2012 Means More Mobile Marketing Money for Mobile Search
The brave new world of mobile marketing is set to explode in 2012. Mobile search budgets at the end of 2011 will have a seven to 10 percent increase over end of 2010 budgets. According to a recent report from th…
Snapily3D turns your iPhone or iPad into a 3D camera
The iPhone has a ton of built-in features, but one feature it doesn’t have is a 3D camera – until now. Snapily3D is an iPhone app that allows you to capture 3D pictures and video with the camera on your iPhone. The app is…
Heavy mobile users are highly engaged print consumers as well: InsightExpress
A new study from InsightExpress makes it clear that brands and retailers need to be incorporating some aspect of mobile into their print strategies. InsightExpress took a deep dive into how print media and mobile are pl…
The road ahead for health games
Health games have the difficult task ahead of them to be fun, yet taken seriously by physicians, according to a panel held at the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C. last week. The panel, “The Evolution of Gaming a…
Top 10 iPhone medical apps for 2011
As the end of 2011 approaches, online marketplaces are publishing the usual flurry of year-end lists compiled from the best 2011 had to offer. Apple is no exception. Its recently launched its annual “App Store Rewind 2011…
Europeans warm to pharma info
A Manhattan Research survey found that “nearly two in five online Europeans would like to be able to learn more about prescription drugs directly from a pharmaceutical company,” with Italians most keen on interacting …
Pharmas’ multicultural consumer efforts online fall flat
Out of 240 branded pharma websites, only about a fifth have any sort of African American imagery on their pages, and bilingual sections of pharma sites are often missing important elements like the “Questions to a…
Apple Capitalizes On Doctors’ iPad Romance
It’s well known that doctors love iPads. What’s less well known is that Apple has a strategy to capitalize on that romance with its technology. Apple’s medical market manager, Afshad Mistri, is the company’s “secret …
44M Mobile Health Apps Will Be Downloaded in 2012, Report Predicts
A new report by Juniper Research predicts that there will there will be 44 million downloads of health applications to mobile devices in 2012, MobiHealthNews reports.
The report predicts that the number of mobile health app downloads will reach 142 million by 2016…
Residents More Likely To Use Smartphones for Clinical Purposes
Medical residents are more likely than established doctors to use smartphones for clinical purposes, according to a survey by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Fierce Mobile Healthcare reports. The survey is based on more than 3,000…
Report: More Than Half of Physicians Are Using Smartphones for Work
More than half of physicians use a smartphone for work purposes, according to a study by IT trade group CompTIA, MobiHealthNews reports. For the study — titled, “Third Annual Healthcare IT Insights and Opportunities”…
Adverse events mentions rare in social media, says study
A study of 224 pharmaceutical brands across several social media sites found that less than 1% of posts mentioned adverse events. The study, by Bellevue, WA-based social media monitoring shop Visible Technologies, found that a mere .3% of the 257,000 posts mentioning…
Voice input for medical apps to trend?
Touchscreen devices will never catch up to the speed of typing on keyboards, but speech recognition technology can help such devices bridge that gap. That’s the mindset of Nuance’s Jonathon Dreyer, senior manager of mobile solutions marketing at the company’s healthcare division…
18 percent of 65-and-older group has smartphones
In the US, 63 percent of mobile phone subscribers in the 25-34 age demographic own smartphones, according to a new survey from Nielsen. Apple is the most popular hardware manufacturer, producing 23 percent of all…
YouTube goes under the knife, new homepage and social integration emerge
Falling into lockstep with Google’s quest to redesign everything, YouTube today officially unveiled a radical new look for its twenty billion strong video site. Now sporting a more somber look, the homepage is now dominated by a center feed hosting content, which is flanked on its left by a list of…
LG updates eye-tracking, glasses-free 3D displays, learns to love the hyphen
We hope you’re not too attached to that 20-inch DX2000 you got from LG back in July. (You did rush out and buy one, right?) ‘Cause the Korean manufacturer has just updated its line of eye-tracking, glasses-free 3D displays with the 25-inch DX2500! Just like its smaller sibling…
Coalition Asks FDA to Rework Mobile Health App Guidance
The mHealth Regulatory Coalition has submitted a letter urging FDA to develop a mobile health framework that promotes innovation and gets rid of unnecessary regulations, Becker’s Hospital Review reports. The letter comes in response to FDA’s recently released set of proposed…
Report: Consumers Showing Interest in Mobile Health Tools
Many consumers are interested in using mobile health technology, according to a report released Tuesday by the Consumer Electronics Association, Fierce Mobile healthcare reports. For the report— titled, “The New Role of Technology in Consumer Health and Wellness” — CEA surveyed…
Google to Marketers: Get Better at Mobile
Google, which recently shared some big numbers from its mobile advertising business, has some advice for marketers hoping to join in its success: make your mobile presence presentable, now. “Businesses need to be ready for mobile as soon as they can, particularly this holiday season…
No, QR Codes Aren’t Dead. They’re Just Used Badly
It’s a lot of fun to call things “dead,” and plenty of people are saying that about QR codes. But QR codes are very much alive as the stats below demonstrate. What really should die aren’t QR codes but the dumb ways agencies and brands try to use them….
Consumers More Accepting of Ads in Online Video
After years of resistance, consumers are coming around to the notion that advertising is a reasonable enough tradeoff for free online video content. According to a new report from the video monetization firm FreeWheel, the online video environment is increasingly…
Smartphones and Tablets Drive Nearly 5 Percent of Digital Traffic in EU5
Cross-platform digital media consumption on the rise five leading European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK), says ComScore. In August 2011, these devices drove 4.6 percent of total digital traffic in the EU5 fueled primarily by the use of smartphones…
A New Wave in Mobile Commerce and Content
Mobile content and mobile commerce have been industry buzzwords for several years with ongoing major developments ranging from the rise in global popularity of ringtones in 2003-04 (thanks to CrazyFrog) to the explosion in mobile applications in 2008-09 (thanks to Apple)…
HHS Announces Text4Health Task Force Recommendations and Global Partnership
Today, the U.S. department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new recommendations to support health text messaging and mobile health (mHealth) programs. The department has been actively exploring means to capitalize on the rapid proliferation of mobile phone…
Researchers Modify iPhone for High-Quality Medical Imaging
The Optical Society of America recently announced that University of California-Davis researchers have modified Apple’s iPhone and transformed it into a low-cost, high-quality medical imaging device for analyzing blood samples, United Press International reports. To develop the device, Kaiqin Chu — a postdoctoral optics researcher at UC-Davis — inserted a $40 ball lens into a hole…
Industry Leaders Reflect on How Steve Jobs Has Influenced Health Care
After Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday, leaders in the technology and health care industries offered their reflections about how Jobs influenced the health care sector, Healthcare IT News reports.
ONC Announces Contest for Mobile Applications Targeting Heart Health
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is seeking applicants for a contest to develop mobile applications that could benefit patients with heart conditions, Modern Healthcare reports. On Friday, ONC posted a notice in the Federal Register announcing the official launch of the contest, called the Million Hearts Challenge…
Project To Offer Mobile Tools to Health Workers in Underserved Areas
During the Health 2.0 conference on Monday, Massachusetts-based Physicians Interactive Holdings and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights announced the launch of Health eVillages, a program aimed at bringing mobile health tools to underserved areas of the world…
How To Build The Next Great Mobile Health App
Focus groups and smart designers aren’t enough. Developers need to dig deeper into the patient’s world and the clinician’s workflow. Creative passion and the need to fill a void aren’t enough in the development of mobile health applications. Developers must start with a penetrating analysis of the patient niche or clinician population they aim to serve. They need to get into the heads…
Friends and family top influencers, says study
Underscoring the importance of social media in public health, patients say friends and family are as responsible for their health as are medical professionals, according to Edelman’s 2011 Health Barometer study. Nearly half of respondents (43%) to the global survey said that their friends and family have the biggest impact on their lifestyle with regard to health after themselves—and 36% cited friends and family as top influencers…
No CME-pocalypse, data show
Doctors are still getting their CME, but mostly the non-commercially supported kind. Of the roughly 82,000 CME activities in 2010, most (80%) did not have commercial support, and these drew the most participants—about 80% of physician and non-physician participants, notes the Accreditation Council for CME (ACCME) in a just-released tally. The 20% that did receive such support attracted about 20% of participants.
Modified Android system keeps smartphone data from leaving specified physical locations
There are plenty of situations in which it’s convenient for people to be able to receive sensitive data on their smartphones – one example could be a nurse at a clinic, who needs a doctor’s office to email over a patient’s immunization records. The problem is, those confidential records will still be on her phone, when she leaves work with it at the end of the day.
For Advertising, Study Says More Screens Are Better
The conventional wisdom deems that many consumers may become confused or overwhelmed when ads are aimed at them on different screens in multiple media. However, according to new research from Nielsen, which was commissioned by Google, marketers…
Apps Rule Mobile World, but HTML5 Spreading
Apps are still handily winning the battle against the mobile Web, but the emergence of HTML5 promises to level the playing field. That’s the overall view of a group of mobile experts who convened at OMMA Global Tuesday to address the ongoing question of…
Isis mobile wallet network gets cooperation on standards
Many of world’s largest smartphone makers have agreed to make NFC smartphones that will work over the Isis mobile wallet network. Isis, a venture of AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, announced the agreement on Tuesday. Isis listed the carriers…
Mobile Barcodes Offer Key Customer Engagement
Mobile marketing is increasingly seen as the primary mechanism for marketers to engage and interact with consumers on a targeted, personal basis. Given the dependency that consumers have on their mobile devices, mobile marketing has opened up more…
Social engagement, patient dialogue among reasons pharmas kept Facebook pages after open wall policy
After Facebook’s decision on August 15 to enforce open walls on the social networking site’s pharma pages, companies were left with two options: to close down their pages altogether, or to allow the public to openly comment on their products…
Among doctors, Google outpaces professional search engines
Even among physicians, Dr. Google reigns supreme. Doubling the number of MDs using the consumer search engine (87%) for professional research online as the next most-used search options (WebMD and PubMed, each at 43%), data from a recent survey show…
Say so long to DDMAC as FDA’s OPDP levels up
The FDA gave its Office of Medical Policy a long-awaited organization chart upgrade, making it a “super office” and giving the department formerly known as the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communication, or DDMAC, a new acronym: OPDP…
Take Charge of Your Mobile App Strategy
What’s the killer app for smartphones? It’s a trick question- it’s apps, and lots of them. Forty-three percent of cell phone users have apps on their device, and most use them regularly, according to a May survey by the Pew Internet Project. Business technology…
GvHD Symposium Will Unite Nation’s Leading Blood Cancer and Bone Marrow Transplant Specialists in Cleveland
Nov. 4 Event Open to Both BMT Recipients and Healthcare Professionals
A national symposium on Graft vs. Host Disease (GvHD) will be held in Cleveland on Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, 24 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio. The conference will unite leading specialists in hematology, oncology, bone marrow transplantation and immunology from more than a dozen of the nation’s top cancer research centers and educational institutions to present information on cutting-edge research and treatments. Two tracks will be offered: a scientifically rigorous one for medical practitioners, and a patient track focusing on information for BMT recipients and their families. During the day, patients will also have an opportunity to interact with medical professionals to discuss issues, challenges, and successes of dealing with acute and chronic GvHD.
Admission is free of charge for cancer survivors and their caregivers, but advance registration is required. Registration for professional healthcare providers (includes CME credits), is $100 for physicians and pharmacists, $75 for nurses and other healthcare professionals and $25 for students. For more information, a list of participating institutions/topics and to register, visit www.gvhdsymposium.org.
MasterCard Shows the Future of Mobile Payments Is In Your Senses
The future of mobile payments has the potential to invade your senses. MasterCard is showing off what could be the next wave of innovation in payments this afternoon at an event in New York City. Imagine being able to wave at your TV and order a pizza. Or get…
Big 5 Euro Mobile Markets Hit $1 Billion By 2014
The European markets in mobile advertising, led by the UK, are expanding faster than previously projected and are estimated to reach $1.03 billion by 2014, according to research from mobileSQUARED. The big five represented by the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and…
Taking marketing campaign integration a step further with mobile commerce
Mobile commerce is expected to reach $31 bullion by the end of 2016 and grow at a rate of 40 percent each year for the next five years, according to a report published by Forrester Research. Although still in the very early stages of development, mobile commerce…
One in 10 mobile users redeem coupons
EMarketer estimates that nearly 20 million U.S. adults, or 9.5% of U.S. adult mobile phone users, will redeem a mobile coupon this year. EMarketer defines mobile coupons as coupons or codes received via SMS, applications and mobile Web browsers; quick-response…
Apple helps MDs cut thru medical apps clutter
Given the steadily rising popularity of the iPhone and iPad among US physicians it’s surprising this didn’t happen sooner: Apple just made it a little bit easier for healthcare professionals to find apps for their iPhones and iPads. This month the Cupertino-based…
Will Google, Motorola deal disrupt the OEM landscape?
While Google executives said this week that Android handset manufacturers will be treated equally even though the company is acquiring Motorola, the possibility remains that OEMs will take a closer look at other operating systems. Google entered into a definitive…
Five medical apps the FTC will likely remove
This week the Federal Trade Commission made an unprecedented move to remove two medical apps from the Apple AppStore and Android Market on grounds that they made unsubstantiated efficacy claims. The apps both offered “light therapy” to…
AT&T Names Doctor To Lead Healthcare Expansion
AT&T’s healthcare division has appointed Geeta Nayyar, MD, MBA, a practicing rheumatologist, as its first chief medical information officer as it continues to expand its presence in the healthcare industry. Nayyar had hands-on experience in implementing an…
Will Google, Motorola deal disrupt the OEM landscape?
While Google executives said this week that Android handset manufacturers will be treated equally even though the company is acquiring Motorola, the possibility remains that OEMs will take a closer look at other operating systems. Google entered into a definitive…
Google to pay $500 million in online pharma ad settlement
Google Inc. has agreed to a $500 million payout to the US government, following a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation which found that Canadian pharmacies were illegally selling prescription drugs to American consumers via ads distributed by the search…
Mobile augmented reality apps to reach 1.4B downloads by 2015: study
Mobile augmented reality apps are on a rapid rise, according to the latest report from Juniper Research, which reveals that the increased interest will lead to nearly 1.4 billion worldwide downloads by 2015. Mobile Marketer reported in February on Juniper’s research that global…
Study on diet apps in Journal of Participatory Medicine
A new research paper published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine, “Exploring Everyday Health Routines of a Low Socioeconomic Population through Multimedia Elicitations,” examines the ways mobile phones can influence healthy behavior in low socioeconomic…
Six Ways Retailers Are Using Mobile to Supplement the Store
More consumers are turning to tablets and smartphones to shop, but this back-to-school season major retailers are using mobile to drive traffic to stores, not necessarily to encourage online transactions. That’s not to say that brick-and-mortar retailers don’t allow for…
Blue Cross Blue Shield helps consumers make informed health decisions via mobile app
Following the successful launch of its mobile-optimized site, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida is looking to provide members and non-members an enhanced experience via a new mobile application. The healthcare company launched a mobile Web site last year…
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Mobile increasingly affecting health industry: panelists
Mobile is changing the way patients receive health care and will impact the way they are treated in the future, per executives at the 2011 Mobile Marketing Forum. The executives spoke at the “The Changing Face of Healthcare: How Everyday Consumers are Managing…
Mayo Clinic turns to social networking to recruit patients for SCAD study
Non-profit medical research organization Mayo Clinic took a new approach recently when recruiting participants for a study on spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) by utilizing social networks and social media. A team of the Clinic’s cardiologists, led by…
US moves to block AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile USA
The US government on Wednesday sued to block AT&T Inc’s $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA, citing concerns it will harm competition in the wireless market and lead to higher prices. The surprise move which has the biggest antitrust challenge yet by the Obama…
Drugmakers No Longer Able to Block Wall Posts on Facebook
Starting today, most pharmaceutical companies no longer will have the option to block public comments on their Facebook pages, marking a reversal by the social networking website, the Washington Post reports. The company will allow some drugmakers to block wall…
Health Insurers Tap Social Media Networks to Engage Consumers
Some health insurers are using social networking sites to engage consumers in discussions about their health Insurance & Technology reports. For example, Louisville-based Humana’s Lifesynch division recently launched a social network — called Humanaville — for its…
White Paper Describes Health Industry’s Need for New Mobile Devices
The health care industry should move away from antiquated computer platforms and support the use of mobile devices, according to a new white paper by research firm Frost and Sullivan, eWeek reports. The paper notes that existing smartphone applications…
Socket unveils Bluetooth barcode scanner accessory
Socket mobile announced this week the availability of its latest Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) Series 7, a barcode scanner with medical applications which has been Apple-certified as a “Made for iPad, iPhone, iPod” accessory. One product in the line…
Aetna launches mHealth alert service
Aetna released a new mobile service this week that allows doctors in Aetna’s Florida network to prescribe medication electronically via smartphone or tablet and receive care recommendations for their patients. The service is supported by…
Nine medical schools that support mobile learning
As smartphone and tablet usage by physicians continues to rise, medical schools are seeing the importance of incorporating the devices into their curriculum. Here’s a list of nine med schools that either require students to purchase mobile devices or equip…
Google-Motorola Deal: Apple Outsmarted On Patents?
When Google failed to outbid the Apple-led consortium of companies that acquired Nortel’s patent portfolio for $4.5 billion last month, it looked as if the search company had been played. But Google’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola Mobility reveals a player, one that isn’t…
Watchdog’s bark as FDA relaxes rules on conflicts of interest
An FDA move to relax conflict-of-interest rules governing advisory panels is meeting with heated opposition from watchdog groups and medical societies. FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg recently told Public Citizen that the agency may loosen a three-year-old…
FDA guidance exempts most pharma apps from scrutiny
FDA issued draft guidance on mobile medical apps, focusing narrowly on those programs that augment regulated medical devices or turn mobile devices into medical devices. The agency signaled that it will prioritize concern for the functionality of such device…
Questions Raised About Influence of Ads on No-Cost Drug Data Apps
Physicians and patient advocates are expressing concern about the prevalence of drug advertisements on no-cost mobile phone applications that offer data on prescription drugs, the New York Times reports. The no-cost apps, offered by Epocrates, allow physicians to search…
Survey shows who’s going online for health info
If you are a woman, between the ages of 25-44, non-Hispanic white, college educated, have an income at or above 300 percent of the federal poverty level and have private health insurance, you are more likely to use the Internet to search for health information…
Can ‘marketing’ sway a monkey’s choices?
A U.S. psychologist and a New York ad agency are creating a marketing campaign aimed at monkeys to investigate human susceptibility to marketing messages. Yale psychology Professor Laurie Santos says the experiment is an attempt to determine if that…
5th Sales and Marketing Excellence Congress
Leading events organizer Eyeforpharma provided further details of their biggest event in Latin America as over 28 of the biggest movers and shakers in pharmaceutical sales and marketing strategy join together to speak at the 5th Annual Sales and Marketing…
Mobile Health Elder Care Apps Get Funding
The Center for Technology and Aging (CTA) will invest a total of $477,150 in five organizations to demonstrate the best ways to implement mobile health (mHealth) technologies for older adults with chronic health conditions. The one-year grants are partially funded from…
Kardashian to be America’s Next Top Psoriasis Celebrity Spokeswoman?
Kim Kardashian revealed she has psoriasis on Sunday, when her diagnosis with the disease featured in an episode of her show, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” She joins an exclusive club of celebs with the autoimmune disorder, including golfer Phil Mickelson…
Research Report Finds the Mobile Channel Unites Marketing and IT Departments
Findings from the recently published Aberdeen Group research report “Opposites Attract: The Mobile Channel Unites Marketing and IT,” reveal how the rise of the mobile channel has made bedfellows out of two unlikely groups: marketing and IT. In the report, Aberdeen analysts…
Many Physicians Have Mobile Devices; Some Are ‘Super Mobile’ Users
About 83% of physicians own at least one mobile device and about one in four doctors are “super mobile” users who leverage both smartphones and tablet computers in their medical practices, according to a survey by online physician community QuantiaMD, Health Data Management reports…
RIM’s BlackBerry 7 Smartphones Will Likely Fail
RIM is in trouble. Everyone– RIM’s employees, RIM’s investors, the media– seems to know this except for Mike Lazairdis and Jim Balsillie. The two have, time and again, inferred that they know what they are doing, that they are in control, that the light is at the end of the tunnel. They’ve been…
Pharmas ask FDA for guidelines on off-label info
Seven large pharmas filed a citizen petition with FDA asking guidance on communication about off-label uses for products. The companies are looking to shed some light on a legal gray area that has long bedeviled them, and which has cost some of them hundreds of millions. At issue are…
Tweets Provide Insight Into Public Perceptions of Health Care Issues
Recent research about health trends discussed on Twitter is attracting the attention of public health experts, who believe the social media website could provide insight into public perceptions of health-related issues, NPR’s “Shots” reports. The study authors are slated to present…
What will Google+ mean for healthcare?
In continuing to roll out its Facebook-like social media-based offerings, internet search giant Google has launched a beta version of a new service called Google+, which strives to improve individual searches and allow users to connect on similar topics. Google+ currently offers…
Sermo launches physician consultation app
In March physician network Sermo announced it was working with Johnson & Johnson company Janssen Global Services to develop mobile apps for its 120,000 members. This week Sermo launched Sermo Mobile, an iPhone app that provides users access to Sermo discussions and enables…
Digital Pharma: iPhone and iPad app update
Mobile app trends: Launched in March, Novartis’ Kick Smoking in pharma’s first non-European language iPhone app. How many iPads has Boehringer Ingelheim ordered for its sales force in Turkey? Do Novartis’ investors want their annual reports in iPad app form? And does…
LG outs DX2000 glasses-free 3D display with webcam-based eye-tracking
Glasses-free 3D displays are getting larger with the LG Cinema 3D DX2000 20-inch computer display being the latest addition to the glasses-free 3D line of devices. The newest LG Cinema 3D display utilizes similar webcam-based eye-tracking technology as the latest glasses-free 3D…
Facebook to Launch Crowdsourced Ad Format Next Week
Facebook knows that its future lies in creating new and compelling ways for brands to advertise on its platform. That’s why in the past year it’s launched innovative new formats, like “Sponsored Stories” and “Ads with Friends.” But next week Facebook…
FDA weighs brief summary format redesign
The FDA is looking at shifting to a brief summary format more like that of the “Drug Facts” design used for OTC products, based on a study showing that it led to higher risk comprehension. The agency’s Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising…
Local mobile advertising to approach $1B in 2012 as marketers adapt to smartphones
The spend on local mobile advertising will approach $1 billion by the end of 2012 as campaign objectives evolve to meet location-targeting abilities of smartphones, per a study by BIA/Kelsey. The report projects that total U.S. mobile ad spending…
New Network Designed to Help Reporting of Adverse Drug Events
On Tuesday, PDR Network, electronic health record vendors and other partners launched RxEvent.org, an online network for health care providers and pharmacists to report adverse drug events, Healthcare IT News, reports. The network can be integrated…
Five common SMS marketing mistakes
Brands and marketers are increasingly incorporating SMS into their mobile initiatives to engage and communicate with consumers. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid. Industry experts agree that some type of SMS marketing is prevalent to reaching…
Report: Older adults can benefit from mobile health
Mobile healthcare technologies are particularly well suited for disease management, medication adherence, safety monitoring, health education and behavior modifications for wellness, especially among older populations, according to an organization…
In-app mobile ads grow 100pc in 90 days: InMobi
In-application advertisements grew 100 percent in 90 days, reaching 50 million people in the United States, according to a recent study by InMobi. The study also found increased use with Android devices, accounting for 35 percent of all mobile ads…
FDA Input On Medical e-Marketing Sought
As people increasingly turn to the Internet for medical advice, the Center for Digital Democracy has requested that the Food and Drug Administration work with the Federal Trade Commission on development of rules regarding digital media…
TIP Medical Communications Launches Conference Connector
LOS ANGELES, California- TIP Medical Communications (TIP) launched a mobile interactive scheduling application, the Conference Connector, last week at a national medical congress.
The Conference Connector centralizes information related to a particular congress and streamlines internal communications. The application offers fully customizable features including: personal agenda construction, data collection, location-based services, and real-time information dissemination via chat and RSS. The Conference Connector is the next generation tool for green conference communication, potentially saving an organization thousands of dollars in print fees and reducing consumer waste.
TIP currently offers the app on the Apple iOS platform and plans to expand into the BlackBerry and Android markets.
TIP Medical Communications is a medical marketing agency based in Los Angeles, delivering cutting-edge marketing solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. For more information and a demonstration, contact Ira Flood, Managing Director at (310) 471-1261.
Doc, patients ready for online tools
Physicians and patients alike are ready to move registration, prescription renewal, bill pay and other services online, according to a new study from Intuit Health. The Intuit Health Patient Engagement Study of 556 U.S. practices was conducted in April…
Social media insights from a digital strategist
Using social media as a physician isn’t about filling your office with new patients, as one expert will tell you, but is more about the “moral obligation” that physicians have to provide their patients with accurate health information…
Pharma digerati push for online guidelines
Frustrated by FDA inaction on guidance for digital marketing and social media, a host of industry players are banding together to form a nonprofit that can hammer out consensus on a way forward. The Digital Health Coalition is being convened by…
Researchers Tapping Social Media Tools to Find, Monitor Diseases
Social media sites — including Facebook, Google, Twitter, Foursquare and Wikipedia — are changing how epidemiologists discover and track the spread of disease, the New York Times reports. In the past, public health officials would investigate…
Should Mobile Health Apps Be Regulated by FDA?
With the growing popularity of tablets and smartphones– and the explosion of E-health record products for clinicians and patients– we’re seeing lots of useful, innovative mobile health tools hit the market. Will the threat of increased federal…
Obama: Health Tech, Broadband Key to Rural Development
An Obama administration effort to coordinate federal programs for rural America is counting on healthcare technology and broadband Internet to help improve access to care and support economic development for people in rural areas…
Opportunities Grow for High-Tech in Healthcare
If you’ve been following the US government’s efforts to modernize the nation’s healthcare information technology infrastructure, you might have noticed that current trends promise to create a flood of new opportunities for high-tech companies…
Facebook: pharmas must enable comments by August 15
Facebook sales reps told pharmas last week that they can no longer disable commenting on their pages. In the past companies could ask reps to disable commenting on their pages. No more. “Starting today, Facebook will no longer allow admins of new pharma pages to…
iPhone to dominate U.S. physician smartphone market
According to a recent survey of U.S. physicians, 61 percent intend to own an iPhone by the end of 2011. This is up from 39 percent at the beginning of the year and compares with the iPhone’s 24.7 percent adoption among general U.S. smartphone users. Aptilon Corporation…
Five steps docs can take to avoid ‘social media missteps’
While it is “critical that doctors, who have the best healthcare information to share, be part of the online healthcare conversation,” says social media advisor Glen Gilmore, “there are definite precautions that should be taken to lessen the risk of social media missteps.”…
Aetna launches SMS service for diabetes management
This week health plan Aetna announced the launch of a text-based (SMS) service for members with diabetes to help them better manage their condition. Those Aetna members who opt to participate in the program will receive educational texts, SMS reminders about screenings…
Docs in ‘less mature’ clinical content markets turn to social media
Physicians in the BRIC region — Russia and India in particular — are incorporating social networks and online communities into their professional resource mix. This trend is likely due in part to user-generated content from peers filling a gap in the availability of online clinical…
Pros and cons to a DTC ban, says CBO
How much of an impact would a two-year moratorium on consumer advertising of new drugs have on drug pricing and public health? Not much, and it could go both ways, say the Congressional Budget Office, which ran the numbers and gamed out the likely effects of such a measure…
Social media insights from a digital strategist
Using social media as a physician isn’t about filling your office with new patients, as one expert will tell you, but is more about the “moral obligation” that physicians have to provide their patients with accurate health information…
Mobility puts patients in control of health decisions
I was walking past a local Walgreens over the weekend, when the electronic sign in front of the store flashed a message about the drugstore chain’s iPad app. My friend asked me why anyone would need such an app. The answer, I said, was to order prescription refills, keep a log…
Ophthalmologists ahead of other docs in social media use
Eye doctors and the broader ophthalmology community seem to be embracing social media and Internet marketing tools to build their practice and attract new patients more than any other physician segment…
Smartphone app seeks “superspreaders” of flu
For those trying to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases, there may be no more powerful tool than a mobile phone to identify “superspreaders” of viruses. “There are more cell phones than people, and, in most urban areas, network coverage is close to 100 percent…
New ‘iPhone 4S” might come to Sprint, T-Mobile
Maybe the hotly anticipated iPhone 5 won’t be an iPhone 5 at all. But it might be available on more carriers. The emerging theory, based on reports from industry analysts, is that the next model of Apple…
Mobile mania: smartphone users dialing up health info; docs prefer Apple
Another day, another batch of survey data showing that smartphones have become the tail wagging the dog in medical media. A Kantar Media survey found that among those cell phone customers using their devices to go online, a quarter, or around 19.3 million…
Fujitsu slots mobile projector in new enterprise notebooks
Cameras, camcorders, and smartphones have had it, now laptops are getting the in-built projector treatment. Fujitsu is about to release two LIFEBOOK notebooks in Japan which feature a mobile projector where you might expect to find an optical drive- giving those…
Moms turn to Facebook for health information
Facebook is one of the two choices for moms who are looking to spread or find news about health information, according to a recent survey. The survey was conducted by Lucid Marketing and..
Top 5 tips for mobile device compliance
As more employees use their personal mobile devices at work, it is vital that healthcare organizations have a “policy to in place to keep their employees productive and their data safe”, says one expert…
7% of U.S. docs video chat with patients
Certain specialties, such as psychiatrists and oncologists, are more likely to be using video conferencing with patients, according to a new study from Manhattan Research. Taking the Pulse U.S. v11.0, a study of 2,041 U.S. practicing…
Physician mobile use grows 45 percent
Android devices may have a market-share edge among consumers, but among physicians and other healthcare providers, Apple’s iPhone and iPad still hold a commanding lead over all competing platforms, including Android, RIM and Palm, according to a new…
American College of Surgeons to launch social media site
The American College of Surgeons (ACS), the largest surgical association in the world, is launching an online community powered by Within3 to support thousands of surgeons in the United States who practice in sparsely populated areas…
Making social media simple for docs
Research has shown that patients are using social media to find health information, and even to make health decisions, which is why experts say doctors have an obligation to use this tool to make sure their patients are getting accurate information…
New app for the heart
GE Healthcare and Airstrip Technologies are offering a secure mobile app that provides clinicians with access to precise, near real-time cardiac information. Date from the GE Healthcare MUSE Cardiology Information System is now available…
E-prescription market headed to $204.6M
The U.S. e-prescription market is set to reach $204.6 million, according to a new report by market research firm Global Industry Analysis (GIA). The research report titled “E-Prescription Systems: A US & European Market Report” announced by…
Sensors market in medical applications poised for rapid growth
The sensors market in medical applications is posed to see rapid growth, driven by the constant demand for better and improved healthcare, sensors’ rising importance in almost all medical devices, further developments in sensor technology…
DDMAC social media guidelines include “dislike” button for bad ads
The FDA surprised the industry by rolling out detailed social media marketing guidance and a beefed up “Bad Ad” program that will use crowdsourcing to inform federal formulary access decisions. Just days after announcing it would miss a second deadline…
Online community values healthcare companies’ participation in social media
Despite the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) reluctance to release guidelines on healthcare companies’ use of social media, a recent survey measuring the sentiments of social media “power users” in the health care space revealed that the online…
Pharma shouldn’t look at mobile as an ‘add-on’
It’s no surprise that digital communications channels are an increasing investment and focus of the pharma sectors marketing strategies. As communications move online, there is likely to be a permanent shift in how we prioritize…
Social media sites help patients make healthcare decisions
One in five Americans use social media websites as a source of healthcare information, according to National Research Corp.’s Ticker survey, which bills itself as the largest most up-to-date poll on consumer healthcare opinions…
Lower cost draws healthcare to videoconferencing market
Reduced prices and improved quality are boosting the adoption of telemedicine videoconferencing systems, according to a new Frost & Sullivan report titled Visual Collaboration Applications in Healthcare. The practice of telemedicine…
Ready for your close-up? It’s a microscope for the iPhone
It’s all very well and good that iPhones can give you directions, let you surf the web, and do about a thousand other things, but what if you want to get a close look at something really tiny? Well, the phone can’t help you with that on its own…
Digital Future: Mobile on the mind
Approximately $1 of every $4 will be “repurposed” to digital as pharmas look to drive business more efficiently. The most likely recipients of the redeployment will be activities that closely mirror the value of a personal sales call. Online interactions…
Samsung announces world’s first mass produced transparent LCD panels
When it comes to display technologies nothing says cool like a transparent display. While we’ve seen a number of prototypes, such as TDK’s flexible OLED display, pop up at trade shows in the last couple years, Samsung has announced…
Socialution: The Evolution of Social Media
Don’t believe everything you hear about social media. Despite the impression given in the constant media coverage of the subject, not everybody is involved in it. There are still quite a few million to come in. And a few million after that…
Multi-touch gesture controlled microscope- the ‘iPad on steroids’
Researchers at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) have collaborated with Finnish company Multitouch Ltd to create a giant touch and gesture controlled microscope. The Multitouch microscope uses a combination of…
What’s behind Android’s race to No.1?
It’s no longer the era of the Black Berry–or the iPhone. According to a market research report released this week, Google’s Android operating system now is the most popular smartphone platform in the United States…
Americans want docs to be online
A new survey from Intuit Health, the developer of patient portal and communication technology, finds two major trends when it comes to AMericans and their healthcare: they’re worried about their medical bills…
Mobile augmented reality apps to reach 1.4B downloads by 2015: study
Mobile augmented reality apps are on a rapid rise, according to the latest report from Juniper Research, which reveals that the increased interest will lead to nearly 1.4 billion worldwide downloads by 2015…
The Coming Medical Tablet War
Last year, in MobiHealthNews’ first report on tablets in the healthcare space, iPad vs. the Tablets in Healthcare, we took a close look at Apple’s iPad, which had only just hit store shelves, but had…
Where are the medical device companies when it comes to interactive marketing?
Wellness is the trend of this decade and a part of this trend more and more patients are saying no to prescription drugs and looking at other treatment options including medical devices. The question though…
Google moves forward with NFC mobile payment tests while Apple backs down
Google will reportedly start testing its near-field communication (NFC) mobile payment service in New York and San Francisco stores within four months, sources tell Bloomberg. The service would allow…
The Messy, Fragmented World of Group Messaging Apps
If SXSW serves as a barometer of all trends hot in tech, then group messaging and texting apps are one of the hottest trends–even by Austin, Texas standards. These days, I can’t open my email without seeing yet another pitch…
Everyday Health moves aggressively into mobile apps
Everyday Health is going big on mobile, seeing an opening against its older and more established rival WebMD. The company has, in recent months, rolled out 23 apps for six verticals, including general health and wellness, pregnancy…
Dr. John Halamka endorses Apple iPad at iPad 2 launch event
The original iPad, which launched early last year, proved to be a hit with physicians- some 22 percent of US docs we using iPads at the end of 2010, according to Chilmark Research. This morning Apple launched the iPad 2, a thinner, lighter version of the popular…
McKesson Foundation awards $1.3M for mobile health studies
The McKesson Foundation has announced the six recipients of $1.3 million in research grants, disbursed as part of its Mobilizing for Health initiative, which aims to improve the health of underserved populations with chronic diseases through the use of smartphone…
Only a fraction of pharma ad budgets go to mobile, survey finds
Pharma manufacturers expressed a clear interest in launching new mobile initiatives in the coming months- if they haven’t launched them already- but nearly three-quarters of the companies surveyed said mobile budgets represent 5% or less of their total ad…
A physician’s prescription to effective professional digital marketing
In today’s digital marketing landscape, initiating and maintaining relationships with medical professionals requires healthcare agencies to “get into the heads” of this audience. In short, it requires agencies to intimately understand the factors and motivators…
Walgreens: 1M subscribe to prescription text alerts
After just four months of launching “Refill by Scan”, Walgreens have found that users of its smartphone application have embraced the feature which enables them to use the camera on their phone to scan the barcode printed on a prescription label to order a refill…
Microsoft opening Kinect to PC apps
Software developers will be able to tap into the Kinect gaming system thanks to an application builder that Microsoft plans to release this spring, the company announced Monday. With this new development kit, Microsoft plans to release this spring…
Shiny toys and happy people
If you’re an advertising agency and I’m on your home page, 100% of the time I’m there to do something other than watch a Flash intro. And should you ever find me waiting patiently for the flexing of creative muscle to run it’s animated course…
Digital Pharma: This is how pharma is using digital
Pharma’s use of digital tools, from mobile apps to online campaigns to social media channels, is increasing all the time despite continued uncertainty over the rules of engagement. A new section to InPharm’s Digital Pharma blog offers readers unique insight into…
Virtual reality tech projected to grow in healthcare sector
Once representing a niche market of specialty applications, virtual reality (VR) has been integrated into a broad portfolio of healthcare activities, including clinical IT systems, operating rooms, schools of medicine, and treatment programs for returning U.S…
Five ways health IT will reduce the cost of care
Health IT presents many opportunities to dramatically improve healthcare delivery in America, from changing the way healthcare is financed to enhancing efficiency. Jerry Buchanan, account director, healthcare technology and services at eMids Technologies…
Don’t wait for FDA guidelines on social media
The FDA’s responsibility is first and foremost to public health and the promotion of safe and effective products. That’s actually a massive undertaking for an agency that seems underpowered- especially technologically- as I’ve witnessed during numerous visits…
Innovative key fob brings NFC capabilities to all mobile phones
The latest wireless technology finding its way into mobile phones alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is near field communication, or NFC. It has taken a few years but the short-range wireless technology is gathering speed, with the number of NFC-enabled…
Mobile and future meaningful use requirements
Chilmark Research analyst Cora Sharma recently penned a thoughtful post on how mobiles might impact future meaningful use requirements- and vice versa, Sharma sees future opportunities for mobile in data capture, advanced clinical processes, data sharing…
Pharma investments in apps, Web rise 78 percent
According to a recent report from Ernst & Young, pharmaceutical companies led by Merck and Novartis have increased their investments in mobile phone apps and educational websites by 78 percent. The apps and sites generally aim to encourage patients to take…
LG unveils world’s first 3-D smartphone
What’s better than receiving a text message? How about a text in 3-D? That’s the potential of a smartphone from LG, which has a large 4.3-inch touchscreen capable of displaying three-dimensional images without the need for special glasses. A pair of cameras…
Scanlife Enables QR Code Reading on Any Camera Phone, Confirming QR’s Future
QR codes are popular elsewhere in the world, and catching on in the U.S., but one barrier to common use is the need for a special app on a smartphone to read them. Not a problem now, as even dumbphones can do the trick. The “Scan and Send” system…
Pharma marketers using iPad to their advantage
Companies worldwide see the iPad as the latest tool to connect with customers, and the healthcare industry is no exception. However, rather than as a consumer marketing tool or health application, some healthcare companies find the iPad’s biggest advantage is…
Google Searches for Mobile-App Experts
Google Inc. plans to hire dozens of software developers to create applications for smartphones and other mobile devices, people familiar with the matter said, a new strategy aimed partly at helping Google counter Apple Inc. in one of high tech’s hottest sectors…
Epilepsy website expands diary app to Android, eyes pharma sponsorship
Epilepsy website launched “My Epilepsy Diary” for Android mobile phone users, an extension of its Epilepsy Therapy Project Clinical Organizer suite of health tools for consumers. The non-profit group hopes to enlist new pharmaceutical sponsors, and advertisers…
LG to unveil world’s first 3D smartphone
The 3D bandwagon continues to gain momentum, if not followers, with the news LG plans to unveil the world’s first 3D smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2011 later this month in Barcelona. The LG Optimus 3D will pack a glasses-free LCD panel…
10 iPhone apps created by pharma companies
We mentioned a report last week from the Digital Pharma Blog that Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Merck had each removed apps from the Apple App Store in recent months. While many others covering this story attributed the move to a potential rethinking on the value of apps…
Your new smartphone is already a dinosaur
If you bought a smartphone within the past year, you might already have noticed that your once-cool superdevice is feeling outdated. There’s a reason for that: “Android’s Law.” Smartphones are continually outdueling one another in terms of performance…
Targeted marketing isn’t ‘unfair and deceptive’
In a recent move a consortium of organizations- the Public Interest Research Group, Center for Digital Democracy, World Privacy Forum, and Consumer Watchdog – filed a complaint with the FTC alleging that, “Health marketers are using digital data on consumers to…
Consumer holographic TV creeps closer to reality
Despite a relatively tepid consumer take-up, the buzz surrounding 3D television is still quite intense. But even the viewing improvements offered by stereoscopic technology may pale by comparison to the holographic goings-on at MIT. Researchers are taking the first steps towards…
Boomers to create an explosion of health data
The aging of tech-savvy baby boomers who want to retain control over their own lives will lead to greater adoption of wireless and mobile health products, helping to reposition healthcare around patients, a new report says. But advances…
Docs struggling financially, but new tech makes job easier
Despite evidence indicating that doctors are doing worse this year compared to last, job satisfaction has increased, with doctors citing new technology as a contributing factor, according to a new survey…
Digital health tech on display at electronics show
Technology companies showed off the latest innovations on the digital health care front at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) alongside the newest smartphones, touchscreen tablet computers and 3D television sets…
iPhone 4 to be available on Verizon Wireless
At a press conference this Tuesday, Apple and Verizon Wireless announces that the iPhone 4 will be available on the Verizon Wireless network beginning on Thursday, February 10. Qualified Verizon customers will have the chance…
Patient Channel, AHA launch heart disease awareness effort
The Patient Channel and the American Heart Association launched a yearlong in-hospital TV awareness campaign around cardiovascular disease. The campaign kicks off this month with online heart health programming and the distribution of…
The FDA Needs Strong Medicine
Christmas came a couple of weeks late to the business sectors regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The greatest threat to the success of America’s pharmaceutical and medical device companies, FDA Deputy Commissioner…
What’s In Store for Technology 2011
It has been a big year in personal technology, from the debut and early success of Apple’s iPad, to the rise and continuous improvement of Google’s Android smart phone platform, to the continued surge in social services led by Facebook…
CES: Tablets, connectivity, and in 3D
As promised, the big star of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was the tablet, but Internet connectivity and 3D everything were vying for the spotlight as well. Motorola plans to dethrone Apple’s iPad with its new Android-based Zoom tablet…
iPads Are Latest Weapons in Medical Sales
Medical sector companies are passing out thousands of iPad tablet computers to salespeople to spruce up their pitch to doctors, and at the same time giving Apple Inc. a crucial foot in the door to business customers…
mHealth apps forecast to increase threefold by 2012
More than 200 million mHealth applications are in use today, and that number is expected to increase threefold by 2012, according to a new report from Pyramid Research. The 44-page report, “Health Check: Key Players in Mobile Healthcare”, written by analyst…
Red Cross targets youth with social media effort
A holiday digital campaign dubbed “Why the heck should I give to the Red Cross?” is playing off of an Internet meme to raise awareness of the charity among younger people. The campaign, by Razorfish, is aimed at youth and “digital natives”…
Smartphones speed heart attack treatment
A program that uses smartphones to transmit ECGs from the ambulance to the cath lab at the University Hospital in Newark, N.J., is showing improvement in patient outcomes. The program, called STAT-MI, is made possible through…
Top 10 Mobile Health Stories of 2010
When it comes to popular MobiHealthNews stories in 2010, medical-related news about tablet devices dominated. Apps-related news continues to be a popular topic of discussion, but the tablet news overtook apps news overall in 2010…
iPad 2 rumor roundup
With Apple likely to maintain its usual one-year gap between updates to its popular product series we can expect to see iPad mark II sometime around April – if not before. As the original iPad was announced at a press event in January 2010…
Suggestions for Making Prescription-Drug Labels More Clear
A report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that 90 million Americans can’t fully understand and act upon health information. The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, which sets drug standards, today proposed changes to chip away at some of that confusion…
IBM’s annual list of five innovations set to change our lives in the next five years
IBM has announced its fifth annual Next Five in Five- a list of five technologies that the company believes “have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years.” While there are no flying cars or robot…
Wireless carriers join forces on mobile tap-to-pay – but will it fly?
Would you be willing to pay for a pair of jeans, a tank of gas, or a movie ticket simply by tapping your cell phone against a terminal? Three major US wireless carriers- Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile- are betting you’re willing to make this shift. They want your cell phone to become…
By 2014, $1.7 B market for mobile apps in healthcare market
The market opportunity for mobile apps in the healthcare enterprise is currently $100 million, according to a recent report from Chilmark Research. Because of the rapid evolution of mobile devices, physician demand, and the healthcare enterprise’s need to improve quality…
Mobile Marketing: An example of thinking outside the box
According to the Forrester 34 million U.S. consumers used mobile phones in the US to access the Internet in 2009 and Forrester expects that number to reach 106 million by 2014. When marketers think of mobile marketing they usually think apps or ads but there are some behaviors that are…
Future of mobile augmented reality
The concept of augmented reality (AR) is still very much in its infancy, but the opportunities it presents in the areas of mobile marketing, commerce and gaming is more than plentiful. How far have we come in bringing AR to fruition and what does the future hold for the concept? A new…
Verizon Launches Large Scale LTE Network
Verizon Wireless has launched the world’s first large-scale 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, reaching more than a third of all Americans, according to the company. Also, Verizon says that the 4G LTE Mobile Broadband network will be the fastest and most advanced 4G network in…
Consumer Electronics Show Gadget Preview
The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show is quickly approaching- in less than a month, we (and you, if you follow our CES 2011 coverage) get to see what the tech companies have in store. We’ve heard a lot of buzz about what they’ll show next year: 3D should get better and smarter…
The Magnificent Future of Mobile Phones
The modern day mobile phone, with its far-reaching coverage and millions of apps, is already an amazingly useful device. Yet innovators in the field of finance and health care want to give the cell phone a whole new set of jaw-dropping functions. The new technologies will pit payment …
Vermont health data sharing restrictions ruled unconstitutional
Pharmaceutical companies landed a big win in Vermont yesterday, after a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit rules that a Vermont law restricting the mining of drug prescription data violates the First Amendment. Three companies that mine information…
Healthcare sector among top adopters of iPad
The healthcare sector is among the top three industries seeing the heaviest adoption of the iPad for business use, according to data from Good Technology, a Redwood City-based provider of multi-platform enterprise mobility…
Mobile Broadcast Message Center can text all cell users in a given geo-location
With two thirds of the world population now carrying a mobile phone, we are in the position for the first time to enable a new form of broadcasting. Alcatel-Lucent has announced a new Broadcast Message Center (BMC) which enables targeted government text alerts to be sent…
500M to use mHealth apps by 2015
Projections for the mobile health industry show that by 2015 there will be 500 million people using mobile health applications on their smartphones, according to a new report by a Berlin-based market research company…
Docs poised to prescribe mobile health apps
Mobile health applications will be distributed predominantly through traditional healthcare channels by 2015 as opposed to app stores, according to a global survey by research2guidance. Today app stores are still the distribution channels of choice…
4G is a myth (and a confusing mess)
You’ve seen the 4G advertisements from T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, bragging about a much-better wireless network with blazing fast speeds. Here’s the secret the carriers don’t advertise: 4G is a myth. Like the unicorn, it hasn’t been spotted anywhere in…
Mail giant Valpak takes coupons mobile
Shared mail giant Valpak is making coupons and offers to consumers via mobile in yet another indication of the channel’s growing appeal for targeted marketing. The St.Petersburg, FL-based company claims it is focused on reaching people wherever…
Facebook Vet Launches Jumo, a Social Hub for Do-Gooders
At last check, Chris Hughes was spearheading Obama’s online campaign. Today he officially returns to the scrappy startup life with his new charity hub, funded in part with help from “some of the early Facebook guys.”…
Windows 7 gets the Minority Report treatment using Kinect
In the 2002 movie Minority Report, part of the “way out there” 2054 technology was a computer system that Tom Cruise navigated his way through via arm and hand gestures. That technology – minus the holograms – has now officially arrived 44 years ahead of schedule…
1 in 2 Americans Will Have a Smartphone by Christmas 2011
If you’re not ready to bid farewell to the feature phone just yet, you might want to start preparing your goodbyes. Nielsen today estimates that by the end of 2011, smartphones will overtake feature phones in the U.S. One in two Americans will…
New journal hopes to capitalize on growing specialty pharmacy niche
Pharmacy Times launched a new title, Specialty Pharmacy Times, which will focus on policy, regulatory and legal issues, as well as product reviews, reimbursement and new clinical trends in specialty pharmacy…
High-Tech Holograms: 3-D With No Glasses Required
This week, scientists in Arizona announced they’ve take another step toward bringing a sci-fi mainstay to life: the hologram movie. Unlike the Oscar-winning movie Avatar or animations from Pixar, a hologram movie would be truly three-dimensional…
First Guidelines by FDA likely to address space limitation issue
There is much speculation as to when the FDA will publish its first guidance for the drug industry regarding promotion via the Internet and social media. At several recent conferences, FDA officials have stated that they expect to issue some guidance before the end of the year…
Feds make smart phone health apps available
The Health Resources and Services Administration has made available for free a mobile version of its “Find a Health Center” application for iPhones through iTunes. The online version of the health center locator can be accessed at HRSA’s website…
Salesforce report: Pharma’s got a brand new bag
With the dust beginning to settle on a wave of massive patent expirations—and massive salesforce downsizings that came with them—a new commercial model is starting to come into focus. It’s one that reflects a shift in emphasis from primary…
Number of US doctors with ties to pharmaceutical industry falls: study
According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, fewer doctors in the US reported a relationship with the pharmaceutical industry in 2009 than five years earlier. The survey of 1891 primary care physicians found that 84 percent reported some…
Healthcare sector among top adopters of iPad
The healthcare industry is among the top three industries seeing the heaviest adoption of the iPad for business use, according to data from Good Technology, a Redwood City-based provider of multiplatform enterprise mobility. The data comes from…
Medical Imaging Featured in First Demo of BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet
Last month when BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion officially launched its long awaited tablet, PlayBook, we noted the multiple hattips that RIM gave the medical community during the launch. For example, on-stage at the launch event for PlayBook…
AMA to measure patient satisfaction electronically
The American Medical Association (AMA) and Press Ganey Associates are collaborating to provide physicians with a new web-based tool for measuring patient satisfaction. The intent is to boost care and lower costs, say AMA executives…
Docs are visited by 20 reps a week, survey says
Despite ongoing sales force reductions at many large pharmaceutical companies, physicians still get around 20 visits from sales reps each week, according to an SK&A survey. Of the physicians surveyed, half said they prefer or require an appointment to see a rep…
Todd Park Joins Opening Keynote Line-Up at 2010 mHealth Summit
Chief Technology Officer of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to open leading mobile technology and health conference alongside Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes for Health…
Everything Health Care IT Needs to Know About Deploying iPads
We recently outlined the ways that the iPad is transforming health care for both providers (doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals) and patients. There’s no doubt that the iPad (as well as other tablets coming to market in the next several months) is improving the way health care is provided…
Apple’s iPhone tops US smartphone shipments, but Android devices take 44%
Apple’s iPhone was the best-selling smartphone in the third quarter of 2010, taking 26.2% of the market, but the wide variety of handsets running Google’s Android represented a commanding 43.6 percent….
Flexible biocompatible LEDs could light the way for next gen biomedicine
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created bio-compatible LED arrays that can bend, stretch, and even be implanted under the skin. While this might cause some people to immediately think…
ViewSonic brings tablets to US, says Apple afraid of 7-inch
ViewSonic today planned out the US launches of its two tablets. The ViewPad 10 is both its most direct competitor to the iPad and also one of the more unique designs. It boots both Android 1.6 and Windows 7 and has netbook-like hardware including a 10-inch screen, a 1.66 GHz Atom…
BlackBerry PlayBook: A better tablet for healthcare?
It’s not called the BlackPad (as the rumor mill has affectionately called it for the past few months), but BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion has indeed unveiled a new tablet, called PlayBook. During the BlackBerry event…
Survey: 24% medical students to switch to Android
Medical reference software developer Epocrates released the results from its fifth annual “Future Physicians of America” survey, which polled 700 medical students about their technology habits, expectations and preferences…
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap
It is not often in such a tough jobs climate that people can write their own ‘meal tickets’ but this is fast becoming the case for those in pharma marketing. Marketing is experiencing an acute shortage of professionals and in particular, those practitioners…
Survey: Physicians and smartphones, Europe vs. USA
According to a recent online survey conducted by EPG Media, physicians in the United States are almost twice as likely to own a smartphone as European physicians. The EPG survey of more than 300 physicians found…
Three Healthy Habits Cut Breast Cancer Risk, Study Finds
Women who maintain certain “breast-healthy” habits can lower their risk of breast cancer, even if a close relative has had the disease, a new study finds. Engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight…
41% Want Mobile Healthcare: PricewaterhouseCoopers
An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but an increasing number of Americans want their mobile phones and remote devices to do so. That’s what the intelligence firm PricewaterhouseCoopers says in its report, Healthcare Unwired, released…
Online behavior varies by condition type and stage, study says
Consumers looking for diabetes information online respond to different tools and website functionality than, say, people looking for information on cancer or heart disease, a new study found…
Pitts To Examine FDA & Social Media At Marketing To Women Pharma & Healthcare Conf.
Former FDA Associate Commissioner for External Relations, Peter Pitts, currently President of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, and Partner/Director of Global Healthcare at Porter Novelli, will offer guidance regarding the FDA’s stance on social media at the second annual…
Incoming UCI Medical Students to Receive iPads Loaded with First-Year Curriculum
Traditionally, first-year medical students are awarded white coats to signify their entry into the medical community. But at an Aug. 6 ceremony, each member of the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s incoming class of 2014 will find a surprise tucked into the coat’s pocket: an iPad tablet computer pre-loaded with everything necessary for the first year of course work.
Advisory panel rebuffs FDA risk-mgmt. plan for pain meds
A combined advisory committee voted 25-10 against a risk-management plan put forward by the FDA to curb abuse of long-acting pain drugs. The agency usually follows the recommendations of its advisory panels.
FDA expands online consumer communications
The FDA has hired a broadband TV producer to head its online communications as the agency seeks to beef up its online content and launch a drug safety blog. “The goal is to develop more packages for the web and put things out there that will meet different people’s needs,” said Julie Zawisza, director of the office of communications at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, speaking at the ExL Pharma PR and communications summit this morning.
Mobile marketing is growing fast but where is pharma?
Nearly one-half of iPhone users, as well as 30% of iPod touch users, have made a health-related inquiry on their device, based on data from mobile ad network Greystripe. A majority of those who do use their device for health inquiries also have a health-related application installed.
Trends in Mobile Medicine: Smartphone Apps for Physicians
Healing is a matter of time,” Hippocrates once said, “but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” As smartphone technology rapidly evolves and puts knowledge literally into the hands of physicians, Hippocrates ‘opportunity’ could never be closer.
New Study Highlights Social Media Use Among Physicians, Nurses
A recent study conducted by Nicholson Kovac, Inc. reveals some surprising findings about new media, including social media, use among nurses and physicians. Most are using their mobile phones for texting, and other applications for both personal and professional reasons.
Physician Mobile: MDs are Mad About Mobile
First it was the beeper. Later, the personal data assistant (PDA) became doctors’ portable gadget of choice. Today nearly three-fourths of doctors have a smartphone. With connectivity and clinical utility, these devices are fast becoming medical mainstays, enabling real-time access to everything from drug look-up and directories to diagnosis protocols and digital alerts.