GBT Technologies Inc. is now developing a mobile application for its AI empowered healthcare advisory system. The mobile application will be working with a back-end infrastructure, enabling an efficient and user-friendly interface. The mobile application will support private accounts, with a question & answer conversation type advising system, and in future versions, natural voice support using NLP (Natural Language Processing) technology. The mobile technology will be synchronized with the system’s web application for easier and intuitive user interactions. The AI health advisory system will be trained with health-related information and connected with accredited data sources, among them are the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), medical text books, and other credible resources. The system is aimed to perform as a general health Q/A advisory system, providing first-line of medical advice.

GBT plans to further develop the system to include intelligent telemedicine capabilities that will assist patients and healthcare specialists through connected devices. The AI-driven computer program will be able to connect to healthcare providers computerized systems through an API (Application Programming Interface); effectively, establishing direct telemedicine communications. The mobile technology plans to incorporate GBT’s qTerm vital device to enable real-time vital information sharing with a healthcare professional during telemedicine sessions. The mobile application will support iOS and Android platforms and is targeted to be complete during the Q2 of 2022.

“As a natural evolution of our AI-driven health advisory system, we are now developing its mobile application to work with full synchronization together its web interface. As with the system’s web application, the mobile app will provide a conversational interface type, designed to be at the forefront of an AI program that processes the user’s data. The knowledge base health advisory system will be connected to credible health-related data resources, among them are the CDC, medical text books and NCBI, to provide credible advice for general health related questions. Additionally, we plan to implement all the necessary infrastructure within the mobile application to establish future telemedicine capabilities with clinics and healthcare providers through an API interface. The mobile app architecture will include qTerm’s vital device support to enable future real-time vital data sharing within telemedicine sessions. The healthcare advisory agent is aimed to provide first line health related advice and become an assistance tool for healthcare professionals. One of its major advantages is the capability to provide healthcare support for remote locations. The mobile application design is focusing on a secured communication protocol, efficient data management and user-friendly interface. The mobile app will support iOS and Android platforms, providing intelligent healthcare assistance, monitoring and telemedicine capabilities for our new healthcare era,” said Danny Rittman, the Company’s CTO.

There is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in researching, developing or implementing this system. In order to successfully implement this concept, the Company will need to raise adequate capital to support its research and, if successfully researched and developed, the Company would need to enter into a strategic relationship with a third party that has experience in manufacturing, selling and distributing this product. There is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in any or all of these critical steps.

In a development that was expected to happen, around two hundred armed force personnel will now be supporting the National Health Service in London due to a shortage of staff because of COVID-19. If we look into the split, the Ministry of Defence will be rolling out 40 defense medics as well as 160 general duties personnel who shall be allocated flexibly to make sure that reach the locations where their need is required the most.

The NHS staff will get the support of these military medics whereas the general duty personnel will help in supporting the tasks such as checking patients on arrival, maintenance of stocks, and also doing basic checks. According to Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, the men and women of the UK’s armed forces will once again step out and work hand in hand with colleagues at the NHS to root out COVID-19. He added that these personnel have time and again shown their worth all across the pandemic, either by driving ambulances, supporting patients in the medical facility, or even driving ambulances and that one must be proud of their efforts.

Further to what he said, the defense will also be assisting the cause with 32 military co-responders who will be responsible for SCAS- South Central Ambulance Service. They will be up for task till March-end.

According to Sajid Javid, who is the health & social secretary, the armed forces will once again be stepping up to assist NHS personnel who are working round the clock. He went on to say that the most important thing people must do now is get boosted. Upon the development, Jane Clegg, NHS’ Regional Chief Nurse said that they are thankful for the armed forces have provided them the support as there is an increased demand brought by the pandemic.

This support is in addition to the already more than 1000 personnel who have been deployed across the UK to provide a quick response. It is well to be noted that more than 1000 servicemen and also women have been involved in the booster program already.

The National Health Mission, in partnership with nonprofit health association Piramal Swasthya and computer giant Cisco, has launched a new project to digitize public health care delivery in the Indian state of Assam.

Dubbed Niramay, the project covers health and wellness centers, blocks primary health centers and district hospitals in three local districts – Baksa, Barpeta and Darrang.

The Niramay project will provide specialist consultations and early diagnosis of noncommunicable diseases and high risk pregnancy cases. It will also improve the quality of health data and the patient experience, thereby helping to minimize direct human health spending.

The project is based on Piramal Swasthya’s integrated health technology platform called Medical Records Accessible Via Integrated Technologies or AMRIT, where public health EHRs are created and stored. Its users each receive a unique identification which facilitates the referral mechanism for accessing health services. The platform, the group said, can also ensure the collection of quality health data, helping authorities to make evidence-based decisions.

Niramay is a step towards achieving the digitalization of health services in Assam as envisioned by the government’s National Digital Health Mission.

“This project will aim to strengthen the digital infrastructure to enable telemedicine interactions, rapid diagnostics, patient health records and data collection at the local level in three ambitious districts of Assam”, Anurag Goel, Principal Secretary from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to the government of Assam, was cited.

With long-term health data available on AMRIT, the platform allows beneficiaries to see “any doctor anytime and anywhere with a complete medical history,” said Piramal Swasthya, vice president Hardeep Singh Bambrah. Access to volumes of health data also allows healthcare professionals to plan referrals and predict potential outbreaks, he added.

The Pradhan Mantri digital health mission, also known as The national digital health mission was officially launched last year at the end of September by the National Health Authority. It involves the establishment of digital health identifiers, a register of doctors called Digi-doctor, a register of health establishments and electronic health records. The program aims to bridge the gap between actors in the Indian health ecosystem through digitization.

At a ceremony organized for giving out National Medical Excellence Award, Singapore’s Health Minister, Ong Ye Kung had confirmed that around 100,000 healthcare workers who are a part of publicly funded health care organizations and are involved in the battle against COVID-19 shall be bestowed with an award of up to S$4000 each.

As per Mr. Kung, there would be three groups who would be conferred with the COVID-19 healthcare award. The first group shall comprise of the staff members who are a part of public healthcare institutions like polyclinics, acute hospitals, or even community hospitals, while the second group shall comprise of staff members across community care organizations that are involved in delivering frontline healthcare assistance, like the Nursing Homes. The final group will have general practitioners who are responsible to run Public Health Preparedness Clinics in Singapore and were essentially serving as the first port of call for the COVID-19 patients. The Ministry of Health of Singapore, as per Ong Ye Kung would award a grant of S$10000 to each clinic which then will be shared among the employees. These awards will stand as a testimony to recognize the contribution and selflessness of health workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore.

Apparently, these awards are a result of mass resignations that took place among healthcare workers due to the pandemic strain. Senior Minister of State for Health of Singapore, Dr Janil Puthucheary said that 1500 workers from healthcare specifically had put down their papers in the first half of 2021 itself as compared to 2000 resignations per year before the pandemic struck. Significantly, many foreign workers too have resigned during this time.

The ministry of health had in a statement said that these awards would be given in the first quarter of 2022. Mr. Ong added that although monetary awards don’t entirely reflect the healthcare worker’s contributions, as of now is the most appropriate thing to do.

A urine drug test (also known as a UDS or a urine screen) is a painless test. It checks your urine for prescription drugs and illegal drugs.

A doctor can use a urine drug test to help identify potential abuse issues. Doctors can help you develop a treatment plan after a drug test has identified drugs that you might be using. To ensure that your substance abuse treatment is effective, you must submit to urine drug testing.

Purposes and Uses of Urine Drug Test

Employers, doctors, and sports officials may request urine drug screenings for a variety of reasons.

Doctor. If a doctor suspects that someone has been using prescription drugs or illegal drugs, they may request a urine drug test.

A doctor might request a urine test to check if someone is using opioids prescribed for chronic pain.

If they suspect that someone is acting strangely or dangerously because of drug use, an emergency service staff member can request a urine drug screening.

Rehabilitation Programs. To check if a person is sober, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs might request urine drug screens. These tests are also required by prison officials for people who have abused drugs in the past.

Sporting Events. Many sporting officials require urine drug screens to check whether athletes have used performance-enhancing drugs.

Employers. Employers may request that employees who are new or already employed take a urine drug screen.

This is more common in workplaces with high safety standards. For example, an employer might be more inclined to test someone who drives vehicles or uses machinery.

Different laws regarding employee drug testing apply to different areas. It is best to check with your local authorities.

Types of Urine Drug Test

There are two types of urine drug screenings. The immunoassay is the most cost-effective, and it gives you results very quickly. It does have some drawbacks. It doesn’t pick up all opioids. It can also give false positives. False positives are when test results show that the drug is found in the blood, but no drug use has occurred.

A second test, known as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), is performed to confirm the positive results of your initial test. This test uses the same method to obtain a urine sample as the immunoassay. Although GC/MS results can be more costly and take longer to produce results, they are less likely to yield false positives.

False negatives can occur with both types of tests. This is when the test reports a negative even though there has been drug use. Both types of tests may not be able to detect same-day drug use.

How Reliable Are Urine Drug Test

Cut-off levels are used for a urine drug test. A result is only positive if the drug level is greater than a certain threshold.

Results will show the amount of drug in nanograms per liter (ng/ml).

False-positive results can be prevented by having cut-off levels. These are possible even if a person has not used an illegal drug but has eaten legal amounts of hemp, coca, or opium.

In rare cases, eating poppy seeds before a urine drug test can cause the test to detect opium. The United States Anti-Doping Agency warns against eating poppies seeds before taking a drug screen.

A person who has only been exposed to drugs passively can be tested positive if they are below certain levels. Passive exposure can be seen in secondhand smoke.

False-negative results can also be produced by both GC-MS and IA tests. These results do not indicate that someone has taken drugs in the past. If the urine is extremely diluted, it can lead to a false-negative result.

How to Prepare for a Urine Test

It is easy to prepare for the test. A person usually needs to urinate in a container.

Important to remember that false-positive results can be caused by certain supplements and medicines, which could indicate illegal drug use.

If a person is taking any of the following, they should notify the test provider:

• prescription medications
• over-the-counter medicines
• herbal remedies
• supplements

The urine drug test will be performed by a medical professional or technician. They may begin by asking someone to:

• empty their pockets
• remove any excess clothing and items, such as bags and coats
• clean their hands with antibacterial gel or soap and water
• clean their genital area with a wipe, which the technician will provide

The technician will then direct the patient to:

• urinate into a container until the urine level reaches a certain level
• put the lid on the container and return it to the technician

To ensure the sample is suitable for testing, the technician will measure the temperature of the urine. The technician will seal the sample in plastic bags.

The technician and the donor should both keep an eye on it until sealing is complete to ensure that it has not been altered. There are many people who use quality fake urine that helps them to pass the drug test.

Sometimes the technician will accompany the patient into the testing room to ensure that the sample is being given correctly. The technician should explain why they are doing this.

Urine Drug Test Results

Some sites provide instant results while others do not. The reason for the drug test will vary. Often, the sample is sent to testing for a formal report.

The most popular type of urine drug screening is immunoassays. They don’t measure drugs. They detect the drug’s interaction with the body’s immune system, and the ability to form antigen/antibody complexes.

The results of this test will be expressed in nanograms per liter (ng/mL). A cutoff point is used in the test. A negative screen is any result that falls below the cutoff value, and a positive screen is any that exceeds the cutoff.

The drug test results are usually given in terms of numeric rather than numerical values if it is an instant result. The ng/mL measurement is not displayed on many instant immunoassay tests. Instead, the results are displayed on a test strip that turns different colors to indicate the presence or absence of certain substances.

A urine drug test is a quick and effective way to detect illegal or prescribed drugs in your body. Employers, doctors, and sports officials may request a urine drug test for a variety of reasons.

These screens can detect a variety of drugs such as marijuana, nicotine, and barbiturates. Some drugs are more easily traceable than others.

A person might need to repeat a second test if the initial result is positive.

HSX MarketStreet and GoMo Health announce their partnership and the launch of their new value-based quality improvement system, MarketStreet Concierge, a data activation platform that automates and scales the ability of health plans and providers to measurably and precisely close gaps in care and increase NCQA, HEDIS, and STAR scores that produce a higher return on investment for their quality and performance programs. These programs, in Medicaid and Medicare, have demonstrated reduction in cost of care, increase in performance and quality measures as well as patient satisfaction, and reduction in clinical fatigue with correlated increase in care management staff productivity.

The MarketStreet Concierge enterprise platform addresses and correlates all health plan and/or provider data to precisely engage members and patients, delivering the right message at the right time on an individualized basis. It is available for use nationally by health plans, providers, health systems, and state and federal government health and social services organizations. There are special licensing arrangements for HealthShare Exchange (HSX) member firms.

With its extensive EMR data, analytical, and engagement science and tools, MarketStreet Concierge automates – without the typical plan or provider human labor and staff time – the identification, personalization, and outreach to scale the activation, participation, and ePRO (patient reported outcomes) that positively impact provider and plan revenue while reducing costs associated with staff involvement and dramatically increasing number of patients/members engaged.

For Plans — it provides a consistent evidence-based Enterprise Performance and Quality Solution across their provider network; not relying on each provider to allocate their already strained resources to devote time to reducing gaps in care.

For Providers — it is an enterprise solution that is applied to all their health plan quality gap patient engagement programs; as managing different quality programs individually for each payer is costly, time consuming, and not scalable given limited staff time and availability.

“HSX recognizes the enormous load on health plans’ teams to engage, activate, nurture, and consistently follow up with their patients and members to surpass state and federal quality and performance measures. With MarketStreet Concierge, HSX is providing the capability to precisely engage and scale patient and member activation, which reduces the burden on plan and provider staff members and results in a more fiscally-sound enterprise approach,” says Martin Lupinetti, President and Chief Executive Officer, HealthShare Exchange.

“HSX MarketStreet is the perfect partner and compliment to GoMo, as their extensive patient and member data capabilities enable GoMo to more precisely individualize health engagement that motivates and activates people to complete the necessary actions to achieve better health while reducing costs and adverse events,” says Bob Gold, Chief Behavioral Technologist, GoMo Health.