Apple

By  MobiHealthNews 04:52 pm April 10, 2020
Even before today's big announcement from Apple and Google, it was clear that phone-based contact tracking was going to be an important weapon in the war against COVID-19. But might that weapon be a double-edged sword? In today's HIMSSCast, host Jonah Comstock is joined by the MobiHealthNews team – Managing Editor Laura Lovett and Associate Editor Dave Muoio – to discuss the various companies,...
By  Dave Muoio 02:19 pm April 10, 2020
Two of the biggest names in technology have formed an unprecedented partnership to introduce health data-sharing and COVID-19 contact-tracing technologies to the lion's share of the smartphone market. In dual news releases published this afternoon, Apple and Google announced plans to launch APIs that will enable interoperability between iOS and Android products by way of official apps from public...
By  Laura Lovett 04:05 pm March 27, 2020
This morning Apple became the next tech giant to jump into the coronavirus resource space, with the launch of its COVID-19 website and corresponding app. The new site, which serves as both a screening tool and information platform, was born out of a collaboration with Apple, the CDC, the White House Coronavirus Task Force and FEMA. Users are able to go onto the site and answer a list of questions...
By  Dave Muoio 02:49 pm March 24, 2020
Apple's Siri has been updated to provide symptom-based guidance and, in some cases, telehealth-app download links to users seeking COVID-19 information from the virtual assistant. Now, when users ask Siri a question along the lines of "How do I know whether I have coronavirus?" or "I think I have coronavirus," the tool initiates a new conversation tree to determine the user's current symptoms....
By  Dave Muoio 04:06 pm March 12, 2020
Together in perfect harmony. Dexcom and Welldoc have kicked off a new collaboration that will provide Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor users with data-analysis insights from Welldoc's digital diabetes management product, BlueStar. These insights include information on how lifestyle factors such as activity, nutrition, sleep and medication adherence are affecting a user's glucose levels. “Now...
By  Dave Muoio 01:57 pm March 10, 2020
The past few days have seen 9to5Mac publish a torrent of new features it has spotted within the leaked code of Apple’s next firmware update, iOS 14. While the majority of these details have to do with interface customization, parental controls and the like, two new functionalities will be of particular interest to competitors already offering digital wellness tools. The first is blood oxygen-...
By  Dave Muoio 11:40 am February 25, 2020
Apple and Johnson & Johnson announced this morning the launch of their new digital health study exploring the impact of Apple’s devices and a study-specific engagement program on cardiovascular outcomes among the Medicare population. First announced in early 2019, the Heartline Study — which also names Evidation Health as a collaborator — is now enrolling seniors aged 65 years or older who...
By  Dave Muoio 04:08 pm February 11, 2020
The accuracy of wearables employing photoplethysmography (PPG)-based heart rate sensors may vary significantly between specific devices and activity types, but these sensors’ performances do not appear to be significantly affected by the skin tone of the wearer, according to a new study published in NPJ Digital Medicine. The investigation, conducted by Duke University researchers among 53...
By  Dave Muoio 01:16 pm January 30, 2020
This week in M&A. Imprivata, a tech company providing identity and authentication tools designed specifically for healthcare, has acquired GroundControl Solutions, inc., which is known for its automated enterprise mobile device management software. Imprivata anticipates that the purchase of this new tech will augment its platform with new capabilities for large and small healthcare...
By  MobiHealthNews 03:13 pm January 27, 2020
Healthcare data firm Innovaccer has signed a new agreement with Clinical Pathology Laboratories (part of Sonic Healthcare USA) that will allow physicians to view alerts on and place pending lab orders directly through their EHR. The arrangement will use Innovaccer’s InNote product for point-of-care physician engagement, and be deployed among Sonic Healthcare partner clinics within the Southeast...