Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Care Market Has Become 'Too Big, Too Important' For Tech Companies Not To Want A Piece
The New York Times: How Big Tech Is Going After Your Health Care
When Daniel Poston, a second-year medical student in Manhattan, opened the App Store on his iPhone a couple of weeks ago, he was astonished to see an app for a new heart study prominently featured. People often learn about new research studies through in-person conversations with their doctors. But not only did this study, run by Stanford University, use a smartphone to recruit consumers, it was financed by Apple. And it involved using an app on the Apple Watch to try to identify irregular heart rhythms. (Singer, 12/26)
The New York Times: Freed From The IPhone, The Apple Watch Finds A Medical Purpose
In the last months of Steve Jobs’s life, the Apple co-founder fought cancer while managing diabetes. Because he hated pricking his finger to draw blood, Mr. Jobs authorized an Apple research team to develop a noninvasive glucose reader with technology that could potentially be incorporated into a wristwatch, according to people familiar with the events, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of the company. (Wakabayashi, 12/26)
In other health technology news —
NPR: Home Health Visits May Help Keep People Out Of The ER
Telemedicine isn't just for rural areas without a lot of doctors anymore. In the last few years, urban areas all over the country have been exploring how they can connect to patients virtually to improve access to primary care and keep people from calling 911 for non-urgent problems. (Simmons-Duffin, 1/2)
Los Angeles Times: Want A Diet Plan? All This Start-Up Needs Is Your Money, Blood And DNA
When Liesl Bettencourt of Pleasanton, Calif., turned 50 recently, she decided it was time to get into shape. She signed up with Habit, an Oakland start-up that offers personalized nutrition recommendations, coaching and meals. And as soon as Habit sent her an initiation kit, she got nervous. The prospect of cutting out bread and cheese from her diet was hard enough, Bettencourt thought. Now she was being asked to use a lancet — a tiny needle that Habit sent her — to draw her own blood. (Lien, 1/2)
