A new app, Figure 1, has been launched for physicians to upload photos, X-rays and other images of patients' maladies. The new app, likened to Instagram or Facebook, is changing the way physicians communicate with their patients, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Here are seven things to know:
1. The app allows physicians and healthcare providers instant access to unusual clinical cases around the world.
2. Anyone can download Figure 1, but only licensed medical professional have the ability to upload and comment on images.
3. The app presently has users in more than 100 countries around the globe. In California alone, tens of thousands of user utilize this app.
4. Union Square Ventures, a New-York based company, provided $4 million in capital funding in Figure 1 and will add new features as well as expand its English-language services into new countries like India and South America.
5. Physicians can electronically "page" their colleagues practicing in the same specialty and discuss possible diagnoses instantly. Professionals can also use the app to share photos of new technology or clinical techniques in their healthcare practices.
6. Patient privacy is a major concern, and physicians are "100 percent encouraged" to obtain a patient's permission to use a photo in the app.
7. The patient-centric app is one of many new mobile apps entering the market. Approximately 150,000 mobile health apps are presently available in major app stores.
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