidity, plus track your food intake and estimate calories consumed/burned. You can even track sleep with an optional accessory (see below). Fitbit and co. should be nervous, although I’m curious to see what kind of ding this puts on your battery life.

and

There are also a bevy of accessories that complement the S Health app. There’s a wristband you can wear independently of the phone (in case you prefer running without it), which will track your steps and monitor the quality of your sleep. It will then sync wirelessly with the app. There’s also a connected scale and heart rate monitor. Again, this isn’t good news for smaller fitness tracking companies.

The Verge has the S Health slide (grainy photo) presumably from the Samsung debut presentation. (Better photos over at CNet; photo here is courtesy of 3G Doctor–see below)

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/s-health-via-device-foused-message1.png” thumb_width=”250″ /]If the implementation is high quality (and some commenters have issues with Samsung), Fitbit et al. could themselves be disrupted straight out of their (current) business model and consumer market, just like they did to Zeo.  S Health integrates–it’s already on your phone, it largely does what they do and gets the fitness tracking job done (‘Total Reports’) for most who are interested for free, even without the few available accessories. No downloading and going to Amazon or Best Buy to buy a raft of expensive accessories to make it work with your phone. No annual $49 membership so you can access your data.  Worst of all for the current crop of fitness trackers, not one–not even Nike–can beat the Samsung international distribution network and only Nike beats Samsung on brand recognition. Is it a deal-maker for consumers? Probably not, but it gets much much closer to the customer. Also a few things that Samsung has introduced–the Air View/Air Gesture eye tracking and gesture control–have great potential for app designers in other aspects of fitness and health.

We’ll have to wait and see–not too long– if other smartphones (HTC, Apple, LG, even BlackBerry) add fitness tracking. If I were Fitbit or Nike, this Editor would be hopping like an Easter Bunny to cut a licensing/partnership deal with them. BlackBerry with Nike FuelBand….

Related articles: Dan Munro over at Forbes cheers Samsung on in Latest Samsung Smartphone Adds Health Functions, Sky News adds the international perspective. CNet reports accessory pricing: S Band and Body Scale at $99.99 each, Heart Rate Monitor at $69.99. Update 18 March: Lt. Dan opines at HISTalk on What it means for healthcare and mHealth [WARNING 31 Aug 2014: linked page may now be infected with malware] –the market pushing for bigger smartphones that blur the line between phones and tablets, the navigation capabilities of Air View for EMR. A cold-waterish review/comments at iMedicalApps doesn’t think much of the native temp/humidity feature (your Editor begs to disagree); again a commenter brings up Samsung’s track record of weak software, but agrees that Era of mobile health tracking definitively arrives. Hat tip on these two updates to the 3G Doctor, David Doherty, via LinkedIn’s mHealth group. ZDNet notes Samsung’s Knox software to separate personal and business use on one phone, along with SAFE for enterprises.

And do read David Doherty, the 3G Doctor for a further dissection and projection of the S4’s capabilities in features like its camera, the humidity/temperature sensor, the aforementioned Air View/Gesture, the dual video, Smart Scroll for eye testing and even the recharging pad as particularly friendly to healthcare use — and users. Samsung takes S Health centre stage at Galaxy S4 launch and Will Samsung’s Smart Scroll turn the world upside down for mHealth Regulators? (mHealth Insight)

 

Tracking February’s health tech funding (infographic)

March 15, 2013 | by

GigaOm supplies the infographic outlining the $108 million spread over 32 deals. Informatics and analytics lead the way, far ahead of diagnostics and imaging. Analytics account for the two largest funding rounds backed by huge health systems Geisinger (which effectively started up xG Health Solutions) and Kaiser part of Series B funding for data warehouse Health Catalyst. Brain injury sensors have also attracted funding (Brain Sentry and x2 Biosystems) following on a trend both sports and military. M&A is also popping, with Samsung, UnitedHealth Group, Jawbone and Practice Fusion leading the deals.  Health tech’s monthly checkup

NYC health tech innovators: two awards programs

March 15, 2013 | by

NYC health tech enterpreneurs, which have been overlooked by the city’s biotech and e-tailing bubbles–as well as feeling that the West Coast gets all the goodies–are now getting their just deserts (not desserts) in the form of two partnership/rewards programs:

Innovate Health Tech NYC, sponsored by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, Health 2.0, accelerator StartUp Health, ChallengePost and Janssen Healthcare Innovation, is providing a total of $50,000 in three awards for innovative technologies that solve urgent healthcare problems. Key dates: application by 2 May, ten finalists to be selected by public voting and judging by 18 June, demo day and winner announcement 10 July. More information at the Innovate Health Tech website. Release.

Pilot HealthTech NYC, also sponsored by NYCEDC, Health 2.0, StartUpHealth and adding Blueprint Health, is more complex. It provides up to $100,000 for each of 10 pilot projects focused on improving healthcare. Companies have to be less than 50 employees and funded under $10 million. However, applicants must be matched with one of 11 ‘hosts’ listed or another prominent NYC healthcare institution. Companies can come from outside of NYC but must establish a local presence. Key dates: joint applications due 27 May, winners announced 26 June. Website

Friday’s mHealth reports roundup

March 15, 2013 | by

The mHealth Alliance’s just-released study, The State of Standards and Interoperability for mHealth among Low- and Middle-Income Countries, focuses on the current state of standards and interoperability (mobile and EMR), identifies gaps and opportunities related to standards in low- and middle-income countries, and offers key recommendations for the mobile health community. The focus here is on developing countries and enabling for them continuity of care across provider, place, and time.  Release.

research2guidance has issued their latest Mobile Health Market Report 2013-2017, with Volume 3, The Commercialization of mHealth Apps. In their view, mHealth has exited consumer trials and entered the wider commercialization phase. The integrated phase is next for the market, but missing regulation, the insurer/payer side and integration into treatment plans will not happen. Key points from their summary: (more…)

FDA regulating medical apps–or not? (US)

March 15, 2013 | by

The long-drawn out drama on the FDA’s endlessly pending (July 2011) final regulations on the approval procedure of mobile health apps seems to be coming to a crescendo with next week’s US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee hearings. There are missed deadlines, unanswered questions, reports due, an apparent repositioning of mobile apps as ‘health IT’, the involvement of an alphabet soup of agencies–Health and Human Services (HHS), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and, most importantly the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information (ONC) under HHS, which seems to be breaking away and asserting control in the FDA vacuum. Cheering on ONC for dominance are health IT companies such as McKesson and perhaps some members of the Committee. This apparent lassitude on FDA’s part is certainly odd, as according to Mobihealthnews, the FDA has already approved 75 mobile medical apps. Brian Dolan over there has done fine work on sorting out this ‘who’s on first?‘–and why–situation in two articles, Republicans, EHR vendors want ONC to take over medical app regulation (14 Mar) and Congress asks FDA if “actual use” is factor in medical app regulation (6 Mar).

Related TTA: The mHealth road map, as drawn by the FCC and Adding another chef to the government regulation kitchen