Skype's tiptoeing around healthcare, part 2

Donna Cusano

Back on 7 July we noted that Skype was sponsoring the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C.  Mobihealthnews has followed up with an interview with their marketing director for the mobile business unit and the answer is…yes they are interested in healthcare, but….  Yes, they are working with Verizon, thus the sponsorship.  The larger picture:  hospitals, healthcare specialists and patients are using Skype to connect worldwide–notably their program with UCSF Children’s Hospital to make Skype available for video calls to connect patients and families, and a remote consultation program in Zanzibar.  But their concern in the US is HIPAA and similar privacy regulations in other countries.  Article. (Disclaimer:  Both Telecare Aware and Mobihealthnews are media partners of the mHealth Summit.)