Clinton Health Matters Initiative Expands Telemedicine with Verizon's Help

by Holly Shoemaker

Former President Bill Clinton announced this week, the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, a partnership with General Electric (GE), Tenet Healthcare and Verizon Communications to promote healthy lifestyles and medical assistance to undeserved areas in the United States.

The Clinton Health Matters Initiative is designed to address “global health crises and the childhood obesity epidemic,” according to Clinton. It works by putting systems into place to support medical professionals and those in need of healthcare outreach.

Verizon provides the technology component. The company will support wireless networks and other technologies for patients. In particular, the company supports a technology that allows patients to take their vital signs at home and send them to their physicians. Doctors will also have the ability to assist patients with chronic diseases. Verizon has a system in place to notify doctors when patients suffering from a chronic disease need medical help. Rural areas will also receive needed connectivity to bring specialist expertise to them.

The foundation will start its work in California’s Coachella Valley and target forgotten desert communications and in greater Little Rock, Ark, which comes as no surprise. From there, the project will expand.

Concluding Thoughts 

The initiative is an extension of telemedicine. Without telemedicine, we would not be discussing how medical mobile apps, smartphones and tablets work together to change healthcare. These tools, along with video conferencing, allow underprivileged people and those without insurance access to specialists they would not have. The Clinton Health Matters Initiative supports the expansion of telemedicine and shows developers ways to keep expanding the field.

Galaxy S III Finally Outsells iPhone, but iPhone 5 Likely to Rule Q4

by Holly Shoemaker

Samsung has already established itself as the leading manufacturer of smartphones for the Android market. Now, the company officially has the world’s best-selling smartphone model with its Galaxy S III, and it hit another milestone. For the first time, Samsung sold more units than Apple. 

Strategy Analytics reported that in Q3 2012, the Galaxy S III shipped 18 million units, compared to 16.2 million units for the iPhone 4S. That resulted in the Galaxy S III capturing 11 percent of the global market share.

Concluding Thoughts

While a victory for Samsung, especially since all the legal arguing with Apple, it may be short lived. The iPhone 5 will likely rule Q4 2012. Many contribute the decrease in iPhone 4S sales to customers holding out for the iPhone 5, which became available in September 2012. Apple sold five million iPhone 5 devices that first weekend. With the holidays arriving soon, it will sell even more. Even if Samsung does not win the top spot at the end of the year, it will remain the darling of the Android community as it has sold over 30 million phones to date. Plus, the Galaxy S III remains the only smartphone anyone will call the “iPhone killer.”

Texting Among Physicians Grows; Prefer Non-Hospital Issued Phones

by Holly Shoemaker

Previous research indicates that physicians have become more reliant on tablets and smartphones, and a recent survey shows that pediatricians want to ditch the pager too.

Researchers from the University of Kansas School of Medicine surveyed 106 physicians at pediatric hospitals and found the following regarding communication methods:

While verbal face-to-face and telephone communications remained the most used form of communication at 92 percent, the reliance on non-verbal methods continues to grow, and respondents do not necessarily favor verbal communication.

• More than half of the respondents, 57 percent, said they send or receive work-related text messages.
• Twenty-seven percent of respondents favored texting for communication.
• Twenty-three percent of respondents favored hospital-issued pagers.
• Twenty-one percent favored face-to-face communication.
• Nine of out of 10 respondents reported using a smartphone for communication purposes.

Respondents Prefer Non-Hospital Issued Phones

The study showed that doctors preferred using their own cell phone for work-related communications. Forty-one percent of respondents said they received text messages on their own devices, while 18 percent used hospital-issued phones.

Concluding Thoughts

The larger reliance on personal smartphones seems to come from the lack of clear-cut policies related to texting. The physicians reported that their hospitals did not have a policy in place for texting to ensure they complied with Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act (HIPAA) measures that require properly encrypted methods to protect patient information. Furthermore, patient preference regarding the type of device used may also account for the trend.

Texting and the growing reliance on other technologies may cause medical professionals to overlook the importance of face-to-face communication. As doctors, nurses and other medical professionals rely more on tablets, smartphones and electronic communication methods, they will need to take the time to explain the importance of other methods to their patients.

Sandy Showcases Need for Emergency Apps and Social Media

 by Holly Shoemaker

As post-tropical storm Sandy continues to affect the East Coast, and people continue to lose power, those affected should remember that a smartphone may make the difference in preparing and understanding the next steps when a natural disaster strikes.

Many apps are available to download that do not require a connection to the Internet. Apps like Disaster Readiness provide guides on how to deal with more than 175,000 situations. The Red Cross provides an app that includes a messaging feature to inform friends and family of people’s safety. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses Twitter and blogs to provide guidelines and tips related to emergencies and disaster preparedness. The Red Cross recently reported that people are more likely to use an emergency app along with social media to obtain information during a natural disaster.

Concluding Thoughts

While an app may not be the first item people think of when dealing with a crisis or disaster, they are growing in number and becoming more powerful tools to stay aware and communicate with loved ones. Those who need to make a quick decision, decide on evacuation or learn about next steps may find that an app or text feature provides the best way to stay in tune, especially when limited power options exist.

Plea to Microsoft: Do Not Become More Like Apple

by Holly Shoemaker

Microsoft will continue to make news with its upcoming release of Windows 8. Last week, Steve Ballmer, the company’s CEO, said he could envision the company becoming more like Apple. In his annual letter to shareholders, Ballmer said the company may decide to build its own smartphones to complement the upcoming Surface, the company’s first tablet. 

Concluding Thoughts

While I understand the need to compete, consumers do not need another Apple, and Microsoft will need to analyze how its current partnership with Nokia affects it standing in the smartphone market. It will also need to see how successful Windows 8 is with consumers.

I still maintain Microsoft will better position itself by filling the market gap left by Research In Motion (RIM). Despite its intentions to relate more to individual consumers, gaining strength on the business-to-business (B2B) side has strategic merit as we see with Nokia and its map app platform. With Windows 8 approaching, Microsoft should think more about the opportunity to promote its new Windows Phone and the Surface, but on a B2B scale.

Developers: Small Business Owners Need Mobile Solutions Too

by Holly Shoemaker

A recent survey commissioned by Bank of the West, a financial services holding company, and conducted by Harris Interactive provides some insight into developing apps and mobile solutions for small businesses. 

Overview of Findings

From the period of July 30, 2012 to August 29, 2012, Harris polled 504 owners of small businesses. The poll defined these businesses as having two or more employees with annual revenues of less than $10 million.

The survey showed that small businesses rely more on traditional technologies like email, instant message and texting, followed by calendars and scheduling and then GPS.

When it comes to using more advanced mobile technologies, the survey shows some positive trends:

• Nine out of 10 small business owners use mobile technology on smartphones, tablets and other devices.
• Eighty-three percent of respondents said individuals/entrepreneurs and small business could benefit the most from mobile technologies.

News for Developers

While 56 percent of the respondents said that security concerns prevented them from implementing more mobile technology, relevance outranks that factor. In the poll, three out of five, or 58 percent of respondents said that mobile technologies lacked relevance for their businesses.

These results show a gap in the market that app developers could use to their advantage as 68 percent of respondents said that mobile technology could increase efficiency and grow business. Respondents would like to see solutions that target more effective customer processes like payment and expense reporting.