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Apple didn’t necessarily intend to revolutionize health care, but that’s exactly what happened. Health care has changed dramatically since Steve Jobs first stood in front of an audience to introduce first the iPhone then later the iPad. Much of that change can be directly attributed to Apple.

Source: 3D4Medical.

Apples and doctors
It used to be said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. That could still be applicable, but the opposite is true for doctors and Apple. Physicians love their iPhones and iPads.

A study by Manhattan Research in 2011 found that 75% of physicians owned at least one Apple product. Vitera Healthcare‘s 2012 survey of health-care professionals backed up this high number. The company’s study found that 60% of respondents used an iPhone and 45% owned an iPad.

The real revolution, though, has come from how physicians and other health-care professionals are using Apple’s devices. Mobile applications opened the door for clinicians to instantly access a world of medical information at the point of care.

For example, WebMD‘s Medscape application allows physicians to check drug interactions, look up information about procedures, and see medical news updates on the fly. Medscape ranks first among the most frequently downloaded medical apps for iPhones and iPads.

Yale University’s School of Medicine even did away with paper materials for training upcoming physicians. The school provided iPads and wireless keyboards to all of its medical students. Other schools followed suit.

Health eVillages’ experience underscores the transformational impact of Apple’s technology. The not-for-profit organization provides mobile health technology to medical professionals in areas such as Kenya and Haiti. Lives have been saved that otherwise would have been lost, thanks to doctors in remote areas who use an iPad to access needed information.

Use of Apple’s products goes beyond serving as a reference tool, though. An application that allows radiologists to view MRIs as well as CT, PET, and SPECT scans on iPhones and iPads received FDA approval in 2011. More recently, the FDA cleared the way for privately held Welch Allyn to connect its portable ophthalmoscope to an iPhone for doctors to view retinal images using the company’s app.

iPatients
Apple perhaps unwittingly opened new horizons for patients also. By April 2012, the company’s App Store included more than 13,600 health-related applications.

A peek at some of the current top-selling apps shows how much Apple’s technology has empowered patients. One application allows individuals to monitor their sleep cycles. Another provides a detailed guide to help expectant mothers through their pregnancies.

Pharmaceutical companies are getting into the act. For example, Vivus recently introduced an app for iPhones (and Android phones) that complements its weight-loss drug. The app allows patients to record what they eat and track their weight plus receive regular information updates.

Vital Art and Science recently gained FDA approval to sell its myVisionTrack product, which enables people with macular degeneration and other degenerative eye diseases to monitor their

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

By Keith Speights, The Motley Fool

Filed under: Investing

Is your job in jeopardy because of Obamacare? Staunch advocates of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would say absolutely not. Diehard opponents would maintain that many jobs are at risk because of Obamacare. What’s the correct answer? It’s a definite “maybe.” Your job could be in jeopardy if your employer fits into of these three categories.

1. Medical device companies
Several medical device companies have already slashed jobs or are planning to do so because of Obamacare. Abbott Labs began shedding the first of 1,900 jobs a few years ago. The company attributed the cuts partially to new fees and pricing pressures resulting from the Affordable Care Act.

Stryker executives placed blame squarely on the 2.3% medical device tax included in Obamacare as the reason for eliminating 5% of its workforce — 1,170 jobs. Most of Stryker’s cuts were implemented by the end of 2012 before the new taxes went into effect.

However, other medical device makers still have possible staff reductions looming on the horizon. Medtronic sent 500 employees home last summer and plans to cut another 500 jobs by the end of this year. Privately held Welch Allyn expects to eliminate 10% of its jobs over the next three years.

If you work in the medical device sector, there is some hope, though, that further jobs won’t be lost. Momentum appears to be building on both sides of the aisle in Washington to either repeal or modify this particular component of Obamacare.

2. Small businesses
Obamacare requires that employers with more than 50 full-time workers provide health care coverage for employees beginning in 2014. For some small businesses, the extra costs for this coverage are forcing tough decisions. One alternative is to pay a $2,000-per-employee penalty for each worker over a 30-employee level. Some businesses will choose to pay the penalties because it’s cheaper than providing insurance.

However, other small employers could cut jobs altogether to move below the 50-employee threshold established by Obamacare. For example, a small business with 54 full-time workers could decide that eliminating five jobs makes more economic sense than paying significantly more for health coverage or penalties. Another alternative that businesses could take is to keep employees but reduce their hours to less than 30 per week so that the workers won’t be counted as full-time.

How significant are these risks of job losses from small businesses? Experts disagree, but the small businesses that appear to be most likely to face hard choices — those with 20 to 99 employees — account for more than 19 million jobs. A recent study from life insurance research organization LIMRA found that less than half of small business with fewer than 100 employees offer benefits to their employees currently.

3. Organizations that can easily outsource jobs
There’s one way that companies can avoid the additional health care costs from Obamacare but still keep the same number of workers: outsource the jobs. Temporary-employment agency Robert Half said

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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