The just-published AARP study of 50+ consumers and design of sleep and activity trackers has found that a near-or majority surveyed found activity and sleep trackers useful in maintaining health. 71 percent found they increased awareness of habits; 67 percent found them useful and beneficial. Four user personas emerged: sticklers, achievers, enthusiasts and the ‘why not’-ers. Yet these mostly enthusiastic users experienced difficulties. During the six-week trial, many discontinued use of the trackers due to data inaccuracy, finding and using instructions, perceived device malfunctions, difficulty in syncing, difficulty in putting on the device and comfort in wearing. The seven trackers used by the 92 participants were from Misfit, Spire, Jawbone, Lumo and Withings. Conducted by Georgia Tech Research Institute’s HomeLab with AARP’s Project Catalyst: The Power of We initiative which encourages good product and service design for the 50+ demographic. Coming up: med management tools. iHealthBeat. AARP release. AARP’s Building a Better Tracker research paper
Digital health startups filling the gaps in Health Canada
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/RCAF_roundel_WWII.jpg” thumb_width=”125″ /]Canada’s health system is nominally nationalized, but in a way that leaves large gaps in coverage–for long term, in home, specialty care and prescriptions–as well as variable by province. According to this article in HIT Consultant, VC funding is also thin on the ground, which leads to a short-term outlook. Local governments are stepping into the gap with innovation funding (similar to the Partnership for NYC) and the national government has eased restrictions on foreign investment. EHRs haven’t been a priority (skipping the troubles experienced in the US) which leaves digital health–telehealth, telemedicine and diagnostic apps–to enjoy the available talent and funding. This Editor doubts that any of the 20 profiled here will be familiar names other than possibly InterAxon which we noted at last year’s NYeC Digital Health Conference, and many tread the familiar ground of genomics, social sharing of medical images, and gamification for behavior change, but there are three unique companies in the neurological area in nerve stimulation (MyndTec), nerve disorder diagnostics imaging (NerveVision) and pharma (Oxalys.) We salute the Royal Canadian Air Force with their WW2 roundel on the anniversary of the Allied invasion of Sicily, July – August 1943
Manchester as ‘age-friendly city’, King’s Fund on health, social care (UK)
By 2030, 15 percent of the world’s city population will be 60+. This projection led researchers from The Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing (MICRA) at the University of Manchester to examine the experience of aging, and where better than Manchester, in 2010 recognized by the WHO as the UK’s first ‘age-friendly’ city? The result is a short film presenting their findings: “social inclusion (as) the secret to ageing well – while age-friendly transport and housing make them feel more a part of the urban neighbourhoods they live in.” The film was premiered at a community event in Whalley Range on 23 June and also shown at the British Society of Gerontology’s annual conference at the start of July. Trailer (1 min 24 sec), video (15 min), University of Manchester article.
Integrated health and social care in England – Progress and prospects is now available in full text in the July issue of Health Policy. Written by Richard Humphries of The King’s Fund, it examines the patchy and limited success of 40 years of policy goals by successive Governments, including the last coalition government. It illustrates the tensions among of a variety of new initiatives, along with the NHS reaching for new models of care delivery. “Expectations that integration will achieve substantial financial savings are not supported by evidence. Local effort alone will be insufficient to overcome the fundamental differences in entitlement, funding and delivery between the NHS and the social care system.” TTA has been a media partner of The King’s Fund Digital Health and other events
HealthSpot, Rite Aid open 25 locations in Ohio
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Healthspot-station.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Telehealth/telemedicine kiosk HealthSpot and retail drug chain giant Rite Aid, which announced their partnership last November [TTA 11 Nov], have now set up shop in 25 locations in three Ohio areas–Akron/Canton, Cleveland and Dayton/Springfield. Since late May, the staffed stations have treated over 5,000 customers ages 3 and above for minor and common health conditions, including cold and flu, rashes and skin conditions, eye conditions, earaches and seasonal allergies. The kiosks combine video consults with hands-on assistance in vital signs measurement from a wellness attendant, and their recording software interfaces with insurance eligibility, electronic medical records and billing systems. The network of medical professionals on the telemedicine consults are from Cleveland Clinic, Kettering Health Network and University Hospitals, with pediatric specialists from UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. According to HealthSpot’s CEO Steve Cashman, a significant portion of early visitors are Medicaid recipients, who through a $60 station visit may be avoiding a far more expensive (~$600) ER visit. For the early stage HealthSpot it’s a major rollout, but for Rite Aid, which is not known for being as cutting edge in location design as CVS or Walgreens, it represents a significant move forward into onsite wellness services. Cleveland.com, Drug Store News. Rite Aid/HealthSpot demo video. Business Wire release.
6 helpful hints for healthcare startup founders–and funders
Investor Skip Fleshman of Palo Alto (of course)-based Asset Management Ventures has six points of sound advice for founders and developers–and funders of same–who think that their Big Idea(s) are the one thing which will revolutionize healthcare, particularly because of their personal experiences. We’ve observed that successful startups have fitted themselves into the Healthcare Establishment’s game [TTA 19 May], but if an investor is still seeing that attitude, it’s still there. AMV’s track record is there with investments in several healthcare companies, including Proteus Digital Health and HealthTap. Mr Fleshman’s points with this Editor’s comments:
1. Listen to the market–and it’s not direct-to-consumer, despite a cursory reading of Eric Topol. Find where your product or service can reduce or avoid cost, increase engagement and improve quality i.e. patient outcomes (which are all linked, see #4)
2. Hire people who know how to speak the language–experienced healthcare people who can work the system but also get the changes and want to make a difference. And no, they may not look or act like you. They’ll often have gray hair and families. Unless they are independently wealthy, they also expect to be paid decently. Quite a few will be women who don’t act or look like you either, but are invaluable in your organization in multiple ways.
3. Understand how the money flows–and the money is with providers, payers, self-insured employers and (Mr Fleshman doesn’t mention this) government (Medicare, Medicaid, the alphabet soup of HHS, CMS…). The incentives (shared savings) are now to providers to pull cost out of their system but somehow maintain population health quality and outcomes. How to pull this off is where the innovation is needed. Partner wherever you can–and this Editor would add, with other successful early-stage companies as well.
4. Read the Affordable Care Act–with a bottle of painkillers and eyedrops. (more…)
UCLA Health data breach may affect 4.5 million patients
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/keep-calm-and-secure-your-data-4.png” thumb_width=”150″ /]Breaking news out of Los Angeles this afternoon is that the UCLA Health System’s computer network was compromised by an external cyberattack, compromising an estimated 4.5 million patient records. According to the LA Times, “the hospital saw unusual activity in one of its computer servers in October and began investigating with assistance from the FBI. The investigation confirmed May 5 that the hackers had gained access to parts of UCLA Health’s computer system where some patient information was stored. The hackers gained access to names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, Medicare and health plan identification numbers as well as some medical information like patient diagnoses and procedures.” There also appears to have been a delay in the realization that the sensitive PHI had been accessed, and that the suspicious activity could have started as early as September 2014. Yet the UCLA Health statement equivocates: “At this time, there is no evidence that the attacker (more…)
LeadingAge CAST updates its telehealth selection portfolio (US)
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/LeadingAge_Square_Logo_Large.jpg” thumb_width=”100″ /]LeadingAge, the association of over 6,000 non-profit providers of aging services (the US chapter of IAHSA), this week issued an updated version of its telehealth selection portfolio, adding six new products to the online selection tool and product matrix, in addition to a new interactive guide (requires log in). Developed by their Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST), the selection tool and product matrix exhaustively compare 28 different products from 23 vendors across 220 different functionalities. An indispensable help for those involved in the selection and purchasing of telehealth for senior housing, post-discharge/rehabilitation and home health. LeadingAge release. Hat tip to Scott Code of CAST.
Hacking your way to managing your illness
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Health-Hacker.png” thumb_width=”125″ /]Health + Hacking doesn’t necessarily mean another data breach. In another context, it means Patients Are Doing It For Themselves and not waiting for an app to help them manage their medical situation. They are self- constructing, deconstructing or repurposing software (or hardware like Fitbits, smartwatches and smartphones) to create customized solutions for themselves and to share with others. A lively young Swedish engineer, through building her own mobile apps to help manage her Parkinson’s disease, is building apps for others and finds her biggest challenge is the wide variety of symptoms.Stage 1 diabetes is a health hackers magnet, with hacks creating new features for continuous glucose monitoring (more…)
Trusting a virtual diagnosis? 74 percent of adults wouldn’t (US)
It’s a matter of trust. While telemedicine is benefiting from liberalization of state regulations, proof of cost savings and consumer acceptance of mobile technologies (plus a surge in investor confidence!), there’s still the hurdle of patient confidence.
Just under 45 percent in this survey are very or somewhat comfortable with a virtual doctor’s appointment. Over 64 percent would not readily choose one over an in-person visit.
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Virtual-Diagnosis-by-age.jpg” thumb_width=”300″ /]When it comes to trusting the diagnosis, almost 75 percent of the 504 respondents either would not trust it at all (29.3 percent) or would trust it less (45 percent). But the ‘would not trust’ sentiment is heavily skewed to those 45+ (left).
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Followup.jpg” thumb_width=”300″ /]The good news here is that when it comes to follow up with a doctor via telemedicine, the tables turn almost exactly in its favor (left).
The hope is that the last will increase acceptance of the first–and the age trend is telemedicine’s friend. Both bode well for the growth of telemedicine in the near future.
Do Patients Trust Telemedicine? (PDF) (TechnologyAdvice Research/Google Consumer Insights) Also HIT Consultant plus their infographic (hat tip to AliveCor’s David Albert MD via Twitter @DrDave01)
Telemedicine’s 25 things to know better–and Better
For those of us who have been Terminology Warriors going back to the oughts (see founder and EIC emeritus Steve Hards’ summary in ‘What is Telecare’), this is a useful summary of not only what is telemedicine and who is authorized to perform it, but also how it is developing (US focus) in state law and reimbursement (private and Medicare). Despite being published earlier this month, it is already dated as reimbursement parity laws have been passed in Connecticut and Delaware [TTA 10 July]. The richly IPO’d Teladoc is omitted on the provider list in point #21; Better is anomalous as it is less telemedicine than a personal health assistance service. 25 things to know about telemedicine (Becker’s Health IT and CIO Review)
About Better: they have joined with Johns Hopkins’ Sibley Memorial Hospital Innovation Hub to provide support for orthopedic episodes of care. These generally are for a 90 day period which extends from scheduling the procedure through post-discharge recovery, and are usually tied into a bundled payment from an insurer or Medicare. Johns Hopkins press release Hat tip to CEO Geoff Clapp.
Blueprint Health’s 8 for Class 8
Blueprint Health announced its Summer 2015 class of 8 on Thursday. The NYC-based accelerator, since its early startup days in 2011, now focuses on companies further along in the development continuum. Telehealth companies would find Oculus Health most interesting as Medicare chronic care management and telehealth reimbursement present opportunities for remote patient monitoring expansion.
Bind (Bind-Health.com) Helps prospective parents to make informed decisions about genomic testing and provides genetic counseling services
Crediyo (Crediyo.com) Decreases patient payment write-offs and improves cash flow for medical practices with turn-key patient lending products
Ekovia (Ekovia.com) Helps hospital hire top talent with the most robust database healthcare professionals and algorithms to predict who is open to new job opportunities
GetCompliant (HIPAAWithUs.com) Provides a full service platform for HIPAA compliance for physician practices (more…)
Events for your diary, your CV and perhaps your bottom line
This editor has recently been overwhelmed by important dates near and far that readers needs to be aware of. Beginning with July, the first networking event for the Long Term Care Revolution SBRI National Challenge will take place in Birmingham on 21st July at the Menzies Hotel, Birmingham. Click here to register. The second networking event will take place on the 28th July at The Thistle Marble Arch. Register here
This SBRI competition aims to stimulate the development of innovative new products, services and systems that disrupt the institutional long-term care model, ensuring that UK businesses are well placed to take advantage of this growing market opportunity. A total of £4m is up for grabs so (more…)
Telehealth in pediatrics: same statement, two opposing views
Telehealth and telemedicine use in pediatrics is relatively limited at present and low profile. That may change with a statement published earlier this month in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It has been interpreted in two ways which are polar opposites. The first pictures telehealth and telemedicine as potentially practice-transforming (mHealth Intelligence), improving health outcomes in underserved communities through continuous care, and with high potential to benefit communication between the pediatric care team and patients in disease management. The second criticizes ‘episodic care in isolation’–telemedicine patient-doctor consults that take place with no previous relationship, history or physical exam (mHealth News)--as is the antithesis of the PCMH (patient-centered medical home) the AAP advocates. This Editor’s take: the statement supports both sides with a great deal of cautionary language. Pediatrics (full content).
46 percent of undiagnosed chronic disease discovered through corporate wellness program
A HealthMine survey of corporate wellness program participants found that 46 percent of respondents who were diagnosed with a previously unknown chronic disease discovered it as a result of their wellness program. Corporate wellness programs have been light on ROI metrics (many are at heart incentive programs). While the survey was conducted by a provider of these programs (HealthMine’s Automatic Health) and should be seen in that light, it also indirectly confirms the proactive value of health screenings. Employees want more as well. Participants in an earlier survey that they would like programs to offer vision (74 percent), genetic testing (75 percent), blood pressure (73 percent), cholesterol (69 percent), cancer (58 percent), and hearing (58 percent). The MedCityNews article also makes the excellent point that employers, through these wellness programs, are directly or indirectly accessing employee personal health information–a legally fraught area.
A med reminder app that manages and delivers those pills
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Pillpack_phone_and_watch1-482×362.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Medication compliance apps have been with us almost since the start and have had a certain popularity. However, most are essentially alarm clocks reminding the patient to take what pill at what time. Some have added refill reminders and interact with pill dispensers or smart caps. They also require a lot of work to manually fill in medication and dosing information. PillPack goes another few yards by integrating one-stop pharmacy-based med management, coordinated through a database that aggregates identified patient prescription information from pharmacies and insurance claims. (more…)
‘Uninvited Guests’
[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SmartFork3-small-Superflux.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Wonder what it would be like to be older and ‘nannied’ by some of the ‘whiz-bang’ devices we promote as making life healthier and better? This short (4 minute) video dramatizes how a 70 year old man deals with the smartphone-connected devices–a food-monitoring fork, activity-tracking cane, pill dispenser and sleep monitor–his well-meaning children have provided to nag and monitor Dad at a distance. Dad dispenses with these annoying ‘uninvited guests’ in his own clever way. Produced by the UK/India-based design consultancy Superflux Lab for the ThingTank project, which explores the conflicts and frictions these IoT tools in the connected home can produce with humans. On Vimeo. Hat tip to Guy Dewsbury via Twitter.
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