Telehealth

Mac McMillan, CEO of Austin, Texas-based IT security firm CynergisTek and chair of the HIMSS Privacy & Security Policy Task Force, has some strong opinions about privacy protections in healthcare nowadays. The short version? Things could be a lot better.

A new report from the UnitedHealth Group indicates rural Americans will face an increasing need for healthcare and more challenges in accessing it, and recommends telehealth and telemedicine technology as a possible solution.

Intel-GE Care Innovations, a collaboration formed last year to advance telehealth solutions for the home healthcare market, has launched Connect, a home-based medical device that serves as a communications platform and wellness portal for isolated seniors.

Two recent reports paint a rosy picture for the use of telemedicine in children's hospitals, both as a way of connecting specialists with patients and giving kids a link to their parents or other patients.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based online physician network has introduced a platform that enables physicians to seek medical advice in real-time, through their smartphones, and includes the ability to download a photograph.

As more clinicians begin using their personal mobile devices to aid patient care, hospitals must be prepared to manage them in order to ensure security and privacy, according to one expert.

A non-profit charged with managing Tennessee's telehealth network is shutting down amid an investigation that two former executives stole or misused more then $1 million in grant funding.

Twitter can be used to track important health trends, according to computer scientists at Johns Hopkins University.

Minnesota-based IT company helps health plans, employers connect with health clubs and manage employees' workout routines.

Websites are "the new storefront" these days, and medical practices should not be missing out on the opportunity, says one expert. However, he points out that they "are a constant evolution," and so it's important to "lay the right foundation."