News From Around the Web
> The mHealth market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region was worth $7.9 billion during 2012, spurred on by government investment, according to new analysis from Frost & Sullivan. And of the $44.6 million generated by real-time telemedicine in APAC during 2012, the analyst firm finds that mHealth was the biggest revenue contributor. Sales from remote patient monitoring equipment, says Frost & Sullivan, reached $773.5 million in the same year. "Governments across APAC are and will continue to be the major architects of the telehealth industry in this region," said Natasha Gulati, a Frost & Sullivan healthcare Industry analyst. Article
> San Francisco-based DoctorBase, a mobile solution provider for medical practices, recently announced it has surpassed 10,000 doctors on its mHealth-as-a-Service platform (mHaaS), a 104 percent increase over the past year. DoctorBase's PANDA software provides medical practices with free and low-cost tools that allow clinicians to interact with patients through smartphones. Article
> Medweb and DocbookMD have unveiled Docbook Gateway, a mobile application designed to enable clinicians to communicate and share labs, images and reports via mobile device with other clinicians. While San Francisco-based Medweb supplies the platform, DocbookMD, headquartered in Austin, Tex. provides the HIPAA-compliant messaging application. DocbookMD has forged partnerships with medical associations in 33 states and developed a network of more than 200,000 doctors. The app uses cloud-based servers to store data and requires all users to sign a HIPAA business agreement before joining the network. Article
EMR News
> A coalition of consumer organizations has taken issue with GOP senators call for the Meaningful Use program to be "rebooted," recommending instead that the program be strengthened and perhaps even accelerated. In April, six senators issued a letter and accompanying white paper to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius outlining their concerns with the implementation of the HITECH Act. The senators invited stakeholders and others to comment. In response, the coalition--led by the Consumer Partnership for eHealth and the Campaign for Better Care--defended the Meaningful Use program, praising congress for creating a quick phased-in approach to health IT adoption. Article
Healthcare IT News
> An attempt to collect information on patients treated during the Boston bombings by the city's Public Health Commission--in an effort to prepare responses to future disasters--may be a HIPAA violation. Late last month, the commission sent a request to hospitals and clinics in Boston asking for information on bombing victims, including names and contact information. The commission was told by legal counsel that the request was in compliance with the privacy law. Several first-responder unions, however--in particular the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association--don't see it that way. The association sent letters to 40 hospitals and clinics threatening legal action if any information was sent. Article
And Finally… Ground control to Major Lizard. Article