Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Facebook Health Groups Promise Privacy, But Does Company Go Far Enough To Do That?
Stat: Facebook Announces New Steps In Effort To Bolster Privacy Of Health Data
Millions of Facebook users have joined groups to talk about health care issues ranging from rare disease diagnoses to chemotherapy side effects. Now, the technology giant is taking steps it hopes will encourage those conversations while affording users more privacy. ...The company announced Tuesday that it will create a new type of community: health support groups. Once groups are designated as health support communities, users will be able to easily ask the administrators to post questions on their behalf. (Thielking, 4/30)
Stat: 5 Names To Know: The Team Leading Microsoft Into Health Care
Microsoft is quickly expanding its footprint in medicine. The company has filed dozens of patents in recent years related to health care innovations. It is working in medical imaging, cloud storage, telehealth, and remote patient monitoring — and applying artificial intelligence to all of the above. Just in the past few months, the company has announced a national digital health partnership with Walgreens; a new health care bot to help screen and address patients’ health problems; and a cloud-based tool to spur data sharing between hospitals. (Ross, 5/1)
The New York Times: The Microbots Are On Their Way
Like Frankenstein, Marc Miskin’s robots initially lie motionless. Then their limbs jerk to life. But these robots are the size of a speck of dust. Thousands fit side-by-side on a single silicon wafer similar to those used for computer chips, and, like Frankenstein coming to life, they pull themselves free and start crawling. “We can take your favorite piece of silicon electronics, put legs on it and then build a million of them,” said Dr. Miskin, a professor of electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. “That's the vision.” (Chang, 4/30)
NPR: AI In Medicine: More Science And Less Art
When Kim Hilliard shows up at the clinic at the New Orleans University Medical Center, she's not there simply for an eye exam. The human touches she gets along the way help her navigate her complicated medical conditions. In addition to diabetes, the 56-year-old has high blood pressure. She has also had back surgery and has undergone bariatric surgery to help her control her weight. (Harris, 4/30)
KQED: Former Techies Find New Work As Technology Detox Activists
Phone addiction has become a full-on crisis, with detox camps and phone apps designed to disconnect us from around-the-clock technology. Former techies are jumping into the mix, too, crafting encore careers as technology activists urging Silicon Valley companies to make their products less addictive. (Schiffer, 4/29)
