90% of industries have had PHI data breach: Verizon (HIMSS Connected Health)

November 10, 2015 | by

Reporting from the HIMSS Connected Health Conference (CHC)

Cybersecurity is one of the three central themes of this year’s HIMSS CHC, and excellent timing for releasing the highlights of Verizon’s first ever PHI (Protected Health Information) Data Breach Report. This is a spinoff of their extensive, eight years running international Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). 

It’s not just your doctor’s office, hospital or payer. It will be no surprise to our Readers that the healthcare sector is #7 in breaches–but that a PHI breach may come from non-healthcare (in US, HIPAA-covered) sources. This Editor spoke with Suzanne Widup, the lead author of the PHI Report and an info security/forensics expert, and included in that 90 percent are workers’ compensation programs, self-insured companies, the public sector, financial/insurance companies and–as a damper on this highly competitive (but hard to gauge results) area–wellness programs. Most organizations, according to Ms Widup, aren’t even conscious that they are holding this information and need to specially protect it from intrusion, as “PHI is like gold for today’s cybercriminal.”

Consistent with other authoritative tracking studies like Ponemon Institute’s and ID Experts’, the threat is from within: physical theft and loss, insider misuse and ‘miscellaneous’ account for 77 percent of theft. And as Bryan Sartin, managing director of Verizon’s RISK team noted in his keynote today, attacks take over a seven-month period on average to even be noticed. The breaches are long term, start small and sneaky. 2/3 of organizations don’t find out on their own, only when it starts to affect other partners. (Surprise!) Despite the proven Chinese and Black Vine involvement in several high profile, high-volume data hacks (Anthem), and ‘brute force’ hacks that make headlines (iCloud last year), the average breach is an inside job where “assets grow legs and walk off” in Dr Widup’s words, or privilege misuse.

When I asked Ms Widup about the Internet of Things (which is moving high on the hype curve, from what your Editor has experienced to the nth degree at this conference), she confirmed that this is an area that needs extra cybersecurity protection. (more…)

Fancy six months in Dubai becoming an entrepreneur all expenses paid, with no strings?

November 10, 2015 | by

Evangelia Balanou has drawn this editor’s attention to an extraordinarily attractive-looking offer. Dubai 100 is:

“an intensive six months cross-disciplinary pre-accelerator programme designed to develop the growth of young talent through industry awareness, entrepreneurship mentorship and business opportunities. The programme is free of charge and does not require any equity stake in graduating startups. We fully cover visas, flights, accommodation and office spaces for accepted applicants for the duration of the programme.”

The principal selection criteria are:

  • 15 international recent graduates in teams of up to 3 members. Between the ages of 20-30 years old
  • Teams should apply with an innovative early stage idea in the med-tech and digital health space
  • Teams that have 3 cofounders willing to spend the entire 6 months duration in Dubai and working with full commitment on their start-up will be given priority over others
  • Teams should not have participated in any accelerator programmes, received any investments or experienced significant traction yet.

Here is the full Dubai 100 programme overview, or email arshia.yadav@falconandassociates.ae if there is anything more you want to know. To apply click here.

NOTE: the application deadline is 15th November.

Good luck…and do let us know if you applied as a result of this blog, and were accepted!

A diagnosis of why digital health startups die–an old (and new) story

November 6, 2015 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/upside-down-duck.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]For years now, your Editors have championed integration of data and system interoperability–search on these terms and you’ll find a wealth of articles and views. This Editor also included how data is integrated in patient records as the Fifth Big Question (FBQ) in 2012 [TTA 8 Aug 13]. Many digital health companies, not just startups, have failed at the data integration (and security) tasks, whether with EHRs, hubs, billing and practice management systems or with other devices. (Let us not forget that the initial impetus for Continua back in 2007, the US state/regional HIXs and for HL7 now, was to have common data and interchange standards.)

So there’s no real element of surprise here by John Sung Kim’s pleading in TechCrunch re ‘integrating into legacy systems’ and the troubles his own startup DoctorBase encountered in what he tactfully puts ‘political and technical hurdles’ encountered. But then the velvet gloves come off about EHRs and their less-than-scrupulous idea of ‘partnerships’. (more…)

Reaching the lemonade point with Jawbone

November 6, 2015 | by

This editor’s recent blogs on Jawbone’s UPs do not make pleasant reading so now I’ve reached my “lemonade point” – ie I am on my 7UP (or should that be seventh UP?) – it seemed only fair to advise readers that I have had my second UP3 for over a month and it still works! As I took my previous one in the shower – as is recommended – and it packed up very quickly, for this one I’m avoiding all water contact. Perhaps that’s the secret?

I was reminded of this by this recent piece in ZD-net grumbling about tracker data loss – Jawbone, alongside Misfit, were the two quoted. That is an experience I have yet to have, although at present if anything I have the reverse with my sleep times being doubled resulting in 14+ hour daily sleeps.

Apart from this relatively minor glitch (compared to previous rather more terminal ones), I am almost at the point of being impressed. The new software automatically detects sleep, so no need to remember to tell it when you are going to bed, and the heart rate monitor produces some very interesting results. Once you work out how to put it on so it doesn’t keep falling off, it’s much less obtrusive that the original UP open bracelet, too. If it keeps going like this for another eleven months, I fear I might even start recommending it!

Important dates for your diary – many free! (UK)

November 6, 2015 | by

The must-do free digital health event of the next few weeks has to be to go to one of the four final dallas events, in which attendees will get to hear of all the important things that the programme has learned over the past three years. Surely that’s unmissable, or as the flier says, “free but priceless”!

The events are at:

  • Manchester – 12th November
  • Cardiff – 17th November
  • Belfast – 25th November
  • Glasgow – 8th December

Bookings for the first three of these can be made here, for Glasgow, here.

The Cardiff event is being run alongside the TSA International Technology Enabled Care Conference on 16th & 17th November, (and see our recent blog on this too), so you can combine the two.

The Glasgow event is part of the Scottish Digital Health & Care Week, that we also featured in a recent blog.

Another free-to-attend event with a particular focus on SMEs takes place on the evening of the 3rd December in City Hall, London: 21st Century London MedTech. Bookings, and more details, here.

Moving to paid events, albeit very cheaply priced because the Royal Society of Medicine is a charity, the Telemedicine Section of the RSM has four events now open to book:

Both the February and April events are now into their fourth years – and both are regular sellouts, so worth booking soon.

You might also want to hold the 19th May in your diaries for when the RSM & IET jointly run another conference that was previously a sellout: “the future of medicine; the doctor’s role in 2025”. This will be opened by George Freeman, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences,and features a glittering array of experts who will be suggesting what we need to do now to deliver the health & care systems of the future. Bookings will open soon.

The 2nd UCL Festival for Digital Health is now set for 22 February to 4 March 2016 – more details here.

Planning ahead, the search for the best eHealth solution in 2016 developed by an EU SME has begun with the unveiling of the competition’s website and the ability to get mailed information as it emerges.

Good luck if you apply!

HCF Catalyst’s first startup/scaleup accelerators–apply by 27 Nov (Australia)

November 6, 2015 | by

HCF, Australia’s largest non-profit healthcare fund, has started Australia’s first true accelerator for health tech, HCF Catalyst. While accelerators have been around now for the better part of 10 years in the US and UK, they are new Down Under. Both startup and scaleup programs are on offer.

  • Startup: a three-month education/support program with a following three-month incubation program; initial investment of AU$50,000 and a next-round opportunity for up to AU$100,000 from the Slingshot Venture Fund. Qualifying teams should have, to quote their page, an idea that aligns to one of the HCF Catalyst themes, a fantastic team, able to deliver an MVP within three months of starting and global aspirations. See information and apply here.
  • Scaleup: for early-stage companies with business which are in growth mode, this is an access program that includes mentoring and coaching–no funding but access to investors, mentoring, coaching and a ‘demo day’. More information and to apply here.

Partners include Sparke Helmore, PWC, University of Newcastle, Artesian Capital Management and IBM SoftLayer. Hat tip to George Margelis via Twitter and Shawn Larkin, HCF Managing Director on LinkedIn.

TSA’s International Technology Enabled Care Conference (Wales)

November 6, 2015 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TSA-Event-Site-03_031.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]16-17 November, Celtic Manor Resort Hotel, Newport, South Wales

This Editor notes that the Telecare Services Association will be ‘Inspiring Change and Progress’ in its second annual International TEC conference at the Celtic Manor. The website mentions a host of high profile speakers to give the ‘need to know’ sector picture, with a two day programme packed with stimulating presentations, challenging debates, informative parallel sessions that will include masterclasses and interactive workshops. More information and registration. Chubb Community Care has noted to us that it’s Europe’s largest TEC conference. They will also be featuring at the conference their jewelry-like alert pendant, Onyx, was developed by CAIR of West Yorkshire. It’s also fitted to work with Chubb’s new Care System and CareUnity® assisted living solutions

Chubb also will exhibit its new Chubb Care System, an assisted living solution where Chubb is a single-service provider for installation, service and monitoring, tailoring system features and functionality to the specific requirements of residents. They are at Booth 19.

Drive to ACOs and value-based care may make 2016 The Year of Telehealth (US)

November 6, 2015 | by

An encouraging prediction? Two Foley & Lardner attorneys with evidently a great interest in healthcare predict that 2016 may very well be The Year of Telehealth. Why? They cite accountable care organizations (ACOs) and the coordinated care at the heart of their model as a protected activity under the Medicare fraud and abuse waivers. “Coordinating care, such as through the use of telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and other enabling technologies”is “an activity reasonably related to the purposes of the Medicare Shared Savings Program and therefore is eligible for protection under one or more of the fraud and abuse waivers”. National Law Review, mHealth News. While from the legal point of view this may be significant, there’s been a concatenation of other factors.

What are the drivers for telemedicine and telehealth in ACOs? In the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), which is one model, ACOs must leverage savings, and perhaps the largest is avoiding unnecessary hospitalization costs among ‘high-risk’ patients–those with chronic disease–and usually more than one. They are also over half of high ER/ED utilizers. The Federal agency behind Medicare, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has since 2011 been signing up ACOs in risk and value-based payment models that offer incentives such as shared savings. In 2014, only 28 percent of ACOs in the MSSP program earned shared savings bonuses. (more…)

HIMSS Connected Health Conference/mHealth Summit starts Sunday–save $100

November 6, 2015 | by

Time is short! This Editor will be attending the HIMSS Connected Health Conference this November 8-11 in Washington, DC (actually outside The Puzzle Palace in National Harbor, Maryland). Telehealth & Telecare Aware has been a media partner (disclosure) since the 2009 mHealth Summit. Changes this year include that it is three conferences in one: the original mHealth Summit with the Global mHealth Forum, the new PopHealth Summit (concentrating on health improvement on the community, regional and national level) and the much needed new CyberSecurity Summit.

Attend all three for one registration, including a large Exposition floor and three pavilions for Population Health, Cybersecurity and Games for Health. Also, there are extra co-located and add on events, mainly on Sunday the 8th. The Global mHealth Forum focuses on mobile and connected health in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and is on Wednesday.

The Summit organizers have been kind enough to offer an excellent discount to our readers of $100. When registering, click on the advert (above, right hand side) and use the promotional code TELEHEALTH100 to receive it. (more…)

AdhereTech claims boost of 20 percent in med adherence

November 3, 2015 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/AdhereTech-pill-bottle-e1436497826583.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /] Back in June at CEWeek this Editor viewed the newly redesigned, retro-looking AdhereTech medication bottle [TTA 10 July] and thought it a substantial step in appearance and feel in the hand above 1.0. It dispenses normally, lights are brighter, sounds are louder, it communicates wirelessly to track consumption and reminders, works internationally and has a three-time greater battery life.

Compliance is a huge US business with pharma companies baying at the moon for it as a raison D’être of digital health. AdhereTech is working with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center on clinical trials. AdhereTech’s studies now indicate that users get about a 20 percent lift in adherence versus a standard bottle, and 80 percent of patients given the option of using AdhereTech or a normal bottle opted into the smart bottle. Like Medisafe [TTA 30 Oct], their market is millions who have one or more chronic diseases, but they sub-target those who take more and more expensive medications which can justify this pill dispenser’s cost. Mobihealthnews, FT interview with team early last month

Wing: a device that warns prior to asthma attacks

November 3, 2015 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/wing-device-964×644.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]A St Louis, Missouri startup, Sparo Labs, has developed what they term an ‘early warning device’ for asthma attacks. The Wing pocket-size sensor which connects to a smartphone app (iPhone 5 and later, Android soon) measure both peak flow (how fast you can blow out air) and FEV1 (how much air you blow out in 1 second). The app measures it against personal levels (80-100 percent of best is fine, 50-80 percent is caution and below 50 percent is red zone) so that a person (or caregiver) receives an accurate reading of their breathing level; if something is wrong, the person can take their medication and/or seek assistance. For the 10 percent of Americans who have difficulty breathing, not just from asthma but living with COPD, cystic and pulmonary fibrosis, bronchitis and other respiratory conditions, the Wing’s compact design and under-$200 price point won’t leave them breathless. Wing is financing/testing on Indiegogo with a 20 Nov goal of $50,000 ($32,000 to date), awaiting 510(k) FDA clearance with an in-market date of August 2016. PSFK blog, Gizmag,Hat tip to Toni Bunting, our former N. Ireland Editor. 

Scottish Digital Health and Care Week

November 3, 2015 | by

7-11 December, Strathclyde University’s Technology & Innovation Centre, Glasgow

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/digiweek15eps-_2.jpg” thumb_width=”120″ /]This year’s conference theme is “Using innovative technology to enable more integrated, sustainable & person-centered health and care”. It offers the opportunity to learn from across Scotland, the UK and beyond, with a mix of workshops and plenary sessions. Topics include the critical lessons learned when deploying technology enabled services at scale, drawing experiences from telecare, telehealth and eHealth; learning crucial lessons from the experience implementing the UK wide DALLAS programme. Delegates are encouraged to discuss current knowledge base on a range of topics; network with colleagues from across the relevant sectors; and actively consider application to their own practice. There are also multiple events during the week; more information at SCTT’s website. Registration. Hat tip to Mike Clark via Twitter

Two US events: Health Wildcatters Pitch Day (Texas), mHealth Deep Dive (California)

November 3, 2015 | by

Health Wildcatters Pitch Day: 12 November, Majestic Theatre, Dallas Texas

This Texas accelerator will be presenting its 2015 class of 10 early stage companies in 10 days. Doors open at 2:30pm and the presentations are 3-5 pm. All attendees are cordially invited to the Pitch Day After Party which is a short two-block walk from the theatre at the Health Wildcatters office, 211 N. Ervay Street, 2nd floor. The $10 ticket cost is primarily to defray Eventbrite (having worked with them before!) as it is well-sponsored indeed. More information and registration here. Hat tip to Fiona Schlachter.

Deep Dive: Health/mHealth/eHealth: 8 December, 2825 Lafayette Street, Building 34 (EBC entrance), Santa Clara, California

Shrinking smart devices, sensors, cloud services, connectivity, and an aging population have all created tremendous changes in healthcare and fitness. This half-day deep dive meeting will discuss wireless and mobility solutions, as well as the fixed and fiber side that enables remote radiology and VR tele-surgery through robotic arms. If you are interested in the marriage of startup tech with the health and fitness industries, join in this discussion and networking. It probably pays to be a member as the non-member fee is steep. There are also ‘spotlight tables’ that are discounted 50 percent for pre-revenue startups. Sponsored by the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley. Information and registration. Hat tip to Editor Charles and Mike Clark.

In Big Genomics, preventing unwanted hacking and identification of individuals

October 31, 2015 | by
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Fotolia_41683185_S-Genomics.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Two Stanford University researchers, through their own ‘hacking’, are making genomics research and data base usage more secure–and shutting the door on misuse of personal genome sequences which are now available through commercial saliva testing (23andme) and even through records on family research websites.

Genomic data sets have become more accessible to researchers through a network of servers, dubbed beacons, called The Beacon Project, organized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Global Alliance for Genomics and Health. Genomics researchers are interested in looking for a particular genetic variant in a multitude of genomic databases. Using these beacons, when a researcher finds a gene of interest, they then can apply for more complete access to the data. They can find mutations and find other researchers working on the same one.

However, the risk is that some of this data is not sufficiently de-identified, and in the process of ‘pinging’ these beacons for genetic data, someone can create an unauthorized genomic profile of that person. For instance, a ‘nefarious user’ can find the match for an individual’s genome in a heart disease beacon, then can infer that the individual — or a relative of that person — likely has heart disease. (more…)

Med reminder app improves adherence 7-10 percent

October 30, 2015 | by

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Medisafe-IMS.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Medisafe, a medication reminder app from Haifa, Israel with offices in Boston, partnered with IMS Health for a study of their app with a test group of 700 patients total with diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). Over the study period–six months for hyperlipidemia and hypertension, three months for diabetes–adherence improved 10.7, 5.4 and 7.7 percent respectively versus a control group. The app was rated by IMS’ AppScript app curation team in a recent report as the highest-rated medication management app in terms of AppScript score. Medisafe also enables care collaboration among physicians, patients and families, and also provides personalized content. PR Newswire release. MedCityNews.

China’s Anthem hack: they just wanna understand US healthcare

October 30, 2015 | by

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gimlet-eye.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Knock yersself out! The Gimlet Eye files via Bottle from A Dot On The Map off the New York coast. One of the stranger follow ups of the past week–one that is difficult to read with straight face–is the report in the Financial Times that the Chinese hacked into insurer Anthem’s 80-million strong beneficiary database in order to study up on the American healthcare system and benefit their aging population. Neil Versel with raised eyebrow in MedCityNews quoting the FT story: “The Chinese hackers had trained their sights on the U.S. health sector to help the country understand how other nations deal with medical care, people familiar with the Anthem investigation said.” You’d think it would be easier for the Chinese to go to a few conferences, meet a few executives and learn a few things first. Then maybe they could do a ‘deal deal’ with an insurer on their IP, or bring them into China on a JV. With so many services for sale from the thundering horde of data analytics companies and multiple middleware providers, write a check already. But that would destroy the Fun of Hacking!

How the FT could actually print without a hint of skepticism this ‘nothing to see here, move on’ story rolls the Eye. (more…)