Monthly Archives: February 2012

There’s an App to Fix Healthcare: the Human Spirit

Posted on February 29, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

The expression “There’s an app for that” is fairly accurate when it comes to everyday tasks or those related to convenience services.  Though most apps are downloaded and either used once or a couple of times and never again, we … Continue reading →

Posted in digital health, healthcare economics, Healthcare IT, healthcare reform, informatics, mHealth, mobile health, technology, wireless health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Data: The Ultimate Medical Textbook

Posted on February 28, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

There is little doubt that data will drive both the delivery and improvement of healthcare in the future.  “Big data” refers to datasets whose size is beyond the ability of typical database software tools to capture, store, manage, and analyze. … Continue reading →

Posted in digital health, FDA, healthcare economics, Healthcare IT, healthcare reform, healthcare vendors, informatics, mHealth, mobile health, pharma, technology, telehealth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Events Signaling the Arrival of mHealth

Posted on February 20, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

There have been many predictions of when mHealth technologies will break through in a big way.  I will mention what I consider a few important recent events which are indicative of mHealth technology’s ‘arrival’ in the mainstream healthcare arena. 1. The … Continue reading →

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Five Reasons Why Digital Health Technologies Need FDA Oversight

Posted on February 14, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

A draft proposal of the FDA guidelines for regulating mobile medical applications was released in July, 2011 (http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2011-D-0530-0001). In response, the mHealth Regulatory Coalition sent detailed comments on the proposal (http://mhealthregulatorycoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/MRC-Comments-on-FDA-Draft-MMA-Guidance.pdf). There was a recent piece in the Washington Times … Continue reading →

Posted in digital health, FDA, Healthcare IT, healthcare reform, healthcare vendors, medical devices, mHealth, mobile health, pharma, smartphone apps, technology, telehealth, wireless health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

How Do Digital Health Technologies Get to Older Patients?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

     Much of the digital health technologies on the market today are wellness products utilized by the relatively younger segment of the population.  Technologies which are focused on chronic diseases have found it much harder to reach their intended … Continue reading →

Posted in digital health, healthcare economics, Healthcare IT, healthcare reform, healthcare vendors, medical devices, mHealth, mobile health, smartphone apps, telehealth, wireless health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Cardiac Rhythm Device Patient Portals Will Start the Digital Health Revolution

Posted on February 3, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

Heretofore this series has focused on issues specific to patients with implantable cardiac rhythm devices who deserve to access their device’s own data directly via patient portals or PHRs.  What I would like to suggest is that if this PHR … Continue reading →

Posted in digital health, healthcare reform, Implantable Defibrillators, medical devices, mobile health, smartphone apps, technology, telehealth, wireless health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why Cardiac Device Companies Want Patients to See Their Own Data

Posted on February 2, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

In an ongoing series, I have been touching on multiple issues involved in cardiac patients and the data derived from their implantable defibrillators and pacemakers, which is heretofore unavailable directly to them.  I have not fully discussed the viewpoint of … Continue reading →

Posted in digital health, Implantable Defibrillators, medical devices, mobile health, smartphone apps, technology, wireless health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Five Reasons Why Physicians Don’t Want Patients to Have Their Cardiac Device Data

Posted on February 1, 2012 by David Lee Scher, MD

There is a groundswell of discussion concerning patients demanding to have direct access to data derived from their implantable defibrillators and pacemakers. I have discussed in other articles why patients deserve their data and the benefits derived thereof.  There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare IT, Implantable Defibrillators, medical devices, mHealth, smartphone apps, technology, telehealth, wireless health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments