David Metcalf

The healthcare industry is on the cutting edge of voice-user interface (VUI) design and making great progress to improve patient care through developing technologies, literally transforming the voice of the industry. The advantages of VUI extend far beyond simple conveniences for patients or a healthcare employee's saved phone call. VUI has a profound impact on care improvement. Just like a person, a well-designed VUI can use tone of voice, inflection and other elements in conversation to shape behaviors or calm nerves. With VUI, physicians and patients become empowered to make informed decisions about healthcare. The use of voice technology across smart speakers, IoT, clinical and home devices, and wearables for improving the patient experience and clinical outcomes was recently identified as one of most significant emerging technologies in healthcare. Smart speakers are the #1 selling consumer item in the world and major competition is heating up between Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Voice Assistant, and a host of other specialty platforms specific to healthcare. From Orbita and Macadamia to voice-enabled robotics from Pillo, Intuitive, Vivify, and RealView Imaging, voice technology is pervasive across the gamut of levels of devices. Voice technology is not just pervasive in smart speakers and smart phones – it is finding its way into wearables, vehicles, homes, and even consumer and clinical medical devices. We even have smart jewelry emerging with health, wellness, and safety features built in. Best of all, this trend spans intergenerational health and wellness that goes beyond clinical care into long term health and wellbeing and the potential for increased patient engagement. In this book, the editors review information from the top thought-leaders in this space and examine real-world case studies of the outcomes and potential of voice technology in healthcare. Topics include a market survey, clinical use cases, home health use cases, health and wellness topics – fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing; next generation fitness facilities; voice and wearables in smart, connected communities; voice technology in social companions/robots; voice technology in the future surgical suites; a roadmap for the future from top technology; standards in voice technology; and the future of voice technology and artificial intelligence.

Blockchain technology is poised to revolutionize more than just payment and crypto-currency. Many vertical industries will be reshaped by the new trusted data models enabled and inspired by the blockchain – healthcare is no exception. In fact, healthcare may hold the greatest opportunities for meaningful use of the technology. Early pioneers have explored some of the first use cases for medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, drug counterfeiting, and credentialing of healthcare professionals. We have only begun to scratch the surface in how to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems which focus on trust, transparency and the alignment of incentives. Metcalf, Bass, Dhillon, and Hooper have curated a collection of examples based on the fundamentals of blockchain that build upon the early successes and examples that point to the future. After a brief introduction to bitcoin, blockchain and the protocols available, a getting-started guide is presented specific to health and healthcare. The authors discuss the complexities and possibilities of smart contracts and some of the early consortia that are exploring the possibilities. Examples and use cases are found throughout the book, with specific sections that cover the more sophisticated and far-reaching examples which have the potential to scale at the industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, value-based payments , patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and precision medicine/genetic therapies among many others are presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe. The appendices may prove particularly useful for additional details on how to get started, including resources and organizations specifically focusing on blockchain and distributed ledger solutions.

Learn all about blockchain and its applications in cryptocurrency, healthcare, Internet of Things, finance, decentralized organizations, and more. Featuring case studies and practical insights, this book covers a unique mix of topics and offers insight into how to overcome hurdles that arise as the market and consumers grow accustomed to blockchain-based organizations and services. The book is divided into three major sections. The first section provides a historical background to blockchain technology. You will start with a historical context to financial capital markets when Bitcoin was invented, followed by mining protocols, the need for consensus, hardware mining, etc. Next, a formal introduction to blockchain is provided covering transaction workflow, role of decentralized network, and payment verification. Then, we dive deep into a different implementation of a blockchain: Ethereum. The main technical features, such as Ethereum Virtual Machine, are presentedalong with the smart contract programming language, Solidity. In this second section, you will look at some modern use cases for blockchain from a decentralized autonomous organization, high-performance computing in Ethereum and off-grid computations, and healthcare and scientific discovery. The final section of the book looks toward the future of blockchain. This is followed by chapters covering the rise of consortia in the blockchain world, the Hyperledger project, particularly the updates since 2018, and a chapter on educational blockchain games. This is followed by updates to EOS. IO, Chain Core, and Quorum, ICOs and a look at the major changes to financial markets brought about by blockchain and decentralized networks. What You Will Learn Get an overview of the popular games employed to teach the basic concepts of blockchain and decentralized networksBe familiar with the rise of blockchain consortiums as well as updates to Hyperledger Project, 2020Find out about cloud blockchains, including Microsoft Azure and Amazon Webservices, and how to set up test environmentsStudy machine learning integration in the blockchain and the role of smart contracts Who This Book Is For Blockchain developers interested in keeping up with the newest updates and students looking for a broad overview of this vast ecosystem, plus business executives who want to make informed product decisions about including blockchain as well as policy makers who want a better understanding of the current use cases

The healthcare industry is on the cutting edge of voice-user interface (VUI) design and making great progress to improve patient care through developing technologies, literally transforming the voice of the industry. The advantages of VUI extend far beyond simple conveniences for patients or a healthcare employee's saved phone call. VUI has a profound impact on care improvement. Just like a person, a well-designed VUI can use tone of voice, inflection and other elements in conversation to shape behaviors or calm nerves. With VUI, physicians and patients become empowered to make informed decisions about healthcare. The use of voice technology across smart speakers, IoT, clinical and home devices, and wearables for improving the patient experience and clinical outcomes was recently identified as one of most significant emerging technologies in healthcare. Smart speakers are the #1 selling consumer item in the world and major competition is heating up between Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Google Voice Assistant, and a host of other specialty platforms specific to healthcare. From Orbita and Macadamia to voice-enabled robotics from Pillo, Intuitive, Vivify, and RealView Imaging, voice technology is pervasive across the gamut of levels of devices. Voice technology is not just pervasive in smart speakers and smart phones – it is finding its way into wearables, vehicles, homes, and even consumer and clinical medical devices. We even have smart jewelry emerging with health, wellness, and safety features built in. Best of all, this trend spans intergenerational health and wellness that goes beyond clinical care into long term health and wellbeing and the potential for increased patient engagement. In this book, the editors review information from the top thought-leaders in this space and examine real-world case studies of the outcomes and potential of voice technology in healthcare. Topics include a market survey, clinical use cases, home health use cases, health and wellness topics – fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing; next generation fitness facilities; voice and wearables in smart, connected communities; voice technology in social companions/robots; voice technology in the future surgical suites; a roadmap for the future from top technology; standards in voice technology; and the future of voice technology and artificial intelligence.

Blockchain technology is poised to revolutionize more than just payment and crypto-currency. Many vertical industries will be reshaped by the new trusted data models enabled and inspired by the blockchain – healthcare is no exception. In fact, healthcare may hold the greatest opportunities for meaningful use of the technology. Early pioneers have explored some of the first use cases for medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, drug counterfeiting, and credentialing of healthcare professionals. We have only begun to scratch the surface in how to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems which focus on trust, transparency and the alignment of incentives. Metcalf, Bass, Dhillon, and Hooper have curated a collection of examples based on the fundamentals of blockchain that build upon the early successes and examples that point to the future. After a brief introduction to bitcoin, blockchain and the protocols available, a getting-started guide is presented specific to health and healthcare. The authors discuss the complexities and possibilities of smart contracts and some of the early consortia that are exploring the possibilities. Examples and use cases are found throughout the book, with specific sections that cover the more sophisticated and far-reaching examples which have the potential to scale at the industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, value-based payments , patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and precision medicine/genetic therapies among many others are presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe. The appendices may prove particularly useful for additional details on how to get started, including resources and organizations specifically focusing on blockchain and distributed ledger solutions.

Connected Health is the most dynamic phenomenon in healthcare technology today. From smartphones and tablets to apps, body sensors and telemedicine, Connected Health promises to stir foundational shifts in healthcare quality and delivery. This is a watershed moment in healthcare – the Connected Health ecosystem is dramatically impacting healthcare’s stakeholders, from patients to C-Suite executives, and is delivering on the tri aim: quality care, coordination and cost savings. This new book conducts a focused examination of wearables as an explosive niches of the Connect Health market. Covering a range of issues from wearable applications in the consumer and provider spaces, to emerging technology solutions and hurdles to successful deployment, this book also provides an engaging discussion about wearables as a change agent of healthcare delivery. The discussion continues with and examination of the interplay between solutions like wearables in the Healthcare Internet of Things ("IoT") landscape. The book also explores the scope and trajectory of the Connected Health ecosystem through a combination of expert commentary and selected case studies. It serves as an educational resource as well as a practical guide in strategizing and executing a Connected Health market and product strategy.

Connected Health is the most dynamic phenomenon in healthcare technology today. From smartphones and tablets to apps, body sensors and telemedicine, Connected Health promises to stir foundational shifts in healthcare quality and delivery. This is a watershed moment in healthcare – the Connected Health ecosystem is dramatically impacting healthcare’s stakeholders, from patients to C-Suite executives, and is delivering on the tri aim: quality care, coordination and cost savings. This new book conducts a focused examination of wearables as an explosive niches of the Connect Health market. Covering a range of issues from wearable applications in the consumer and provider spaces, to emerging technology solutions and hurdles to successful deployment, this book also provides an engaging discussion about wearables as a change agent of healthcare delivery. The discussion continues with and examination of the interplay between solutions like wearables in the Healthcare Internet of Things ("IoT") landscape. The book also explores the scope and trajectory of the Connected Health ecosystem through a combination of expert commentary and selected case studies. It serves as an educational resource as well as a practical guide in strategizing and executing a Connected Health market and product strategy.