WSJ: 5 High-Tech Gadgets for Patients
From virtual doctor visits to online diagnoses, information technology is rapidly changing the way patients interact with the health system. Here are some innovations that are catching on more broadly and could improve care in 2014:
Long distance monitors;
crowdsourcing ailments – CrowdMed.com;
Sharecare, an online health-and-wellness site whose founders include celebrity doctorMehmet Oz, recently launched AskMD, an app that collects information about symptoms, locates doctors, filters results by insurance, specialty and distance and directs users to the nearest emergency room if it looks like they need one.
Text a Nurse: MyChartBedside – tablets for patients to track their meds and records
Cost of care calculators: Insurers and health plans are offering cost estimates online and through mobile apps that calculate how much patients will have to pay out of pocket, how much a plan will pay, and available in-network reduced rates. UnitedHealthcare’s myHealthcare Cost Estimator, launched last year.
Chez Froggie 