It’s all about those apps

Earlier this month I told you about an invention that would make my life easier. Cell phones can really do it all nowadays, so I’ve been thinking a lot about smartphone apps.

I am fascinated by the different tools people have adopted to help them make their life easier; that one (or sometimes two or three) thing they have become so reliant on that it would be hard to imagine getting through the day without it.

I used the word "app," but the crutch can really be anything that has become necessary for you to get through your day.

I’ll share mine!

I don’t think I’m alone in sharing that the first and most obvious necessity is my iPhone. It truly has become the one thing I would turn around the car for if I forgot it at home. I have become so dependent on its uses and how connected it keeps me.

I often hear people say, "I have my life in there!" Since I’m always on the go, I can absolutely relate to that one.

So, what apps are on my phone? I have a few apps that are my go-to, but then others that I just think are really cool.

On the functionality side I guess it is those you would expect:

·         Google, - to get a quick answer to any question

·         Email, so I can stay on top of my email even when I’m not in the office

·         Fitbit, because you all know I’m obsessed with my steps

·         NJ.com, to stay up-to-date on news

·         Google maps, I’d be lost without it and love to check where I’m going ahead of time

On the fun side:

·         Shazam, so I can figure out what song is playing where I am and then purchase it immediately via iTunes (also another favorite)

·         Facebook, for obvious reasons!

·         Kindle app, so I can buy new books without having to lug them around

Amazon Smile is both a site and an app that I can’t live without. I am a one-click wonder. I get boxes every week from Amazon and it is has made my life so much easier when I don't have to worry about getting to the store to shop, but can order on line and from one vendor! Plus, I can justify my shopping habit with Amazon Smile since each order gives back to our kids!

The Asbury Park Press website has a data universe that will let you find any homeowner's address if they live in the State of New Jersey. It has been a huge help to me when sending notes to donors or some of you! I love not having to ask people for their address and keeping the element of surprise!

Before the end of this calendar year we’ll be coming out with two apps for our patients and families to use! Stay on the lookout for more about those two apps both here on Access Amy and through email and the huddles!

There’s got to be some things I’m missing, right? What are the items that you are you using that you would like to share? The apps or websites that you can’t live without!

Smartphone – what will it think of next!

I recently read a Wall Street Journal article discussing the transformation of the healthcare system with technology.

You may have heard me use the expression that it is my hope that the transformation comes from us, inside the healthcare system. The likelihood that the transformation will come from outside the system is great because we often get caught in the trap of knowing how the process works and find it difficult to imagine how it could be different or better.

I know I have given you this challenge before, but if the sky was the limit, how would you use technology to change healthcare?

For me, my healthcare technology fantasy is related to time.

There are many times that I know something is wrong, but I don’t feel it is “wrong” enough for me to take off from work and make a doctor’s appointment. My doctor is not close by and in order for me to see him, it requires at least a 3-hour block of time between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during the week. So, unless I am hacking up a lung, I am not taking the time to see him.

I haven’t crossed over yet to the minute clinics, but I am starting I might give it a try. I wish I could e-mail my doctor and tell him my symptoms, or send him a photo of a rash and see if he can diagnose it just by looking at the picture. Then he could help me work through it without having to come in.

It might sound bogus to you now, but over time it’s definitely something that could happen in health care! After all, we use the VGo robots now with some of our patients so our doctors can check on them remotely.

So what is your technology wish?