When Lisette Hatamian, a New Orleans resident, learned that she was expecting her first baby last fall, her doctors told her about a new program to monitor her health from home.
Ochsner, her local hospital, had just rolled out a new initiative called Connected Maternity Online Monitoring or “MOM,” which was available for free to mothers-to-be.
Hatamian was intrigued and agreed to sign up. After her first visit with an obstetrician, she went over to the Ochsner “O Bar,” a part of the hospital modeled on the Genius Bar. But instead of iPhones, the technologies on display included connected weight scales, blood pressure monitors and activity trackers.
The O Bar gave Hatamian a set of devices selected for pregnant mothers, including a wireless weight scale and a blood pressure cuff, as well as dipsticks and cups to measure protein levels in urine.
Throughout her pregnancy, she took readings of her weight and blood pressure about once or twice a week. If she forgot, her iPhone reminded her. The devices sent the readings to HealthKit, a secure container for storing medical data on her iPhone. (Ochsner‘s system also supports ‘s Android operating system.) From there it went to Ochsner‘s electronic medical record system, provided by Epic, where it was shared with her doctors. If she had questions, she could reach out to them through Epic‘s messaging app.
