Join us in San Francisco for Vital!

October 6, 2010, JW Marriott Union Square, San Francisco, CA

We hope to see you in San Francisco! Email Kristin Paulick at kpaulick@iirusa.com for details on how you can attend.

Healthcare is at the crossroads of a consumer revolution. As the patient moves to the center of healthcare delivery, innovative personal health technologies empower the consumer with a wealth of data and information. This new consumer is responding by changing their behaviors and taking ownership over their own health outcomes. VITAL brings together all the key stakeholders shaping this revolution to evaluate consumer preferences, and the impact consumer health technologies have on health outcomes and today’s empowered consumer.

In just one day, address your key issues and challenges with competing in this evolving new industry. From barriers to consumer adoption, to incentives for reimbursement to data integration and measuring clinical outcomes, we have assembled the leaders in this space to answer your most pressing questions…

Engage in group discussions and learn from real world examples from Best Buy, Meridian Health, Pfizer, The Center for Technology & Aging, BCBS FL, and more. To see the complete speaker line-up and exciting new agenda, visit our webpage.

Plus, hear how consumers are taking control of their health with a keynote presentation from Thomas Goetz, Executive Editor, WIRED Magazine and Author of “The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine”

Join us October 6 for a unique event experience that will position your company for success in this exciting new market place!

To continue the conversation, be sure to join our Consumer Health Technologies LinkedIn Group.

Latest mHealth Research Revealed at VITAL 2010

PricewaterhouseCoopers recently conducted a survey which concluded that three in ten Americans are willing to use their mobile phone to monitor and track their health. 40 percent stated that they would be willing to send their health data directly to their physician through a remote monitoring device. What’s more, they would be willing to pay for this device out of pocket.

To explore these findings further and understand how your organization fits into this emerging marketplace, join us at VITAL - The Consumer Digital Health Event next month.

VITAL, (Vision, Innovation, Technology, Adoption, Living) - The Consumer Digital Health Event, taking place Wednesday, October 6, 2010, is a one-day interactive think tank designed to bring together the key players in the consumer health technology market.

Throughout the day, participate in discussions on:
• Where are we now and where are we going: an in-depth review of the personal health technology landscape
• The tool kit to establish benchmarks for measuring clinical outcomes and changes in healthy behavior
• How to’s on setting incentives to overcome barriers to adoption for patients, members or employees
• Examining current reimbursement models and trends in self-pay
• Data integration: the quantified self and the physician EMR – are they fit to be tied?

For more on Vital, taking place October 6, 2010 in San Francisco, California, visit our webpage.

Phones giving many countries special health technologies

The BBC talks with Professor Ramesh Raskar of MIT about the potential that SmartPhones are bringing to developing countries. Many can't afford the high technology that is required to examine and diagnose many patients, but simple attachments to SmartPhones can provide means to do blood tests and vision tests among other things.

Conversion to digital health records slow

The Chattanooga Times Free Press recently discussed with doctors about the conversion to digital health records in their office. The Galen Medical Group of Tennessee is slowly switching to the process. A few factors contributing to the slow transition include modifying exam rooms to be equipped with electronic equipment and making sure records can sync with systems across the nation. One doctor also notes that he's also not of the tech generation, so getting use to a new system will take some time.

What are a few of the other factors you believe are holding up doctors offices from converting to electronic records?

Best Buy to share story of mhealth product launch at VITAL 2010

Vital – The Consumer Digital Health Event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the JW Marriot in San Francisco. This one day interactive think tank brings together key stakeholders shaping the revolution in personal digital health technologies including health plans, providers, employers, retailers and innovators. These stakeholders join forces to evaluate consumer preferences, the future of personal mobile health technologies and the impact these technologies will have on health outcomes.

As Best Buy rolls out digital health devices in more than half of their stores nationwide, you can join us next month to hear more about this groundbreaking step in retail with:
• Sandra Elliott, Director of Consumer Health Technology, Meridian Health
• Kurt Hulander, Senior Director, Health Platform, Best Buy

This one day think tank will also feature:
• Thomas Goetz, Executive Editor, Wired Magazine, Author, "The Decision Tree: Taking Control of Your Health in the New Era of Personalized Medicine"
• Mitchel S. Harris, Director, Health Industries Advisory, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Rick Cnossen, President and Chairman of the Board, Continua Health Alliance (invited)
• Monique Levy, Senior Director of Research, Manhattan Research
• Craig Lipset, Director, Health Technologies, Pfizer, Inc.
• Paul Puopolo, Director of Consumer Innovation, Humana
• Lynn Redington, DrPH, MBA, Senior Program Director, Center for Technology and Aging
• Kevin Riley, Vice President, Innovation and Consumer Health Solutions, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
• Harry Wang, Director, Health and Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates

Consumers heading to the doctor online

The Wall Street Journal looks at how individuals can turn some of their doctors visits online. From the beginning basics of paying bills on line, looking up lab results and scheduling appointments, patients can increasingly find online care to help themselves and save time for both them and their doctor. Some offices even have the ability to allow patients to the doctor to assess their state of health from home via email or a simple questionnaire.

Do you think more doctors will interact with patients if they can begin interacting online? A simple online assessment could encourage more individuals to check their symptoms online rather than sitting for hours in a waiting room waiting to be assessed by the doctor.

Electronic Health Records reality for Vets

According to an article at ModernHealthcare.com, the Veterans Affairs Office worked with the Medicaid & Medicare Programs at CMS, along with Health IT companies and other organizations, to develop an online portal where Vets will have access to their health records online. Beginning in October, this online portal will contain their medical records and could include self-entered health metrics such as blood pressure, weight and heart rate. The document can be downloaded with the click of a button and stored on most storage devices. An example of the report that Vets will have access to can be seen here.

The next phase in this project is to make sure the health records can be centralized in one place and determine how to authorize certain computers to have access to the information in order to protect the information.

Do you think other government organizations will follow in the Veterans Affairs Office steps? What could be the benefits of that?

Last Chance to Save on Registration for the VITAL Event

With the VITAL event only a month away, we want to make sure you book your hotel and event registration soon! VITAL, The Consumer Digital Health Event will unite health plans, retailers, employers, providers, and technology innovators under one roof to explore the sale and adoption of personal health technology to improve outcomes.

Early Bird Pricing – Ends Friday, 9/10!

The early bird discount ends Friday, September 10! This is your last chance to SAVE $200 off registration prices. Register today and make sure to mention your priority code CDHBlog.
*Note: This discount applies to providers, health plans retailers and employers only.

In just one day, walk away with:
• An in-depth review of the personal health technology landscape
• Analysis of how consumer are using technology to take control of their health and wellness with Keynote Presenter, Thomas Goetz, Executive Editor Wired Magazine and Author, The Decision Tree: "Taking Control of Your Health in The New Era of Personalized Medicine”
• The tool kit to establish benchmarks for measuring clinical outcomes and changes in behavior
• Incentives for reimbursement and current trends in self-pay

Participate in interactive discussions with Pfizer, Humana, Meridian Health, Manhattan Research, Parks Associates, Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida, The Center For Technology and Aging and PricewaterhouseCoopers

View the complete agenda and registration information at the Vital webpage.

Wifi scale enables "Public Humiliation Diets"

WiThings, a Paris-based company specializing an a wireless enabled weight scale, has reached a valuation of $3.8 million according to the New York Times. The scale, which began selling on Amazon last June, has a wifi transmitter to send daily weights to an online web interface, and also has the options of transmitting the users weight to an iPhone App and even Twitter. This enables users to track their weight over time. While many are still uncomfortable broadcasting private matters, WiThings is benefiting because the public has become more comfortable sharing private matters, such as weight, online. Users view it as a way to stay on track to healthier lifestyles, labeled by the New York Times as "Public Humiliation Diets".

MTV and Four Square team up for health

MTV and Four Square recently teamed up to unveil the GYT Badge. In an effort to continue their "GYT: Get Yourself Tested" campaign, they'll be giving badges to anyone who checks in at clinics to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. At CBS, Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV said "It only takes a few to get the ball rolling," and hopes that checking in to clinics for these types of checkups can become as normal as going to the dentist or physician.

Is M-Health going to reach its potential?

At Mobi Health News, Brian Dolan looks at the whether or not mobile health will be able to reach it's potential. While doctors and professionals have been discussing its potentials, have they failed to take advantage of the true potential and set standards to push mobile health to it's true potential. Dolan looks at three aspects that could affect the future of mobile health: premature hype, failing to manage the exceptions that are set for mobile health, and the inability to go beyond biases of m-health.

What do you think? Will Mobile Health reach its potential? Why or why not?