Softcode Systems - Medical Informatics and More

Softocde Systems is honored to have received the AuntMinnie.com...

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 09:50:01 -0500

Softocde Systems is honored to have received the AuntMinnie.com 2014 Minnie Award for Best Radiology Mobile App for Radiology Toolbox Pro.

Every year since 2000, the leading medical imaging industry website, AuntMinnie.com, has awarded the Minnies, their annual ranking of the best of the best in radiology.

Softcode Systems founder, Eric M. Baumel, MD grateful received the award at the RSNA 2014.

2014 - Let the Digital Health Gold Rush Begin

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 17:22:00 -0500

Digital health has begun to capture the imagination of investors and journalist alike. The news out of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas included the Boston Globe’s Fitness apps are stars at the International CES

Help for iOS 7 Developers

Tue, 27 Aug 2013 09:29:23 -0400

Upgrading your apps to iOS 7?

Here is a great aid from Ivo Mynttinen:

http://ivomynttinen.com/blog/the-ios-7-design-cheat-sheet/

Looks like we have our work cut out for us!

Pediatric Toolbox, our latest app is now available for the iPad...

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:36:43 -0400

Pediatric Toolbox, our latest app is now available for the iPad and iPhone at the iTunes App Store!

Over 55,000 users!

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:32:31 -0400

Radiology Toolbox Lite has been downloaded from the iTunes App Store more than 55,000 times and in more than 115 countries!

The Leap Motion Controller -An Amazing New User Interface Device

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:21:00 -0500

I have just received a developer’s prototype unit of the new Leap Motion Controller.

This amazing device allows you to translate gestures in 3D space in front of your computer monitor into actions you see on the screening front of you.

https://www.leapmotion.com/

The possibilities of the unit is enormous, especially for those of us in healthcare. My first thoughts are the ability to manipulate the 3D images of a CT or MRI by taking the virtual body part with your hands and to manipulate it to better visualize the neck of an aneurysm, the origin of a stenotic vessel, or the course of a tendon injury.

This will also allow a surgeon in the OR to be able to review scan data without breaking scrub.

The device is scheduled for release in just a month or so. This will be fun for the general public, but will be indispensable for those of us in healthcare.

Venture Capitalist’s Provocation : ” Eighty percent of doctors could be replaced by machines.”

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 16:45:15 -0400

Venture capitalist, Vinod Khosla sparked a firestorm with his comments at the recent Health Innovation Summit:

Vinod Khosla says technology will replace 80 percent of doctors sparks indignation

Obviously Mr. Khosla is being intentionally provocative.

I think that what we practicing physicians should take away from this, is that perhaps 80% of what we do is better done with technology, leaving us to do the 20% that matters.

We don’t compound our own drugs, do our own Gram stains, or build our own x-ray machines. Let us use the machine to free us to do what no AI can do. Only a doctor, with our years of training and experience, has insight into the human condition and the understanding of the natural history of illness.

We physicians need to lead this transition, not be swept away by it.

Radiology Toolbox Lite - 40,000 Downloads

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 05:52:23 -0400

We are thrilled that our introductory version of or app, Radiology Toolbox Lite has passed forty thousand downloads in over 100 countries!

http://www.radiologytoolbox.com/

Job Posting: Help create an app for your specialty!

Mon, 28 May 2012 17:04:36 -0400

It’s impossible to remember everything. How many times a week do you Google the same information? Wouldn’t it be great to have this info right at your fingertips on your iPad or iPhone?

I am the developer of Radiology Toolbox Pro and Radiology Toolbox Lite, an
iPhone/iPad app for radiologists. In less than a year and a half, our app has had over 40,000 downloads in over 100 countries. Softcode Systems, LLC is looking to expand into other specialties in our series of “ectopic brains” for health care professionals.

We are looking for residents, fellows or other practitioners who are interested in
developing a list of tools, calculations and charts that are frequently consulted in
your specialty. No knowledge of Objective C coding is required, simply a desire to
become part of the mobile health community.

This is not a solicitation for just suggestions. We are looking for those who want to
have an integral hand in developing the whole project for their specialty.

As an example, you can view or download the free lite version, Radiology Toolbox Lite at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/radiology-toolbox-lite/id415176373?mt=8

Your part of the project:
The list of tools. The reference source for each tool must be provided and
summarized in a presentable form that we can adapt into a usable standard iPad / iPhone format.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to your field. Compensation and developer
credit will be based on the extent of your contribution to the final product.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Sense of humor preferred, but not required.

Best of Luck!
Eric M. Baumel, MD
Founder, Softcode Systems, LLC

Radiology Toolbox Pro update available on the App Store

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:38:31 -0400

A new update for our app, Radiology Toolbox Pro is now available on the Apple iTunes App Store.

The new version is optimized for iOS 5.1 and the Retina display on the new iPad.

Three new tools are added, including the classification of aortic stent graft endoleak types and a chart listing the various dementias on brain FDG PET scans.

Many of the current users of the app have requested the lung segment anatomy. Eight diagrams are now included in this new free update for existing users.

We are very gratified by the number of suggestions submitted, and more tools are in the works.

Abstract Accepted at Medicine 2.0 Conference

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:02:38 -0400

We are very excited that our abstract, Radiology Toolbox Pro - An iOS (iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch) App for Radiology has been accepted for presentation at the Medicine 2.0 - 5th World Congress on Social Media, Mobile Health, and Internet/Web 2.0 in Medicine and Health This years conference is at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School, September 15 - 16, 2012.

The New iPad - Time for App Developers to Upgrade Their Graphics

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 13:23:12 -0500

With the announcement of Apple’s new iPad with the higher resolution Retinal display, it means that iOS developers will have to update the graphics for any apps that run on the new device.

Apple’s new iOS Human Interface Guidelines require a minimum of 10 icon sizes (more if your app needs document icons)! Its time for all app developers to re-size and redraw.

In descending pixel order, the app icons for iPhone and iPad apps are:

1024 x 1024 - Hi-Res app icon for the App Store
512 x 512 - Standard app icon for the App Store
144 x 144 - App icon for New iPad
114 x 114 - App icon for Hi-Res iPhone and iPod Touch
100 x 100 - Hi-Res iPad Spotlight search results
72 x 72 - Standard app icon for the iPad
58 x 58 - Settings and Spotlight search results for Hi-Res iPhone and iPod Touch, and Settings for the new iPad
57 x 57 - App icon for standard iPhone and iPod Touch
50 x 50 - Standard iPad Spotlight search results
29 x 29 - Settings and Spotlight search results for standard iPhone and iPod Touch, and Settings for the iPad

There are now six sizes for the launch images as well:

2048 x 1496 - Landscape for the Hi-Res iPad
1536 x 2008 - Portrait for the Hi-Res iPad
1024 x 748 - Landscape for the standard iPad
768 x 1004 - Portrait for the standard iPad
640 x 960 - Hi-Res iPhone and iPod Touch
320 x 480 - Standard iPhone and iPod Touch

For the optimum appearance, all the existing graphics used by an app will also need to be upgraded as well.

Photoshop will be very busy.

Medicine 2.0

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:20:18 -0500

We have recently registered for

Medicine 2.0

5th World Congress on Social Media, Mobile Apps, and Internet/Web2.0 in Health and Medicine.

To be held in Boston, September 15-6.

Hope to see you there!

A sneak peek from the next update to Radiology Toolbox Pro for...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:44:14 -0500

A sneak peek from the next update to Radiology Toolbox Pro for iPad / iPhone.

Radiology Toolbox breaks 30,000 downloads!

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:51:38 -0500

We are very excited to announce that the Lite version of Radiology Toolbox has now been downloaded over 30,000 times from the Apple iTunes App Store worldwide. The app has been downloaded in over 85 countries, and hundreds of suggestions have been set in by users of the app.

The Pro version is available for download for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch at the App Store.

New Buzzword Alert: "Patient Activation"

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:06:06 -0500

We have a new buzzword to add to mHealth.

Here is an interesting article from mobihealthnews on “Patient Activation,” a new coinage for patients taking charge of their own health and healthcare. We are, of course our own best advocates. The mobile health apps will help us do just that.

With all of the changes coming, we all need to be our own first lines of defense, to help us better help those professionals who take care of us.

More from the RSNA

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:40:40 -0500

Another fascinating day at the 97th annual meeting of the RSNA.

I attended a fun (for the inner geek in us all) lecture, “Cool Technologies for Radiologists” given by Drs. Richardson, Petscavage and Thapa, based on their ebook of a similar name (available on Amazon).

Besides all of the new diagnostic imaging equipment, there were several interesting new technologies for education and interacting with complex data sets.

Anatomage has a product call ‘The Table’ an interactive anatomy study table. This is a virtual cadaver, a touch screen the size of an actual dissection table that you can manipulat 3D CT data. Very cool!

We also demoed two new methods of interacting with volumetric data from CTs.

Digital ArtForms was demonstrating their iMedic3D, a two-handed interface for moving through 3D space, such as in virtual colonoscopy, as well as their iMedicPACS, which allows the user to navigate through multiplanar views of cross sectional imaging.

GestSure Technologies new product uses a Microsoft Kinect style interface designed so that surgeons can manipulate CT images in the sterile environment of the operating room.

These devices are still works in progress, but I look forward to the future development of these types of interfaces.

Exciting First Day at RSNA

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:21:27 -0500

Sunday was the first day of RSNA 2011, the worlds largest annual medical meeting.

From RSNA President Dr. Burton Drayer’s very upbeat and forward looking opening oration to lectures on the imaging of dementia, it was a fascinating and varied first day.

The food in Chicago is great, too.

Today will start off with a lecture on “Cool Technologies for Radiologists,” an Informatics in Practice course.

We have had great feedback on our app, Radiology Toolbox Pro as well!

Softcode Systems at the RSNA

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:18:00 -0500

We are very excited to be attending this year’s RSNA meeting in Chicago.

The Radiological Society of North America’s 97th annual meeting is the worlds largest annual medical meeting. Tens of thousands of radiologists, technologists and industry vendors all share ideas and show off their wares for the entire week in Chicago.

We hope to get a lot of feedback on our app, Radiology Toolbox Pro at the meeting, and are thrilled at the prospect of meeting more of our user community in person.

Softcode Systems founder, Eric Baumel, M.D. shooting the...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:37:00 -0500

Softcode Systems founder, Eric Baumel, M.D. shooting the promotional video for Radiology Toolbox at the Factory Studios in Brooklyn.