Brian T. Horowitz

Financially motivated cyber-crime was a key part of 75 percent of the incidents in Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), released on April 23. Health care organizations are in danger of these types of breaches for copayment and credit card transactions, according to Suzanne Widup, senior analyst on the Verizon Risk Team and an […]

New York City health technology startup Kinsa Health has unveiled its Smart Thermometer and an iOS mobile app to allow users to connect personal health data with the community to monitor the spread of illnesses such as the flu and strep throat. The company launched the thermometer on April 17 on the crowd-funding site Indiegogo […]

NEW YORK—As health and fitness tracking devices hit the market that allow consumers to keep track of their personal health data, doctors need to find a way to integrate mobile devices and the data they provide into clinical care. A panel of health IT experts addressed this question at a session on mobile health at […]

Health care IT venture capital activity continued its robust growth, as the industry closed 104 funding deals in the first quarter of 2013, compared with 51 in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to an April 17 Mercom Capital Group report. Health technologies for consumers accounted for 59 of the VC deals, and 45 deals […]

The new WiFi standards 802.11ac and 802.11ad could drive a new wave of connectivity in hospitals, according to Jay Botelho, director of product management at WildPackets, a company that develops networking hardware and software. Due for ratification by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in December, 802.11ac will become the new WiFi standard, […]

iPhone App From AOptix Offers Biometrics for Health Care, Public Safety by Brian T. Horowitz AOptix Stratus MX Adds Ruggedization to the iPhone Attaching the clamshell-like AOptix Stratus MX sleeve makes the iPhone capable of 3-foot drops to concrete, and by conforming to the Ingress Protection (IP) – 54 standard, the iPhone with the AOptix […]

Mobile County, Ala., has found a way for emergency responders and public safety officers to bridge the communications of land mobile radio and cellular connectivity on an Android device. Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications’ BeOn Android application will allow public safety officers to communicate with a 700MHz Project 25 (P25) system over AT&T’s network. […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved use of the MyVisionTrack iPhone app from Vital Art and Science (VAS), an ophthalmic medical device company, to allow patients to monitor their vision in between visits to the doctor. MyVisionTrack was developed for elderly patients with serious retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic […]

The health care IT industry can save up to $450 billion if they use big data analytics and patients make the right choices about their care and lifestyles, a recent report by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. revealed. These savings could amount to 12 to 17 percent of the $2.6 trillion baseline in U.S. health-related […]

As telehealth continues to gain attention as an option for patient care, a startup called 1DocWay is helping hospitals connect with psychiatric patients remotely in rural areas. 1DocWay is part of an effort by Independence Blue Cross (IBC) to boost the health care IT industry in the Philadelphia area. IBC is a Blue Cross and […]

As vendors such as Adobe look to make Websites and documents like PDFs accessible for people with disabilities, the tech industry and disabled users await more clarity on accessibility laws. The Justice Department may update the 1990 American With Disabilities Act (ADA) to outline how state and local government Websites can make “services, programs or […]

Security services firm Kroll Advisory Solutions has launched a Web-based self-assessment tool for companies to assess their risk for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Announced April 4, the Business Associate HIPAA Self Risk Assessment (BA HSRA) will enable business associates, which are third parties such as IT providers hired by health […]