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Why healthcare industry leaders need to prioritize digital equity
Healthcare is facing a new frontier, as the industry has seen a boom in digital health tools and technologies on both the patient and provider side. An explosion of health dat has also been driving increasingly sophisticated predictive and prescriptive insights into individuals and populations. Unfortunately, this frontier has proven to be hostile to marginalized communities. There is a growing digital divide, where healthcare technology has actually posed challenges, instead of benefits.
Land O’Lakes details how agriculture is transforming digitally
The modern farmer operates in a business ecosystem that includes equipment manufacturers, chemical companies, food distributors, banks and insurance companies, employees, and government regulations. The success of a farming business, according to Land O'Lakes CTO Teddy Bekele, revolves around 40 “mega decisions” about what and when to plant, when and how to fertilize, feed, and harvest, and how to market and sell. These are all problems data and technology can help solve, Bekele said.
Netflix hand-delivers petition to FCC against Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger
Netflix has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission against the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger.
Delivered by hand, the Petition to Deny lays out the company’s position: “Unsurprisingly, given their dominance in the cable television marketplace, the proposed merger would give Applicants the ability to turn a consumer’s Internet experience into something that more closely resembles cable television.”
Could health apps save your life? That depends on the FDA
The next wave of biometric devices and apps might go further, measuring things like real-time blood pressure, blood glucose, and oxygen levels. The Food and Drug Administration’s final guidance focuses on a small subset of mobile apps that present a greater risk to patients if they do not work as intended.
FDA spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez wrote that her agency is mainly concerned with two types of app/device combinations:
- Apps that are used as an accessory to medical device already regulated by the FDA
- Apps that turn a regular smartphone or tablet into a medical device by using the device’s sensors, software or accessories for some diagnostic purpose