Can Robots Harvest Tomatoes?
I discussed robots in Health Attitude, including my own 2014 experience with robotic surgery. Robots will play an increasingly important role in healthcare, especially in home healthcare. Robots are becoming commonplace in many industries. In Japan, agricultural tasks are a prime example. Birthrates are decreasing and the population is aging. There are not enough workers […]
When Have We Seen Enough Drug Ads on TV?
I have written articles for a number of publications about TV advertising of prescription drugs. TV news programs are unlikely to invite me in to talk about the subject since the pharmaceutical industry spends $5 billion per year on TV advertising. The latest article was published in Pharmaceutical Processing. You can read it here. My […]
Do We Need a Total-Body PET Scanner?
A research team at the University of California – Davis has received a $15.5 million grant to build the world’s first total-body positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. One could argue such scans will always find something and lead to unnecessary tests and procedures which drive up the cost of healthcare. The other side of the coin […]
40 New and Important Healthcare Apps
Venture capitalists are investing in healthcare startup companies at a fast pace. Becker’s Healthcare published a list of 40 apps they believe are important. Some of these probably will not succeed but reading the list offers a good glimpse of the future of healthcare. The apps fall in a number of categories including telehealth, prescription management, […]
Telehealth and Santa Claus
Salt Lake City-based Shriners Hospitals for Children is implementing a new telehealth system. To test it, the hospital invited visitors to participate. Instead of a physician being on the other end of a telehealth connection, it was Santa Claus. I am sure the children loved it. Shriners plans to deploy the telehealth system for orthopedics. […]