Read original story on: Reuters
According to Reuters, 14 out of 23 top US hospitals have rolled out a pilot program of Apple’s HealthKit service. The trails generally aim to help doctors monitor patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension. As Apple takes an early lead in penetrating the healthcare industry with its well-developed ehealth ecosystem, its competitors are reportedly only just starting to reach out to hospitals and other medical partners.
Read the original story on: MobiHealthNews
New Jersey hospital Morristown Medical Center recently opened up an on-site eHealth store that focuses on health app and wearables. Dubbed HealtheConnect, the physical store aims to encourage patients, family members, and medical professionals learn about health apps and wearable devices. While the store is currently backed by the hospital’s foundation, the hospital claims that its longterm plan is to transition it into a standalone operation and revenue stream over next year.
Read original story on: Forbes
A recent survey by Practice Fusion, an e-health data company, revealed a huge gap between the “quantified self” movement, which is supported by the use of fitness trackers, and the health data that is being incorporated into the healthcare system. Only 15% out of the 353 doctors that responded to the survey said they had been asked about incorporating wearable-generated health data into their health records. Connecting individuals’ health data to the existing healthcare infrastructure will be the crucial next step for the ehealth industry.
Read original story on: CNET
After announcing their own beacon platform earlier this week, Samsung continued to launch shiny new products at its second annual developer conference this Wednesday. From digital health to smart home, and from virtual reality to wearables, every area that Samsung has been dabbling in resulted in a new development:
It’s clear that Samsung is doing all it can to support and motivate developers to build up an ecosystem that is rich and diverse so as to compete with Apple, but only time will tell if all these efforts pay off.
Read original story on: The Verge
Microsoft has just become the latest major tech giant to enter the E-Health and fitness market, unveiling new platform called Microsoft Health as well as a fitness wearable dubbed Microsoft Band. As with Apple and Google, Microsoft’s health and fitness device will be closely tied to its OS — in this case, Windows OS with Cortana integration. But with apps available for all major mobile platforms, it appears Microsoft is serious about building a fitness device that works with almost every device out there, which would certainly help with the general adoption rate.
Read original story on: Forbes
Microsoft is reportedly set to launch a wearable device soon. The gadget is a fitness-focused smart watch that will track vitals and work across different mobile platforms. It also purportedly boasts a battery life of more than two days of regular use. Reports claim that Microsoft will be pushing it out to retail within the next few weeks — just in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season. Whether an early launch ahead of the much-anticipated Apple Watch would help it conquer the market remains unclear.
Sinking its teeth deeper into eHealth, Google is now testing a new feature in its Google search results that prompts users searching for clinical symptoms to connect with a doctor via video-chat. Seeing a doctor on demand online isn’t exactly new, but given Google’s dominance in web search, it seems set to make eHealthcare a common practice and, judging by Google’s wording of the prompt, a potentially profitable one at that.
One of the more interesting segments of the Quantified Self ecosystem involves health tracking. As platforms like Apple’s Healthkit and Google Fit begin to outline the new marketplace, Quantified Health could become a vital part of the connected self’s daily routine, as well as a new media channel through which brands can communicate with consumers. Here is just a small sample of health-tracking products going far beyond activity tracking.
What is Quantified Health?
Quantified Health is the sector of the market of wearables, apps, and sensors that monitor the way a user’s body and lifestyle perform on a daily basis. This creates data that can provide feedback on activity, leading to a positive impact on the way a person lives.
Sensoria
Sensoria is a line of “smart garments” with sensors embedded in the fabric. Socks can track common activities—step counts, speed, distance—but also can understand gait and foot placement to accurately analyze walking or running patterns. Its shirts and sports bras can function as an extension to a heart rate monitor. All of the products sync with a mobile device via Bluetooth.
Bellabeat
Bellabeat is a suite of devices to intelligently track a pregnancy. The company offers a stylish wristband that tracks an expectant mother’s activity, stress, nutrition and sleep quality. Additionally, Bellabeat manufactures a non-ultrasound pregnancy monitor that can record and share a baby’s heartbeat, as well as send music to the baby in the womb. Rounding out the suite is a smart scale for both the mother and the baby.
Muse
There are a few meditation wearables on the market, but they usually come as part of a larger fitness package. Muse is the only meditation headband that we’ve come across — its sensors detect brainwaves, like a miniature EEG machine. The app provides goals for relaxation sessions, which are meant to reduce the intensity of brainwave patterns.
What opportunities does Quantified Health present to advertisers?
The advertising potential in Quantified Health products could open an entirely new channel to consumers. Apps can deliver branded content emphasizing fitness and health as users begin to integrate the technology into their lifestyle, and the surplus of data will present a more granular picture of demographics and user identities. Finally, the technology itself can be used to drive users toward purchase, with in-app marketplaces or deals.
The wearable fitness device company Fitbit has stated in a recent post on its community forum that it has ‘”no current plans” to support Apple’s HealthKit system. It’s an odd decision given that Fitbit Flex was prominently featured in Apple’s keynote that introduced HealthKit, and the reasons behind this choice might go beyond fear of user takeover by Apple’s shining new platform, as the company makes a profit from selling the tracker devices anyway.
The true reason of the opt-out could be about the health data that Fitbit currently hosts on its own platform. By denying support for HealthKit, the company appears to be aiming for a tighter control over the data its devices harness, despite potential detriments to the user’s experience. Still, considering the high demand for integration voiced on its forum, we won’t be surprised if Fitbit decides to join Apple’s party down the road.
According to Reuters, Facebook could be following Apple and Google into the eHealth field. The social networking giant reportedly plans to introduce support communities for people suffering from specific medical ailments and “preventative care” apps to help people generally improve their lifestyle. Given how much Facebook already knows about its users, it comes as no surprise that the company is looking to take advantage of all the voluntarily shared health-related info.
