Autopsy shows New York Times writer Carr died of lung cancer

NEW YORK — New York Times media columnist David Carr died of complications from metastatic lung cancer, according to autopsy results released Saturday.

Julie Bolcer (BOHL-suhr), a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner's office, said the autopsy shows heart disease also contributed to his death.

Carr, 58, collapsed at the newspaper's headquarters and died on Thursday.

He wrote the newspaper's Media Equation column and penned a memoir about his fight with drug addiction. He was lauded as "the finest media reporter of his generation" by Times' Executive Editor Dean Baquet.

Carr's 2008 memoir "The Night of the Gun" traces his rise from cocaine addict to single dad raising twin girls to sobered-up media columnist for the Times. The book also detailed his life as a cancer patient as he battled Hodgkin's lymphoma.

A spokeswoman for the Times declined to comment on whether Carr's illness was known at the newspaper.

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FAA seeking drone rules favorable to commercial operators

WASHINGTON — The government is readying rules largely favorable to companies that want to use small drones for commercial purposes, according to a federal analysis, potentially leading to the widespread flights by unmanned aircraft performing aerial photography, crop monitoring, inspections of cell towers and bridges and other work.

An economic analysis by Federal Aviation Administration, which was inadvertently posted online, describes draft rules submitted by the agency in October to the White House budget office to review. In response to inquiries, the FAA said in a statement late Saturday that it will officially release the rules on Sunday.

The regulations would apply to drones weighing less than 55 pounds. They would improve safety by using small, lightweight unmanned aircraft instead of heavier, manned aircraft that "pose a higher level of risk," the analysis said. It notes that between 2004 and 2012, there were 95 fatalities involving climbers working on cell and other towers.

If the rules would prevent only one fatality by using a small drone instead of a tower climber, the $9.2 million saved — the amount the government says is the economic value of a single life — would exceed the entire cost of the regulations to society, according to the document.

The analysis does not offer a total estimate on the annual economic benefit of regulations, but says it would exceed $100 million a year. For example, about 45,000 annual bridge inspections could be conducted with small drones. Most bridge inspections currently employ hydraulic mobile cranes called "snoopers." The average cost of an inspection using a snooper is $3,250. Cable bridge inspections are even more expensive because they often require a 200-foot aerial lift.

The Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, an industry trade association, estimates that small, commercial drones will create 70,000 jobs with an economic impact of more than $13.6 billion in the first three years after their integration into U.S. skies.

The analysis doesn't address jobs that might be displaced by drones, like some types of pilots.

The FAA currently bans all commercial drone flights except for those by a small number of companies that have been granted waivers. Congress has been leaning on the FAA to move faster on regulations that would allow a wide variety of companies to employ drones for everything from monitoring pipelines to delivering pizzas. Under a law passed in 2012, the FAA was to issue final regulations by September 2015, but that appears unlikely.

Even if the White House approves the FAA's proposal, the agency is still required to offer it for public comment. Tens of thousands of comments are anticipated, and it could take two to three years for the agency to address them before issuing final regulations.

The document indicates the agency has dropped its insistence that drone operators have the same licenses and medical certificates required for pilots of manned aircraft. Industry officials complained that obtaining a private pilot license or medical certificate would be unnecessarily burdensome.

Commercial operators would have to take an aerospace knowledge test administered by the FAA before they could receive a certificate granting permission to operate a drone. The agency estimates the cost to operators of obtaining certificate at about $300.

A private pilot license can cost thousands of dollars because it requires many hours of experience flying a plane.

Operators would have to keep drone flights under 500 feet in altitude, which is below where most manned aircraft fly. That's 100 feet higher than the agency typically has approved in waivers to commercial operators.

But the draft rules would still prohibit drones from flying farther away than they can be seen by their operator, and nighttime flights would remain banned. The line-of-sight requirement would preclude delivery drone of the type envisioned by Amazon. Google is also experimenting with such drones.

Industry officials have chafed at both restrictions, saying they significantly reduce the usefulness of unmanned aircraft. The FAA's concern is that with no pilot on board, the operator on the ground is best able to prevent a collision with another aircraft by keep the drone in sight at all times.

Drone operators would also have to be checked out by the Transportation Safety Administration to determine whether they pose a security threat before they could receive an FAA operator certificate. There is no fee for the security check, but one might be applied in the future, the analysis said.

Last month, a small drone flew over the White House fence and crashed on the lawn. Although the operator later came forward saying the incident was an accident, the episode has raised concern that small drones might pose a security threat.

Agriculture is expected to become one of the first industries to embrace drones. Helicopter drones that are widely used for spraying crops in Japan would not fall under the FAA rules because they weigh significantly more than 55 pounds. But the rules would apply to small drones that monitor crops to better target watering or for mapping fields.

The FAA analysis was first reported by Forbes on Saturday.

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Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

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Booting Up: App shows drivers the best Waze to go

Something is very wrong when Google has better traffic data than government transportation departments. That's why I applaud Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh for successfully ensuring Boston was one of 10 cities in the world selected to share and receive data with Waze, the groundbreaking social navigation app that Google scooped up for 
$1.3 billion two years ago.

Waze, which integrates with social networking apps, allows users to report road hazards and accidents in real-time. But the real gamechanger is how it calculates the best routes: by tracking the speed of its users in real-time rather than relying on traffic cameras. Waze recalculates your route frequently, adapting to a live-stream of traffic data and basically putting every other navigation service to shame.

Hub officials say the city will be able to share information on expected road closures with all of Waze's 400,000 users in Greater Boston, making the mobile navigation app even more accurate for those users. Waze, in turn, will provide streams of traffic data to the city's Traffic Management Center, which is akin to our municipal command center. City officials promise that engineers will use that data to better calibrate the city's 550 intersections with traffic signals.

"This partnership will help engineers in the TMC respond to traffic jams, accidents and road hazards quicker," said Boston Transportation Department Commissioner Gina Fiandaca.

"And, looking forward, the Waze data will support us in implementing — and measuring the results of — new congestion management strategies."

The Waze data-
sharing partnership launched several weeks ago after months of development. Time will tell whether — or when — these new data efficiencies will trickle down to the commuters on the ground. Road relief doesn't appear to have happened yet, but that should be motivation for Boston drivers to use Waze. The more drivers use it, the more accurate it becomes.

It's natural to wonder why this new partnership didn't prevent Boston from becoming a commuter abyss over the last week. I wondered the same thing while chatting with Fiandaca yesterday, but then I remembered: that black hole of vehicle gridlock and agonizing public transit? The MBTA's fault.

So while this is a great example of government embracing innovation, we're only as strong as our weakest link, or in this case, rail. Here's hoping Waze and Google turn their attention to public transit next.

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White-out conditions mean retail blues in New England

BOSTON — New England is waist-deep in the white stuff and neck-deep in the red.

Historic snowfalls are costing state and local governments millions in plowing and other inclement weather expenses. They're also exacting a heavy toll on the regional economy.

And that's before yet another storm that could add a foot or more of snow in a region that's already seen 6 feet or more in some areas by the end of the holiday weekend.

Here's a look at how governments and businesses are coping:

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SNOW BUDGETS

Across the region, city and state governments say they're on pace to exceed their budgets for clearing snow and ice — if they haven't done so already.

Rhode Island's Department of Transportation has exhausted its $14 million snow removal budget for the year. Boston says it's nearly doubled its $18 million budget. And Connecticut towns have expended about half to two-thirds of their snow funds, according to the state Conference of Municipalities.

"What communities will do is plow first and figure out how to pay for it later because public safety is their top concern," says Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

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WHAT'S THE DAMAGE?

Estimates vary, but one oft-cited study of the economic impact of snowstorms suggests a one-day stoppage costs, at least in Massachusetts, about $265 million.

That includes lost wages for workers and lost profits for companies on goods and services that likely won't be recouped later, according to 2014 study by IHS Global Insight, a Massachusetts-based firm.

A one-day stoppage includes heavy snow days when people are urged to stay home. It also includes days when commuter and subway lines are shut down.

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RETAIL: A MIXED BAG

Retail stores have been among the most negatively impacted by the storms, with messy roads and traffic jams driving consumers away from malls and commercial centers.

But Rajiv Lal, a retailing expert at the Harvard Business School, said the picture among retailers is not all grim. Some retailers, like hardware and winter apparel stores, are enjoying brisk sales during what's a normally quiet time of the year, thanks to snow-related purchases.

Lal warns, though, that people working for hourly wages at retail businesses are the most vulnerable when stores are forced to close or limit staff during storms. That, in turn, has ripple effects for the regional economy.

"If they don't get to work, they don't get paid," he said. "And if they don't get paid, then their consumption is seriously impacted, from basic necessities like groceries to fast food and things like that."

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COMING UP ROSES?

One florist, John Adams at The Flower Boutique in Boston, said he was doing brisk Valentine's Day business on Saturday, which he credited to good planning.

Business hadn't been being badly affected, Adams said, and in fact he had a long line of customers.

"I got my flowers in a little early," Adams said. "My drivers all have SUVs, they're all doing a wonderful job," he said.

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PRESIDENT'S DAY DEALS

Car dealerships were among the retailers hoping for a strong President's Day weekend to help make up for an abysmal sales month for sales, but yet another storm could cause big problems for the holiday weekend.

"I'm set up for a big weekend, but it just really depends if people come out," said Matt Davenport, a sales manager at Colonial Volkswagen, which was among a number of dealerships showcasing rows of gleaming vehicles and touting special deals along a packed stretch of Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford, Massachusetts, earlier this week. "The people that do come in, we're going to sell them a car. You're going to get a good deal if you come in a blizzard. My mindset, as a sales manager, is you're not going to get another customer, so a deal is better than no deal."

Robert Nakosteen, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, suggests car dealers and certain other retailers shouldn't fret: bad weather is simply delaying purchases customers will eventually have to make. "Car purchasers will probably come back," he said. "Same with appliances, and clothing, for the most part."

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VALENTINE'S DAY MEALS

Local restaurants have been trying everything to draw in customers during the snows, from touting bar snack promotions and three-course meal deals on their websites and social media.

On Twitter, a defiant hashtag even sprang up: #OpenInBOS, where downtown Boston food trucks to classic North End Italian eateries are telling customers they're open and ready to serve.

In a bid to help retailers, Gov. Charlie Baker declared "Valentine's Week" in Massachusetts and encouraged people to celebrate the holiday by buying gifts and dining out after the latest storm passes.

Still Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said the unrelenting succession of storms has had a "crippling effect" on the industry. Over the past three weeks, he estimates at least six days were essentially a total loss for the industry.

Those profits can't be recovered, but Luz said restaurants were hoping to bounce back with a respectable Valentine's Day weekend, despite the forecast.

"Restaurants are the cornerstones of neighborhoods," he said. "We need our neighborhoods to come into the restaurants and support the workers, who are also their neighbors."

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Associated Press writers Sue Haigh and Stephen Singer in Hartford, Connecticut, and Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

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Michele Ferrero, maker of Nutella, dies on Valentine's Day

ROME — Michele Ferrero, the world's richest candy maker whose Nutella chocolate and hazlenut spread helped raise generations of Europeans and defined Italian sweets, died on Valentine's Day, the company said. He was 89.

Ferrero, who had been ill for several months, died Saturday in Montecarlo where he lived, surrounded by his family, the company said in a statement.

Ferrero was the patriarch of the eponymous family empire best known for its Nutella and Ferrero Rocher chocolates. The company's products also included Tic Tacs and the Kinder line of products — including the eggs beloved by children for the treat inside.

Ferrero's father, Pietro, started making Nutella when cocoa was still rationed during World War II, Forbes noted in ranking Ferrero and his family 30th on the list of the world's richest billionaires in 2014, worth $23.4 billion.

The company was one of Italy's most successful, a prime example of the "Made in Italy" brand of food and luxury goods that have defined the private sector in post-war Italy.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella praised Ferrero as one of the leaders of Italian industry, "always ahead of his time thanks to innovative products and his tenacious work and reserved character."

Pietro Ferrero opened his first chocolate laboratory in Alba, in Italy's northwest Piemonte region, in 1942. The business passed to Michele upon Pietro's death in 1949.

Michele Ferrero developed Kinder chocolates in 1968, Tic Tacs a year later and Ferrero Rocher in 1982, according to a biography provided by the company. Eventually, Ferrero intruced the Ferrero Rocher chocolates in Europe and by 1985 began selling them in the United States, according to the company's website.

By 1997, Michele Ferrero handed over the running of the company to his two sons, Pietro and Giovanni. Pietro Ferrero died in 2011 of a cardiac arrest, leaving Giovanni the sole CEO.

Survivors include Ferrero's wife, Maria Franca, and Giovanni.

A wake was scheduled in the Alba factory and the funeral was scheduled for the cathedral in Alba, the company said.

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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

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Snag affecting health law sign-ups gets a fix

WASHINGTON — A technical problem that was interfering with sign-ups for President Barack Obama's health care law has been fixed, officials said Saturday night.

The problem popped up ahead of a looming Sunday deadline to sign up for subsidized private health insurance.

Earlier Saturday, Health and Human Services spokeswoman Katie Hill said some people trying to get coverage weren't able to get their income information electronically verified.

That's crucial because the amount of financial assistance to help pay premiums is based on people's income. The health care law offers health insurance to people who don't have coverage on the job. More than 8 in 10 of those who apply qualify for help. Without it, most can't afford the coverage.

The IRS handles income verification for the HealthCare.gov website. In a statement, Hill said the problem was due to issues with "external verification sources."

The glitch seemed to be affecting people with new applications.

People who previously submitted their income details — but hadn't completed the final step of picking a plan — were still able to do so.

The technical problems tied up some consumers who'd come out Saturday to an enrollment event in the central Illinois city of Jacksonville.

"They were frustrated, but they were nice about it," said Miranda Clark, who was helping people sign up. "They can come back tomorrow or call...or log back into their account and do it on their own."

Officials posted an advisory about the fix on the home page of the HealthCare.gov website.

"Good news!" it said. "We've resolved the systems issues."

The official sign-up deadline in the 37 states served by HealthCare.gov is 2:59 a.m. Eastern time Monday.

Last year, HealthCare.gov stumbled at the start. Numerous technical problems with the website were a huge headache for consumers, and an embarrassment for the tech-savvy White House. This year, the process had worked fairly smoothly.

The administration has set a goal of 9.1 million people signed up and paying their premiums in 2015.

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Associated Press writer Carla K. Johnson in Chicago contributed to this report.

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Startup makes core change to reactors

A three-person startup in the heart of Kendall Square is trying to reinvent the nuclear power plant to make it safer and more efficient with the help of $2.5 million in new venture funding.

"If we can develop a new type of design that directly addresses those problems, then we can develop a type of power that will be more acceptable," said Leslie Dewan, chief executive of Transatomic Power. "We felt that in order to properly address climate change, the world needs more nuclear. There's so many hurdles to broader adoption."

Transatomic is developing a "molten-salt" nuclear power plant, which Dewan says will be meltdown-proof and will be able to extract more power from nuclear fuel. The system is based on gravity, liquid fuel and a fail-safe in case of a complete power failure. Transatomic's power plant can also run on existing nuclear waste.

"Having a power plant that will burn waste and make electricity, that's a no-brainer," said Ray Rothrock, chairman of Transatomic and a venture capitalist who started his career as a nuclear engineer.

The government has said nuclear waste could be stored at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, but the project has stalled as Republicans and Democrats find themselves on opposite sides of the issue.

"The utilities want very much to get this waste off of their sites," Dewan said.

Transatomic uses liquid fuel, which Dewan says makes their design more efficient than existing nuclear plants.

"There are some inherent problems with using solid fuel, and that's primarily because you can only keep that solid fuel in a conventional reactor for three or four years," she said.

The uranium rods wear through their metal containers well before the energy is spent, she said. Liquid fuel can be kept inside the reactor indefinitely. Dewan said 96 percent of the energy in liquid fuel can be extracted, compared to 4 percent for solid fuel.

The $2.5 million in venture funding from Founders Fund, Acadia Woods Partners and Armada Investment, comes on top of $2 million in funding secured last summer.

Transatomic recently began experiments with the help of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to test components for a prototype power plant. The company hopes to start construction by 2020.

Dewan and her co-founders are part of a new generation of nuclear engineers. Dewan and Rothrock said high profile accidents such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island drove a generation of potential nuclear engineers to other industries. Now, a new wave of engineers is coming.

"There are, by last count, about 43 nuclear innovation companies in the United States and Canada and about $1 billion of private capital has been applied," Rothrock said. "University nuclear engineering departments are bursting at the seams."

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Stored Honda CR-V picks up a bad case of rotor rust

We stored our 2013 Honda CR-V in our detached garage last winter. When we drove it last spring there was a loud grinding when the brakes were applied. The Honda dealer told us that the brake rotors had rusted over the winter and that to remove the build-up was not covered by warranty and would reduce the longevity of the rotors. They told us it would disappear with usage but the grinding has not gone away. Is this condition permanent? Is there anything we can do to ensure this doesn't happen again when we store the vehicle?

A light buildup of corrosion on the surface of cast iron brake rotors after a period of non-use is not uncommon. In fact, our Passat develops enough to feel and create a light grinding sound after being parked for just a few days in damp conditions. Applying the brakes while driving the car quickly "cleans" the rotors and eliminates the noise.

Carmakers typically do not cover normal "wear" components such as brake pads and rotors so I wouldn't expect any warranty coverage. It's worth having the rotors carefully inspected to see if "turning" them to remove the rust is viable. If so, this should eliminate the grinding without dramatically reducing rotor life.

However, since the grinding hasn't been eliminated during normal driving, the rust may be deep enough that replacement is warranted. To prevent this from happening again, spray the brake rotors with an aerosol rust preventative when you store the car for the winter, then flush the rotors with aerosol brake cleaner prior to driving in the spring.

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My 2012 BMW 750Li is just over two years old and has 25,000 miles. Whenever it gets below 15 degrees F, I get warnings that the battery is running low and I should put it on external charge. I have had it into BMW service at least five or six times and they say it is fixed, but as soon as it gets cold — same thing. Last time I complained, they said BMW has no known solution.

Ask the dealer to check BMW service bulletin No. SI B61 03 13 dated August 2013. It deals with the high battery discharge warnings compounded by frequent short trips and cold weather placing a high demand on the battery. The bulletin recommends testing, and if necessary, replacing the original 90AH battery with a 105AH battery.

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What is the correct way to rotate the tires on my 2011 Chevy Silverado? I just had them rotated, but not according to the owner's manual.

Your owner's manual recommends rotating the tires every 7,500 miles by moving the front tires to the opposite side on the rear, and the rear tires straight forward to the same side on the front.

I've seen suggestions that include crossing the rear tires to the opposite front and moving the front tires straight back, just switching the tires front to back on the same side and alternating the rotation pattern at each rotation.

The amount of tire wear "wastage" due to failure to rotate tires is staggering. In my opinion the method of rotation isn't nearly as important as the need for tire rotation every 6,000-7,500 miles, period.

...

I have a 1999 Camry 2.2-liter with 160,000 miles. It has developed a series of oil leaks from the valve cover, timing belt shaft, oil pan gasket and now the rear main seal. My mechanic says that excessive crankcase pressure due to worn valves or rings is forcing oil out of the assorted seals. Any suggestions?

The engine is "tired." The KISS principle says to check, clean and frequently service the PCV — positive crankcase ventilation — system and valve and make sure there are no air leaks into the engine that could defeat the PCV system.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number.

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Homeowner tax breaks appear safe, for now

WASHINGTON — Tax reform is revving up again on Capitol Hill, with the heads of key committees pledging to work toward a simpler and fairer tax code, possibly one with lower tax rates. Sounds intriguing.

But what might that mean for homeowners — many of whom benefit from tax breaks such as mortgage interest and property tax deductions, plus tax-free writeoffs of up to $250,000 or $500,000 of home sale capital gains, depending on whether they file returns as singles or married couples? Renters get none of these.

Homeowner writeoffs become targets for cutbacks or elimination whenever tax code reforms get serious attention because of their costs in uncollected federal revenues. The mortgage interest deduction alone cost the Treasury $113.4 billion in fiscal 2015, property tax writeoffs $27.8 billion, according to estimates by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.

President Obama kicked off the tax legislative season with a budget proposal that would limit mortgage interest and other deductions for upper income taxpayers. No surprise there. He called for essentially the same change last year, and this year's version was widely viewed as dead on arrival in a Congress controlled by Republicans.

But what might Republican tax reformers themselves have up their sleeves? Last February, the top Republican tax writer, Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the then-chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, came out with a tax code overhaul blueprint that would offer lower tax rates and a big increase in the standard deduction in exchange for drastic cutbacks in special-interest deductions and credits, including the benefits traditionally enjoyed by homeowners.

Camp's plan would have shrunk marginal rates for most taxpayers to just two brackets, 10 percent and 
25 percent; phased down mortgage interest deductions from the current
$1 million limit on eligible mortgage amounts to $500,000; eliminated deductions on home equity loans and credit lines altogether; and stretched out the time period needed to qualify for tax-free capital gains exclusions from the present two years out of the preceding five years to five years out of the preceding eight years. Camp's plan also would have eliminated homeowners' writeoffs of local property tax payments and ended penalty-free withdrawals from IRAs to assist with first-time home purchases.

Camp retired from Congress at the end of the last session. His reform plans — considered too controversial to pass in an election year — never moved out of committee. But the impetus for some sort of wholesale reform of the sprawling Internal Revenue Code remains alive and well. Is anything likely or even possible this year, and if so, could it create problems for current or future owners?

Conversations with tax experts and Capitol Hill legislative analysts suggest a couple of things: There is bipartisan support for the broad concept of streamlining the tax code. The new Ways and Means Committee chairman, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on NBC's Meet the Press that he is prepared to work on reforms with the White House — even compromise on some issues — "if we can find common ground." Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) Senate Finance Committee chairman, has created working groups tasked with coming up with tax reform plans with the objective of introducing a bill, probably by late this spring.

And there is already common ground to build on: bipartisan support, including at the White House, for a broad package of tax changes affecting businesses. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew recently said the administration could support reforms that lower top tax rates for big corporations, eliminate unfair loopholes and simplify the entire system for businesses. Republicans generally are on board, but insist that small businesses be part of the solution.

So there's a chance that a bipartisan corporate tax reform bill could be cobbled together this year.

What about comprehensive tax reforms for individuals of the type that inevitably would involve significant changes in current preferences for homeowners and tax increases for higher income households? Highly unlikely.

Bottom line: Homeowner tax breaks are safe for the time being, probably until 2017 at the earliest.

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Docs track patients live via mobile apps

Boston area doctors are relying more on mobile apps and social media to keep tabs on their youngest patients — giving new insight into a group whose health updates can get lost in translation, experts say.

"Children use behaviors and code language at times to communicate symptoms that wouldn't be used by adults," said Dr. Alisa Niksch, a pediatric cardiologist at Tufts Medical Center. "It is very difficult to interpret, and they need that extra tool to help discern what's happening."

Niksch said she tracks about 15 to 20 of her patients using an AliveCor monitor and free mobile app which collects data with a heart-monitoring device that reads activity from the patient's fingertips or chest wall and attaches to a mobile phone.

"Parents of children with heart issues are afraid that things like an irregular heartbeat won't be caught early enough," she said. "It's important to get some actually objective data."

It's not just patients with physical ailments who benefit from remote monitoring, according to Dr. Marilyn Augustyn, a pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, who gets updates on patients with Attention Deficit Disorder through an app from Boston-based startup mehealth for ADHD.

The app allows doctors to gather more information for diagnosis and assessment, Augustyn said, and gives teachers and parents easier ways to report their own observations.

"It's really useful for children with certain behavioral and developmental problems to see them in different settings. I may see them in my office, but that's not where they live or where they learn," she said.

Ken Tubman, chief technology officer for Optimal Medicine and its mehealth for ADHD app — which was founded in 2009 and gained venture capital funding in 2012 — said health apps are gaining traction with doctors.

"Health care is a growing industry, especially in software," he said. "As far as I can tell, it'll continue to grow over the next 10 years or so."

Dr. Joseph Kvedar, director of Partners Center for Connected Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, which conducts research on health care outside of medical centers, said using tools like apps and social media can be especially useful for teenagers, who are most comfortable with digital interactions.

He said the center just wrapped up a yearlong study that used Facebook to connect teens with asthma to one another, which helped them be more in tune with their illness, and as a result they were more aware of their symptoms.

"During the trial, the kids were so enthusiastic that we had to ask for an extension on the study because they didn't want to leave the group," he said.

He added that using technology like apps can also be effective in diagnosing and managing autism spectrum disorders, because different cues are used to make assessments.

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