👯 #Twinning: At age 66, Devlin Donaldson used a “digital twin” to reverse his Type 2 diabetes. OK, not a literal twin — the Twin Health app, which uses insights from your diet, activity, blood glucose levels and more to give you hyperpersonalized advice. The instant feedback helped Donaldson lose 40 pounds and go off medication. This is why I love tech, folks!
A new hospital cyberattack left patients without care – Keep your records safe
Come with me. Imagine you rush to the emergency room, but after five hours, they tell you to find another hospital. Or you check in at your specialist’s office for a chronic condition, only to find they’ve lost your entire medical history. Both of these scenarios just happened.
Yesterday’s cyberattack on one of the largest health systems in the U.S., Ascension, was bad — really bad. Before you say, “Another data breach? So what, Kim?” know that having your records sold on the dark web is the least of your worries.
Code red
The hack on Ascension sent its 140 hospitals and 40 senior facilities into full-blown chaos. It took down patient record systems and medication prescribing systems, forcing doctors and nurses to rely on paper charts and handwritten records to keep things running.
One patient, Zackery Lopez, checked himself in at an Ascension-run hospital in Southfield, Michigan. He was suffering from internal bleeding and thinking his cancer had returned. Zackery waited a grueling seven hours before a nurse could help him. As he waited, he saw patients checking themselves out.
Keep your health records safe
When hospital systems get hacked, it’s a matter of life and death. And it’s happening more and more often. Keeping physical records sounds old-school, but if digital systems go down, it could save your life.
- Start with a list. Make a list of all your meds, including dosages and names, and keep both digital and physical copies. Store a physical copy in your purse or wallet if you’re currently in treatment or in case of emergency.
I also recommend compiling your full medical records and having a printed copy on hand. If you have an iPhone, you can sync them to your Health app:
Add your health records
- Open the Health app on your iPhone or iPad.
- If you’re on your iPhone, tap the Summary tab, then your profile picture in the upper-right corner. On iPad, tap Profile in the upper-left corner.
- Scroll down to Features > Health Records > Get Started.
- Search for your hospital or network, then tap it. FYI: It’ll ask you to add location services to find hospitals and health networks near you, but you don’t have to enable it to search.
- Under Available to Connect, choose Connect Account. Sign in to your health care provider’s website or app.
- Wait for your records to update. It might take a minute for your information to appear.
- Repeat these steps for each supported provider. Start by going to Features, then tap Add Account.
View your health records
Organize all your health records with this built-in smartphone feature
Health apps track your steps, heart rate, sleep patterns and more. But they’re capable of so much more. You can add your health information to certain apps to keep all your records in one place and share them with your doctors. You can even track your medication.
10 things that are illegal to throw away — How to safely dispose of them instead
We’ve long been conditioned to separate our recyclables from regular trash and sort plastics, paper and more. But some items don’t belong in your recycle bin or your trashcan.
Many items you use every day have their own methods of safe disposal. Here are some everyday things and their proper way of disposal.
7 things you should never throw away (or you could be in legal trouble)
By now, we all know how to separate trash from recyclables.
But what about the other things we no longer need? The answer is no if you’re holding an old bottle of medication. Tap or click here to check if any of your meds have been recalled.
How to set up medication reminders on iPhone
If you tend to forget your medications, we’ve got the tech tip for you. You can set up medication reminders on your iPhone. This way, you can get scheduled reminders so you never forget.
Keep reading to learn how to use your iPhone to set up medication reminders. It’s good for your wallet and your health.
Did eagle-eyed internet sleuths solve a murder?
Over the years, the internet has become a meeting place for would-be crime solvers. They gather on forums, Facebook and Reddit combing through clues and motives. And they’re often right in their hypothesis, helping law enforcement with convictions.
9 apps everyone over 50 should download
If you are over 50, you might not be up to date on trending apps. However, the best apps can help you organize your life and give you more time for matters. Looking for more convenient tricks to make your life easier? These five tech tips will make your life run smoother than ever before.
Trouble reading your prescription labels? There's an app for that
Americans spend more on prescription drugs than any other country globally, with more than $358 billion in costs in 2020. The amount is staggering, and you feel it if you take one or more prescription drugs.
You may also think you have no other options. Luckily, there are ways you can save a good chunk of cash on the pills you take every day. Tap or click here to learn how to get your meds for less.
Get your prescriptions by mail? Your medication could be at risk
We finally have some good news about the pandemic. An approved vaccine began distribution around the U.S. Monday, hopefully leading to life returning to normal soon. Of course, scammers are already taking advantage of this. Tap or click here to see four ways they’re out to get you.