California passed the most comprehensive privacy law in the U.S. on June 28, 2018, with a compliance date of January 1, 2020. For mobile health app developers, that date may seem far away, but the California law will require significant and challenging operational changes. It is unclear whether the law will apply to protected health information of mobile health app developers who are business associates under HIPAA. But for more consumer-focused apps that fall outside of HIPAA, the California law will certainly require significant changes, ranging from updating privacy policies to implementing a consumer right of erasure. The law will affect most businesses that do business in California and have information about California residents, even if the business is located outside of California.
Tag Archives: mobihealthnews
Mental health apps overdiagnose, steer toward self-help
While the use of mental health apps has been on the rise, researchers of a recent analysis published by the Annals of Family Medicine, which is broadly critical of these platforms, worry that these apps could lead to unnecessary diagnoses and misinformation about mental illness.
Senator and FCC commissioner propose telehealth pilot
Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr have teamed up to propose a new telemedicine initiative that aims to support people at home and prevent hospital readmission, specifically among low-income individuals. The pair are seeking $100 million for the new initiative, called the “Connected Care Pilot Program.”
Former Apple CEO John Sculley talks healthcare’s cultural stagnation, impact of Apple, Amazon
When it comes to the challenges of raising an up-and-coming young company into a major player in its industry, former Apple and Pepsi CEO John Sculley is no spring chicken. A serial entrepreneur and investor across numerous industries ranging from consumer technology to data management to telecommunications, Sculley has set his sights on the healthcare and currently serves as the chairman of hopeful PBM disruptor RxAdvance.
Who owns telemedicine delivery — payers or providers?
Just about everyone agrees in the basic vision for telemedicine: When a person gets sick, instead of jumping in the car to drive to a doctor’s office or urgent care center, they can pick up a phone or tablet instead, and get in touch right away with a doctor.
Kardian’s contactless monitoring system detects falls
The wireless system uses impulse radio ultra-wideband radar technology and can scan a room one million times per second. The system scans for slips and falls, including sliding falls, and also for when someone sits up quickly, which could alert hospital staff that a patient is about to get out of bed.
Bipartisan bill seeks to remove roadblocks to telemedicine under Medicare
A group of US Senators introduced a new version of a bipartisan bill today seeking Medicare-covered expansion of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services nationwide. The bill was previously introduced by the six-Senator group, which is headed by Brian Schatz (D-HI), in February.
MDLive faces class action suit over alleged data privacy breach
An Illinois-based law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against telemedicine company MDLive, alleging that the company takes screenshots of sensitive patient health information and sends them to TestFairy, an Israeli company that does quality control on apps, and that this is a violation of patient privacy. MDLive, for its part, denies that there’s anything improper about its procedures.
Garmin’s latest tracker takes aim at stress, “fitness age”
Wearables are at something of a crossroads right now. While companies might have previously differentiated new generations of wearables with new sensors and sleeker designs, now consumers are looking for something more: wearables that don’t just track their life, but help them improve it.
Senate telemedicine bill CHRONIC introduced to expand services to chronic conditions, at-home care
Federal standards for telemedicine reimbursement are becoming more of a reality. The newly reintroduced Senate Bill 870, called Creating High Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic Care Act of 2017 (also referred to as CHRONIC), aims to hone in on Medicare payment reform in order to expand telemedicine services for chronic disease management and at-home care coordination.