mobile health

The number of homeless Californians under age 24 keeps rising, and many aren't getting the physical and mental health care they need, teen advocates say. Mobile clinics are trying to fill the gaps.

Plain old text messages — you know, the ones you don't need a smartphone to receive — helped people with heart disease make changes like smoking less and exercising more.

Many low-income patients can't make multiple visits to the doctor, which is a problem if you're a diabetic trying to get insulin dosing just right. A text-based system made remote reports possible.

You can now monitor your heart rhythm with your cellphone. Dr. Eric Topol imagines a day when patients will be doing a lot more of their own medical testing, with doctors as advisers.