This week in the HealthTechzone found several advances in medical technology, namely those that utilize cloud technology and telecommunication to provide better healthcare for all. New technology is developed every day in the field, and different companies are constantly seeing how they can adapt these products to better serve those in need. However there are still bumps along the way of integrating medical technology with a mobile Internet lifestyle (including video services), which means that there is still a long way to go.
One such hiccup arose after a case in which a doctor prescribed medication to a patient over a video client, which resulted in an accidental overdose of a controlled substance. The incident sparked a ruling by the Oklahoma medical board which determined that telemedicine technology must be HIPAA compliant. They also ruled most current video-communications to be non-compliant with HIPAA. This could make it very difficult to implement many products that are based off of video doctors appointments until a better solution is found.
In brighter news, online health record storage company MyMedicalRecords (MMR) was approved by the Superior Court in California to begin collecting $30 million from Surgery Center Management (SCM). MMR offers patients a deposit box where they can share their private medical information with authorized healthcare personnel. The fact that the Superior Court sided with them brings some legitimacy to telemedicine technology, with a big difference being that this service is used for the storage of medical information, and not the prescription of medication to patients.
Some say that telemedicine will be a perfect fit with the Affordable Care Act, citing a lack of doctors to support a growing number of patients. If doctors could use video clients to communicate with patients without leaving their offices, it will allow them to meet with a greater number of patients in a shorter period of time. Not having patients filling up hospital waiting rooms would also be a plus, since they would be able to meet from the comfort of home. Patients with mobile devices could even use the cameras built into their devices to communicate with doctors on the go.
Other groups feel like video doctor appointments are best suited for psychiatric services. For most other ailments, it is generally agreed that a doctor should see patients in person to give a full physical examination, but for psychologists and therapists simply having a discussion is all that they need. Ultimately, clearer lines will need to be drawn on how the Internet can and cannot be used for medical purposes.
