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Recommended Reading highlights the week's best writing on technology and more.
Lawmakers want expanded telehealth coverage to last beyond the pandemic
A bipartisan group of 49 lawmakers led by Senator Brian Schatz says the current state of expanded access and coverage to telehealth services should be the norm going forward.
Former employees claim Talkspace mined therapy transcripts for marketing
Multiple former Talkspace employees claim the therapy app improperly uses the data of its users.
Telehealth got a huge boost from COVID-19. Now what?
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, venturing outside in New York felt like preparing for battle. “Cancer doesn’t stop for COVID,” said Dr. Mara Weinstein, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Weinstein told Engadget that she is still seeing patients every day in upstate New York.
US Senators propose giving $2 billion to healthcare facilities for broadband
At the start of April, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced the Healthcare Broadband Expansion During COVID-19 Act.The legislation seems to be moving forward now.
An iPhone and an ultrasound wand could help doctors monitor COVID-19 remotely
Welcome to a new way to monitor COVID-19. The beauty of Butterfly's approach to telemedicine is that you don't have to know a thing about ultrasound systems to use it.
Medicare expands US telehealth coverage in response to COVID-19
In an effort to keep seniors at home during the coronavirus outbreak, Medicare is expanding coverage for telehealth nationwide. Medicare patients can now connect with doctors and other providers through phone or video. This should allow millions of older adults to seek medical advice without potentially exposing themselves or others to the virus.
Walmart and Verizon may turn stores into 5G hubs
It might not be long before your 5G phone is helpful during your next shopping trip. Wall Street Journal sources say Walmart and Verizon (Engadget's parent company) are in talks to equip stores with 5G service, starting with a pair of stores this year. The faster wireless data would help Walmart launch digital health services that it only recently started exploring, such as video chats with doctors and real-time medical data. It could also share your medical data with the clinic to auto-register when you arrive at the store and tell staff to restock any products you pick up during your stay.
FCC gives remote health care a huge funding boost
Rural residents might soon have a better chance of seeing a doctor without venturing into the city. The FCC has raised the annual spending cap on the Rural Health Care Program by 43 percent to $571 million to tackle "funding shortages" driven by a spike in demand for remote medical services. To call this overdue would be an understatement -- the FCC noted that the previous cap ($400 million) had been established in 1997, when rural broadband was just a pipe dream. The boost reflects what that fund would be worth if it had accounted for inflation over the past 21 years.
Your therapist will text you now
The smartphone in our pockets has redefined how we interact with people, engage with the world and get ourselves around. A constant connection to the world may be making some of us miserable, however, with a recent South Korean study suggesting that more than 10 percent of internet-using teens are at risk for depression. This may explain the explosion in the number of services, like Talkspace, that enable people to seek help with a mental-health professional online.
NHS starts offering GP appointments via video call
You're often more likely to win a scratchcard jackpot than get a short-notice appointment at your local GP, so it's no surprise there are now a number of services offering nigh immediate, private consultations via smartphone video chat. Babylon Health is one such service that's just become available on the NHS, meaning eligible patients can book a free video consultation and chat to a GP within two hours, and sometimes much sooner. GPs can make referrals, send prescriptions to a nearby pharmacy, and users can rewatch consultations and review the doctor's notes at any time within the app.
One consultation was enough to sell me on online doctors
This time last week, I was writhing in pain. I had a minor surgery a while back that left me susceptible to infections. This doesn't happen very often -- four times over the past decade -- but when it does, it's not fun. One side of my face swells grotesquely, brimming with pus deep within. Positioned equidistant between my mouth and temple, this swelling brings on major headaches and makes eating painful. I get a black eye, and, if left unchecked, that eye gets forced shut. Without going into more detail, it's very unpleasant.
On-demand veterinary service gives advice on poorly pets
Getting a last-minute appointment at your local GP surgery can be nigh-on impossible. It's no surprise, then, that online services like Babylon Health and Dr Now have sprung up to meet the demand for instant consultations. But pets get poorly too, which is why PawSquad wants to make speaking to a veterinarian just as convenient. Launched today, PawSquad is said to be the "UK's first national vet video consultation service" that puts on-demand advice just a few clicks away. After filling in a few details about what appears to be wrong with your furry, scaly or feathered friend, PawSquad will match you with a suitable, fully qualified vet. A 15-minute consultation will set you back £15, and though you can only access the service through your browser at the moment, Android and iOS apps will be available in the near future.
iRobot, InTouch Health unveil RP-VITA telepresence robot, let doctors phone in bedside manner
In case you missed the memo, there's quite a bit more to iRobot than adorable autonomous vacuums -- these days the firm works on military projects, consumer electronics and tablet-controlled telepresence robots. Earlier this year, iRobot even retooled itself to build an emerging technologies group, announcing a partnership with InTouch Health to put its AVA telepresence technology to better use. Today the two companies are announcing the fruits of their labor -- the Remote Presence Virtual + Independent Telemedicine Assistant, or RP-VITA. The project aims to combine the best of iRobot's AVA telepresence units with InTouch health's own bots, creating an easy to use system that allows physicians to care for patients remotely without stumbling over complicated technology. The RP-VITA features state-of-the-art mapping and obstacle detection and avoidance technology, a simple iPad user interface for control and interaction and the ability to interface with diagnostic devices and access electronic medical records. The remote rig will eventually be able to navigate to specified target destinations autonomously, though this feature is still being reviewed by the FDA for clearance. iRobot and InTouch are optimistic about the unit, but claim that the RP-VITA is only the beginning. "While this represents our first foray into the healthcare market, the RP-VITA represents a robust platform," said Colin Angle, Chairman and CEO of iRobot, "we see many future opportunities in adjacent markets." The new telemedicine assistant is slated to make its first appearance at InTouch Health's 7th Annual Clinic Innovations Forum later this week. Check out the press release after the break for the full details.
SHL's CardioSen'C transmits ECG results to your physician
There's a growing number of devices that not only monitor one's health, but can also transmit pertinent information back to remote caregivers, but SHL Telemedicine's latest gizmo takes things a step further by beaming your ECG results directly to your physician's mobile phone. The oddly-named CardioSen'C is a portable heart-monitoring system that gathers information from twelve electrodes strapped to one's chest and upper body, and once activated, transmits the results of the electrocardiograph instantly to a user-selected handset. Unlike similar systems already available in the US, SHL's iteration will be aimed at the Israel / European markets initially, and while we aren't exactly sure how much coinage such an advanced machine will cost to wear, you should probably make sure your insurance covers spontaneous service calls before you start lighting your doc's handset up with ECG results.[Via Israel21c]
Virgin installing telemedicine systems in every plane
Air travel is about to get just a little bit safer -- though not in the anti-terrorist, heavy-handed security type of way -- thanks to Virgin Atlantic's impending fleet-wide rollout of a device that allows ground-based doctors to remotely diagnose passengers in medical distress. The airline has just announced a deal with Remote Diagnostic Technologies that will result in each of Virgin's planes being outfitted with the Tempus telemedicine system, which contains blood pressure and pulse monitors along with an integrated video cam, and transmits data down to medical personnel via the on-board telephone system. Flight crews will be trained to independently operate each of Tempus' individual instruments, but unlike the in-flight defibrillators that preceded this system, attendants will have the added benefit of live instructions from experts on the ground, if necessary. Virgin will employ the Tempus boxes until at least 2009, and claims that it would like to eventually see an industry-wide implementation, which RDT probably wouldn't mind too much either.[Via MedGadget]