An App A Day Keeps The Doctor Away?

Ear infections are one common reason kids end up at the doctor’s office. But now parents might be able to avoid that doctor’s visit by popping a small device on their smartphones—the CellScope Oto. The device turns the smartphone camera into an otoscope, allowing parents to transmit video of their child’s ear to CellScope’s on-call docs, who then dispense a prescription if needed. That’s just one of the medical innovations cardiologist Eric Topol surveys in his new book, The Patient Will See You Now. He argues that technology will save patients time and money—and put healthcare back in their hands. (Read an excerpt from Topol’s book here.)