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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2020 25 THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! Let me start out by saying there is nothing good about the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, there are some interesting ramifications from the outbreak. Last year I sang the praises of the Kaiser app. This year I can report the fantastic advances in the app, no doubt spurred on by the pandemic. First, some background. Kaiser for the time being is greatly limiting its in-person appointments. For example, I had been scheduled for my normal six-month checkup with my primary- care doctor. I was informed my appointment had been switched to a telephone appointment. Since my doctor had ordered lab work for me in advance of the appointment, our telephone call mainly dealt with his review of my lab results. I also had a dermatology appointment. Since I've had two instances of skin cancer, I normally see my dermatologist twice a year for a full- body scan. At first this appointment had been canceled, but it was later rescheduled. When I called to make sure the appointment was still on, I learned that although most appointments had been switched to the telephone, mine would remain an in-person appointment since it's pretty hard to do a body scan over the phone. I've finally reached the point of my bringing up the subject of Kaiser. The day before my appointment I received a text and an email encouraging me to check in in advance. Clicking the link brought me to the Kaiser app on my phone allowing me the check-in for the appointment scheduled the following day. I had to answer several questions relating to my current state of health and the health of those in my household. These were mainly having to do with coronavirus symptoms. Having satisfactorily answered the questions, I advanced to the next step – payment. Since I refill prescriptions online, Kaiser had my credit card information already. Had they not, I'm sure I would have been able to enter it through the app. Lastly, I was given a QR code and the option to have that code emailed or texted to me. With that code, I scanned it at an Express Check-in Kiosk at the Kaiser facility which gave me instructions on how to proceed to my appointment. (This was preceded by a temperature check and having to answer more coronavirus questions.) This is a terrific example of getting the most out of a smartphone app. Hopefully, when things get back to normal, Kaiser will retain this advance check-in procedure. Since we're on the subject of COVID-19-inspired apps, there are a lot of them. They fall into three categories. Some are purely informational. A good example of this is the CDC app. Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has a wealth of knowledge about the subject of diseases in general and COVID-19 specifically. It's filled with links to articles on a vast variety of subjects. Actually, this app predates the pandemic so it's not really correct to say it's COVID-inspired. There are many other apps of this nature focusing specifically on the pandemic. Another category is information/interactive. A good example is the Apple COVID-19 app. It's a screening tool that starts with a list of symptoms such as fever, chills, or sweating, and sore throat and leads you to a preliminary diagnosis and suggested action. It also has guidance information on a state-by-state basis. There is also a section on social distancing. The last category is tracker apps. A good example is HealthLynked COVID-19. It rates 4.6 stars from 34,000 reviews. To quote the description, "HealthLynked has developed its own coronavirus tracker that allows users to self-report symptoms if they test positive for the virus, [and] alert contacts so that they can seek medical care to prevent spread." It combines its own database with information from the World Health Organization to illustrate the spread of the disease worldwide. There is another app that should be available by the time this article is published. It's a joint effort by Apple and Google so it will work on Apple and Android phones alike. The basics, as I understand them, allow users to opt into a sophisticated tracking system using your smartphone's Bluetooth function to show your proximity to others and, thereby, create a contact-tracing database. If you report that you have tested positive to COVID-19, others with whom you've been in contact with for a certain period of time will be notified of your condition and encouraged to take appropriate action. For various reasons, this app will be referred to as exposure notification instead of contact tracing. There have been many negative reactions to this project based on concerns for privacy and false positives, among others. It remains to be seen how effective this app will be. Time will tell. Do you use an app you'd like to share with others, particularly those that have helped you deal with the pandemic? Let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. COVID-19 Affects Health-Related Apps By Steve Benoff

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