CardioTeach™ for iPad

Boston Scientific has released the CardioTeach™ app for iPad.

CardioTeach allows healthcare providers to educate from their iPad at the moment a patient has a question.

• Explain common coronary, rhythm, and peripheral conditions and the procedures used to treat them
• Mark-up anatomical illustrations with cardiac devices, such as pacemakers and lead wires; place notes anywhere on a page for emphasis or clarification
• Attach completed graphics to email for patients, caregivers, and clinicians

The Patient Experience

• Mobile Education: receive personalized cardiovascular education from anywhere, at any time
• Patient Satisfaction: make informed decisions about cardiovascular therapy options
• Patient Compliance: understand compliance and adherence requirements and living with cardiovascular treatment

Learn more about this iPad app here.

Does anyone in health care still use the OQO model 02?

I was one of those early adopters who got an OQO model 02. This tiny little computer runs Windows XP, Vista, or 7 and has the ability to function like a standard PC. OQO is no longer in business (however, it's possible that a company in China has taken over the development and distribution of the OQO).

OQO closed in 2009.

If they hadn't, they probably would not have lasted very long because the Apple iPad came out in 2010. Most people working in health care have found that the iPad is able to meet most of their computing needs. If not, they can use a remote desktop app (like LogMeIn Ignition) to access their PCs.

I still have an OQO model 02 and I often wonder if it will go into my personal computer museum (along with my Apple Newton MessagePad).

Happy birthday Windows XP! You're 10 years old!

If you're still using a PC running Windows XP, give that PC a birthday hug! It's 10 years old! (OK, the PC may not be 10 years old, but the operating system is). It's hard to imagine using any piece of computing equipment for 10 years. These days, computers are lucky if they last 3 years before getting replaced with an updated system.

Most of my computers are running Windows 7. I have one running Vista and a few that have dual-boot options so that I can run XP. However, none of my main machines are running XP at this point.

Computers running XP were sold in retail settings through 2010.

I bet your hospital still has many computers running Windows XP.

Explore the Technology Sessions at the mHealth Summit

Don't miss the 2011 mHealth Summit this December 5-7 in Washington DC.

This year's Technology tracks include sessions that will examine technologies in the market today as well as new technologies still under development. mHealth Technologies will address gaps in health delivery thereby improving health globally and at all income levels.

Track 1: Creating mHealth Technologies

• The Benefits of Low Power, Short Range Wireless Health
• Deployment of mHealth and System Infrastructure Implications
• Framing U.S. mHealth Development: How to Align Function, Business, Policy, and Regulation
• Short-term Strategies for Fragmentation: Overcoming Interoperability Challenges Today
• Encouraging Care Organizations and Payers to Become mHealth Test Beds

Read more »

Computing all day while attending Connected Health #CHS11

I'm at the Connected Health Symposium here in Boston. I see a lot of people with laptops and they're looking for seats next to power outlets. People using iPads can go all day on a single charge, but most laptops don't have that kind of computing battery power. I'm here with my HP EliteBook and I've got enough battery power to go all day, so I don't need to carry my AC power adapter.

I'm using the HP EliteBook along with the ultra-slim battery that attaches on the bottom of the laptop. This ultra-slim battery also helps to keep the laptop a bit cooler when it's sitting on your lap. Other laptops also come with expended batteries that attach as ultra-slim batteries on the bottom of the laptop. Some of the new ThinkPads by Lenovo come with this type of battery option. Plus, advances in computer processors are allowing laptops, netbooks, and ultrabooks to last longer on a single battery. Soon, we won't need external battery packs if you're not near a power outlet.

In the past, I used to carry an external battery pack so that I could keep my laptop powered. I've seen a few people here at the conference using these types of universal battery packs.

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HP TouchPad gets webOS 3.0.4 update

Do you have a HP TouchPad? Looks like HP released an update to webOS. Now, you can get a camera app for that built-in camera. Plus, you can pair your HP TouchPad with phones that don't run webOS.

If I had a HP TouchPad, I'd be tempted to port Android onto it. I don't have the time to do these types of things these days, but it seems like it would be a fun little project.

Mobile operating systems are evolving so quickly these days. It's going to be interesting to see what iOS or Android looks like in 2 or 3 years.

Motion Introduces the CL900 SlateMate

Motion Introduces the CL900 SlateMate for Seamless Mobile Productivity

An Industry-first Integrated Expansion Solution, the Motion CL900 SlateMate Helps Mobile Users Document Data and Process Transactions at the Point of Service

AUSTIN, TX – October 18, 2011 – Motion Computing®, a leading global provider of tablet PCs and supporting mobility solutions, today introduced the Motion® CL900 SlateMate™, a patent-pending and industry-first productivity tool that extends the functionality of the CL900 Tablet PC. Securely integrated into the tablet PC’s internal frame, the first CL900 SlateMate module includes a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) and barcode scanner (BCS) for mobile data acquisition and transaction processing. Built on the foundation that purpose-built integrated tools maximize the benefits of tablet PC deployments, SlateMate was designed to enable the future delivery of new integrated configurations that meet the needs of users across vertical markets.

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Box.net offering 50gb of free storage to iOS users

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

To rain on iCloud's parade, Box.net is offering, for the next 60 days, 50gb of free cloud storage to all iOS users (upgrades to current users). I downloaded and signed up today. It seems to be a very Dropbox-esque site, but lacks some of the desktop integration that Dropbox does. Surprisingly, the Mac app is free while the Windows desktop client is a premium service. However I did see a workaround to this that involves adding box.net as a network location here and it is very easy and it works.

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Tarascon Pharmacopoeia App Now for iPad

The Tarascon Pharmacopoeia® continues its tradition as the most popular and most trusted portable drug reference and is now available for iPad.

Tarascon Pharmacopoeia App Features:

• Convenient and quick portable access on your iPhone, iTouch and iPad
• Contains expanded drug coverage from the Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia® Deluxe Lab Coat Edition
• Continuous drug updates
• Fully integrated tool for multiple drug interaction checking
• 47 invaluable drug reference tables and 15 dynamic calculators
• Extensive pediatric drug dosing and more!

More information here.

Official Facebook app for the Apple iPad

I really like my iPad and I've been waiting for an official Facebook app for this mobile device. I'm surprised it's taken this long, but it's finally here!

Facebook for iPad
With high-res photos, games, chat and more, now you can get the best of Facebook—on your iPad.

- Enjoy bigger, better photos: Your photos are high-res and easy to flip through, like a real photo album
- Navigate anywhere, fast: Just tap, slide or pinch to move from one screen to another
- Play games on the go: Access your favorite Facebook apps and games, wherever you are
- Focus on what matters: Zoom in on your friends' photos, updates and stories
- Never lose your place: Share a photo, update your status or send a message without leaving News Feed
- See who's nearby: Check out the Nearby map to see what your friends are up to

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Learn about the role of virtual desktop solutions in health IT

Here is an upcoming complimentary webinar:

Delivering the Future of Healthcare: Maintain Compliance, Improve Efficiency and Continuity of Care...Virtually Anywhere

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011 I Time: 1 p.m. Eastern / 10 a.m. Pacific I Duration: 1 Hour

The role of IT is becoming increasingly pivotal in how healthcare organizations deliver products and services. Healthcare providers must not only achieve HIPAA compliance and meaningful use while still providing world class care and services, they must also wrestle with how to reinvent themselves in order to deliver on accountable care in the near future.

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Wireless Health 2011 Conference

The Wireless Health annual conference series convenes the vanguard international research communities in Wireless Health technology and medical research with the rapidly expanding Wireless Health product and service industry, government leadership and policy makers. This conference provides the highest profile academic and industrial research forum for the new field of Wireless Health.

Highlights of the 2011 Conference include:

Remarkably Strong Single Track Technical Program (Paper Presentations, Panels, Technical Demonstrations, Poster Presentations & Tutorials) & Comprehensive Paper Review Process

- All submitted papers evaluated by 5 reviewers & discussed in TPC meeting in San Diego
- 14 papers & 20 technical demonstrations accepted for presentation subject to shepherding

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