Columbus, Oh. Over the past couple months I’ve been lucky enough to give the Apple Watch a trial run. I was especially excited for the Activity and HealthKit applications that have big potential in healthcare.
As a patient goes in for their wellness checkup, why can’t they supply the doctor with information from these devices that already monitor everything they do? It has to do with being able to trust the information on accuracy and, of course, HIPAA compliance. If you are readying this blog you probably know what HIPAA is, but just in case…
HIPAA—Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act—was enacted in 1996 and serves two primary functions. First, it helps patients switch insurance companies, facilitating the process of transferring medical information between healthcare providers. Second, it protects the privacy of that information by penalizing those who fail to treat test results, appointment schedules, and more health related items with the appropriate caution.
Apple took the first steps in making the information gathered by Apple’s HealthKit HIPAA compliant by addressing security by providing a central data hub for all of healthKit’s collected data and most-notably a secure messaging app that allows for users to be authenticated. This should ease some minds and create another way for physicians to communicate with other members of their practice and get valuable information from their patients. An early example of this was demoed at Apple’s fall event a company called AirStrip demoed the use of this HIPAA compliant interaction and showed how technology developed for the Apple Watch was enabling physicians to send secure messages to their care team about current patient vitals, appointments, and order tests. The company also demoed an app called Sense4Baby that, along with sensors attached to a pregnant woman’s body, could use her Apple Watch to transmit her and the unborn fetus’s heartbeats to her physician’s Apple Watch.
These types of advancements made in the technology and security of wearables makes it exciting to see how these devices are beginning to enable better patient care.
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
