Social Media Platform Google +

 

Clicking on Image above will take you to the I/O features.

Most physicians have adopted social media in blogging, twitter, facebook, texting, MySpace and other platforms.

This past week the Google I/O was held in San Francisco. The meeting is not so much for the general  public but for independent developers.

Google/Android/Chrome are “open source’ and have a number of APIs (Application Program Interface.  This allow anyone to write software that integrates with Android and/or Chrome

Many physicians already use Google Docs, Search, and email. 

Those who use Facebook and/ or twitter may find Google + a bit intimidating and do not use it.  However, after mastering it I have several comments.

Positive features

It is a dynamic social media platform

Innovative functions

Integrated with Google email, offering almost all of Google’s functions,and offers video conferences as well as public “hangouts on air”

Communities of common interest, Hangouts offer a sense of intimacy and ability to develop real friendship.

Google’s I/O reveals the newest features for developers

 

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Trust in the Health Information Exchange Agreements

 

It’s been almost 8 years since I began helping to forge the Inland Empire Health Information Exchange with a small group of HIT visionaries. As you may know forging requires intense hear to  harden the iron. Certainly HIX has  felt this heat.

There has been progress.

This is really a Digital Health Space .

Since that time there have been many changes:

1. The political environment, and the technical environment.

2. Patient expectations, information cannot be siloed. Patients want to carry information with them (Portability)

3. Maturation of Interoperability

4. Development of ‘Trust” for sharing information…at the local level.

5. The idea that HIX is patient centric for their information

The recent meeting of the CAOHI Summit

Talk Back

Talk Back Session #3

Talk Back Session # 1

Talk Back Session #4

You can bookmark these three presentations, they are all interesting.

 

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International Impact of the ACA and Health Information Technology Expansion

 

As part of his trade visit to Ireland this week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick visited a digital health summit in Dublin yesterday to explore possible collaborations between digital health hubs in Dublin and Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Governor explores digital health collaborations at Dublin summitJim Joyce, director of HealthXL and CEO of Point of Care, with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in Dublin yesterday at the digital health gathering organised by HealthXL

Sustained growth and projections for further expansion and use of electronic health records and health information infrastructure have stimulated economic growth in this quarter, extending to the eurozone.

Some states are looking to the Eurozone in countries such as Ireland to develop trade advantages for growth.  Boston has become known in the past decade for it’s interest in establishing a greater presence as a ‘startup’ region for young technology companies to rival Silicon Valley in California.

The effort includes HealthXL which is a three month boot camp in Dublin, to incubate 10 start-ups in the digital and technology space, but this year the focus will purely be on digital health ventures.

Patrick spoke about how everyone should have access to affordable and quality healthcare.

_{HealthXL mentors Johnny Walker; Eoghan Jennings, director; and Jim Joyce at the launch of HealthXL in Science Gallery last September}

There are a variety of mobile and health applications in development.

 

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Mobile Health and the FCC

FCC Names New Director of Healthcare Initiatives

At a time when mobile health initiatives and mobile apps are flooding the market, the Federal Communications Commission has shown enough interest to appoint Matthew Quinn as Director of Healthcare Initiatives.  “In this role, Quinn leads the agency’s efforts in facilitating and promoting communications technologies and services that improve the quality of health care for all citizens and help reduce health care costs; facilitating the availability of medical devices that use spectrum; and ensuring hospitals and other health care facilities have required connectivity. In addition, Quinn advises the FCC on health issues, working closely with the team overhauling the $400 million Rural Health Care program, and coordinating with federal partners including the NIH and the FDA, and with the private health care sector to develop effective FCC programs related to healthcare technology.”

Mr. Quinn will have expanding responsibilities at his new position. FCC is currently working on health initiatives to improve and enhance wireless communications and broadband connectivity nationwide. Projects include the Healthcare Connect Fund to expand telemedicine and revising its experimental licensing program to open more pathways for mobile healthcare app development.

This quiet appointment which occurred in April comes at a time when wireless technology is critical, because both  wifi and cellular systems will be essential for health information technology. It becomes one more step for FCC oversight of it’s authority over the radio-frequency spectrum.

“The incumbent will lead the agency’s efforts in facilitating and promoting communications technologies and services that improve the quality of health care for all citizens and help reduce health care costs; facilitating the availability of medical devices that use spectrum; and ensuring hospitals and other health care facilities have required connectivity,” the posting read.

The job description includes advising the FCC on health issues, providing guidance to the team overhauling the $400 million Rural Health Care program, working with other government bodies like the NIH and the FDA, and working with the private health care sector to develop effective FCC programs.

The job description includes advising the FCC on health issues, providing guidance to the team overhauling the $400 million Rural Health Care program, working with other government bodies like the NIH and the FDA, and working with the private health care sector to develop effective FCC programs.

The West Health Institute’s director of public policy Kerry McDermott was the last person to head up health care initiatives for the FCC.  McDermott previously led the FCC’s healthcare efforts and helped Mo Kaushal and Spencer Hutchins write the healthcare chapter in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. Following the National Broadband Plan’s publication all three of them left the FCC to join the then-named West Wireless Health Institute. In 2011 the American Telemedicine Association published an open letter to the FCC criticizing the agency for going “silent” on healthcare since the publication of its National Broadband Plan in early 2010. In its letter the ATA also noted “the departure of every key professional staff from the Commission involved in healthcare policy.”

Last September the FCC held a public briefing this week with its mHealth Task Force, which formed in June 2012 to gather input from healthcare professionals and technologists to create a report full of “concrete” next steps that the FCC (and other agencies) can take to facilitate the adoption and acceleration of mHealth in the United States. One of the task force’s key suggestions was that the FCC hire a new healthcare director immediately.

My impression is that this is a low level appointment designed to give the appearance of FCC engagement in health.  It seems to be a redundant position one which is less necessary than FDA guidance for mobile health apps.

 

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