Apple Plans to Take a Bite Out of the Healthcare Market

This blog was originally published on Jon Belsher’s website here.

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When Steve Wozniak and the late Steve Jobs founded Apple in 1976, neither of them likely anticipated how influential the company would become in the development of the internet age and beyond. From their first typewriter-like computer, called the Apple I, to the game-changing Macintosh computer, the pair were at the tip of the spear of the emerging technology market in Silicon Valley. Over time, Apple released unique lines of innovative technologies including digital music players, pioneering smartphones, tablet computers and wearables.

Though Jobs passed away in 2011 from pancreatic cancer, his visionary and creative spirit still lives on at Apple. The company has continued as a leader in innovation and technology—not only in computing, but also in the ways we lead our lives as well. Apple’s most recent announcement highlights its vision to further disrupt the healthcare market with the release of iOS 11.3.

Apple broke into healthcare with the release of iOS 8 in the fall of 2014. “Health” was the first application of its kind to compile users’ health data from various applications into a single, centralized location for easy data tracking and software integration. Today, the application focuses on four key areas to encourage users to stay healthy.

In addition to providing users with advice in four core areas, “Health” also allows users to track their body measurements, heart rate, and test results.

Apple recently announced that one of the newest features of its Health application will allow users to maintain their medical records and associated information on their devices. According to the New York Times, the announcement is the latest indication of Apple’s focus on using its technology to give people more control over their health care.

This development will be in beta testing with roughly a dozen hospitals around the country, two of which include Johns Hopkins and Penn Medicine. Though patients whose providers are affiliated with these hospitals will have to opt-in to use the service, the tool will undoubtedly prove useful to patients who have an interest in becoming more invested and active in today’s age of patient empowerment.

When a patient uses the application, essential data, such as prescribed medications, will be able to be accessed 24/7. Other information that will be readily available includes allergies, chronic medical conditions, immunizations, lab results, procedures, and vital signs. Users will be notified directly on their phones as soon as new information about their health is available. There will likely be a consequential diminished need for patient portals because users will be able to access their information with just a few taps of their screen.

Pharma’s role is also evolving. The industry states that the number of patients who more readily recognize their conditions is increasing. Thanks to the power of the internet and new technology, patients are becoming more empowered every day. Apple is just one of the many companies that is looking to invest heavily in healthcare. As recently announced, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and J.P. Morgan are looking to disrupt the healthcare market as well.

What impact will these three companies potentially have on Apple’s strategy? Stay tuned for my next blog.

Healthcare Innovations Revealed at CES 2018

This blog was originally published on Jon Belsher’s website here.

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“We stand for innovators and the promise of technology,” says the homepage of the Consumer Technology Association.

A champion for global technological innovation, the CTA advocates for entrepreneurs, technologists, and innovators who shape the future of the consumer technology industry. Whether it’s in the automotive or healthcare sector, the CTA provides a forum that unites leaders to network and collaborate on technologies to propel our society forward.

Once a year, the CTA hosts the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show features an abundance of hands-on experiences, sneak peaks of new technologies, and announcements that have far-reaching impacts. Although the event has been held annually since 1967, it’s only recently drawn a lot of attention and hype—you can thank the 21st-century digital revolution for that! Today, brands that attend CES receive significant exposure for their products through media outlets such as TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Business Insider, and more.

As my interest in technology has grown—particularly as it relates to the healthcare landscape—my fascination with CTA and CES has increased. CES is the only venue where the entire digital health ecosystem comes together in one place. Although I missed this year’s event, I kept my eyes peeled on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google News feeds for groundbreaking updates in healthcare technology. Below are a few of my favorite highlights.

Curing Cancer… with Sound?

Bestselling writer, attorney, politician, and activist John Grisham spoke about the growing public interest in his recent ebook, “The Tumor.” The story describes how a new medical technology called focused ultrasound cures a father’s medical disorder with sound. Though the book is fictitious, the treatment is not.

Now, Grisham and his medical consultant for the book, Dr. Neal Kassell, founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and a former neurosurgeon, are working together to raise awareness about this new technology. Their goal is to lower the cost of the treatment to make it more accessible.

What is “The Invisible Doctor”?

Representatives from Google’s Verily, United Healthcare, Doctor on Demand, Samsung, and the Institute for the Future spoke at a panel about “The Invisible Doctor.” What does it mean? In today’s data-driven age, the intersection of tech and healthcare has made it easier than ever before for patients to get treatment—without actually seeing a doctor. An example of this is telehealth, where patients remotely connect with their healthcare provider without leaving their home. You can view the entirety of the panel, along with its transcript, on CNET’s website here.

Healthcare at Home

With today’s advancements in technology that allow many to work from anywhere, why can’t the same practice be applied to healthcare? With technologies such as TytoCare, you can have doctor’s appointments from anywhere as well. Owned by parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance, TytoCare’s TytoHome allows consumers to perform a basic medical exam at home, then connect with their physician through video on their own time.

News from this year’s CES is inspiring. I’m looking forward to seeing the impact these technological innovations make in 2018 and beyond.

Timing Is Everything: Why Some Technologies Fail (At Least Temporarily)

“What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?”

I was asked this question for an interview with Ideamensch, an online community of people with ideas that inspire action among others in their communities. My response was this:

“We started a telemedicine company about ten years ago. While the idea was right, the timing of the service was not. Timing is everything. I used the experience to continue honing my knowledge of the field, recognizing the inevitable impact at some later date.”

Although our telehealth venture did not succeed at the time, I took it in stride because plenty of other companies experience failures due to timing as well.

The Sega Dreamcast

Released in 1999, Sega’s Dreamcast was a video game console ahead of its time. As the first company to capitalize on the internet for gameplay, Sega’s Dreamcast was hyped to be one of the most innovative video game consoles of all time. However, the timing of the Dreamcast’s release was its ultimate downfall.

Although access to the internet for interactive online gameplay was a good idea in theory, the internet was still a new concept in the commercialized market. Therefore, the broadband connection required for the Dreamcast was not up to par and the quality of the gameplay suffered.

TwitterPeek

Released in 2008, the TwitterPeek handheld device was meant to do one thing and one thing only: check your Twitter feed. With Twitter’s launch in 2006, TwitterPeek would have been a successful gadget if it was released at the same time. However, the launch of Apple’s all-in-one iPhone the year prior made the device obsolete. Although the iPhone didn’t become popular until the 2010s, there was still a market for the TwitterPeek to sell — but it was too little too late.

Microsoft SPOT Watch

Before the Apple Watch came onto the tech scene, Microsoft had its shot at wearable technology with its SPOT watch.

When it first hit the market in 2004, Microsoft’s watch used FM waves to beam text messages, stock reports, weather forecasts, news and more directly to the watch. Since this was a time without Wi-Fi, this meant that users could only receive information. This one-way method of exchanging information also wasn’t compatible with any other device, so the watch functioned as a standalone piece of technology.

Considering cellular broadband networks were getting off the ground, few people wanted a watch that could only receive data through FM channels.

The lesson I have learned? My temporary setback didn’t stop me from pursuing my passion for disruption of the healthcare industry. Since then, I have helped create additional companies that are changing the healthcare landscape by making healthcare more affordable and easier to access. For more information about my healthcare business ventures, visit my website here.

This blog was originally posted on Jon Belsher’s website here.

Startups Are Making Waves in the Healthcare Industry

Pushing the envelope in the healthcare industry is one of my favorite topics to talk about; combined with today’s startup culture, there are many opportunities to creative positive change with technology. Lately, three healthcare startups have been in the news. They are making headlines because of their innovative ideas and outside-the-box thinking. As an innovative executive and visionary leader, I admire their work.

“Ascension partners with Silicon Valley startup accelerator” via St. Louis Business Journal

Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health care system, is partnering with Silicon Valley startup accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center. As a company that offers 12-week industry-specific training programs, Plug and Play will serve as a mentor to Ascension and will educate the company about new opportunities available in the healthcare realm. Plug and Play already worked with startup companies like Soundhound, PayPal, and Dropbox, so they are no strangers to companies and entrepreneurs who are looking to turn their potential into concrete success.

“Plug and Play Tech Center offers us a method of spotting innovation in healthcare and wellness to solve problems and meet evolving consumer needs,” said Jim Beckmann, COO of Ascension. “We know the future of healthcare lies in offering greater value and in empowering consumers, and teaming with Plug and Play gives us another tool in the toolbox to achieve that goal.”

To see other startups that are making waves in healthcare, visit Jon Belsher’s website here.

Tech Products That Will Revolutionize the Healthcare Realm

Healthcare has historically evolved at a slower pace as compared to some other industries. Technology, in contrast and as many of us have witnessed, has often evolved rapidly. When the two areas collide, as they are doing today, the healthcare industry will witness revolutionary changes. In the past few years alone, we have witnessed an abundance of technology making its way into healthcare. From robotic limbs to 3D printed skin, these disruptive advancements are changing the way healthcare is delivered and measured. With coming innovations, the healthcare industry will reach new, and heretofore unimaginable, heights that will potentially help millions of people in ways that weren’t realized previously.

Read Jon Belsher’s blog here to see just a small sample of technologies that are being developed in the healthcare sector today.

Telehealth: That’s One Less Trip to the Doctor’s Office

Virtual Reality is coming to be one of the twenty-first century’s newest fads. From swimming with whales to visiting the top of Mt. Everest, one can truly “do it all” in this new virtual environment.  Even if one cannot visit far off places using virtual reality, these experiences are still accessible through videos and even audio recordings. These modalities offer the ability to see and interact with something (far) beyond the immediate environment.

Over time, people have become busier and travel has become costly and time-consuming. As a result, technology has allowed people to video chat, phone conference, or email one another instead of physically visiting one another. In more recent times, the medical industry has taken note of these changes and developed something new as a result.

It’s called telehealth.

To read more about telehealth, visit Jon Belsher’s website here. 

Mayo Clinic Completes First 3-D Printed Face Transplant

Jon Belsher is a business health executive based in Austin, Texas. Jon completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona, and fellowship at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. During this time, Jon Belsher was awarded “Teacher of the Year” twice, as well as the prestigious “Chief Fellow.” He is known for his innovative and out-of-the-box thinking in the healthcare technology industry. This blog was originally posted on Jon Belsher’s website here. 

In 1984, Chuck Hull first invented 3-D printing. The invention heralded the arrival of countless innovations that had not yet been imagined. The industry first started booming several years ago and the technology was used mainly by manufacturers. Car parts, smartphone cases, fashion accessories, and medical equipment were the first products to be created by 3-D printers.

Today, the technology has achieved great potential in healthcare because of its customizable nature. Currently, the largest 3D-printed healthcare applications are prosthetics, dental implants and hearing aids. However, the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit medical research group, achieved a daring feat with this new technology — they completed the organization’s first 3-D printed face transplant on a patient, Andrew Sandness, of Newcastle, Wyoming.

A long-time sufferer of depression, Andrew landed in the hospital after a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in 2006. He lost his jaw and nose, and was left with only two teeth. The extent of his injuries left his face in a state of disrepair. First, he tried prosthetics and a series of unsuccessful surgeries. But it would take nearly six years for Andrew to learn about the Mayo Clinic’s work in the world of face transplants.

On June 16, 2016, Andrew had a donor with a match. Using a 3-D printed surgical guide and model, the medical team at The Mayo Clinic sprung into action for the first surgery of its kind. The process took 56 hours to complete. Preparation time required 24 hours to harvest the donor’s skin, tissue, bone, muscle, and nerves. The remaining 32 hours were spent transplanting the harvested tissue.

Andrew may have stumbled upon the procedure at the right moment; however, it took a total of 60 specialists and three and a half years of research to successfully implement the procedure. Doctors from multiple fields were enlisted to help: plastic and reconstructive surgeons, transplant medical specialists, neurologists, dermatologists, radiologists, infectious diseases specialists, speech and language pathologists, and even psychiatric and social work experts.

“I was just absolutely blown away by the results,” said Andrew in an interview with 3DPrint.com. “I just feel like a normal person walking around outside. Going to the shopping malls, nobody stares. I feel normal; feel like another face in the crowd. And now, with this transplant, I just feel more confident and more comfortable doing these things.”

You can watch videos of the incredible procedure below.