Google, Apple Move Deeper Into Health Data
Apple makes it easier to share medical data collected by its phone and watch; a unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet, hires a a physician data expert from Duke. In other industry news, doctors question why race factors in calculations for delivering kidney treatments, emergency room visits dropped during the pandemic and more Native Americans are applying to medical schools.
Stat:
Apple Announces New Feature To Share Health Data With Doctors
Apple is making it easier than ever for users to make the most of the mountains of health data already in the palm of their hands. At its annual technology showcase known as the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple revealed a new feature for users who have opted to share their medical records on their devices. Users can now choose the types of information they would like to share — such as an elevated cholesterol level or their physical activity history — and identify specific people to send it to, such as family members or clinicians. (Brodwin, 6/7)
Stat:
Onduo’s New Exec On Google’s Data Skills And Moving The Needle On Health
After leading the charge at Duke University to free health care data from its silos, physician-scientist Erich Huang is jumping to Onduo where, as its chief science and innovation officer, he’ll help generate that kind of health information. In his new role at the virtual care platform created by Verily, Alphabet’s life science division, Huang will focus on generating evidence through case studies and clinical trials, with the aim of learning what kinds of digital health interventions work for patients and why. (Brodwin, 6/7)
In other health care industry news —
KHN:
Kidney Experts Say It’s Time To Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing So Is Complicated.
Alphonso Harried recently came across a newspaper clipping about his grandfather receiving his 1,000th dialysis treatment. His grandfather later died — at a dialysis center — as did his uncle, both from kidney disease. “And that comes in my mind, on my weak days: ‘Are you going to pass away just like they did?’” said Harried, 46, who also has the disease. He doesn’t like to dwell on that. He has gigs to play as a musician, a ministry to run with his wife and kids to protect as a school security guard. (Bichell and Anthony, 6/8)
Axios:
Emergency Room Visits Of All Kinds Dropped Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic
Emergency room visits decreased drastically at the beginning of the pandemic, even among patients suffering from the most severe health conditions, according to a new study released yesterday in Health Affairs. The study suggests that patients avoided a wide range of care — including for some life-threatening conditions — and not just care that is easily delayed. (Owens, 6/8)
WUSF Public Media:
USF Studying How Health Ads Affect Hesitancy To Seek Care During Pandemic
Researchers with the University of South Florida are studying how effective health care advertisements are at convincing people to receive in-person services. They're inviting people who have been hesitant to seek routine or emergency care because of the COVID-19 pandemic to participate. The online survey involves a partnership between USF's College of Public Health and Zimmerman School of Advertising & Communications. It involves showing participants a series of ads and asking them to share how they feel after seeing them. (Colombini, 6/7)
WUSF Public Media:
More Native Americans Enrolling In Med School. A St. Pete Grad Plans To Join Them
James Fackrell, 17, knew he wanted to be a doctor from an early age. In part, because he required so much medical care himself. Also, because he saw that his Native American relatives needed better access to care. Now, the recent graduate of St. Petersburg’s Northeast High School is on his way to Brown University in Rhode Island, after gaining entry to the Ivy League school’s guaranteed medical school acceptance program. He’s part of a growing number of students from minority and indigenous backgrounds that are going to medical school. (Sheridan, 6/7)
The Oregonian:
Lake Oswego Biotech Executive Mark Ahn Sentenced In Insider Trading Case
Former Oregon biotech executive Mark Ahn faces six months in prison and an additional six months of home detention after pleading guilty to two counts of securities fraud. In 2017, Ahn had been working as a biotech consultant for a company in New York, advising it in its efforts to buy a Massachusetts firm called Dimension Therapeutics. Prosecutors say Ahn learned that Dimension would be acquired by a different company and bought Dimension stock based on insider information. (Rogoway, 6/7)
KHN:
With Roots In Civil Rights, Community Health Centers Push For Equity In The Pandemic
In the 1960s, health care across the Mississippi Delta was sparse and much of it was segregated. Some hospitals were dedicated to Black patients, but they often struggled to stay afloat. At the height of the civil rights movement, young Black doctors launched a movement of their own to address the care disparity. “Mississippi was third-world and was so bad and so separated,” said Dr. Robert Smith. “The community health center movement was the conduit for physicians all over this country who believed that all people have a right to health care.” (Chatlani, 6/8)
Also —
KQED:
UC Berkeley Launches NFT Auction Of Nobel Prize-Winning Cancer Research
UC Berkeley says it is the first academic institution in the world to use a non-fungible token (NFT) to auction off the science and correspondence behind a Nobel discovery. Bidding began at 12:03 p.m. today on “The Fourth Pillar,” which includes the scientific findings behind James P. Allison's invention of cancer immunotherapy. The first bid was for 12.00 ETH (Ether), or just over $31,000. The piece includes 10 pages of disclosure documents and related correspondence from 1995 detailing the invention of the cancer treatment developed by Allison, an immunologist who was then based at Berkeley. (Veltman, 6/7)
