Category: Industry Case Studies

Headline:

“Apple aims to put the customer at the center of everything we do”- Apple at WWDC18

This is something Kyo Logic and Apple have in common. We aim to provide the most user-centric services with everything we do, whether it is consulting, training, or FileMaker Development, making your business easier to run is our primary goal.

Here are some takeaways in iOS 12 that we found best upheld Apple’s promise:

Screen Time:

Smartphones have become an addiction, especially amongst the younger generation. Apple (being the number one contributor to that addiction) has begun to address this issue by implementing a new feature on iOS 12 called Screen Time. Screen Time provides you with a weekly report of how much time you have been spending on your iPhone, how often you check your iPhone, and what apps you’ve been spending the most time on.

The user-centric aspect of Screen Time is how customizable it can be. Users can:

• Set limits for the time they spend on specific apps, with warnings when you get close to your limit
• Set limits on their children’s devices remotely to help limit their usage
• Set Downtime for when apps won’t be displayed and indicate when specific apps aren’t usable
• Screen Time is Apple’s way to contribute to solving a social issue that they’ve helped create, all while keeping the user’s decisions to choose their settings in mind.

Security and Privacy:

In the tech world, people are always worried about their online presence, and whether their data is safe or not. Apple and Kyo Logic are two companies that show a similar drive to keep our user’s data safe. As per usual, Apple touched base on how up to date their security and privacy software is, but something especially interesting popped up that we found notable.

We have all seen the relentless “like” and “share” buttons on almost every website nowadays. These buttons can track and take down information from the user without even clicking them. Apple has made the stride to get rid of their user’s worry by disallowing this ability with iOS 12’s new Safari. To keep with Apple’s general theme of the conference of keeping the user at the center of everything they do, Apple has made this function optional. Every time one of these buttons is in effect, the user will have to allow access.

Apple is keeping the customer in the center of its update by thinking ahead of possible security threats, yet also allowing the user to bypass this security measure if they choose to do so.

Swift and The Apple Learning Community:

As any FileMaker user could tell you, coding is the language of technology and the future. Apple has been spreading the idea of how learnable the ability to code is through the implementation of Swift and Swift Playground. Both technologies have been out for a couple of years now, but Apple is pushing to get the public involved in coding for free.

Apps like Swift Playground make learning how to code very easy, and especially fun for inexperienced coders. Apple says, “We think everyone should have the opportunity to create something that can change the world. So we’ve designed a program that lets anyone learn, write, and teach code.”(Apple)

This entire movement falls under Apple’s overarching goal of the Apple Learning Community. Apple is pushing to get coding classes in all schools, enabling the next generation to create mind-blowing and groundbreaking apps that could change the world. For even more information on the Apple, Learning Community click here.

With the release of iOS 12, Apple includes an entire learning community with abilities of the public to become teachers and students to spread valuable knowledge.

By creating an available source of valuable education, and catering towards our youth, Apple has been continually showing us how customer-driven they are both for-profit and the betterment of society.

iOS 12 Beta

If you would like to access the Beta of iOS 12, click here, and help Apple make it their best release yet!

Work Cited:

iCrackUriDevice. “LIVE: Apple WWDC 2018 – IOS 12 & MORE – Video Stream (June 2018 Keynote)!” YouTube, YouTube, 4 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=61U4_ygZolo

“Everyone Can Code.” Apple, Apple.inc, www.apple.com/everyone-can-code/.

Massachusetts has long been a leader in the healthcare industry, and now business and government officials are looking to join this strength with the growing tech sector in the Bay State. A new private-sector initiative is being led by the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, an influential and exclusive group of 16 chief executives and other business leaders from around the state.

Creating a digital health market from scratch will certainly be a lengthy process, but the organization believes that Massachusetts will become a national model if all is done correctly. Digital health efforts would include building a cloud to allow hospitals to electronically store medical records, writing software to keep patient information secure, connecting medical devices, launching apps for consumers and looking at data to spot any health trends.

Digital healthcare will also help get people to sign up for medical coverage, which can be a relatively complicated process for those who have never done so before. But the possibilities are endless, as the pharmaceutical world moves into the digital age there is no limit to what can be created and distributed among patients and consumers.

According to Rock Health, which invests in health care startups, venture capitalists have seen this potential in Massachusetts and poured $4.1 billion into the further development of digital health, up from under $1 billion back in 2011.

Many in the industry believe that healthcare in the United States is the last major industry that has yet to go under a technological revolution, something they hope changes with digital health in the near future. Programs like custom database software from Kyo Logic help to increase the prevalence of smart technology in a wide variety of industries.

The ease with which FileMaker can be used and customized is allowing health care workers to develop apps that make their jobs easier both in the United States and in underdeveloped countries. mHealthNews has the story of three such physicians that have used the software to build game-changing databases.

Patrick Singley, a dentist from Columbus, Mississippi, who regularly does work in developing countries, built an electronic health record system to gather data about patients in poor areas where no such records are kept. After coming up with the idea, he spoke to several programmers but ultimately decided to do it himself using FileMaker.

The app is currently being used in Haiti, and next year it will be deployed in a Kenyan orphanage and made available to non-profits. While this is one of the most remarkable cases, it's far from the only one.

"You have a lot of very smart people out there in healthcare whose time is valuable, who are increasingly tech-savvy, and who have specific needs," said FileMaker vice president Ryan Rosenberg. "Clearly, there are a lot of scenarios where mobility is incredibly important."

A doctor at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis designed an app that lets residents chart bedside ultrasounds on their iPhones rather than on paper. And an eye bank in Birmingham, Alabama, has developed a relational database to easily track available organs and patients waiting for a corneal transplant in order to easily find matches.

Users in a wide range of business areas can benefit from implementing FileMaker in their operations. Certified partners can assist with FileMaker development, customization and training to help companies make the most of this software.

The University of Connecticut Health Center will see its business incubator space double with the construction of a $19.4 million, 28,000-square-foot addition to the Cell and Genome Sciences Building, a project that got underway recently. The addition will serve to expand UConn's Technology Incubation Program, which has already provided lab space and support services to dozens of companies. The new facility, at UConn Health's Farmington location, is expected to be operational by December 2015.

This is the latest phase of Bioscience Connecticut, a state program that has issued nearly $1 billion in assistance to UConn Health with the aim of transforming the area into a major hub for the biomedical and health sciences. The hope is that the combination of private companies and high-level university research will help foster growth for both sides.

"The incubator expansion at UConn Health is a great opportunity for Connecticut's citizens and industry," said vice president for research Jeff Seemann. "This expansion provides a physical resource to capture the companies and jobs emanating from Bioscience Connecticut for the state, and ensures that opportunities rapidly develop by extending a bundle of services designed to grow and sustain them."

The participating companies will have access to the University's research and technological resources and internship program. Existing companies at the incubator, 20 in all, cover a variety of science and technology areas, including IT, manufacturing and medical science.

Health sciences, IT and software developing companies can all benefit from their collaboration with the University and with each other, and from their location on a prime site for networking and meeting like-minded entrepreneurs.

Along with the upcoming iOS 8, which is expected to be launched publicly in conjunction with the iPhone 6 this fall, Apple will be releasing HealthKit, an application programming interface (API) that will allow application development companies to work on health care-related apps which will tie in with the HealthKit framework. Among the new benefits of such a platform, according to Bloomberg, will be the chance for businesses of all sizes to reward healthy lifestyles among their employees. The Affordable Care Act has detailed by law what bonuses companies can give to workers who adhere to healthy practices, which opens up an array of new technological possibilities.

While a lot of the HealthKit reporting has revolved around speculation that Apple could be close to revealing its long-rumored iWatch, which would monitor the wearer's vital signs and habits, the API should also encourage companies that deal in mobile software development to take advantage of an unprecedented level of integration with iOS 8. With the Mayo Clinic and Nike already contributing to HealthKit, Apple is now in talks with major health care providers Humana and UnitedHealth, and their inclusion would further increase the platform's appeal to businesses and developers alike.

Indeed, one of Apple's goals in introducing HealthKit and HomeKit, a similar platform for controlling devices in one's home, is to encourage custom application development. HealthKit, in particular, should prove especially attractive to small and medium-sized businesses on both ends of the app development process. For developers, it's an opportunity to work on new apps directly within the Apple framework, and for all others it could usher in a brand new age of healthy living for employees who could see both health and monetary rewards for their efforts.

Companies that deal in custom application development are now helping small businesses navigate the often murky waters of health care selection and enrollment, a complex area where the choices are many and the readily available information is not always reliable. With custom database software, developers can create apps that simplify operations for SMBs by helping them choose the best health care options for their employees.

Earlier this month, the District of Columbia's health insurance marketplace, DC Health Link, launched an app designed specifically to help local small businesses manage every step of their health care coverage, from browsing different options to exploring enrollment alternatives for their employees. Per the official press release on the launch, the new small business app, called D.C. Small Biz Market, will allow users to browse health plans, determine their eligibility for special programs and locate brokers via GPS.

The app is the first of its kind introduced by an Affordable Care Act marketplace, but as the dust settles on the implementation of the ACA, it is not unreasonable to imagine that more like it could be developed in other states in the not-too-distant future. In fact, if this D.C. app proves successful, other software developing companies, not necessarily affiliated with the ACA, could be motivated to work on dependable small business apps of their own.

Certified FileMaker developers have the tools to build custom database software which, tailored to a specific geographic region, could become an essential tool for SMBs as they work to adapt to the changing health care landscape. A custom database of all available brokers and health care providers would go a long way toward making life much easier for managers and employees alike.

There are many instances where creating a database can be have wide sweeping benefits for the industry it is in. Health care, for instance, is filled with different ways that a database can make operations and improve patient care.

According to an article from the Associated Press, New York is in the process of quietly building one of the nation's largest computer databases of medical records. Once it is completed, patients and doctors alike will have access to the complete medical histories in one location and could save millions in the long run by avoiding redundant tests and unneeded admissions.

Dr. Rainu Kaushal, chairwoman of Weill Cornell Medical College's Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, said there is a tremendous value to society in avoiding unnecessary health care. Once enrolled in the program, a patient who visits the emergency room, for example, will be less likely to repeat radiological scans. This happens by creating a centralized location where doctors can look up evaluations they have had at other hospitals, including labs, EKGs and radiologic testing.

All of this is part of a larger movement across the health care industry to move away from paper records and start going digital. In New York, this system has been growing slowly since 2007, when it was first introduced. It currently has 71 percent of New York's hospitals and more than 20 percent of its 67,000 doctors are linked to the information exchange.

Creating a new database solution can be complicated. With the help of a FileMaker developer, any business can effectively create its own system.

There are many examples of how the latest software solutions have changed the way traditional sectors operate. Health care, for example, has experienced a number of different booms when various systems have risen to prominence. Currently, the use of electronic healthcare records (EHR) has been the main topic of conversation.

Hospitals and medical facilities are converting their paper records into a digital format. They can then be accessed through a computer and mobile devices, making it much simpler to keep files organized and updated in real-time. It also becomes easier for accurate versions of records to be sent to other facilities if needed.

While these platforms are spreading across the healthcare landscape, it does not work for every medical professional. A recent article from InformationWeek featured an interview with Dr. Lloyd Hey. The founder of the Hey Clinic for for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery, he used and was dissatisfied with EHR systems. However, instead of just complaining about it, he actually replaced it with his own version that brings process and quality control to healthcare.

Using FileMaker, his goal was to maximize care, minimize errors and continually improve processes and avoid the bottlenecks that current systems are creating.

"The problem was that [the EHR] system wasn't really built for a surgeon. It was built more for a primary care physician," Dr. Hey said. "And the [vendor's] programmers weren't really willing to improve it, and it didn't interface well with my practice management system. We had these silos of information that didn't talk to each other well."

Current EHR systems are broken into different modules for different tasks. This means it can be time consuming for a practice that performs hundreds of surgeries a month to fill out the different modules like schedule, clinic and appointment.

According to Dr. Hey, despite the number of systems that are on the market, none of them were able to streamline these modules and work specifically for his kind of practice. EHR systems do not take care of the whole workflow like consent forms and operating room bookings. Since he has a background in programming, he decided to tweak and have all those modules work together in a single solution.

With the help of a FileMaker developer, he started gathering input from everyone who used the software from the head of billing to nurses. This meant the entire office was part of the creative process and tweaking could happen on a daily or weekly basis.

"We have to have an adaptable system because, not only are we learning new things we have to change, but new things are being forced on us. You're always going to have to deal with change, so we need systems that can rapidly evolve and change with us," Dr. Hey said.

Now, patient information only needs to be entered once and any doctor can pull up and review the data, add critical information and view images on his computer in the office or his iPhone while in the operating room.

This shows what is possible when a company or individual with an idea decides to create a custom FileMaker solution.

When people list the things that they're most afraid of, going to the dentist often ranks somewhere near the top. There's something about lying motionless and slack-jawed in a converted office chair while a person wields sharp instruments in your mouth that gives a lot of people serious anxiety. That makes the sales process even more important. 

For a task that critical, Henry Schein Dental turned to FileMaker help. One of the major hurdles for the company was the sheer volume of products and services it offers. The practice provides tens of thousands of tools for both patients and physicians, from overheard lights to sterilization equipment, so consultants have a lot to remember when it comes to connecting with potential customers. 

And it's not just enough to know what something is called. When somebody is going to be poking something in their or somebody else's mouth, they're going to have a few questions about it. Carrying around bulky binders full of information was cumbersome and slowed the process down immeasurably. Instead, FileMaker lets sales executives have access to visuals and information about different products, as well as create PDFs and pertinent sales materials on the spot.

The change to this sort of custom database software also helped the company on the back-end. By parsing the information automatically compiled by FileMaker, representatives can easily see which items are selling the best and kept in constant stock. Having this information constantly available helps to streamline the product process, and saves tens of thousands of dollars in brochure costs for rarely-used products. 

Joe Baucom, Director of Marketing, Equipment and Techonology Group for the company, raved about the possibilities offered by using this kind of technology. 

"With the FileMaker Platform and FileMaker Go for iPad, our sales consultants have the right information, at the right time, for the right customer, every day," said Baucom. "The time savings from having 24-hour access to all literature, photos and catalogs has allowed our sales team to become more efficient and productive."

Henry Schein Dental might not ever be able to make going to the dentist as fun as a day at the amusement park. But with the help of FileMaker, they're definitely making the process of selling and marketing related tools as painless as possible. 

When you think about Big Data, your mind might immediately wander to floating clouds of numbers. That image wouldn't be entirely misguided: one of the biggest advantages of analytics is that you don't need to look at every single piece of paper to form actionable conclusions. That doesn't mean, however, that there isn't a physical side to Big Data. 

One of the most common uses of this sort of technology is for fitness apps. Using a small, GPS-enabled device, you can track your runs, set the best possible pace and scope out goals that you want to achieve. The tracker can clip onto your body, and goes everywhere that you do. In this sense, it very much exists in the physical world. However, instead of you then having to painstakingly write out all of your times by hand, you can immediately have them uploaded and see exactly how much you're progressing. 

This sort of custom web application development isn't just limited to runners, either. You can monitor your heart rate, test your temperature and even modulate your blood sugar with technologies that blend the physical sensation of wearing a device with the analytical power of databases. 

These advancements could very well have a positive effect on the health care industry. Instead of having to wait for an appointment, or being forced to go through a long battery of tests, you could have your everyday actions automatically uploaded. If anything is amiss, the app could notify both you and your doctor that it might be time for a checkup. Not only would it save time and money, it could also wind up saving your life.