Dr. Alexa? How Voice Assistants Can Cure Patient Billing’s Ills

Fifth generation (5G) networks are slated to be in use around the world by 2020. These networks offer higher data processing, lower latencies and more reliable connectivity, which will support intelligence of things (IoT) applications that require vast amounts of data to be processed rapidly. That means 5G may be a gamechanger for smart cities, advanced IoT medical purposes and more.

The September IoT Tracker explores recent 5G explorations and IoT applications and limitations.

Around The IoT World

Global technology market advisory company ABI Research recently asserted that cities may not be sufficiently investing in IoT security even as they deploy more and more of the technology. The firm said that even as smart technology adoption increases, many municipalities seem to be focusing more on using networks that provide wide coverage and low latencies, but which may not be able to stand up to high volumes of cyberattacks.

Two Democratic U.S. senators also recently expressed concerns that connected vehicle manufacturers may be doing little to ensure the public is aware of the security risks of their products. Sens. Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut penned a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in which they asked about policies over handling and informing the public in cases of cyberattacks against connected vehicles.

IoT also has many applications in supply chains. Digital platforms manufacturer and retailer Intel recently reflected on a 2018 trial in which it provided connected sensors to track location and temperature conditions of blueberry shipments. Findings from the pilot helped Intel assess better ways to handle cold chain IoT.

Find more on these and the rest of the latest headlines in the Tracker.

Bringing Voice Assistants Into The Medical Exam Room

Doctors spend portions of patient visits taking down notes that will help the clinics bill the patients later. Healthcare providers need to get paid, but the burdensome administrative work of billing is a distraction that can limit how much time and focus practitioners can dedicate to their patients’ concerns during these visits. The right kind of IoT devices could help fix this problem, according to Noah Auerhahn, CEO and co-founder of Robin Healthcare.

In this month’s Feature Story, Auerhahn explains how his company is designing artificial intelligence-powered voice assistants to record doctor-patient conversations and then use these details to prepare billing documents for physicians. Recording sensitive medical conversations is no casual task, however, and Auerhahn details what it takes to protect the device and recordings from cyberattack and ensure patient privacy and consent.

Get the full scoop in the Tracker.

About The Tracker

The Intelligence of Things Tracker showcases companies that are leading the way in all aspects of IoT. Every month, the Tracker looks at what these companies are doing across the ecosystem and in several categories, including Personal, Home, Retail, Transportation, Wearable, Mobile, Infrastructure, Data and more.

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