The Metro Atlanta Chamber says that metro Atlanta job postings have “rebounded successfully following the recession,” particularly in the aforementioned category.

According to IT Business Edge, mobile technology and health IT jobs are among the fast growing today.

The number of advertised positions in mobility more than doubled between 2010 to 2012 and those in health IT soared by 167 percent. In addition, the report found that Atlanta had almost twice as many digital media job postings per capita as the rest of the nation in 2012. Those jobs postings grew by 48 percent, while software development jobs grew by 51 percent.

In Atlanta, the report indicates, the expansion of job opportunities in mobile and health IT is every bit as widespread today as the growth observed across the booming tech and automotive industries.

A new report from the organization projects that the adoption of mobile sensing health and fitness products will increase by 500 percent over the next five years.

“Smartphones with Bluetooth Smart onboard provides mobile sensing developers with iOS and Android libraries, app stores, cloud connected mobile gateways and hundreds of millions of users to target their creations to,” asserts Mareca Hatler, ON World’s research director.

“Bluetooth Smart delivers what mobile health and wellness solutions require: fast connections, ultra-low power consumption, low cost and interoperability,” she says.

By 2017, Bluetooth chipsets used for health, wellness, sports and fitness will reach 95.7 million and much of the growth will be attributed to Bluetooth Smart used in mobile sensing devices. At this time, mobile sensing devices will make up 80% of the wireless health and fitness device shipments.

ON World indicates that Bluetooth Smart certified products have increased by 10 times over the past year alone.

The investment will take place over the next five years, the company announced late last week.

GE Healthcare – the largest software developer within GE – provides a wide range of medical imaging technologies, IT services, patient monitoring and diagnostic solutions, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and operational and technological service solutions.

“GE Healthcare has a long history in software with its Healthcare IT business; and this investment is designed to advance current and future offerings in order to address new and pressing operational and productivity challenges faced by healthcare organizations around the world,” a statement provided by press release reads.
According to the latest details shared publicly, GE Healthcare will work closely with the GE Software Center of Excellence in San Ramon, California, as well as at various research and development hubs around the world in order to develop new software solutions.

We’re told that this $2 billion investment will specifically be focused on maximizing asset performance; improving hospital operations management; improving clinical effectiveness; and optimizing care across entire populations. Key focus areas include:

“GE is investing in software and analytics to better help our customers manage the operational complexity of the healthcare system,” says John Dineen, President and CEO of GE Healthcare. “These new software solutions will look to connect caregivers in a meaningful way to the systems upon which they rely, enabling them to deliver better informed diagnoses and improved care.”

“The FDA is recommending that medical device manufacturers and health care facilities take steps to assure that appropriate safeguards are in place to reduce the risk of failure due to cyberattack, which could be initiated by the introduction of malware into the medical equipment or unauthorized access to configuration settings in medical devices and hospital networks,” an announcement from the FDA reads.

The FDA says it has become aware of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents that could directly impact medical devices or hospital network operations, including:

• Network-connected/configured medical devices infected or disabled by malware;
• The presence of malware on hospital computers, smartphones and tablets, targeting mobile devices using wireless technology to access patient data, monitoring systems, and implanted patient devices;
• Uncontrolled distribution of passwords, disabled passwords, hard-coded passwords for software intended for privileged device access (e.g., to administrative, technical, and maintenance personnel);
• Failure to provide timely security software updates and patches to medical devices and networks and to address related vulnerabilities in older medical device models (legacy devices);
• Security vulnerabilities in off-the-shelf software designed to prevent unauthorized device or network access, such as plain-text or no authentication, hard-coded passwords, documented service accounts in service manuals, and poor coding/SQL injection.

To read the full statement from the FDA, click here.

And mHealth’s potential is loud and clear in the company’s latest advertorial.

Gone are the product-centric ads (at least for now) and in their place are ideals that speak to the reliability and familiarity of the venerable Apple brand.

So far, the ads have been well-received. And they will continue to pelt our airwaves and computer screens for the foreseeable future.
“Each iOS app offers remarkable and often delightful possibilities,” Apple says in its description of the new video. “But the most powerful iOS apps ever are ones that change people’s lives in ways they never imagined.”

Check out the new video below to see for yourself how Apple is, indeed, changing lives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The market for mobile health products and services, the firm says, is an important area that could dramatically alter care delivery and the patient experience.

The public acknowledgement of mHealth’s power comes as Frost & Sullivan’s North America Healthcare Director Daniel Ruppar plans to moderate the “What’s Next for mHealth?” panel discussion at the 10th Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference & Exhibition scheduled for July 11-12, 2013 in Denver, Colorado.

The panel will explore some of the ways mHealth is transforming healthcare and also tackle some of the serious questions, offering insight and solutions for those facing mHealth’s distinct challenges.

On Monday, Frost & Sullivan described what could become the health system of the future, suggesting that patient care will be greatly enhanced by a connected and seamless information flow between patients and other stakeholders, with mobility being a core need for all users of health information.

With a growing ocean of mHealth applications, scalability, sustainability, security, and interoperability are some of many vital points that developers must continue to address.

“mHealth is a critical conduit in healthcare’s transformation,” said Ruppar. “From the smartphone to beyond, mobility is a critical component in solution design for health technologies and applications to yield engagement and access while also enabling better outcomes and costs. However, to achieve this, mHealth must be fully integrated, not only into the physician workflow, but into the daily lives of us all.”

Sleep Genius is behind a new iOS app of the same name that was developed by experts in neuroscience, sleep, sound, and music. The inspiration for the app followed years of extensive research helping NASA get astronauts to sleep.

Despite an abundance of sleep-aid apps that litter the App Store, Sleep Genius has already impressively separated itself from the pack.

Unlike the simple sleep apps that only offer users static white noise and other sounds that may actually prevent quality rest in the long run, Sleep Genius uses neurosensory algorithms, multiband binaural beats, pink noise and psychoacoustic music.

“Our exclusive sleep algorithms and scientifically composed music ease your brain into its natural sleep rhythms,” say the makers of the app, which is based on neuroscience and cutting edge research proven to help people sleep better.

Following the app’s official launch over the weekend, Sleep Genius will be available for free for a limited period of time.

To learn more or to download the app now, click here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

• New Cancer Database Deemed ‘Game Changing’

It’s another example of how big data and electronic health databases are permanently, profoundly, and positively impacting modern healthcare.

• Remote Patient Monitoring Programs: Are They Worth The Investment?

Is the ROI for remote patient monitoring programs really worth all the effort? A new tool is entering the healthcare space in hopes of providing a more complete and comprehensive answer to this complex, multifaceted question.

• Telemedicine May Reduce ER Crowding, Wait Times

A new pilot program announced by the UC San Diego Health System will explore how telemedicine can potentially address and mitigate overcrowding and patient wait times in the emergency room.

• Technology Making Paramedics More Proactive

Technology from the San Diego Beacon Health Information Exchange is linking paramedics to hospital EMRs with immensely positive results. Paramedics, for example, can transmit EKGs ahead of their arrival to waiting doctors, cardiologists, and other medical professionals and specialists who can proactively prepare for and anticipate the ailing patient.

• Electronic Health Record Alerts May Help Preserve Blood Supplies

Electronic health record alerts have helped medical professionals at Stanford Hospital & Clinic reduce use of blood products over the last four years, according to an article published this week by Stanford Medicine’s Scope blog.

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Glooka is the fast-growing developer of a popular mobile platform for diabetes management.

As a result of the coupling, the Snap pump will now be compatible with the Glooko System.

The partnership will allow all Snap users to add their pump data into Glooko’s cloud-based mobile logbook application for smartphones. With the Glooko system, clinics and Snap users will be able to more quickly and easily track and manage their blood glucose levels as well as other key data including insulin dosage, food/carbs, and exercise.

“Glooko has a very intuitive and easy platform for capturing blood glucose data and other key data, and it’s a good fit for our Snap pump,” explains David Thrower, CEO of Asante Solutions.

“We are committed to helping patients spend less time managing their insulin pumps and more time enjoying their lives,” Thrower adds. “We think this partnership and integration with the Glooko System is a big step toward that goal.”

Asante said in its most recent press release that patients can expect integration into Glooko software before the close of 2013.

If passed into law, Rep. Honda says the legislation will stimulate innovation in the realm of mobile health and modernize the nation’s current healthcare delivery system, primarily through the cultivation of various marketplace incentives, grants, and extensive workforce retraining.

The bill was originally introduced by Honda in late 2012.

Among the centerpiece attributes of the bill is the creation of a new Office of Wireless Health, which would be governed by the FDA.

Rep. Honda recently spoke at the MedCity ENGAGE conference on the necessity of transforming the doctor-patient relationship through technology – with the HIMTA legislation a major focus.

“New and emerging healthcare technologies are being developed every day, often with little support for their long-term reach,” Rep. Honda says.

“This legislation seeks not only to improve healthcare delivery, but to ensure that our government agencies have the tools they need to encourage innovation,” he adds. “With implementation of the Affordable Care Art just around the corner, this is a major step forward for both patients and providers.”