Friday, January 31, 2014

Rumor: Apple's next-gen iOS 8 to include 'Healthbook' app for comprehensive health monitoring

By: Mikey Campbell

Friday, January 31, 2014 7:18 PM

A report on Friday claims Apple is working to incorporate a new built-in app dubbed "Healthbook" into its next iOS iteration, with the software able to track everything from food intake to glucose levels.

Citing sources familiar with the plans, 9to5Mac claims the codenamed "Healthbook" will be able tap into data from advanced sensors possibly built into next-generation iOS devices -- including the so-called "iWatch" -- to track a variety of metrics via a swipe-able card UI.

On the health side, "Healthbook" can reportedly track blood pressure, hydration level, heart rate and even glucose level measurements. As for blood readings, Apple's recent hire of Michael O'Reilly may play an integral role in the development of such technology. Prior to joining Apple, O'Reilly was the chief medical officer and executive vice president of medical affairs at pulse oximeter firm Masimo Corporation.

In addition to data aggregation, the app may have hooks into other first-party software like Calendar and Reminders, allowing users to create medication reminders. In its final form, "Healthbook" could be a one-stop solution for nearly all things medical.

As for fitness, the app is said to include the usual steps taken and distance measurement data, while adding in daily caloric intake and weight tracking.

Perhaps the most interesting implication of an app like "Healthbook" is the hardware needed to generate raw data -- hardware that does not yet exist in Apple's ecosystem. Currently, Apple'sM7 motion coprocessor allows for accurate measurement of step and distance traveled, but falls short of physical body readings like those purportedly coming with the new app.

One answer would be the intorduction of a peripheral device, such as a watch, that incorporates advanced components like a thermometer, galvanic skin response sensor, blood oximeter and more. Data can then be offloaded to an iPhone via Bluetooth, processed and recorded.

Apple's timeline for a rollout of the supposed app and corresponding hardware is largely unknown, but it can be expected that a next-generation iOS and iPhone will be released as per the company's usual annual product cycle.

Adding fuel to the rumor fire, a The New York Times report on Friday noted Apple SVP of Operations Jeff Williams, VP of Software and Technology Bud Tribble, Michael O'Reilly and government affairs counsel Tim Powderly met with the FDA in December to discuss "mobile medical applications." The nature and outcome of the meet-up remains unknown.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Delete Emails from Server when Deleted on iPhone or iPad

TRICKYWAYS.COM

2 Hours Ago

When you have limited quota for your email address on mail server then you must frequently delete emails from server. If you iPad or iPhone user and set up email address on the device then you must set option to delete emails from server once you download and delete unwanted emails on your iPhone or iPad.

While setting up email on iPad or iPhone iOS gives option to setup account as POP3 or IMAP, for both of types, settings to delete emails from server is different. So checkout how to set Mail app to delete messages from server on iPad or iPhone.

Delete email from Server POP3 Account

To delete emails from server your need to change few settings in Mail app on iPhone or iPad. Open Settings app on your device and then tap “mail, Contacts, Calendars” option, here under Accounts section tap on your email account. Scroll-down a bit and tap on “Advanced” option

Under “Incoming Settings” section tap the “Delete from server option” and choose an option.

I preferred to delete emails after 7 days, you can choose different options to delete email from server according to your requirements. To save these advanced email settings tap the “Advanced” arrow button on top-left side of title, tap once again and then tap “Done” button on the right side.

Delete mail from Server IMAP Account

If you setup your email as an IMAP then you will see different advanced settings for your email on iPhone or iPad.

Follow this path to open advanced settings and set Mail options to delete emails from server, open Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap on your account name and then tap on email account under IMAP section, Here tap the “Advanced” option.

Now tap the “Deleted Mailbox” and choose Trash under the “On the Server” section. It means when you delete any email from Mail app on iPhone or iPad this will goes to the trash folder (Mailbox) on your server. This mail’s trash folder available on the server is synced with your device and whenever you delete emails from trash folder on device it will also delete messages from web server.

Tip: you can also choose folders (Mailboxes) for Drafts and Sent email, so every time when you compose an email or sent mail to someone this will be available on your server as well. This way you can easily access your drafts and sent emails on any other device or computer.

Do you able to solve your problem, or have and question? please tell us below in comments.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The internet of things, a glimpse of what is arriving at your house

In 1992 while speaking to a rural Hospital Association, I introduced the possibility that within the near future, there would be more nonhuman connections to the internet than human connections. Today we have the “internet of things” be introduced. Your refrigerator, oven, door locks and light switches and now motion detectors etc. are being introduced. The internet of things and the introduction of the cloud creats cause and effect activities to occure at your discreation. For example you drive into the garage and a light comes on in the living room, or some one opens the door and a light comes on for a predetermined time. At the same time you are notified on your smart phone of what is going on.

We started our integration of this process with the purchase of a Nest thermostat. When we leave the house and the thermostat does not sense movement, it automatically goes into away mode - turning down the heat in winter and raing the thermostat in summer. When we head home I simply check my smart phone and turn the thermostat to “home” and it returns to the normal settings so when we open the door the house I environment is perfect. This thermostat does more than that but it gives you an idea.

Check out this report by Walt Mossberg, as is an introduction of how the internet of “things” is truly coming to your house.

 

http://recode.net/2014/01/28/smartthings-automates-your-house-via-sensors-app/?utm_source=newsletter&&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonu6nPZKXonjHpfsX%2F4%2BQqT%2Frn28M3109ad%2BrmPBy%2B2oMFWp8na%2BqWCgseOrQ8mFkIV8izUs0TrKM%3D#038;utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rc_email_daily

Sunday, January 19, 2014

The Tech Savvy

Webster Russell

Catherine the Great once said "A great wind is blowing. It will either give you imagination or a headache.” Even though she lived in the late 18th century, there are times when I think she was referring to today's life and times specifically the technological growth we have seen in the last fifty years. I know technological advances are wonderful things and for the most part they make our lives better. The problem is that these advancements come in fits and starts. Just about the time you finally get use to the new fangled thing, it is changed and you are back to square one.

I started traveling this circular path when I bought a programmable Texas Instrument calculator in the late '60s for use in the interpretation of a type of blood test. From that point until today I have been fascinated with healthcare/medicine's technological revolution and how it affects the delivery of this important part of our everyday life.

About ten years ago I had an ah ha moment when I discovered that something else was going on. These changes harbored a stealth like evolution in the patient/physician relationship. I don't want to get to deep into the weeds, but let me explain what I mean. The patient, that's you and me, has become far more sophisticated in our choice and use of the healthcare system. We are transforming from the quiet, non participative patient to an activist customer/consumer. As innocent as this appears on paper, it is an extraordinarily powerful shift. This shift in control may be best summarized by Kenneth Hammond when he wrote. “A generation ago, individuals gratefully accepted whatever information they were given….The doctor…was the source of all knowledge and data. Today we expect the network of information will be there and made available to us. Now in almost every action we have with a professional, we take it for granted that we are also a partner and decision maker.”

The information we need to achieve this new status is out there for the harvesting, and the means of gathering it, storing it and recalling it is literally at our fingertips. Over the next weeks and months I will try to help you discover these tools, as well as the information you might need to help you become more of a partner in the management of your healthcare.







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Friday, January 17, 2014

Google’s Latest Moon Shot Is a Smart Contact Lens for Diabetes Patients

by Babak Parviz and Brian Otis, recode.net

January 16th 2014 6:00 PM

Google has shrunk down a chip and sensor system so small it can be embedded in a contact lens.

Instead of a circuit board, the tiny pieces are connected to a circular gold foil antenna mounted on a flexible plastic-like material that comfortably sits on a person’s eye, outside of their own sight.

Why? To help people with diabetes.

Google’s smart contact lens project is designed to measure the glucose content of the wearer’s tears, once every second. Theoretically, it could be a noninvasive way for diabetics to keep their blood sugar levels in check, rather than pricking their skin to sample their blood multiple times per day, or wearing a continuous monitoring device that’s stabbed into their side to tap into subcutaneous tissue.

If the smart contact lens ever makes it to market, it could be welcome news for the more than 380 million people worldwide with diabetes — a number that could reach beyond 590 million by 2035, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

The smart contact lens was designed by a team of chip designers, software engineers, electrical chemists and polymer chemists from Google X, the company’s secretive in-house research division that also designs other so-called “moon shot” projects like self-driving cars and Internet-connected eyewear. It holds the promise that maybe someday diabetes patients will be able to get ongoing measurements without ever breaking their skin.


It’s not glitter. It’s a chip.

But Google says it has no intention of producing and selling the medical device it has built. Rather, it wants to publicize the work it has done so far in the hope of finding partners among companies that develop medical devices and vision products.

Google has itself brought the smart lenses to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and early independent clinical studies have begun. Word of the project leaked last week after project lead Brian Otis and others met with the FDA in December, with Bloomberg surmising that the meeting might relate to Google Glass.

Connecting contact lenses and computers worn on the face is the obvious leap, but it’s one that Google is pointedly not making — at least not now.

The smart contact lens project is “completely separate” from Google Glass, Otis told Re/code this week, though he noted that Glass project founder Babak Parviz also advises the contact lens project.

Both Otis and Parviz were formerly professors at University of Washington, where they had started work together on building a tiny glucose meter that could be worn on the eye — though they were using PET plastic, like that used to make water bottles, so early prototypes couldn’t actually be worn. Google X allowed them to pour two years of work into revamping the project. They were able to actually mold and fabricate the lenses on campus, and have developed tools to work on such a small scale.


“My passion is trying to shrink down systems to make them smaller and smaller,” Otis said. “Doing it for a project that could have such an impact is really a dream come true.”

The company is looking for partners to move forward with the next steps. Otis said he wasn’t sure what the precise nature of that relationship would be, but it might be a technology licensing arrangement. Google does know that it doesn’t want to manufacture and sell the product.

“Our philosophy is, you can’t design a medical device in a vacuum,” Otis said.

Much work lies ahead. Even overlooking the fact that this is eons away from FDA approval, it’s actually not even clear that tear fluid from eyes would be a reliable indicator of glucose levels in the bloodstream.

It has historically been hard to test tear fluid because it cannot be easily collected in large volumes, and any process that helps generate it and extract it from the eye — like chopping onions or plucking nose hairs — disrupts the environment and might change its content.

Dr. David Klonoff, medical director at the Diabetes Research Institute at Mills-Peninsula Health Services, has worked with Google on a clinical study to evaluate that ability to detect glucose in tears, without using the contacts. His group is still analyzing the results and hasn’t reported conclusions.

“But I would say I’ve seen the data and I’m optimistic,” he said.

Google isn’t alone in exploring different “bloodless” approaches to glucose monitoring.

Grove Instruments and others are looking at what’s known as near-infrared spectroscopy. Essentially, these tools shine infrared light on the earlobe and infer the level of glucose in the blood by the amount of light that comes through on the other side.

Other researchers have investigated the possibility of measuring glucose from saliva or exhaled breath.

None of these techniques have earned FDA approval so far, but if any ultimately prove effective and safe, it could mean not only less pain for patients — but longer and healthier lives.

Given the pain, blood, calloused fingers and overall inconvenience of today’s options, many patients simply don’t check their blood sugar enough — and thus don’t properly calibrate their lifestyle and medication.

If new devices like Google’s work, “people could take as many glucose readings as they want per day without finger sticks,” said Kelly Close, who has lived with diabetes for 27 years and edits diaTribe, a closely followed newsletter about diabetes products and research. “They could avoid the highs and lows, and ultimately the long-term complications of the disease like heart attacks, strokes, blindness and kidney failure.”

 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Clever iPhone Trick: See the Inside of Your Own Ear

by Chris Hauk, mactrast.com

December 12th 2011

Everyone wants to look inside their own ear, right? Well, OK. maybe not. But how about the back of your head? Want to keep tabs on that ever-growing bald spot on the top of your head? Erica Sadun over at TUAW, tells us how to do all of the above, and more by using your iPhone 4S and a handy Apple TV.

Here are the directions from Erica:

“Just enable AirPlay. Double-click the Home button, swipe to the right twice, select your Apple TV as your AirPlay destination and enable Mirroring.

Then, click Home and run the camera app. You’ll be able to see what the camera sees because its preview mirrors to your home TV, even when your arm is stuck behind a dresser. You can also point the iPhone camera (front or back) at your ear, your nose, or your back — letting you see through your phone by watching your TV.”

She also suggests using a flashlight along with the phone to help you explore the darker parts of your house.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to look for spare change under the couch. I’ll bet I can find enough to pay for my new iPhone 4S and Apple TV…

 

Friday, January 10, 2014

5 High-Tech Fixes for Patients

by LAURA LANDRO, online.wsj.com

December 23rd 2013 7:24 AM

From virtual doctor visits to online diagnoses, information technology is rapidly changing the way patients interact with the health system. Here are some innovations that are catching on more broadly and could improve care in 2014:

Monitor Long-Distance

An electronic intensive-care unit, or eICU, lets critical-care doctors and nurses check on patients in several hospitals from a remote command center with a bank of monitors displaying patients' vital signs. They can alert bedside staff if they see a subtle change in a patient that could signal a worsening condition. Remote monitoring by specialists is also catching on for emergency rooms and surgical units to help evaluate patients with stroke, seizures and other conditions.

Patients in a hospital with an eICU program were 26% more likely to survive their stay and were discharged 20% faster than those receiving usual ICU care, according to a study published earlier in December in the journal CHEST. The study analyzed some 120,000 patients in 56 ICUs over five years.

Video cameras can be activated if the remote team needs to visually check the patient, and can be used to check regularly on patients who might be at risk for falls, according to Brian Rosenfeld, an inventor of the eICU technology and chief medical officer for telehealth at Philips Healthcare, a unit of Dutch technology giant Royal Philips that purchased his company in 2008. As more evidence of its benefits has emerged, resistance among some critical-care doctors to having a remote doctor looking over their shoulder has dissipated, he says, but some "still think they are delivering perfect care and no one can help them."

The eICU helps especially in rural areas where there can be a shortage of specialists. Phoenix-based hospital-and-health system Banner Health currently monitors and supports more than 450 ICU beds across several Western states from command centers in Mesa, Ariz., and Greeley, Colo., and even uses some doctors in a Tel Aviv, Israel, center to cover shifts.

Crowdsource an Ailment

Patients can crowdsource their symptoms to find a diagnosis. As strange as it sounds, health experts say this may hold promise. On a new website, CrowdMed.com, patients who haven't been able to get a firm diagnosis can post their symptoms online to crowdsource an answer.

Founded by technology entrepreneur Jared Heyman after his sister Carly went three years with an undiagnosed illness, CrowdMed lets users offer a cash reward that goes directly to the "medical detectives"—be they laypeople or physicians—who help solve their case. Medical detectives may suggest a diagnosis and bet points on others' suggestions. Each diagnosis is treated as a stock with a share price that moves based on "demand" for the diagnosis. CrowdMed uses an algorithm to calculate the probability of each diagnosis being correct according to betting behavior, ranks the diagnoses from most to least likely, and presents the patient with the top 3 to 6. The average reward on the site is currently $200, the company says. Detectives split the rewards based on how many points they bet on the correct diagnosis.

Mr. Heyman says the idea isn't to replace doctors, but to come up with a list of possibilities a doctor might not have considered. Before the site launched, doctors diagnosed his sister with a disorder that includes early menopause symptoms. CrowdMed used her case to test the system later and within three weeks it was diagnosed correctly.

Luke Hoelscher, 31, recently posted his case on CrowdMed.com, after what he describes as several frustrating years of going from doctor to doctor with undiagnosed symptoms that included blurry vision, severe light sensitivity, bodily pain, and fatigue. He is offering a $500 reward. A former software engineer who can no longer work due to his health issues, Mr. Hoelscher says he has yet to find an answer through the site, but is optimistic. "There have to be people out there who have dealt with what I am dealing with," he says.

CrowdMed, along with increasingly sophisticated online "symptom checker" programs for consumers, allow patients to use some of the same strategies that doctors are already turning to for help with difficult cases. Some doctors participate in private, online social networks to seek input from other physicians and use Web-based programs that analyze reams of data to suggest possible diagnoses.

Consult Via Video

Hospitals, insurers and health systems are increasingly allowing patients to make an appointment online or consult a physician via video chat. Insurer Cigna, CI +0.87% for example, recently teamed up with Sunrise, Fla.-based MDLive to allow some health-plan members to schedule a virtual consultation with a doctor for nonemergency situations such as allergies and sinus infections.

In a pilot program, Mercy Health in Cincinnati has offered patients at two of its medical practices electronic visits. Patients complete an online survey specific to certain conditions, such as sore throat or headache and a doctor responds within 24 hours determining next steps such as calling in a prescription, or recommending rest. Physicians can attend to the electronic visits in between seeing other patients in the office. A spokeswoman says Mercy requests a $35 copay for these visits and about 10% of health plans cover the visits. Patient surveys indicated that even if the payer didn't cover the visit, she adds, patients would be willing to pay out of pocket for the service because of its convenience – such as no need to miss work, or arrange for childcare.

Sharecare, an online health-and-wellness site whose founders include celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, recently launched AskMD, an app that collects information about symptoms, locates doctors, filters results by insurance, specialty and distance and directs users to the nearest emergency room if it looks like they need one. Hospital Corp. of America, a major hospital chain, is a sponsor of the launch, and some of its affiliated doctors and hospitals will be featured.

Text a Nurse

When Valerie Weichart, 56, was hospitalized recently for back surgery at St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, she was provided with a tablet device. It allowed her to view her medical chart and lab-test results, read up on her medications, see bios and photos of the staff caring for her, and text a nurse for help. St. Rita's parent, Catholic Health Partners, aims to roll out the system to its 23 hospitals after having completed a successful pilot. The system, called MyChartBedside, is linked to patients' electronic medical records. Patients can also use the device to surf the Web and play games.

"I felt more comfortable knowing what my medications were, so I didn't have to ask so many questions," Ms. Weichart says.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also has been testing arming patients with tablets. "We worried at first about how nurses would adjust to it, but they really like it," says hospital chief executive Steven Corwin. The units are quieter without the ring of call buttons. The messaging system makes it easier for nurses to prioritize patient needs and requests. And patients are more fully engaged in their own care, Dr. Corwin says.

Calculate the Cost of Care

With the coming changes in insurance coverage, calculating copayments and other out-of-pocket costs could be daunting. Insurers and health plans are offering cost estimates online and through mobile apps that calculate how much patients will have to pay out of pocket, how much a plan will pay, and available in-network reduced rates. UnitedHealthcare's myHealthcare Cost Estimator, launched last year, recently added inpatient hospital information including knee replacement, childbirth, and spinal surgery. The costs can vary widely. For example, the company says, childbirth, including prenatal and postnatal care can range from $9,699 to $29,076 in the New York City area. In a survey of its users, 67% said the calculator gave them the confidence to make better cost choices.