gWhiz, McGraw-Hill release Android versions of mobile medical apps; Text messaging solution targets smokeless tobacco users;

News From Around the Web

> Education company McGraw-Hill Professional and software developer gWhiz have released Android versions of their popular Lange mobile medical apps including Lange Medical Flash Cards and Lange Q&A. These apps offer users a lightweight, mobile alternative to textbooks for access to the Lange content. Previously available only for Apple devices, these Lange topics are now also available for the Android platform. Article

> Nashville-based Agile Health, a provider of mobile healthcare engagement solutions, has announced the release of a new version of its Kick Buts Smoking Cessation program to help employees and covered beneficiaries kick the smokeless tobacco habit. The new adaptation builds on the success of the company's STOMP Health Message Engine, which has powered two successful clinical trials in New Zealand and the UK leading the Cochrane Library to conclude that mobile smoking cessation programs are an effective means of support. While much attention is paid to the high rates of smoking in the United States, the American Cancer Society reports that over 8.2 million people in the U.S. use smokeless tobacco products. Article

> San Diego-based developer GreatCall has announced the launch of its Jitterbug Touch 2, the latest version of the company's simplified smartphone. The launch of the original Jitterbug Touch in 2012 allowed GreatCall to "understand what aging consumers wanted and needed in order to make the transition from a basic phone to a smartphone," states a company announcement. According to a 2013 AARP Media Sales and GreatCall study, more than 40 percent of respondents surveyed said that smartphones are too complicated to use. The Jitterbug Touch 2 will "help bridge this gap in the market, by offering all the features of a modern smartphone in a simplified format," says the company. Article

EMR News

> Sutter Health's nearly $1 billion electronic health record system crashed last week, leaving staff at its California hospitals and doctor's offices without access to patient records for a full day. The union previously reported more than 100 complaints to Sutter management about problems with the Epic system, including software errors, computer-generated delays and an inability to properly monitor patients. During a planned eight-hour upgrade, staff could read medication orders and patient histories, but could not enter new information. That had to be recorded on paper to be entered into the system later. A few days later, however, the whole system crashed and staff had no access to patient information at all. Article

Healthcare IT News

> Remote consultations with specialists were well-received among physicians and provided more timely access and improved communication to determine the best treatment, according to a study published at the journal Telemedicine and e-Health. The research, conducted in Ontario, Canada, involved a secure, regional web-based e-consultation service called Champlain BASE (Building Access to Specialists through e-consultation), which included a robust firewall and granular access controls. In all, 406 e-consultations in 16 specialty services took place, most commonly in dermatology, endocrinology, neurology, internal medicine, cardiology and hematology.In 89 percent of cases, specialists provided an answer without requesting further information. Article

And Finally… In-flight manners gone wrong. Article