Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Struck By Steve Jobs' 'Excruciating' Wait, Apple CEO Aims At Organ Shortage With New Software
The Associated Press: Apple Urges Organ Donation Via New iPhone Software
Apple wants to encourage millions of iPhone owners to register as organ donors through a software update that will add an easy sign-up button to the health information app that comes installed on every smartphone the company makes. CEO Tim Cook says he hopes the new software, set for limited release this month, will help ease a critical and longstanding donor shortage. He said the problem hit home when his friend and former boss, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, endured an "excruciating" wait for a liver transplant in 2009. (Bailey, 7/5)
In other news, WBUR offers several stories from the health technology realm —
WBUR: Digital Doctors And Virtual Medicine
Log on, the doctor is in. Online that is. Telemedicine is here, promising transformative ways to deliver fast., convenient, and high-quality healthcare. That’s the claim. What’s the reality? (Clayson, 7/5)
WBUR: Should You Take Aspirin? A New App Helps Your Doctor Advise You
Heart disease and stroke are leading killers, and I worry a lot about how to prevent them in my primary care patients. ...One new solution is a decision tool called Aspirin Guide, released in June by Dr. Joann Manson and her colleague, Dr. Sammy Mora, both researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. They created the app, available for the iPhone, along with developer Jeff Ames. (Poorman, 7/5)
WBUR: Patients With Depression Test App That Tracks Their Mood, Activity
[Marcia] Chesterfield is one of 30 Brigham and Women's patients who've agreed to test the Cogito Companion app. ...Many doctors and therapists already feel overloaded with paperwork and recording keeping. [David] Ahern says the app and others may free clinicians to handle more patients who need therapy because they won't need to see a provider weekly or twice a month. (Bebinger, 7/1)
