WHO agency reports that mobile phones may cause brain cancer

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer is reporting that mobile phones may increase the risk of brain cancer. The agency classified the risk of the adiofrequency electromagnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."

Dr Jonathan Samet (University of Southern California, USA), overall Chairman of the Working Group, indicated that "the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.

You can read their statement here.

I'll be speaking at Mobile Health Expo NYC

I'll be speaking at Mobile Health Expo NYC 2011 about the use of mobile technology in the continuing medical education (CME) industry.

Tuesday June 21, 2011
3:30 - 4:15 pm
New York City
Javits Center

My session is titled, "Mobile Technology in the Continuing Medical Education of Physicians"

Abstract: A physician's continuing professional development is critical to keeping up with advances in medicine and with changes in the delivery of care. As mobile technology becomes an integral part of the clinical workflow process, physicians are becoming more comfortable using mobile devices to learn and to develop professionally. There are currently a wide variety of mobile platforms that offer continuing medical education activities for physicians. We will examine some of the ways that physicians are currently using mobile technology in formal, continuing medical education settings. We will also see how physicians are responding to medical education activities that are developed to educate physicians about the various ways they can use mobile technology to improve patient care. As physicians apply mobile technology in the clinical setting and learn how they can leverage these resources for professional education and development, we will witness a transformation in the way physicians learn and apply evidence-based information at the point of patient care.

More details here.

2011 mHealth Summit - Call for Abstracts & Presentations Now Open!

2011 mHealth Summit - Call for Abstracts & Presentations Now Open!
Submission Deadline: Friday, July 8, 2011
mHealth Summit to Highlight Groundbreaking Research Abstracts and Innovative Presentations

TOPIC AREAS

RESEARCH: Ground-breaking health research using mobile technologies in clinical medicine and public health outcomes.

TECHNOLOGY: Categories that examine the technologies being deployed today while also exploring new technologies currently under development.

BUSINESS: Focus on moving the debate forward by addressing the business models that impact mHealth with a focus on lessons learned, best practices, and the emergence of commercially viable models to scale mHealth globally.

POLICY: Showcase of healthcare, technology and investment communities seeking regulatory clarity on wireless medical technologies to accelerate this promising engine of health care innovation.

Learn more here.

ReachMD MedicalRadio Mobile App

ReachMD MedicalRadio delivers world class medical content from the leader in medical education and information for medical professionals. All programming is broadcast on ReachMD Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Channel XM 167. ReachMD MedicalRadio provides quality peer-to-peer content available in 15-minute programs that cover a broad range of topics for both general practitioners and specialists.

MedicalRadio Mobile App Features:

• Free access to the live stream of ReachMD XM Satellite Radio Channel 167, the channel for medical professionals
• Access to over 5,000 searchable podcast of past and present ReachMD audio programs based on your specialty or area of interest
• The ability to search for and listen to FREE CME/CE podcasts and take the exam directly on your mobile device
• Access to content based on ReachMD listener favorites
• New content added each week
• ...and much more!

Available for iPhone and BlackBerry

Learn more here.

Voalte Establishes Reseller Agreement with Epocrates

Leading clinical reference software complements Voalté’s point-of-care hospital communication system

Sarasota, Fla. (PRWEB) May 24, 2011

Voalté, a leading developer of innovative point-of-care communications software on the iPhone and other smartphone platforms, announced today that it now has a reseller agreement with Epocrates, the leading provider of mobile drug reference tools to healthcare professionals. Through the agreement, Voalté is now able to provide the Epocrates® Essentials premium clinical suite as part of Voalté’s unified communications solution to staff in acute care hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. Voalté also provides support for app updates and will guide users to valuable training information.

Read more »

ResolutionMD Mobile featured on CNN

There's a feature story on CNN titled, "Mobile app helps doctors diagnose strokes."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• A smartphone app allows specialists to accurately diagnose a stroke, a study says
• Doctors reach the same diagnosis using phone as when on a terminal in 94% of trials
• Experts have been skeptical about the utility of using such a small screen
• The FDA is currently deliberating on whether to approve the app for U.S. use

Read the full story here.

iPhones, iPads and HIPAA Compliance: A How To Guide

iPhones, iPads and HIPAA Compliance: A How To Guide

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
2:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Complimentary Webinar

Devices like the iPhone and iPad are becoming incredibly popular with doctors and other healthcare professionals.

But whether they are hospital issued -- or owned by the worker -- IT must ensure that Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) that is stored, accessed, transmitted or received by a mobile device is secured and protected in accordance with HIPAA guidelines.

This Webinar will focus on today's best practices for:

1. Choosing a HIPAA compliant mobile device platform
2. Instituting an IT mobility management framework
3. Empowering healthcare IT to proactively identify and resolve HIPAA violations & provide proof of compliance

Presenters: Dan Dearing; Group Director, Mobile Strategies; BoxTone
Pricing: Complimentary! There is no cost to attend this webinar.

Read more »

New ways to find mobile apps on the Android Market

A few weeks ago, Google shared 5 new ways you can find some great mobile apps for your Android smartphone. Here are those 5 ways (from the Google Mobile Blog):

• New top app charts - We’ve revamped our top app charts to be fresher and country-specific, so you get the most current, relevant results. We’ve also added top new free, top new paid, and top grossing lists, all right on the Android Market home page.
• Editors’ Choice - These are some of the very best apps available for Android, as chosen by the Android Market staff. They span everything from games to productivity and beyond.
• Top Developers - We’re also recognizing those developers creating the highest quality, most popular, and most notable apps available on Android Market. They’ll get a special icon on our Android Market website, appearing wherever the developer name is shown, starting today for an initial set of over 150 developers.
• Better related apps - On the left side of an app page, you’ll now see two groups of related apps: apps frequently browsed by people who viewed this app, and apps that people tend to install alongside this app. For example, people who view ScoreMobile, my favorite sports score app, often also view other sports score apps, while those who install ScoreMobile tend to also install apps for specific sports leagues or teams. We’ll also show you related apps once you decide to install an app.
• Trending apps - Finally, we’ve added a new section to the Android Market homepage showing trending apps – those apps that are quickly growing in daily installs. Look here to stay ahead of the curve and find new apps as they get hot.

Read more on the Google Mobile Blog.

Medco Pharmacy mobile app

Verizon Wireless and Medco teamed up on a healthcare app.

This announcement of the “Medco Pharmacy mobile app” available on V CAST, is significant as it brings mobile healthcare a step closer to being user friendly.

How many times have you been to the doctor and they ask, what medications are you/your family taking? What is your ID and group number? Are you allergic to any medications? The list goes on. This app has a wealth of information for both the consumer and physician.

One area where it aids is in cost savings. The app recommends generics and also points out medication conflicts.

· More than 20% of Americans are Medco customers
· 500,000 prescriptions are written daily by doctors, that could be cheaper in cost if they go to a generic

Note – this app is available on Verizon Wireless Android and Blackberry devices. It is not available on the iPhone, but Medco says it could be in the future.

Read more »

Qualcomm CEO Joins mHealth Summit as Keynote Speaker

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs to Deliver Keynote Address at the 2011 mHealth Summit

Mobile technology leader Qualcomm to host Wireless Health Pavilion at 3rd Annual Summit

Paul E. Jacobs of Qualcomm, the world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies, will deliver the opening keynote address on Day Three of the 2011 mHealth Summit. In addition to the Jacobs keynote, Qualcomm’s participation includes lead sponsorship of the Summit and an expanded Wireless Health Pavilion to feature 32 cutting-edge wireless health exhibits.

Next Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic Conference in Philadelphia

Next event: Wednesday June 8, 11:30a-7p

Mobile Infrastructure and Applications: Building the Mobile Reality
Date: June 8, 2011 | 11:30 AM – 7:00 PM
Location: Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel | 3549 Chestnut Street | Philadelphia, PA 19104

Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic is pleased to be partnering with the PA Wireless Association and RCR Wireless for our next event. This event, part of the RCR Wireless Global Tour and Conference Series, is an interactive discussion on current mobile broadband trends and how mobile broadband is driving investment, innovation and economic growth.

Read more »

EyeNote™ mobile app

The EyeNote™ application (app) was developed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) for the blind or visually impaired to use as a tool to increase accessibility to Federal Reserve Notes (U.S. paper currency). EyeNote™ is built for the Apple iOS to allow the user to scan a bank note and communicate its value back to the user.

http://www.eyenote.gov

Free Wi-Fi hotspot tethering on the HTC ThunderBolt 4G

Verizon Wireless has been gracious to extend the free Wi-Fi hotspot tethering on the HTC ThunderBolt 4G. So, you can continue to use your ThunderBolt as a MiFi for free until June 15. Perhaps Verizon is still trying to finalize how much it will cost to tether on their 4G LTE network.

Get ready for Mobile Health Expo New York

I'm scheduled to give a presentation at Mobile Health Expo in New York. I hope to see you there.

Mobile Health Expo
June 21-23, 2011
New York City, NY

At Mobile Health Expo, you will meet industry leaders to help you plan or augment your mobile health strategy.

Mobile Health Expo topics include:

• CIOs: How are you going to handle the onslaught of personal device use in healthcare?
• CEOs: Don't get left out of the new revenue stream. Hospitals, physicians, family practices – all are impacted by mobile health.
• Doctors, nurses and providers: Learn how mobile health can help you do more with less – less time, less resources, less staff.
• Technology providers: What are the key business requirements for the medical, pharmaceutical and insurance providers?

Learn more about Mobile Health Expo here.

Digital Docs around the Globe

Upcoming Webinar!

Digital Docs around the Globe
Monday, May 16 at 11am EST

Pharma companies are increasingly shifting their attention to emerging markets and at the same time, digital and mobile are playing a larger role in how physicians around the world learn, educate patients and connect with manufacturers.

In response to these trends, we’ve expanded our global research offerings this year. In this webinar, Manhattan Research President Meredith Ressi will overview our global physician research from the Taking the Pulse® Global series covering the U.S., Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the UK, China, South Korea, India, Japan, Taiwan and four new countries for 2011 – Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Canada.

Read more »

Two screens on a smartphone: Kyocera Echo

http://uncrate.com/p/2011/01/kyocera-echo.jpgThe Kyocera Echo is a smartphone that will turn heads. This Android smartphone has a novel design that incorporates two screens. Kyocera's new Echo phone has dual touch screens, multitasking capabilities, & superior dts technology making it the first Kyocera android of its kind.

Highlights

• Dual 3.5” WVGA touchscreen displays combine to form a 4.7” display
• 5 MP camera with flash, autofocus and 720p HD camcorder
• Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports cards up to 32GB
• Android 2.2 with access to more than 10,000 apps

You'll find this smartphone on the Sprint network.

Discussing mobile health (mHealth) and medical apps with @pharmaguy on Pharma Marketing Talk

Listen to the Pharma Marketing Talk (powered by BlogTalk Radio) recording from our discussion about mobile health (mHealth). Pharma Marketing Talk is hosted by John Mack, the creator of Pharma Marketing Blog and Publisher of Pharma Marketing News.

New Integer Wireless Experience Center Empowers Enterprise Decision-Makers

Developed with Cisco, Corning Mobile Access and 10 other partners, the 10,000-square-foot facility provides a rare, hands-on opportunity to vet and custom-build in-building cellular and Wi-Fi solutions

Newport Beach, Calif. – May 10, 2011 – As the selection of wireless products, networks and services grows, so does the challenge of assembling a solution that meets each enterprise’s unique, frequently challenging in-building requirements. To help CIOs, IT managers and other decision-makers make smart choices, Integer Wireless today founded the Integer Wireless Experience Center, a 10,000-square-foot facility providing a rare, hands-on opportunity to test a wide variety of enterprise-grade wireless solutions from more than 100 vendors, application developers and service providers.

Over the past 16 years, Integer Wireless has led more than 1,000 in-building and campus-wide wireless projects for clients such as Apple, Coors Field, Denver Department of Health, Kaiser Permanente, Hoag Hospital, Hyatt, Intel, NASA and Walmart. The company specializes in designing, installing and optimizing vendor-, operator- and technology-agnostic wireless solutions for a variety of verticals, including health care, general enterprise, sports and entertainment venues, retail stores, government and hospitality.

Read more »

75% of U.S. physicians own an iPhone, iPad, or iPod

75% of U.S. Physicians Own Some Form of Apple Device According to New Manhattan Research Study

New Taking the Pulse® U.S. v11.0 study of physician digital trends indicates iPhone and iPad driving steep mobile device adoption in the U.S. physician market

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2011 - 75% of U.S. physicians own some form of Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad or iPod, according to the new Taking the Pulse® U.S. v11.0 study from pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research. This year's study of physician digital adoption trends includes a focus on the iPad and other tablets, professional activities across multiple screens, electronic health records and online patient-physician communication.

The iPhone surged to dominate the physician smartphone market in 2011 as the number one smartphone platform used by physicians in the U.S. “Despite the success of the Android platform in the overall consumer market, physicians are flocking to the iPhone as their smartphone of choice,” said Meredith Ressi, president of Manhattan Research. Smartphone penetration among physicians exceeded Manhattan Research analysts' previous forecasts to reach 81% this year.

Read more »

How to search for medical apps

Author: Thuc Huynh, MD

There are now roughly 5,900 medical apps in the itunes store and the list keeps growing.  The problem with itunes is that all 5,900 medical apps get lumped into one area only.  Plenty of good apps get missed because they are located in the far end of the database.  Good luck scrolling through the pages.  Several websites have been created to solve this problem.  Let's take a look.

SCRUBDIN

Scrubdin is a website, created by me, to provide a one-stop shopping solution for medical apps.  The site only lists medical apps on the website if it is indeed a medical app that would be useful for healthcare professionals or for patients.  The apps are then organized into intuitive categories to help you find an app easier.  You can browse by the kind of app it is whether it is medical news or an electronic medical record or you can also browse by medical specialty, such as cardiology or surgery.  Some apps have reviews from the editors but many don't as of yet.  Consumers can also rate and review medical apps to help others make a decision when buying.

Read more »

Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA)

Have you heard of Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA)?

MAMA leverages the collective resources of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Johnson & Johnson and supporting partners, the United Nations Foundation, mHealth Alliance and BabyCenter LLC. The partnership was developed in collaboration with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of State.

Over the next three years, MAMA, which is expected to mobilize $10 million, will work across an initial set of three countries, Bangladesh, India and South Africa, to help coordinate and increase the impact of existing mobile health programs, provide resources and technical assistance to promising new business models, and build the evidence base on the effective application of mobile technology to improve maternal health. Lessons learned from these and other initiatives will be shared globally in a coordinated exchange of expertise and information. The partnership will foster collaboration among similar initiatives in other countries to accelerate efforts to reach millions of women with mobile phone access around the world with critical health information.

Learn more by visiting http://www.mobilemamaalliance.org

New Medical Procedures Apps from Epocrates

Epocrates presents Procedures Consult apps for internal and family medicine. These intuitive and thorough apps will help you with the most common medical procedures. Access about a hundred detailed procedures videos, including pre-and post-procedure steps, and pay just $39.99 per app.

Internal Medicine - General
25 common internal medicine procedures, including:
• Defibrillation
• Local Anesthesia
• Lumbar Puncture
• Thoracentesis
• Tick Removal
• Transcutaneous Pacing

Read more »

How will the FDA regulate mobile health apps?

I doubt that the FDA will regulate every mobile health app that makes it to the Apple App Store, the Android Market, or the BlackBerry App World. How will the FDA choose which apps to regulate? What will this regulated environment look like?

We’re all still waiting for the FDA to explain how they plan to regulate mobile health apps. Here’s a critical question/equation that will determine how the FDA will regulate this space:

mobile device + mobile health app = a medical device ?

If the combination of a mobile device plus a mobile health app results in a “medical device,” then the FDA will be involved in regulating these types of apps. So, is a symptom checker running on a smartphone considered a medical device?

How does Section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act define a medical device?

“… an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including any component, part, or accessory, which is … [either] intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, in man or other animals … [or] intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man...”

Based on this broad definition, it would seem that computers and smartphones will be classified as medical devices if physicians are using computers to diagnosis or treat a disease.

Read more »

Let the FCC know what you think of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

As most of you are aware, AT&T has filed to purchase T-Mobile from its parent company, Deustche Telekom. This would, in essence, give AT&T a monopoly on the GSM mobile spectrum in the U.S. It is a merger that makes it hard to imagine of being to benefit to consumers in the long run.

If you're strongly inclined to voice your opinion on this matter to the FCC...well, you can. Through their Electronic Comment Filing System (found here), you can post your public filing/comment.

Note the link directs you to the appropriate filing, 11-65, in case you are wondering when you follow it.

Read more »

ASCO Launches Mobile App for Patient Information in Oncology (Cancer.Net Mobile Application)

ASCO recently launched a mobile app for Apple smart technology (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) based on its patient information website, Cancer.Net. 

The Cancer.Net mobile app will serve as an oncologist-approved mobile companion for patients to stay educated and informed about cancer type(s) and issues of interest, and organize important personal data often needed for doctor's visits.  The Cancer.Net app includes up-to-date guides on 120 types of cancer, with information about treating cancer, managing side effects, managing the cost of care, and living with cancer.  Interactive tools help keep track of questions to ask doctors and record voice answers, save information about prescribed medications, including photos of labels and bottles (on camera-enabled devices), and track the time and severity of symptoms and side effects.

Learn more here.

Does your smartphone compromise your privacy?

Do you ever stop to think about how much information your smartphone has about you? Let’s suppose that you perform frequent searches for “HIV” and “AIDS” on your mobile device. Furthermore, suppose you’re frequently using Google Maps and other mapping software to look for the nearest HIV treatment center in your area. Can anyone tap into this information that is on your mobile device?

When people download and install a mobile app, they’re not reading the lengthy disclaimer that describes the privacy policy around that app. Moreover, many mobile apps are developed in other countries that have different privacy laws so those app developers may neglect privacy laws that are relevant here in the United States.

Read more »

Texting to improve immunization (Vaxtext Program uses text messages)

VaxtextSM is a text message program. It is endorsed by the nationwide Every Child by Two program. VaxtextSM messages help parents keep their kids on the recommended vaccination schedule. VaxtextSM sends 3 or fewer messages per child per month directly to your cell phone with:

• Reminders when your child’s next set of vaccines is due
• Current information on vaccines and the diseases they help prevent
• Links to helpful resources
• A brief survey to help us evaluate and improve the VaxtextSM Program

VaxtextSM messages help you keep your child on track for protection against a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Read more »

Smartphone airline boarding pass

I admit that I’ve been a slow adopter to paperless smartphone boarding passes for air travel. I wasn’t sure how well those red scanners would pick up the barcode on my smartphone. This weekend, I was traveling (not for work), so I decided to try the mobile boarding pass option. When I got to the security checkpoint, I had to scan the barcode on my smartphone. That was easy. Then, before I got on the plane, I had to scan the barcode again. No problem. (I'm currently using an HTC ThunderBolt running Google Android)

Moving forward, I plan to use my smartphone as a paperless boarding pass every time I have to fly. I can easily check in using my mobile device, so why should I waste paper or look for a printer when I really don’t need one?

The most active users of mobile socialization are…

Women ages 35 to 54. Is that what you were expecting, or does that surprise you?

The most active users of mobile socialization are women ages 35 to 54. Out of the 600 million+ Facebook users out there, a third of them are accessing Facebook using the Facebook mobile app. Out of the 165 million+ Twitter users, half are using a Twitter mobile app.

Now, what about the medical community? Would we expect to see similar statistics? Or, is there a different demographic of medical professionals who are active users of mobile socialization?

QuantiaMD becoming the largest online and mobile physician community

QuantiaMD Now Largest Online and Mobile Physician Community With Over 125,000 Physician Users

Company Prepares for Next Phase of Growth by Doubling Work-Force, Expanding Executive Team and Delivering New Mobile and Web Physician Services

WALTHAM, MA — APRIL 27, 2011 - QuantiaMD® has become the leading online and mobile physician community and a destination for over 125,000 physicians to learn and connect with each other. Every day, clinicians come to QuantiaMD— a third of them through mobile apps on smartphones and tablets— to engage with their peers and respond to a wide variety of interactive medical cases and presentations. To prepare for its continued growth beyond its current user-base of 1 in 6 U.S. physicians, QuantiaMD doubled its work-force in 2010, expanded its executive team and has recently released a major version with new content, resources and services for its community.

Read more »