Wearable Alcohol Biosensor Funded by NIH
As a result of a research challenge in March 2015, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a part of the National Insitutes of Health (NIH), awarded a prize for the creation of a noninvasive wearable alcohol biosensor. The company BACtrack received a $200,000 grant for a wrist-worn device offering continuous, real-time, noninvasive monitoring of a user’s blood alcohol content. Expectations for the device are that a sensor would be useful to researchers as opposed to self-reported consumption data.
Shifting Focus in Telehealth
According to a new study from Avizia and Modern Healthcare, telehealth solutions may soon evolve into mHealth platforms. Two-hundred eighty healthcare executives participated in the survey. According to the survey, stroke care, behavioral health, and staff education are the current strengths of telehealth efforts. Executives want to focus on patient education, remote patient monitoring, and primary care services.
CareFirst Offers Support to Telemedicine Programs
CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield announced that they are earmarking $3 million to ten nonprofits and public health programs in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC region. These grants allow for organizations to expand their telemedicine capabilities to greater support underserved populations. The grants amount to roughly three years of funding for the programs, in which many are just starting to get running.
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