The Mayo Clinic last week launched its first patient-facing mobile app. The app allows patients to log in to access much of their electronic health record, such as their lab results, appointment schedule. Patients can also schedule appointments, refill prescriptions, and get health information, tips, coaching, notififications and alerts from this secure connection with their health care team.

Learn more about mobile health technology:

• Mobile Health Technology Today
• Connected Health Solutions for Accountable Care Organizations
• 5 Things You Need to Know About Connected Health

Mayo Clinic's first free patient app offers medical record access | mobihealthnews.

In a study conducted and published jointly by the University of Texas Health Science Center and Boston's Institute for Healthcare Improvement, waiting and transfers were deemed two of the more prevalent causes of delay (time waste) in hospital ICUs.

If you are trying to gather a team to look at one of your processes, consider the FOCUS-PDCA model as one option that you can learn relatively quickly compared to other models for healthcare improvement.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Identifying "Waste" in the ICU.

One of the first studies on the initial results of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid's policy to reduce payments for hospitalizations associated with preventable healthcare acquired conditions has been published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

The study investigtors looked at whether hospitals focused more attention on the CMS' priotrity list of targeted healthcare acquired conditions, such as catheter associated urinary tract infections and central line associated bloodstream infections.

Perceived impact of the Medicare policy to adjust payment for health care-associated infections.

Healthrageous to Integrate 1st FDA Cleared cellular-enabled blood glucose meter.

Boston-based Healthrageous, Inc., a digital health engagement and management company that leverages technology to connect patients and their care givers via the web to work as a team to prevent and manage chronic conditions, has recently signed an agreement to integrate Telcare BGM's cellular-enabled blood glucose meter.

Telcare is a leading provider of mobile health solutions that focus on the design of cellular machine-2-machine technology so that patients and care givers can stay connected while managing chronic conditions. The Telcare BGM is the industry's first FDA-cleared cellular-enabled blood glucose meter.

Learn more about mobile connected health and how it works.

Learn more about how mobile connected health programs can help Accountable Care Organizations improve health outcomes while simultaneously making healthcare more affordable.