Digital Health bits | April 13th 2021
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer
#DigitalHealth #Innovation #AI #DigitalTherapeutics #TeleHealth #TeleMedicine
Healthcare Messaging Is the Future of Healthcare
Over the last year almost every single American has engaged in at least one telehealth visit. Whether it was due to lack of in-person options or just a preference for the service, digital healthcare saw an increase in demand, an increase that is not going away anytime soon. Healthcare messaging is here to stay.
One of the biggest discrepancies in the digital healthcare field is the conflict between secure patient portals such as MyChart and secure text messaging platforms. It seems that only 10% of patients in favor of digital health prefer secure patient portals. Even though 80% of people prefer digital healthcare or healthcare through their smartphone, they are very particular in what form that care comes in.
In a digital society our phones have become our world. So much so that we are 98% likely to read a text message that comes up on our phone. When you compare that to the only 7% chance of us reading a message on an online patient portal, it can be hard to deny that Telehealth should be continued via such software.
Automated text reminders can have a great impact on how patients interact with their own health. Studies show that automated medical texts prompt 50% higher prescription refills, 46% patient response and a 12% increase in confirmed patient appointments.
Read more: https://gritdaily.com/healthcare-messaging-is-the-future-of-healthcare/
Medxnote launches new Planner app on Microsoft Teams app store
Medxnote, a chatbot and clinical messaging tool, has recently launched MedxPlanner in a bid to help clinicians better manage their workload.
The app integrates clinical tasks from electronic patient records (EPR) with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Planner.
It will be launching soon at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Niall Rafferty, chief executive of Medxnote, said: “Microsoft Teams is the new operating system for healthcare and with the integration of Medxote to Teams and now Planner we are the leading Microsoft Partner building communication and collaboration tools for healthcare on Teams.”
Medxnote, who took part in the 2020 final of the Rewired Pitchfest, developed the app for the Devpost Microsoft Teams app development challenge. The team won Best Healthcare App and took out third prize overall in the challenge, with the winners announced on 6 April.
Medxnote connects doctors and nurses to any clinical data at the point of care and was launched on the Microsoft Teams app store last year.
Digital-health coaching helps to manage chronic diseases
Digital-health coaching can be effective in self-managing chronic diseases, a new study says.
Researchers, led by Professors Kang Eun-kyo and Yun Young-ho of the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine, studied the effects of health coaching and digital care on people with osteoporosis, chronic respiratory disease, and arthritis.
They divided 54 patients into three groups. The first group of 14 people had 12 weeks of health coaching and ICT-based digital coaching. The second group of 19 people had only digital coaching. The third and control group of 21 people was given a self-care booklet. The researchers used Smart Management Strategy for Health (SMASH), an ICT-based digital coaching program.
The result showed the group with both digital and health care had 18.5 points in the SMASH assessment tool three months later. In contrast, the group with only a booklet’s assessment score decreased by 2.6 points, showing a significant gap with the former. There was also an improvement in depression rates in the tested group.
Bridging the digital divide: How providers can continue to reach the digitally excluded
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, media reporting has focused on how the pandemic is accelerating a new era of healthcare, utilizing emerging technologies like AI, IoT and telemedicine to make the industry more efficient, intelligent and responsive. While it is vital that the industry continues to explore solutions enabled by these technologies, this narrative overlooks an important barrier: the issue of access.
A recent study by the National Poll on Healthy Aging highlighted the scale of the “digital exclusion” challenge facing the healthcare industry, revealing that nearly half (45 percent) of adults over 65 have not created patient portal accounts to access their medical information. As the pandemic accelerates digital transformation in healthcare, there is growing concern that this digital divide will further expand. The industry must take steps to keep healthcare information accessible to all patient populations.
While the internet and digital exclusion is not a new issue, the pandemic shed light on populations that lack the digital literacy, inclination or access needed to utilize online systems. According to a 2019 report from the Pew Research Center, nearly one-third (30 percent) of people in the U.S. over the age of 65 do not use the internet, and more than 40 percent do not have broadband access at home. Additionally, nearly 40 percent of Americans over 65 don’t own a smartphone.
FDA Clears First AI Device to Find Possible Cancerous Hot Spots During Colonoscopies
The device, which highlights for gastroenterologists regions of the colon that have visual characteristics consistent with possible cancerous abnormalities, is already in use in Europe.
The FDA Friday authorized the marketing of an artificial intelligence (AI) device based on machine learning to assist clinicians in detecting polyps or suspected tumors during a colonoscopy.
According to the National Institutes of Health, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer in the United States.
The GI Genius is designed to highlight portions of the colon where the device detects a potential lesion. The software uses artificial intelligence algorithm techniques to identify regions of interest. The GI Genius is designed to be compatible with many FDA-cleared standard video endoscopy systems.
Tech-enabled primary care provider VillageMD looks to go public
Tech-enabled, value-based primary care provider VillageMD is looking to public markets, according a Bloomberg report. The Walgreens-backed company uses a team-based model to provide care for patients.
Teams include pharmacists, lab techs, behavioral health counselors, nurses, physicians and other care givers.
The company has a hybrid approach to care that includes in-person clinics, virtual care and home visits. Several of the clinic locations are at Walgreens – which previously pledged to invest $1 billion in equity and convertible debt to VillageMD over a three-year time frame. However, the company also partners with other physician groups.
According to Bloomberg's sources, the company is looking to raise as much as $1 billion, which could boost its valuation to $10 billion.
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer