Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Ask PokemonGo Users To Master Their Monsters Elsewhere
The Kansas City Star: Pik-Achoo! Hospitals Ask Pokémon Go Fans To Play Elsewhere
As you hunt for Pokémon across the Kansas City area, don’t search in hospitals or health care centers. A spot check of area hospitals shows several have requested that players, or “trainers,” master their monsters elsewhere. Playing Pokémon Go, the smartphone app game that lets users hunt for the virtual creatures in the real world, poses a real risk to patients, visitors and employees, according to a memo sent to employees of University of Kansas Hospital. (Serven, 7/24)
The Washington Post: Tinkering With A Mission: Weekend Inventors Create Affordable Technology
John Gluck’s eyes glistened with joy and amazement when a set of wooden shelves in front of him lit up in bright blue. This is no ordinary shelf: It moves up and down and in and out so that the eight-year-old, who is in a wheelchair, can easily access its contents. The special system was conceived, designed and built at the TOM:DC Makeathon, a three-day marathon design event hosted in Reston by the Tel Aviv-based non-profit startup TOM. The ‘T-O’ part of TOM, which launched in 2013, comes from “Tikkun Olam”, which is Hebrew for fixing the world. The ‘M’ stands for makers: people who take a do-it-yourself approach to inventing, designing and tinkering. TOM takes the maker movement one step further by focusing specifically on assistive technology to address unmet challenges for people with disabilities. (Hui, 7/24)
Kaiser Health News: Surgeon Says Apps May Turn Organ Donation Support Into ‘Concrete Action’
Zhai Yun Tan, for Kaiser Health News, reports: "Users of Tinder, the popular online dating app, usually swipe right on their mobile screens to gain a potential match. Come September, the same action might allow them to save lives by registering to be an organ donor. The donor registration drive is the culmination of the partnership between Tinder and a nonprofit group called Organize, which aims to end the organ donor shortage. A similar campaign between Tinder and the National Health Service was carried out in Britain last year. Organize is also partnering with the comedy video website Funny or Die, Facebook, various universities and hospitals to launch apps and social media campaigns to boost registrations for organ donations." (Tan, 7/25)
Meanwhile, a look at how technological needs are driving up physician practice mergers —
Modern Healthcare: IT Needs Are Driving The Upswing In Doc Practice Mergers
The merger-and-acquisition spree that in recent years has swept away hundreds of once independent physician practices continued unabated in the second quarter.Driven by the need to upgrade computers to meet escalating federal demands to measure quality, Tyler-based East Texas Anesthesiology Associates in June joined forces with U.S. Anesthesia Partners, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based firm controlled by the private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. (Barkholz, 7/23)
