Voice-Enabled Virtual Assistant Targets Healthcare Market
|
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 26 Mar 2019 |
|
Image: The WellBe interactive virtual assistant health platform (Photo courtesy of HandsFree Health).
A secure voice controlled virtual assistant enables consumers to personally manage their health from the comfort of their own home.
The HandsFree Health (Wayne, PA, USA) WellBe is an interactive health platform that provides a fully personalized, comprehensive health and security service in one seamless solution, designed especially for seniors and the disabled, including visually impaired individuals. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant device blends in with other smart home accessories, and utilizes advanced speech recognition, natural language processing, and speech synthesis to deliver information and answers 24/7. Color-coded bands and pendants aid recognition of each member of the household.
Among the advantages WellBe provides are a reduction in healthcare costs by increasing compliance and providing easy access to personalized and preventive health information; tailored programs specific to a patient/employee/plan member's needs; integration with medical and prescription information, plan information (including pricing), and national directories of providers, assisted living facilities, long term care facilities, and urgent care; answering commonly asked benefit questions; providing help with medication adherence through reminders and non-compliance alerts and appointment reminders; and tracking blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and weight.
“HandsFree Health makes it easier for consumers to integrate healthcare into their daily lives with WellBe,”said Mike Cardillo, co-founder and president of HandsFree Health. “As more people add voice assistant technology to their homes, HandsFree Health empowers users to take control of their health in a secure and HIPAA compliant environment 24/7.”
Virtual assistants perform tasks or services for an individual based on verbal commands. Some virtual assistants are able to interpret human speech and respond via synthesized voices. Users can ask their assistants questions, control home automation devices and media playback via voice, and manage other basic tasks such as email, to-do lists, and calendars with verbal commands. Several security and privacy concerns associated with virtual assistants have been raised, such as malicious voice commands by an impersonator (for example, to unlock a smart door), ordering items online without the user's consent or knowledge, and voice recording.
Related Links:
HandsFree Health
The HandsFree Health (Wayne, PA, USA) WellBe is an interactive health platform that provides a fully personalized, comprehensive health and security service in one seamless solution, designed especially for seniors and the disabled, including visually impaired individuals. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant device blends in with other smart home accessories, and utilizes advanced speech recognition, natural language processing, and speech synthesis to deliver information and answers 24/7. Color-coded bands and pendants aid recognition of each member of the household.
Among the advantages WellBe provides are a reduction in healthcare costs by increasing compliance and providing easy access to personalized and preventive health information; tailored programs specific to a patient/employee/plan member's needs; integration with medical and prescription information, plan information (including pricing), and national directories of providers, assisted living facilities, long term care facilities, and urgent care; answering commonly asked benefit questions; providing help with medication adherence through reminders and non-compliance alerts and appointment reminders; and tracking blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and weight.
“HandsFree Health makes it easier for consumers to integrate healthcare into their daily lives with WellBe,”said Mike Cardillo, co-founder and president of HandsFree Health. “As more people add voice assistant technology to their homes, HandsFree Health empowers users to take control of their health in a secure and HIPAA compliant environment 24/7.”
Virtual assistants perform tasks or services for an individual based on verbal commands. Some virtual assistants are able to interpret human speech and respond via synthesized voices. Users can ask their assistants questions, control home automation devices and media playback via voice, and manage other basic tasks such as email, to-do lists, and calendars with verbal commands. Several security and privacy concerns associated with virtual assistants have been raised, such as malicious voice commands by an impersonator (for example, to unlock a smart door), ordering items online without the user's consent or knowledge, and voice recording.
Related Links:
HandsFree Health
Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
Solid State Kv/Dose Multi-Sensor
AGMS-DM+
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Ultrasound Catheter Connector Cover
ACUSON AcuNav
Latest Health IT News
- Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients
- Strategic Collaboration to Develop and Integrate Generative AI into Healthcare
- AI-Enabled Operating Rooms Solution Helps Hospitals Maximize Utilization and Unlock Capacity
- AI Predicts Pancreatic Cancer Three Years before Diagnosis from Patients’ Medical Records
- First Fully Autonomous Generative AI Personalized Medical Authorizations System Reduces Care Delay
- Electronic Health Records May Be Key to Improving Patient Care, Study Finds
- AI Trained for Specific Vocal Biomarkers Could Accurately Predict Coronary Artery Disease
- First-Ever AI Test for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s to Be Expanded to Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease
- New Self-Learning AI-Based Algorithm Reads Electrocardiograms to Spot Unseen Signs of Heart Failure
- Autonomous Robot Performs COVID-19 Nasal Swab Tests
- Statistical Tool Predicts COVID-19 Peaks Worldwide
- Wireless-Controlled Soft Neural Implant Stimulates Brain Cells
- Tiny Polymer Stent Could Treat Pediatric Urethral Strictures
- Human Torso Simulator Helps Design Brace Innovations
- 3D Bioprinting Rebuilds the Human Heart
Channels
Artificial Intelligence
view channel
AI-Powered Algorithm to Revolutionize Detection of Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition characterized by an irregular and often rapid heart rate, is linked to increased risks of stroke and heart failure. This is because the irregular heartbeat in AFib... Read more
AI Diagnostic Tool Accurately Detects Valvular Disorders Often Missed by Doctors
Doctors generally use stethoscopes to listen for the characteristic lub-dub sounds made by heart valves opening and closing. They also listen for less prominent sounds that indicate problems with these valves.... Read moreCritical Care
view channel
AI Doubles Medical Professionals’ Accuracy in Reading EEG Charts of ICU Patients
Electroencephalography (EEG) readings are crucial for detecting when unconscious patients may be experiencing or are at risk of seizures. EEGs involve placing small sensors on the scalp to measure the... Read more
Flexible Device Enables Sweat Gland Stimulation and Simultaneous Biosensing
Human sweat is rich in biomarkers that can be used to monitor a range of health conditions, from diabetes to genetic disorders. Many users prefer sweat sampling over blood collection because it is painless.... Read more
WHO Publishes First Global Guidelines to Reduce Bloodstream Infections from Catheter Use
Up to 70% of all inpatients require a catheter, specifically a peripherally inserted catheter (PIVC), at some point during their hospital stay. Patients who receive treatments via catheters are particularly... Read more
Surgical Techniques
view channel
Study Warns Against Dangerous Smoke Levels Produced During Endoscopic Gastrointestinal Procedures
Healthcare professionals involved in certain smoke-generating endoscopic gastrointestinal procedures, such as those using electrical current to excise polyps, may be exposed to toxin levels comparable... Read more
New Hydrogel Sealant Effective at Sealing Dural Defects and Preventing Postoperative Adhesion
The dura mater is a fibrous membrane of connective tissue that envelops the brain and spinal cord. In neurosurgical procedures that require access to the brain or spinal cord, opening the dura mater often... Read more
MRI-Guided Multi-Stage Robotic Positioner Enhances Stereotactic Neurosurgery Precision
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers significant benefits in neurosurgery, providing detailed 3D visualizations of neurovascular structures and tumors. Traditionally, its use has been restricted to... Read more
Patient Care
view channel
First-Of-Its-Kind Portable Germicidal Light Technology Disinfects High-Touch Clinical Surfaces in Seconds
Reducing healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) remains a pressing issue within global healthcare systems. In the United States alone, 1.7 million patients contract HAIs annually, leading to approximately... Read more
Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization
An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more
Game-Changing Innovation in Surgical Instrument Sterilization Significantly Improves OR Throughput
A groundbreaking innovation enables hospitals to significantly improve instrument processing time and throughput in operating rooms (ORs) and sterile processing departments. Turbett Surgical, Inc.... Read more
Point of Care
view channel
POCT for Infectious Diseases Delivers Laboratory Equivalent Pathology Results
On-site pathology tests for infectious diseases in rural and remote locations can achieve the same level of reliability and accuracy as those conducted in hospital laboratories, a recent study suggests.... Read more
Cartridge-Based Hemostasis Analyzer System Enables Faster Coagulation Testing
Quickly assessing a patient's total hemostasis status can be critical to influencing clinical outcomes and using blood products. Haemonetics Corporation (Boston, MA, USA) has now obtained 510(k) clearance... Read more
Critical Bleeding Management System to Help Hospitals Further Standardize Viscoelastic Testing
Surgical procedures are often accompanied by significant blood loss and the subsequent high likelihood of the need for allogeneic blood transfusions. These transfusions, while critical, are linked to various... Read more
Business
view channel
MEDICA INNOVATION FORUM for the Healthcare Innovations of the Future
By always offering innovations and updating existing program formats, the internationally leading medical trade fair MEDICA in Düsseldorf has been successful for over half a century and always gives its... Read more
