A New Frontier for Medical Applications

I’m no techno whiz, but it seems like the latest buzz in the medical device industry is the FDA clearance of the Mobile MIM, which allows physicians to view radiology images on their iPhone or iPad.

Massdevice states:

“The first medical app ever in the Apple Inc. (NSDQ:AAPL) app store is now the first app to receive 510(k) clearance from the Food & Drug Administration to be used to review and make medical diagnoses of MRI, CT and PET scans.

Mobile MIM, created by the Cleveland, Ohio-based MIM Software, shrinks the size of radiology images and transfers them securely while still allowing physicians to measure distance of the image and image intensity values, among other things.

The app is not replacing the full workstation, but can be used to make a diagnosis when a physician does not have access to a workstation, according to the FDA.”

Medical News Today also had an article about the MIM:

“A new mobile radiology application cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow physicians to view medical images on the iPhone and iPad manufactured by Apple Inc.

The application is the first cleared by the FDA for viewing images and making medical diagnoses based on computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and nuclear medicine technology, such as positron emission tomography (PET). “

Even Medgadget had something to say:

“For the app’s review, the FDA performed various tests that measured luminance, image quality (resolution), and noise. These tests were performed under various lighting conditions, which often create significant, but important differences in images.”

Massdevice also had another article about the “long, strange trip” that was the path to the FDA finally approving the MIM for a medical device:

“If there’s any good news for other radiology app developers, it’s that Beachwood, Ohio-based MIM’s experience might — might — provide a roadmap of sorts for the FDA to follow in reviewing similar apps for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad in the future. And that’s no small point for a health IT industry that’s suffering from a lack of clarity when it comes to knowing what the FDA wants from developers of  medical apps, many of which fall under the FDA’s jurisdiction because they’re considered medical devices.”

Even my non-techy-pseudo-scientific brain can wrap itself around he fact that a medical application actually receiving clearance from the FDA certainly bodes well for the technological future of our industry.