wanderso

Virtually all Elecrronic medical record (EMR) companies already offer an app for  iOS and Android to get details from your medical record, submit a secure message to your doctor, etc. Epic Systems for example calls theirs MyChart. (Some health systems rebrand it under their own name).  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mychart/id382952264?mt=8

These provide limited information (lab test results, upcoming appointments, secure messaging, pre-check in questionnaires, some recent patient visit detail, medication list, most recent bill, etc. ) They are missing a lot of data that your doctor has in your medical records: encounter notes, patient problem list, diagnosis detail, orders, etc.  Typically they also don’t include your medical images (X-rays, CT scans, radiology results, etc.)

Where Apple can help is in the area of ease-of-use and better device integration such as to an Apple Watch, glucose monitor, blood pressure, clinical trial / research integration, etc.  

FHIR (pronounced “fire”) shows some promise to ease the integration, but it also is only as good as how open the EMR has been built to expose the given recordset to be used as well as how the medical provider has implemented Epic for example to use their standard setup vs customizations.  Also, many EMR vendors limit their APIs using FHIR to be read only.  This has some limitations for patient reported health outcomes for example.   More on FHIR, here. http://www.hl7.org/FHIR/index.html. 

I tnink that, for Apple to truly innovate and dominate in the health space, they will need to consider enabling this same health app to be offered on more than iOS. iTunes and the iPod really took off when it extended to Windows. The challenge with doing so is that medical records are the most sensitive data out there and carry significant regulatory requirements to protect this data (PHI / protected health information).  It must be encrypted in transmission and at rest on any device.   

Without being cross platform, Healthcare providers will be hesitant to invest IT time in an “Apple only” solution. Remember: FHIR also requires IT department work to be done at each medical organization that you frequent.  Device integration, such as your Apple Watch tracking of steps, ECG afib events, heart rate, etc. also requires IT department work to enable. 

fh-ace said:

christopher126 said:

Thanks guys for the rundown! Really appreciate it.

I agree w/ your assessment the three biggest annoyances w/ my current TV/AppleTV setup is the multiple remotes needed and having to use the TV remote only to switch the TV on and off.

The need to have a sound bar (w/ another remote) b/c the speakers on the TV are so 'tinny' sounding. I don't mind having a sound bar, in of itself. I realize the sound quality of very thin speakers inside a very thin TV is problematic. I just wish the speaker would come on automatically.

I guess I would just like everything to work from my AppleTV remote!

Best.

P.S. I was hoping I could wait for Apple to solve all this with the next release of the AppleTV. But it looks as though their solution is AirPlay two, an AppleTV and two HomePods. Hmmmm. A bit on the expensive side.

Pick up an Inteset 4-1 remote. They run about $30 bucks and are pretty good at replacing all remotes. I’ve got 4 of them all set up to handle TV, Cable box, AppleTVs, and Sound bars. While no microphone for Siri, everything else works once you’ve programmed the remote. Nice thing is AppleTV is already programmed and adding the others is pretty simple using Inteset instructions. Cheers. 

Actually - I do have to turn the TV on and off via the remote, but I am able to control my JBL sound bar using my Apple TV remote. My Apple TV will also control the TV’s speakers, but I have those disabled in the TVs system settings.  (Panasonic TV).  

I purchased the Pioneer AVH-1440NEX for $259 to install in my wife’s 2006 car.  I added an adapter to retain steering wheel controls for $50 more.  DVD, CarPlay, HD radio, tons of inputs (backup camera, AV, amp out, etc.). “Only” wired CarPlay, but I preferred that anyway for charging the phone. Using Waze or the like gobbles up plenty of battery life. The wired connection is rock solid and instant for providing handsfree use. This deck still supports Bluetooth audio and hands free Bluetooth, just not wireless CarPlay. 

In our state, it is illegal to be fiddling with a smart phone while driving or even stalled in traffic. Wired CarPlay has the added bonus of preventing one from being tempted. I routed the wire to the glove box for good measure. 

This sounds like a good implementation. 

Samsung having over $9 billion in net income projected is not a terrible quarter. It’s down, but many public companies are not profitable.  

Samsung sells a lot more than smart phones and memory. They have a much more diverse product line than Apple.   Apple doesn’t design and sell washing machines, TVs, cameras, Blu-Ray DVD players, lithium ion batteries, hard drives, and refrigerators, for example. 

They are more of a conglomerate, on the likes of Siemens AG.