Medtronic gives away 4,500 iPads: Christmas came early this year at Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT). The Fridley, Minn.-based medical device behemoth bought 4,500 Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL) iPads for its employees, but the devices are intended for work, unfortunately. Think sales reps showing video and product information to doctors and hospitals, said Medtronic spokesman Brian Henry.
CardioNet and MedApps collaborate on patient monitoring: CardioNet Inc. (NSDQ:BEAT) and MedApps Inc. are planning to work together on wireless monitoring solutions. The companies said “MedApps’ CloudCare technology platform will bring ease and simplicity to CardioNet’s business model. By fully utilizing an intelligent cloud-based environment, MedApps distinguishes itself from its hardware-based competitors by improving all aspects of the process that affect both the enterprise and end-user.”
MedGadget explores the Windows Mobile market: Until the iPhone, most medical professionals worked entirely in the Microsoft Corp.’s (NSDQ:MSFT) ecosystem, maybe with Blackberry hooked into Exchange support. The Windows Mobile platform had a substantial market presence in the healthcare industry, with great — for its time — software from Epocrates and Skyscape before they were called “apps.”
Now, with the Windows Phone 7 debut, MedGadget thought it was a good idea to look through their early app offerings and see if any of the old standbys made it over, and what new players were on the scene.
In short: nada. Again, this is an early look into the Windows Phone 7 offerings, but the phone is for sale in the US. To look through the Windows Phone 7 marketplace requires a download of the hefty Zune software — comparable to a full iTunes install in size — because there is no web interface. Once inside, and after telling the software to leave your music alone, there are very sparse offerings for the medical professional, just a few BMI calculators and several personal health trackers. No Epocrates, no Skyscape, no UnboundMedicine, all of which have Windows Mobile 6 versions, yet. It is unclear if these developers are working on Windows Phone 7 versions, or waiting to see if demand is there. MedGadget emailed Microsoft, but has yet to get a response.
Also, there were not yet indications that there would be support for Microsoft HealthVault, or hospital EMRs. Microsoft seems to be doing a soft rollout to the healthcare industry and is working on bumping up consumer demand rather than industry specific marketing.
AT&T wants HIT: AT&T (NYSE:ATT) recently announced that the company is seriously entering the healthcare IT market. It looks like the firm will be extending its expertise in wireless networking and related fields to practical use in medicine, specifically mentioning mHealth, cloud-based services, and pilot programs as the core of the project they call AT&T ForHealth.
“40+242 Work” image by bark acquired on Flickr.