News From Around the WEb
> Just 18 months after launching nationwide, Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action has reached more than half a million pregnant Bangladeshi women and their families with health information that is helping them care for themselves and their babies. Article
> A portable fingerprint scanner that wirelessly syncs with mobile phones and integrates with existing mHealth applications so health workers can link patients to their records anytime, anywhere, was among the winning business ideas in an entrepreneur competition at Cambridge University. Article
Healthcare IT News
> Other industries have been far more successful than healthcare in mashing together big datasets to learn more about their customers. The prospect raises myriad possibilities, according to a Viewpoint article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Article
> Evidence continues to mount that telemedicine is effective in reducing hospitalization rates and emergency department visits while also improving health outcomes for chronic disease patients, according to a review of research led by former American Telemedicine Association President Rashid Bashshur, the executive director of eHealth at the University of Michigan Health System. Article
Healthcare News
> As hospitals compete for patients, new technology and design features will overhaul the nature of patient-hospital interaction. Not only will new medications and surgical techniques reduce lengths of stay, methods such as vidchat conversations and smartphone photos will replace many patient visits, while personal data will play a bigger role in providers' decision-making. Article
Healthcare Insurance News
> Although the Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to cover certain preventive services--including health screenings, immunizations and contraceptive services--many insurers aren't interpreting the provision in the same way. Article
> Chronically ill patients, who are more likely to require necessary care, should pay less for health insurance, Aaron E. Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, argued in an op-ed in the New York Times. Article
And Finally... The Earth's own selfie. Article