The pandemic has changed many industries, but the field most affected by the coronavirus has been healthcare and medicine. As hospitals scrambled to accommodate the high numbers of emergency room and intensive care unit visits, telehealth grew extremely quickly to complement physical contact with hospitals and doctors. In fact, telemedicine grew so rapidly that The Mayo Clinic estimates the field grew ten years of progress within six to eight weeks.

As a result, things have moved too fast for insurance companies to organize their billing claims appropriately, creating a lack of transparency in how medical services are billed and reimbursed. Although telemedicine provides tremendous value for both patients and providers, doubt and confusion are rampant in the state of healthcare today. And for providers who were already opportunistic and predatory, the relaxation, elimination, and suspension of rules during the pandemic have created a massive playing ground for large-scale fraud.

Before the Pandemic

Fraud related to telemedicine before the pandemic was a sign of what could happen if we implemented telehealth on a much bigger scale. Whether it was one-off fraud or constant scheming, the most hurt groups were single-payer systems like Medicare and Tricare which consistently were victimized by telemedicine scams. Marketers would get together insurance beneficiaries and market them as telemedicine companies, giving them access to providers over the phone.

The “telemedicine company” would then recommend expensive drugs, medical equipment, and diagnostics to the physician. The cost of these scams? Just one nationwide scam before the pandemic, which involved free or low-cost orthotic braces, created $1.2 billion in false billing claims.

Before the pandemic, medical applications like telehealth technology were used to help under-served rural patients get in touch with their doctors. It was also used to “store and forward” important medical information, like radiological images. HIPAA rules regarding the technology were strict, and a HIPAA-secure connection was required. If you were a patient who was going to meet with your provider, you had to be at a pre-approved origination site, and your provider had to be at a pre-approved distant site. You also were required to speak on an audio-visual connection. But it’s well-known that American healthcare rules and regulations change daily, and it changed much more drastically when the pandemic arrived.

After the Pandemic

There’s been no question about extending telemedicine technology to everyone during the pandemic. Because of the fast timing, HIPAA and privacy concerns on telehealth platforms were largely relaxed to accommodate the massive influx of patients and providers. Today, video isn’t even required during telehealth appointments.

You can speak to your provider over the phone or over the computer. Patients now send private clinical and medical data directly to their providers. But this has created confusion and uncertainty about how to bill for medical services.

Before the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allowed only 101 telehealth services. On March 30, 2020, an additional 85 services were added. A month later, 51 new services were added. This brought up the total from 101 to 241 within a month.

No one knows how long the lax rules of telehealth will last after the pandemic is over. And no one has information about if telehealth will be shrunken down again as a service offered to a select group of patients. The Chicago-based American Medical Association also added to the confusion and chaos by releasing new billing codes and descriptors for telehealth services. But one thing is clear: there was likely massive fraud committed in 2020, and many schemes are still active.

Chaotic, Confusing, and Challenging

Because of the relationship of the American government with states, there are no two states that have the same healthcare guidelines and delivery regulations. State regulation depends on a variety of factors, like if the telehealth technology uses live video or just email/fax/phone or if it offers store-and-forward services, remote patient monitoring, or originating/remote site restrictions. It also depends on whether online prescribing and coding is happening, what geographic locations are offered, and what the form of consent looks like. 35 states have parity laws that require telehealth billing to be reimbursed at the same rate as in-office visits.

Identifying and analyzing telehealth claims doesn’t usually result in any actionable insights. Workers’ compensation, disability carriers, and union welfare trusts are particularly at risk for being bamboozled. When you look at the fraudulent claims singularly, they look legitimate and payable, which provides more fuel for the scam and involved fraudsters. In fact, fraudulent claims and legitimate claims are difficult to distinguish because the scammer won’t disclose that the service was provided through telehealth technology.

What’s worse is that advanced automation technology, like fraud detection algorithms, sophisticated analytics software, and previously-trained billing and clinical data applications, cannot catch the hundreds of physicians that scammers pay under the table. Bills are spread out over hundreds of payers, resulting in even more chaos and confusion, and this negatively affects any analysis because the volume is too low to analyze.

The Future of Medicine

Medical fraud has always been a part of healthcare in the U.S., especially because of the obfuscation created by adding more complexity into an already complicated system. Insurance companies must help sort out these scams moving forward, rather than remaining passive and reactive bystanders. If we don’t prepare now, we’ll have to pay much more later on.

Telemedicine concept with doctor and smartphone

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed several processes in medicine, but perhaps the biggest was moving from in-person doctor appointments to conducting them over a video call. Telehealth has been great for many patients and physicians across the world, but it still comes with its own set of challenges. With that said, many people are wondering if telehealth is here to stay after the pandemic, or will it fade back into obscurity?

It turns out that the mass adoption of telehealth won’t be as smooth as we’d like to think, but there is a lot of merit in keeping it around for the benefit of both patients and providers.

The Good News

Medical applications like telehealth aren’t new: it’s been around since the Internet was invented, but Internet speeds weren’t fast enough to handle video conferencing. Now, with the roll-out of more affordable high-speed Internet, we are seeing users adopt telehealth with more enthusiasm. Telemedicine can fill in gaps for at-risk and elderly populations by offering better access to care for those populations. And, as we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can also be a safe way to see the doctor when you’re not feeling well enough or are scared to go in person.

Doctor telemedicine service online video for virtual patient health medical chat . Remote doctor healthcare consultant from home using online mobile device connect to internet for live video call .

Telehealth also affords patients more privacy of medical services, security of their sensitive information, and safety from being exposed to infections and illnesses. Better yet, the service offers a lowered cost of service for patients and a reduced workload for providers. Ultimately, it’s convenient for both patients and providers.

With the increasing popularity of smart devices, telemedicine has expanded and grown in the past few years. Compared to 35% of hospitals in 2010 employing telehealth, there was a major uptick to 76% of hospitals offering the service in 2019. Experts expect the telehealth industry and market to grow from $34 billion in 2018 to $185 billion in 2026.

What To Improve in Telehealth

It seems, for all intents and purposes, that telehealth is here to stay — for good. But there are many hurdles for the technology and its proponents to get over. For one, not all medical providers are comfortable enough with technology to offer it as a service. It doesn’t make sense to force the technology on these providers because it could lead to a loss of privacy and data security for their patients.

On that note, there’s also no way to ensure that providers are upholding a decent or consistent quality of service and care between offices and regions. There are no standards of care set out by the federal government or by the governing medical association. Because there are no standards or rules in place, regulation, reimbursement, and billing become more convoluted.

The telemedicine concept with doctor and smartphone

On the other hand, there are entire populations of patients that may not be able to use the service or know how to access it without getting in-person training, which erodes a major benefit of telehealth: convenience. Patients may not know that telehealth is being offered by their insurance company or doctor. And speaking of insurance companies, providers are noticing that insurers are not providing enough support for the service.

Many patients lack local infrastructure and a good-enough Internet connection. While patients in Los Angeles or New York have adequate access to a high-speed connection, rural patients and those in developing third-world countries face disadvantages in conducting video calls. If all medical providers switch to remote health delivery, many people will die from a lack of medical service. Experts say the quality of the Internet connection could determine the accuracy of the diagnosis, which is terrifying to think about.

There is also the issue of cybersecurity, which affects all digital and emerging technologies, not just telemedicine or digital healthcare. With medical records increasingly becoming electronic, there is a risk of losing privacy as well as a need for proper cyber hygiene protocols. Experts say that to achieve an adequate level of awareness for providers and patients, it would require a large investment in digital literacy campaigns.

The Pandemic’s Effect

Up until the pandemic, the adoption of telemedicine was moving at a steady rate, and it was largely viewed as a new service to accommodate even more patients. But with the pandemic setting in, the shift to telemedicine was forcefully accelerated due to a need for remote, accessible, and reliable delivery of healthcare.

For many patients, most of whom had never taken a doctor appointment over a video call, the new service was a great alternative to an in-office visit. Surveys of patients who used telehealth show that 74% reported a high level of satisfaction from using telehealth services and support further development of the technology used. Surveys of providers who used telehealth to meet with patients showed that 57% have become more favorable towards using telehealth after exposure to COVID-19, and 64% are more open to the idea of working remotely.

The pandemic also shifted healthcare policies and streamlined the rapid adoption of telemedicine. Regulatory committees and insurance companies have even worked together to lift restrictions on remote healthcare in 2020.

Medicine Moving Forward

Because telehealth is a new technology, there are a lot of improvements needed before it can become the primary delivery of medical care for the world. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t already a viable doctor appointment options as it stands.

Still, it’s imperative that we work together with Internet companies, local and federal regulators, and infrastructure departments to bring this amazing technology to those who need it most. There is hope, for both patients and providers, that telehealth will rise up to its challenges and meet its potential, even if it happens long after the pandemic ends.

Have you taken a telehealth appointment? How did it go? Let us know in the comments below!

For the past few years, AppCon, the App Economy Conference, has taken over Washington, D.C. in late April. The annual event serves as an unparalleled opportunity for mobile app developers and other tech innovators to open a meaningful dialogue with political leaders about the future of emerging technologies and their impact on society.

This candid discussion is something that Marc Fischer, our CEO and Co-Founder, looks forward to every year. He usually makes the trek out to D.C. from Los Angeles just to attend this event. In the past, Marc has gotten the chance to talk with FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly and Director Ajit Pai about 5G’s future in rural areas, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) about data privacy, and Congressman Ted Lieu about how education and innovation go hand-in-hand.

Due to COVID-19, AppCon 2020 has pivoted from its original arrangement — it has gone virtual! Thanks to this new digital format, the event is now spread over the course of four weeks so that attendees have a sufficient amount of time to discuss each important topic. Let’s take a look at the relevant issues that this year’s AppCon is tackling.

Why the App Economy Is Essential

Every year, AppCon is held by ACT | The App Association, an international organization that represents more than 5,000 small- and medium-sized tech companies across the mobile app economy. By connecting the tech industry’s top leaders with preeminent policymakers, ACT strives to drive smart innovation and regulation. Members of ACT include pioneers at the forefront of revolutionizing entertainment, improving productivity, enabling healthier lifestyles, and accelerating learning.

The app economy is probably bigger than you think; it’s a $1.7 trillion ecosystem that employs 5.9 million Americans. And this isn’t just in Silicon Valley; more than 83% of U.S. app companies are located outside of San Francisco. There are currently more than 2 million mobile apps available on major platforms like the App Store and Google Play. And with 3.4 billion app users around the world, it should come as no surprise that consumers spent more than $120 billion in app stores in 2019 — almost twice the amount they did in 2016.

Keeping the app economy strong and healthy is one of ACT’s biggest priorities, which is why the organization is extremely focused on building a workforce that’s educated and properly prepared for the 21st century. Despite a median annual salary exceeding $88,000, more than half a million computing jobs are unfilled in the United States. Only 65,000 U.S. college graduates earn a computer science degree each year, but this isn’t enough.

Computing and information technology occupations are projected to grow 12% by 2028, with software development jobs anticipated to grow by 21%. To address this substantial growth, ACT is urging Congress to pass the CHANCE in TECH Act, a legislation that would allow employers to streamline their apprenticeship processes and focus on developing and training job candidates correctly. ACT is also requesting that Congress appropriate at least $250 million to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps (MTC) program so that educators can receive advanced training to teach computer science correctly.

Week 1: All About Broadband

It’s no secret that widespread internet access is an essential utility to sustain the continued growth of the app economy and numerous businesses. Besides this, hundreds of millions of Americans depend on the internet to access educational opportunities, healthcare services, and participate in the global economy in general. But more than 20 million U.S. citizens currently lack access to broadband connections, making the digital divide a colossal chasm.

In Week 1, AppCon will focus on facilitating discussions around how improved access to broadband in rural and urban communities can close this immense digital divide. Political and tech leaders will examine the benefits that come with using television white spaces (TVWS), broadband mapping, and of course, the deployment of 5G.

Week 2: More Connected Healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled back the curtain on telehealth. Today, the advantages of connected health tools are readily apparent to patients, doctors, and lawmakers — and they’re simply too big to ignore. Week 2 of AppCon will hone in on everyday digital health examples from the COVID-19 crisis, including the recent results from temporarily lifting telehealth restrictions in the U.S.

AppCon’s attendees will also discuss aspects of healthcare policy including payment for digital health tools, removing reimbursement restrictions for them, interoperability, the WEAR IT Act, and the now obvious necessity of better access to telehealth services for all Americans. If you’re a healthcare app developer, you won’t want to miss this week!

Week 3: Prioritizing Privacy and Encryption

ACT’s member companies alone handle millions of terabytes of data every day. That means that each of these organizations is on the frontline of protecting sensitive user information and ensuring that it’s being used appropriately. Each ACT member knows that proper data security is imperative. That’s why AppCon ’20 Week 3 is dedicated to this vital topic.

Political leaders and ACT members will discuss current issues regarding privacy legislation and the need for ubiquitous end-to-end encryption. AppCon attendees will also tackle one of the most timely issues of the last few months: Facial recognition. By now, you’ve probably heard stories about how law enforcement has been using this technology during the protests across America. Week 3 of AppCon ’20 intends to get to the bottom of this topic and discuss its implications for the near and far future.

Week 4: Platforms and SEPs

What do online platforms, competition, and standard-essential patents (SEPs) mean for the app ecosystem’s future? There are a ton of moving parts that go into this topic, and they’ve only helped fuel various debates in recent months.

AppCon 2020 will close out its final week with a focus on discussion about platform regulations, including antitrust and Wi-Fi standards regulations, IoT device chips, Bluetooth, and much more.

Has this blog post got you excited about the weeks to come for AppCon 2020? For more info, click here!

Female hand holding a smartphone with diet plan concept

Sometimes, you need to take a little time to take care of yourself. Luckily, mobile technology can give you a helping hand! Last week, we wrote about 5 amazing health and wellness apps that our team members are quite fond of. They ran the gamut from habit management to sustainable weight loss. In case you missed it, you can read the post here.

But let’s be honest — as healthcare app developers, we know that 5 is far too small of a number to cover the amazing products available in this space. It would be a shame not to give some of the other wonderful apps available right now a moment in the spotlight.

After many debates, we were able to trim down our tremendous pool of candidates to another list of just 5 apps that we think you should consider trying. Check them out below. Here’s to a healthier future for all!

1. Smoke Free: Breathe Easier (iOS, Android)

Quitting smoking can be hard; 95% of people who try to quit without participating in a cessation program fail. It’s clear that ample motivation and support are needed. Smoke Free helps deter you from lighting up by tracking your cravings and progress. And it certainly seems to work — this app has been scientifically proven to double your chances of quitting smoking!

Smoke Free’s secret weapon is data science. After gathering enough information, the app tells you exactly how much money you’ve saved by kicking your smoking habit. Smoke Free also monitors your oxygen, blood pressure, and carbon monoxide levels so that you can watch them improve over time. It’s no wonder this app has been downloaded over four million times.

Why We Love Smoke Free

• Doubles your chances of quitting smoking
• Watch your health improve
• See how much money you save

2. Drinkaware: Cut Down Your Alcohol Consumption (iOS, Android)

From celebrations to quick catchups, there are always excuses for drinking nowadays. Similar to Smoke Free’s effect on lighting up, Drinkaware helps keep alcohol consumption in check.

Concept of online medical healthcare services, shows smartphone app with Asian male doctor smiling, telehealth, telemedicine video call

Drinkaware comes with a unit and calorie calculator so you know exactly how much you’ve imbibed. The app is also equipped with a self-assessment tool that allows you to review your drinking patterns and set new health goals.

Perhaps most pertinently, Drinkaware records each dollar you spend on alcohol. That means you’ll never indulge too much at the expense of your wallet.

Why We Love Drinkaware

• Easily moderate your drinking
• Personalized feedback
• Cut alcohol costs

3. Headspace: Making Meditation Mainstream (iOS, Android)

In today’s attention-hungry digital world, it’s more important than ever before to give yourself some peace of mind. Co-founded by former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, Headspace is an app that provides guided meditation and mindfulness training. And all it takes is ten minutes a day!

If you’re wrestling with stress, sleeplessness, or anxiety, the Los Angeles-based developers of Headspace have hundreds of sessions available on their product to help you out. And if ten minutes is too long, it offers shorter sessions. Users report benefits such as better attention span, alertness, and of course, more mindfulness.

Why We Love Headspace

• Mindfulness made easy
• Tailored for busy lives
• Brings calm to life’s chaos

4. MindBody: Exercise Anywhere (iOS, Android)

Want to work out, but don’t want to leave your house? MindBody has got you covered! This app brings virtual workouts and wellness services to your fingertips.

Whether you’re looking for a local community instructor or a world-renowned coach, MindBody lets you browse and book classes in Pilates, yoga, meditation, Tabata, and more. You can participate in these sessions in your living room or wherever you happen to be. It’s also worth noting that they constantly have deals on last-minute appointments!

Why We Love MindBody

• Virtual workouts for anyone, anywhere
• Huge variety of services offered
• Easy wearables integration

5. 8fit: A Wellness App for Workouts and Nutrition (iOS, Android)

App marketplaces are brimming with options for health and wellness apps. But few rival 8fit; this fitness and nutrition companion is perfect for digital minimalists.

If you’re not keen on joining a gym or spending hours searching for healthy recipes, we can’t recommend 8fit enough. This app offers efficient workouts and healthy, personalized meals in one elegant package. You can track milestones and tailor your fitness regimen to your liking. And in case you’re not Gordon Ramsay, the app also provides easy-to-follow instructions for its health-focused meals.

Why We Love 8fit

• Declutter your phone — no need for multiple fitness and recipe apps
• Centralize your favorite recipes and workouts
• Personalize your path to a healthier lifestyle

These Wellness Apps Pave the Way to a Healthier Future

We hope you’ve enjoyed another list of our favorite health and wellness apps! These options certainly vary in terms of application. But they do have a few vital factors in common:

1. Each app’s interface is incredibly simple to use.
2. Rich customization empowers users to personalize the app for their goals.
3. Data connects the dots between your actions and goals.

Mobile technology is capable of so much more than just talking and texting. These apps allow you to take control of your health and wellness in unprecedented ways. Try them out today!

Original article featured in ReadWrite.

Apple has gone beyond its original vision in many ways through the years, and one of the most significant is its moves into the healthcare space. CEO Tim Cook recently shared that he believed it will be his company’s “greatest contribution to mankind.” But the fact that it’s moving in this direction now might be exactly what Apple needs to rekindle the spirit of innovation it once had.

Healthcare could be the key to making tech innovation again.

Apple’s newfound pivot toward health is leading to more competition in the wearable health space. Fitbit recently teamed up with Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance to develop a way to detect irregular heart rhythms in a pursuit to compete with the Apple Watch.

The tech competition in healthcare will certainly lead to exciting innovations.

Apple is seeking to reignite the creativity and disruptive work it was known for in the Steve Jobs era. Unfortunately, too many of its projects just aren’t excelling like they used to. Its driverless car unit, for example, wasn’t great for a number of reasons, including its inability to capitalize on the data being pulled in by Apple Maps. The innovation simply wasn’t there.

Because Apple operates as a publicly-traded company, it doesn’t have total freedom to take bold risks at any point in time. 

Like other tech giants, the company is beholden to the vicissitudes of the markets, hedge funds, pension funds, private equity analysts, and other institutional investors. Innovation is more of a challenge when you have to show shareholders a predictable revenue stream and a regular uptick in profits quarter after quarter to maintain support.

Long-term goals take a backseat to achieve short-term growth that’s easily provable.

Short-term growth prioritization inevitably results in bold, creative ideas taking a back seat as well. While Apple has undoubtedly gotten caught in this cycle, an opportunity is looming for it to move into the healthcare space, where the innovation the company was built on is in high demand.

How Tech Is Transforming Healthcare

As Baby Boomers enter retirement, our society will be increasingly reliant on and powered by high-tech healthcare solutions. People are living longer than ever before, and there aren’t enough caregivers, doctors, nurses, and senior living facilities to take care of the aging population.

More than that, Baby Boomers don’t necessarily want to move into assisted living facilities or rely on other people to take care of them. They’d rather age at home. Thankfully, technology is making it possible for them to do just that.

Because of remote health monitoring tools, wearable devices, and telemedicine, the idea of “aging in place” is becoming more of a reality.

Imagine being in your 70s or 80s and having a blood pressure machine and a smart scale that sends all of your health data to the cloud. AI will track it in real-time to determine whether the data is trending up or down. If it’s the latter or if a new issue is spotted, you’ll be alerted and invited to the hospital where you can receive preventative care.

The Shift

Until the past few years, our healthcare system has been set up in such a way that it provides reactionary care. Hospitals, physicians, insurance companies, and the federal government have been laser-focused on treating illness, disease, and discomfort. Healthcare issues are treated when they occur rather than preventing problems before they become a problem.

Providers are focusing more on prevention.

A paradigm shift among providers to focus on prevention is being bolstered by startups that offer groundbreaking devices, cloud solutions, mobile technology, and more for seamless, personal, and efficient healthcare. 

For instance, in the span of just a few years, we’ve managed to move medical records from paper and carbon to the cloud.

Patient records can now be stored securely, accessed easily, updated when necessary, and shared among providers instantaneously. The claim is that all of the information is leading to better patient experiences and outcomes.

The technology sector is finally undergoing momentous change.

The change in the technology sector creates huge opportunities for Cook and other entrepreneurial spirits who have a desire to innovate and leave a mark on the world.

Solutions need to be addressed now.

They’ll find no shortage of problems that need solving — an aging population, fewer caretakers, rising costs, increased demand. As the healthcare transformation picks up speed, the potential for technology to be a part of that transformation is growing.

The critical need for innovative technology in the healthcare space makes getting back to the creativity of the Steve Jobs era more possible than ever before. Now is the time for technology companies to rise to the challenge.

Want to leverage emerging technologies like 5G, AI, and IoT in your organization? Get in touch with my team for a Free Consultation.

Original Article Featured in Guidepoint.

Wearables are making an unprecedented impact on the medical field. Users are able to form a more complete picture of their health, and physicians are able to glean insights and take action faster. Countless opportunities have opened up for innovators to improve how we manage medical maladies. Are you ready for a healthier future?

A SHIFT FROM FITNESS TO MEDICINE

In the early days of wearables, devices like the Fitbit enabled users to track basic metrics such as step count from their wrists. Not long after, both consumers and innovators realized that wearables could do much more. This was the advent of medical wearables, and it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

Some forecasts predict that the medical wearables market will surpass $14 billion by 2024. Other experts, like Juniper Research, believe this breakneck growth will make spending on these devices reach $60 billion by 2023. While projections vary, one thing is clear — healthcare wearables are becoming more ubiquitous.

To cement themselves a place in the future of medical wearables, companies like Apple, Biotronik, and Garmin are doubling down on their research and development in this space. As a result, wearables are not only becoming smarter but also more comfortable and less obtrusive. Patients can now incorporate these devices into their lifestyles with minimal effort and a massive return on investment.

A MORE HOLISTIC PICTURE OF YOUR HEALTH

In the past, the onus of noticing and reporting symptoms solely rested on the patient. From there, the healthcare provider would need to conduct examinations and tests to decide the best treatment plan. Today, healthcare wearables can paint a more accurate, comprehensive picture of a patient’s health than the limited snapshot offered in a single medical appointment. In turn, hidden patterns can be uncovered, medical conditions can be elucidated, and both physicians and patients can become more informed.

With a built-in EKG sensor, the Apple Watch is a prime example of these capabilities in practice for detecting to heart disease, which accounts for one out of four deaths in America. In a study of 400,000 Apple Watch users, researchers found that the device detected irregular heartbeats in 0.5% of participants extremely accurately; 84 percent of that 0.5% were flagged and confirmed to be having a real medical event.

TRANSFORMING DATA INTO REAL-TIME ACTION

Remote monitoring is an amazing medical development, but all the data in the world is worthless without action. By monitoring a patient’s vitals in real time, wearables can act as the first line of defense in an emergency. For example, Dogtown Media, my mobile technology firm, created a wearable alert ecosystem for patients suffering from chronic illnesses.

If a patient’s health starts trending downwards, medical attention is needed fast. This goes for whether the patient is having a heart attack in their sleep, their blood glucose level drops, or they fall out of bed and hurt themselves. As soon as this happens, our system automatically notifies a caregiver, family member, or doctor of the emergency. If there is no response, the system then contacts a nearby medical facility to dispatch an ambulance to the device’s GPS location.

Seconds and minutes matter in these events. Fortunately, wearables can not only alert healthcare providers instantly, but they can also equip them with the information needed to tailor treatment plans for optimal success. This means there’s no wasted time when it comes to saving lives. And the patient’s loved ones can have peace of mind knowing they’ll be alerted at the first sign of an emergency.

A HEALTHIER FUTURE FOR ALL

Medical wearables are a ripe frontier that any ambitious entrepreneur or innovative provider should consider exploring. This technology is allowing more people to leverage higher-quality healthcare, and it’s also expanding beyond the smartwatch to help with a variety of medical issues. Organizations around the world are finally realizing the true potential of medical wearables, and they’re bringing the right dose of innovation to make it a reality.

Consider the MiniMed 670G, a smart blood glucose monitor that checks a diabetic user’s blood sugar every five minutes and administers insulin as needed. Or check out Biotronik’s BioMonitor 2, an implantable heart monitoring device that’s more accurate than a wrist-based monitor and can transmit data daily for up to four years. There’s even clothing in development, such as a smart fabric from Dartmouth College which helps physical therapy patients expedite recoveries.

The list of medical wearable applications is endless, and the sky is truly the limit for this technology. By transforming real-time medical data into actionable insights, wearables are allowing us to take control of our health. We’re entering a new era of medicine — one in which preventative healthcare is becoming the standard.

Have you ever considered the amount of information sitting in hospital filing cabinets collecting dust? Healthcare, especially in emergency situations, depends on instant access to current, complete, and correct information, or the consequences could be fatal. Yet we still insist on capturing that information on printed materials that are hard to find and easy to ignore. Information access is an endemic problem, but the industry as a whole has been slow to embrace a better way.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute is one exception. I partnered with this group to develop a medical app that expedites access to the latest cardiovascular protocols. In an emergency situation, when these protocols are necessary, physicians simply have to reach for their smartphones instead of rifling through their desks. Speed and certainty are essential in a cardiovascular situation, and the app provides both.

We’ve expanded the functionality beyond static protocols to give physicians on-demand access to information and assistance. The technology is able to connect a physician in a remote or rural area directly with a cardiovascular specialist. After the two physicians consult, the patient receives first-class cardiovascular care even if he or she is miles away from the specialist.

Read the full article at Medical Economics to learn more about how mobile apps can deliver better outcomes for all medical stakeholders.

Digital transformation is revolutionizing all industries. But no field is feeling its impact greater than healthcare. As a result, it’s vital that health tech developers and policymakers work together and collaborate to build a healthier future for all.

The Blue Button 2.0 Developers Conference (BBDC) strives to make this more feasible by connecting tech pioneers with preeminent political leaders to improve the interoperability of the US healthcare system. Marc Fischer, our Co-Founder and CEO, was in attendance at the second annual holding of this event.

In this post, we cover the most memorable highlights and announcements from BBDC 2019.

Opening a Dialogue for Healthcare Innovation

Held at the White House on July 30, 2019, by the Office of American Innovation (OAI), BBDC brings developers and policymakers together to learn and share insights from one another about how technology can best be leveraged to unleash new healthcare innovation. With an original focus on Medicare claims data, BBDC is intent on improving medical outcomes for all Americans.

Attendees at this year’s event included an array of leaders and innovators in the healthcare space. Government institutions such as the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all had representatives present. Directors and chief executives from leading health providers as well as tech titans like Apple, Google, and Microsoft were also in attendance. And numerous startup founders, whose work ranged from incorporating AI chatbots into clinical studies to bringing mobile apps into clinical workflows, were also at the event.

BBDC 2019 speakers included leaders from various branches of the US government. Chris Liddell, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination, gave opening remarks and welcomed CMS Administrator Seema Verma to the stage for her keynote address. Matthew Cutts, Administrator of the US Digital Service, also gave remarks. Cutts previously worked as part of Google’s search quality team and was the company’s head of web spam.

Empowering Patients With Better Data Access

Health record interoperability has been a red-hot topic for a number of years now. And due to its ability to empower all stakeholders in the US medical ecosystem, it was the main area of focus at BBDC 2019. At this year’s conference, CARIN, a nonprofit committed to consumer-directed health information exchange, unveiled its CARIN Blue Button API model and draft implementation guides.

Designed to provide patients with direct digital access to health insurance claims data, the CARIN Blue Button API is the private sector’s equivalent of the CMS’ Blue Button 2.0 (a program that helps Medicare beneficiaries access their claims data).

Beginning this year, the new initiative will be tested by twenty stakeholders including Anthem, Humana, Google, Apple, and Microsoft. It can hopefully move into production in 2020. “We envision a future where any consumer can choose any application to retrieve both their complete health record and their complete coverage information from any provider or health plan in the country,” the nonprofit explains in the new draft guidance.

With San Francisco Bay Area developers like Google and Apple supporting them, it looks like CARIN is well on its way towards achieving its vision.

Healthier Outcomes Depend on Interoperability

For her keynote address, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced a similar endeavor to CARIN’s, but one that focuses on empowering healthcare providers and clinicians: Data at the Point of Care (DPC). Launched by CMS, this pilot program will give providers direct access to the claims data of Medicare beneficiaries so they can gain a more complete picture of patient history. Data can range from medication lists to previous diagnoses to medication lists.

Verma stated that this program builds off of Blue Button 2.0 and CMS’s MyHealtheData initiative, which strives to give patients more control over their data. “This new program will help fill in the areas of missing information that currently plague providers,” she explains. “By connecting claims data directly to providers at the point of care, providers will spend less time chasing down information or working with an incomplete picture of patients’ medical history.”

Providers can request access to the pilot on the program website. By participating, they can have direct access to patient information within their electronic health record workflow — no need to log into another application. CMS will begin deploying test data to the first few providers this month, with plans to start testing production data in September and October.

Data-Fueled Disruption

Data has helped shape healthcare and medicine development for centuries. When doctors notice a pattern across patients, pharmaceutical companies see a trend in their experimental treatment groups, or a patient reports a chronic cough, data is always there to point them in the right direction.

Data has helped us solve some of humanity’s biggest medical mysteries such as how diseases spread. “When people finally understood what germs were and how they drove the spread of disease, it revolutionized healthcare,” explains Jennifer Esposito, the former Worldwide General Manager and Head of Intel’s Health and Life Sciences Group. Esposito now works as the Vice President of Magic Leap’s Health and Fitness Business Unit.

“The convergence of technology — 5G and AI and sensors — is going to create this monumental shift that will transform how you understand people’s health, how you deliver treatment, and how you expand access to care and experts,” says Esposito.

Clinical settings are some of the biggest producers of multi-variate, multi-dimensional data. We’re not talking about just numerical data here. Data generated by healthcare systems include millions of high-definition images from MRIs and CT scans, too. By 2020, it’s estimated that healthcare systems will create over 2,314 exabytes of data.

That amounts to 2.314 quadrillion gigabytes — a gargantuan, unprecedented amount of data to deal with. Fortunately, 5G can help us make sense of it all.

5G is the Only Way Forward

So, how can 5G help with healthcare’s big data problem? Well, because 5G waves are smaller, faster, and more flexible (it can leverage both low and high frequencies) than 4G LTE waves, it can carry more data without putting unnecessary strain on the rest of the network.

At the moment, Esposito says that healthcare comprises 30% of the world’s total data — and this ratio will only grow more in the near future. With technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) in tow, health systems can discover new insights from this mountain of data. In turn, hopefully, these insights and new paradigms can help medical professionals move more towards proactive and preventative use cases as opposed to the reactive treatment model in place.

5G brings the possibility of real-time patient monitoring by way of wearables. Sensor data, in general, will become more ubiquitous. Monitoring heartbeat, blood sugar, activity levels multiple times throughout the day will unlock more insights into the day-to-day health of patients.

It’ll also create more opportunities to analyze data and find trends across demographics and locations. Combining this treasure trove of data with environmental information like daily air quality or heat indexes could yield even more insights.

5G can also transmit other forms of data easily – things like voice and video chatbots will transform how patients access care, making it easier to find an available doctor to help. A surgeon across the world could even perform remote surgery in real-time with 5G.

Esposito is excited about healthcare developing alongside 5G’s rollout. She says, “The ability to leverage this network of sensors and combine it with other data from the edge as well, so you can have more of a continuous health and wellness monitoring of a patient versus an entirely reactive response to chronic conditions that may decline quickly — that’s a big deal.”

What’s Latency Gotta Do With It?

At this point, you may be wondering: How can 5G accomplish this record-breaking speed and still maintain the data’s integrity? That’s a great question! We only need one word to answer it, though: Latency.

Latency will allow rural communities to access healthcare freely; it’ll give patients who have chronic or complex issues the freedom to remotely call their doctor for advice. “In a lot of these remote scenarios, you may not be able to do much more than triage a patient and then make a decision about whether or not you need to send them elsewhere. I think these high-reliability and low-latency networks are going to enable an expansion of access to care for people who would otherwise have to travel great distances to receive it,” says Esposito.

“If you’re delivering treatments in a community hospital or more rural location that is driven by a specialist in another location, you absolutely have to rely on this low-latency connection. It needs to be real-time.” Latency reduces strain on the overall network, and less strain equals better performance. This is especially beneficial for doctors who often face scenarios where they must make a last-minute decision.

Besides this, 5G will also open up the opportunity for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) solutions to excel. 5G will enable doctors to visit patients in their homes through AR. Research shows VR is a great solution for children with autism and for patients experiencing drug abuse or mental illnesses.

University of Houston researchers studied how patients suffering from alcohol abuse were helped with VR solutions: they could practice refusing a drink in a social setting without bearing the actual consequences. This low-risk method of therapy can work wonders for patients in all walks of life.

In actual reality, these possibilities are just the tip of the iceberg. 5G will unleash a new wave of innovation in the medical space. And everyone around the world will experience benefits. What 5G applications do you think would benefit healthcare most? Let us know in the comments!

Healthcare is undergoing a radical digital transformation. Since it’s a field that affects all of us, it’s important to be aware of the trends that are disrupting this space. Let’s take a look at the 4 MedTech trends changing healthcare for the better in 2019.

1. Wearable Devices

While fitness and health apps are nothing new, they are still projected to grow in popularity this year and beyond. Why is this? Because wearable devices are taking the medical industry by storm.

More and more doctors are realizing the benefits that wearable technology offers. As a result, they’re employing them more to monitor patients. According to Accenture, 91% of healthcare providers are looking to make wearable-enabled patient monitoring a part of their preventive health initiatives.

There are already wearable apps that can check for cardiac irregularities, analyze health metrics and patterns, and even monitor infants’ vitals. But this is really just the beginning. Due to the surge in demand for medical wearable technologies, the FDA has launched a pre-certification program to expedite them to the marketplace.

2. Telehealth

Traditionally, getting sick meant a mandatory trip to the doctor’s office for treatment. Thanks to new telehealth paradigms like remote patient monitoring, this is no longer the case. Virtual appointments and video conferences are becoming a more popular alternative to in-person doctors visits, and it’s easy to see why.

Telehealth lets patients consult their healthcare providers from anywhere they want. So even if your doctor is in New York City and you’re in San Francisco, they’re just a call away. By now, you’re probably thinking, “This is certainly no substitute for an in-person check-up!” But telehealth check-ups carry more capabilities than you’d initially think.

With wearable devices, physicians and patients can complete simple tests and measurements together. And sometimes, it’s even possible to get real-time feedback from this and update treatment plans accordingly. Besides this, telehealth often saves considerable amounts of time and money when receiving care for non-emergency situations.

This is something that’s sorely needed in the United States. 60 million Americans live in rural areas. That’s 20% of the entire US population. For this group, it’s easy to see that a trip to the doctor is not so convenient.

And it only becomes more complicated when you consider another fact: 130 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease. This adds up to more than $2.5 trillion in costs each year. Patients with chronic illnesses often have to visit the doctor numerous times each month. By combining wearables and telehealth, these patients can save tons of time and money while doctors save more lives.

3. Data Privacy and Portability

With more components of healthcare going mobile, maintaining data privacy and HIPAA regulations is becoming more important than ever before. HIPAA laws mandate that electronic health records (EHRs) are kept private. In order to ensure this in the digital age, many medical facilities are stepping up their security measures to avoid any data breaches.

And data leakages are certainly nothing to take lightly; violating these HIPAA laws can result in penalties of hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. If you’re considering entering the MedTech space, consider employing features like voice or facial recognition to keep patient data on lockdown.

On the other side of the equation, there is also a need to make data exchange of EHRs more efficient. It’s no secret that there are some huge inefficiencies present when it comes to this. Not only are there numerous EHR systems, but they are kept isolated. This often makes the jobs of healthcare workers harder when they’re trying to retrieve vital information to understand and treat a patient’s malady.

Recently, our CEO met with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to discuss possible pilot projects to improve data portability in health IT.

4. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in any industry. But perhaps its greatest applications lie in the MedTech arena.

Data plays a paramount role in healthcare these days. Medical professionals rely on it to gain a better understanding of maladies, diagnostic trends, and potential solutions. AI could accelerate many of the day-to-day processes so that doctors could possibly diagnose issues earlier and address patient problems faster.

AI is also helping other medical stakeholders. Pharmaceutical scientists can better understand the medicine they are developing by making testing faster and more efficient. In turn, this leads to quicker market turnaround time. AI is also helping to boost the efficiency of medical staff by taking care of burdensome, monotonous tasks like data entry, coding, and scheduling.

With all of this being said, it’s no wonder that AI in healthcare is anticipated to grow to $6.6 billion by 2021.

Welcome to the Future of Healthcare

Wearable devices, telehealth, data exchange, and AI are all areas that MedTech developers should keep an eye on going forward. These four trends will play a central role in the healthcare industry as it continues to evolve into a more patient-centric field.

Which of these technologies are you most excited about? And which do you think will have the most impact on how we approach medical maladies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!