Sunday, October 10, 2010
Apple Is In The Healthcare Business
This is slightly related to an earlier post about whether Apple should enter the healthcare space. Well, it seems it already has. This article discusses the latest version of the iPhone that has a feature called "FaceTime", which embeds live video with each phone call you place. This feature is particularly attractive to those in the healthcare field. Patients worrying about a visible symptom, wound, etc. can now call their physician and show him or her the issue for an immediate diagnosis. This certainly beats the anxiety that comes with having to wait for a scheduled appointment. The App Store is also a huge advantage for Apple in this market. As developers create more healthcare-related applications, Apple will continue build its momentum in this industry. The "telemedicine" field is growing extremely rapidly; the iPhone, iPad and other devices have vast potential for doctors, patients, hospitals and others involved in healthcare.
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Very interesting post, Andy. This idea of remote consulting for doctors can be a tremendous time and cost saver on both ends of healthcare (patient and provider), but I wonder what kind of legal and regulatory issues will follow. What other kinds of features and innovations are needed to support a more casual "at-home" telemedicine solution?
ReplyDeleteAT&T is also trying to help in the innovation process here as it is partnering with eCardiac Diagnostics (http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/att-teams-ecardio-diagnostics-mobile-cardiac-care)to provide mobile technology-based care for patients with heart conditions.
ReplyDeleteHowever, to Sherv's point, it will be interesting to see what regulations will emerge from this type of remote interaction.