Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
This Company's Souped Up Hospital Bed Includes Sensors To Monitor Patients' Vitals
The Wall Street Journal: Hospital Beds Get Digital Upgrade
A major manufacturer of hospital beds is seeking to transform the ubiquitous furniture into a source of medical data, the latest sign of hospitals’ digital transformation. Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. HRC -3.12% said its newest hospital-bed model will include sensors to monitor patients’ heart and respiratory rates. The sensors will check a patient’s vital signs 100 times a minute and alert nurses when signs suggest the patient’s condition may worsen, said Hill-Rom Chief Executive John Groetelaars. (Evans, 12/9)
In other health IT news —
New Hampshire Union Leader: AI Can Predict Mental Health Issues From Your Instagram Posts. But Should It?
The program is currently running worldwide, looking for patterns in every Facebook user’s posts. It is perhaps the largest and most active example of a burgeoning new use of artificial intelligence, but several more advanced tools are in development. From companies using Twitter posts and Fitbit data to recognize suicidal inclination to a group of Dartmouth College researchers who developed a program to scan Instagram posts and identify users at a high risk of alcoholism, social media-trawling AIs are quickly becoming tools for detecting elusive behavioral health problems. (Feathers, 12/9)
New Hampshire Union Leader: 'Internet Of Things' Is Transforming Health Care, Geneia President Says
The Internet of Things is transforming the way patients are monitored by health care professionals from the convenience of their homes, the president of Geneia says. As the population continues to grow and age, there won’t be enough doctors to treat people with traditional face-to-face methods at all times, so remote monitoring programs will provide trained caregivers with the tools they need to make sure people still get the attention they deserve, said Heather Lavoie, who talked about her two grandmothers, Anita and Harriet. (Haas, 12/8)
