Response to “App Store Becoming a Virtual Pharmacy?” From Happtique’s Ben Chodor

I recently wrote a post about Happtique, which I misidentified as an app creator. Fortunately for me, Ben Ch0dor, commented on the post and provided some more insight into the company, which according to Happtique’s website, “is the first mobile application store for healthcare professionals by healthcare professionals.” I decided to post the comment, so anyone interesting in the idea of “prescribing apps” can get a better idea about what Happtique’s mission is, and what it has to offer.

At Happtique, we love a good debate and welcome comments about our initiatives. We would like to clarify that Happtique is not an app creator. The apps in our catalog are from the Apple App Store — we’ve organized them with an extensive classification system in an effort to make it easier to find relevant health apps. The further assist in identifying quality apps, Happtique is developing a program that will validate the operability, privacy, security, and content of health apps.

For our mRx app prescribing trial, we are working with physicians, physical therapists, and trainers to select apps that are currently in the marketplace (none of which we developed). We agree that app prescribing should not replace pill prescribing. Instead, we see mRx as an enhancement to the continuum of care. It allows physicians to connect their patients with relevant, appropriate mHealth apps. This should improve outcomes, since educated and involved patients are far more likely to follow treatment recommendations, use preventative series, comply with medication regimens, and choose healthier lifestyles.

I appreciate that Chodor took the time to better explain the company. As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t think that apps should replace pills, and I’m happy to hear that Happtique hopes that mRx will just become “an enhancement to the continuum of care.”

It is pretty neat that Happtique is creating a catalog of already-existing apps so it easier to find health apps that are relevant to particular conditions. If mRx does become more mainstream in practices around the country (and maybe even world), this would be extremely helpful for healthcare providers, in my opinion. I mean, there are sure to be a bunch of health apps floating around that shouldn’t be prescribed, so if a doctor can just view this catalog and trust that the apps are reputable, it would make the process of mRx prescribing a lot easier. I feel like a lot more doctors would be wanting to prescribe apps if they didn’t have to try and find the reputable ones themselves. Of course, John pointed out that Happtique’s app certification could also go very wrong. We’ll see how it plays out.

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June 20, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Health Care  Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones  Social Networking Health
Tags:Ben Chodor      mHealth App Certification      mRx  Virtual Pharmacy

Go From Couch Potato to Runner with Couch-to-5K App

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m no runner. When I met my husband, he told me that he wanted to run a 5K that summer (which, I have to admit right now, never happened). Trying to impress him, I told him I wanted to as well. He then suggested a podcast he had heard of called Couch to 5k — because he probably guessed I wasn’t a runner. I found the podcast online somewhere and uploaded it to my mp3 player. I probably used it for about 2 weeks, and then life got in the way for awhile. While I continued to run, I kind of gave up on the podcast. After I got pregnant, I pretty much never ran because I was sick just about the whole 9 months, and since giving birth, haven’t really gotten back into it.

So when my sister suggested that we run together, I mentioned the couch-to-5k series. At first, I started searching for the podcast online, but then I decided to see if there was an app created for it. And lo and behold, there is, for both the iPhone and Android phones. You’ll have to fork out 1.99 (or .99 for the iPhone), but I think it’s worth it.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Couch-to-5k (otherwise called, C25k) program, here’s a little description from the website, written by the creator, Josh Clark:

C25k, is a fantastic program that’s been designed to get just about anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometers or 30 minutes in just 9weeks. With the help of the Couch to 5k program, in less than seven months, I went from a 47 year old, 104kg, 30 cigarettes a day sort of guy to an 82k, 0 cigarettes, running 45 to 40 kilometers a week sort of guy. Ten months after finishg C25k I completed my first marathon. Since then I have run another 5 marathons, as well as 8 ultra marathons including a 100km race. . . Its secret is that it’s a gentle introduction to getting the body moving, starting off alternating between walking and running small distances, and slowly building up until after 8 weeks, you’re ready to run 5 kilometers or 30 minutes non stop.

Although I have never completed the program, I definitely did notice my endurance building during the time I did it. I’m excited to use this new app though and see if it can help motivate me even more. Even though I haven’t had time to use it yet, I figured I’d do a little overview of it.

First off, I love the color schemes. I don’t know why, but the colors of an app really matter to me. The color scheme depends on which “trainer” you select. Here are the three options:

I decided to select Constance for the time being…though if I need a little more tough love, I may select another one. Each of the workouts is led by whichever trainer is selected, and the color scheme changes accordingly as well. Below is the one for Constance. It’s light and easy to look at. The other ones are a bit more intense, but they are still nice.

The above picture is also the front screen of the app. It shows up with whatever date you are on, and you can skip ahead (or go backwards) if needed. Your “trainer” gives a bit of advice or encouragement at the bottom of the screen. The top of the screen features a status bar, to show how far into the program you are.

Once you click on “Go To Workout”, you will be brought to this screen:

At this point, you can choose to listen to music that is already loaded on your phone, or enable GPS. I love the GPS feature, because I always like to see where I ran, and how long I ran for. One thing I wish was included is the background music that was on the original podcast. It just seems like you are told every so often when to change up the pace. It is nice that you can use your own music, but I really enjoyed the pace of the music on the podcast.

Once you press start, this screen pops up with the time left, which stage you are at, distance, and average pace. It’s easy to read, and you can pause the workout if you want to.

There is another tab called “Log” where you can select a smiley (or sad) face depending on how the workout made you feel, plus write down some thoughts from the workout. You then have the option to post to Facebook or Twitter, if that’s your style.

Next, there is a tab with 5k events near you. It lists all the ones that are coming up and some even give you a discount for registering on select races.

Finally, the settings tab lets you adjust certain futures such as the trainer, voice volume and music options.

Overall, I like this app a lot, from the limited exposure to it I’ve had. Once I’ve used it for a few weeks, I’ll be back with my experience, but for now, I’m excited to use it.

Download here for the iPhone (.99)
for Android (1.99)

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June 19, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Android  Apple  Health Care  iPhone  Smart Phones  Social Networking Health
Tags:    Couch-to-5k  Josh Clark      

Is Meaningful Use Slowing the Growth of mHealth?

mHealth is cool.

There are cool apps, cool gadgets, and a ton of random devices that can do just about anything you can think of, and a few things you would have never thought possible.  There are so many tools out there that could be an asset to people with any number of conditions if only they knew about them, and their hospitals used them.

So why aren’t more people using these amazing devices, and why aren’t hospitals adopting them more rapidly?  If you take a look at EHR/EMR adoption it is not that difficult to see why.

Believe it or not, the very first electronic medical records were created in the 60′s.  Obviously, computers were not widely accessible at the time, so it was not until much later that they became practical on a large-scale, but the point is that the idea existed more than 50 years ago.

Numerous hospitals developed their own versions of digital medical records, but there was really no widespread adoption until meaningful use incentives were offered.  In what is a surprise to no one, doctors in hospitals big and small immediately started to implement EHR/EMRs so that they could get some free money.

Now that is all many doctors are interested in doing to further their practice because they want the money, and also to avoid penalties for not doing so.  There is very little incentive for them to do anything in the area of mHealth so they don’t.

Unfortunately, I think many doctors will never appreciate the value of mHealth until they are forced to do so by the government, or given some large financial incentive.  This lack of implementation by doctors will also directly influence the number of quality offerings from developers.

I realize that doctors are working in an environment where they must be very selective with where they spend their money.  With the rising costs of insurance in all of its many forms, doctors have to do what is best for them and their practice which means that mHealth may just have to be put on the back burner for the time being.

Hopefully, doctors will start to see the value of these technologies all by themselves, but based upon past history I would venture to guess that it will take free money, or the threat of penalties, to make widespread adoption a reality.

What impact, if any, do you think meaningful use is having on mHealth?

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June 11, 2012 I Written By

Filed Under: Gadgets  Health Care  Healthcare IT  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care
Tags:EHR/EMR Adoption  Financial Benefit of mHealth  History of EHR    Meaningful Use and mHealth    mHealth Development  

Pajamas Created to Monitor an Infant’s Vital Stats, Sends Mobile Alerts

Every parent worries, at some point or another, about if their child is breathing, too hot, or too cold while they are sleeping, right? In 2010, Exmovere’s released “Exmobaby” pajamas that measured infants’ temperature and movements through sensors embedded in the pajamas. However, with the announcement that Rogers Communications has combined efforts with Exmovere’s, these “Exmobaby” pajamas are about to have a makeover.

A new feature will be added to the pajamas that transmits information to a parents smartphone, tablet, and a variety of other devices. This is the first “wearable” monitoring system for infants but is added to a growing line of other wearable systems that have been created for adults. Cory Shultz, a iMedicalApps blogger, said:

Rogers sees this as a necessary push in the already saturated mobile data market. By offering a service like this to its customers, it hopes to capture a new market segment that will be dependent on mobile data for continual use.

Since just about everything is going mobile (or so it seems), it makes sense that this Exmovere’s and Rogers Communications are trying to create something to satisfy customer’s needs. If these pajamas really work, it seems like a great product for children who may be ill or have other health problems. The feature that sends information to a mobile app will probably put some parent’s minds at ease when they leave their child with someone else, or when they are in an area of the house that isn’t near the child. I don’t think it is necessary for all parents to rush out and buy this product , but there could be a time and a place for it. Maybe these pajamas could be given to children that may need additional monitoring after leaving the hospital, and a doctor could receive alerts as well if their vital stats fall below satisfactory levels. It would seem that the possibilities are endless.

The wearable sensor market seems to be growing a lot lately, doesn’t it? Exmobaby pajamas appear to be one of the less-complicated ones. What do you think about the growing trend of wearable sensors?

“Rogers sees this as a necessary push in the already saturated mobile data market,” iMedicalApps blogger Cory Shultz says. “By offering a service like this to its customers, it hopes to capture a new market segment that will be dependent on mobile data for continual use.”

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June 7, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Gadgets  Health Care  Healthcare IT  Medical Devices  Patient Home Monitoring  Smart Phones  Tablets
Tags:Baby Monitoring  Cory Shultz  Exmobaby  Exmovere        Rogers Communications  Wearable Sensors  Wearables

App Store Becoming a Virtual Pharmacy?

Recently I was reading about a series of apps that health app creator, Happtique, is currently developing. Basically, the apps would be “prescribed” to patients to aid in their treatment. The catalog of apps available will contain five to 10 different apps. The first ones that will be available focus on heart disease, diabetes, and muscoskeletal disease. Happtique is also considering the prospect of developing fitness and wellness apps.

Doctors who prescribe these apps to patients will be able to monitor if the patient actually downloaded it, but they won’t be able to actually tell if the patient is using it. Those who are interested in using this catalog of apps will be trained “on how to use the apps, how to integrate them into their care plans, how to explain them to patients, and how to prescribe them through the mRx system. Ben Chodor, CEO of Happtique, explained the reasoning behind the creation of these apps:

We want to test whether health professionals, when provided with the prescribing technology and a vetted app catalog, will actually integrate apps into their delivery of health care. Additionally, we want to test whether patients, when provided with an app as part of their health care treatment, prevention and wellness plan, will download the app as prescribed.

Interesting, to say the least. I’m split on how I feel about this, to be honest. As I did a little more research and read another article about the debate over this topic: Can mobile apps achieve what pills can’t? I found that I agreed with what David Shaywitz,  a physician-scientist and management consultant for a biopharmaceutical company, said.

The development of an effective vaccine did a lot more for the treatment of polio than applying the best design thinking to the construction of an iron lung ever could. I worry a bit that in our fascination with technology and design – which matter a lot for patients in the here and now – we’re neglecting the need figure out some way to get at the difficult biologifcal questions that remain at the root of the disease.

Yes, there is a lot of amazing technology out there. And I think in general, people may like to be prescribed to use an app rather than a pill. At first, at least. Then I think the novelty of it will eventually wear off. However, I wonder if these apps will truly do for patients what the correct prescription of medicine can do. Just because an app can be created to help with heart disease, doesn’t been it should be deemed a treatment. Does everything have to be solved with technology? I agree with Shaywitz – valuable time and money that is being used for projects like this could be used to get to the “root of the disease.” Believe me, I would rather be told that the ailment I had recently had been cured, rather than being given an app. But I guess, if you think about it, since Happtique is a company that creates health apps, and if they weren’t creating the “prescription apps”, it’s not like they would be finding the cure for cancer. If it does prove to be helpful, then great! However, I don’t think they should really replace actually medicine, just be a supplemental treatment.

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June 6, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Gadgets  Health Care  Healthcare IT  Medical Devices  Smart Phones
Tags:Ben Chordor  David Shaywitz        Prescribed Apps  Virtual Pharmacy

FDA Mobile Health App Monitoring Could Be Delayed Until 2013

There have been a few posts over the last couple months concerning the FDA potentially monitoring medical apps. Some think it’s a great idea, others, not so much. Well, the latest news has arrived: It is potentially being delayed until 2013.

The reason for the delay? Iowa Senator Tom Harkin recently proposed a bill (S.3187) that, if passed, would require the FDA To provide a  “full-scale report to Congress on its plans for regulating mobile medical apps.” In addition, Senate would have to give its sign off before the FDA could even finalize its mobile apps guidance.

If passed, the FDA would have 18 months to finalize this report, which would take a lot of effort to get it completed.

This has caused a bit of an uproar among different people. Bradley Thompson, an FDA-expert for the Epstein Becker Green law firm said he hopes this doesn’t happen. According to the Fierce Mobile Healthcare article, “he and other proponents are ‘actively talking with Senate Staff’ about the FDA’s timeline, and pushing for the guidance ‘not to be held up.’ With the pace the market is growing and changing, healthcare providers, app developers and other need clarity now on what the FDA expects, and what the regulatory process will be—not in late 2013.”

To me, it seems like if this bill is passed, the mHealth market growth might be hindered. I mean, are the developers of mHealth technology going to want to put a ton of effort into creating different products, when there is a possibility that it may not be in-line with FDA guidelines a year later? I don’t think so. While I am still not sure how I even feel about the FDA monitoring mobile health apps, if it’s going to happen, I’d rather it occur in whatever fashion will be most beneficial for developers. The article I mentioned above says that “it will be interesting to see if it turns into a partisan battle on Capitol Hill.” That it will.

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June 1, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Gadgets  Health Care  Healthcare IT  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:Bill S.3187  Bradley Thompson  Epstein Becker Green    FDA mobile health regulation  FDA Monitoring  Fierce Mobile Healthcare      Senator Tom Harkin

PocketHealth Raises the Bar for mPHRs

On May 1st, Cognovant, a Missouri-based startup, announced in a press release that the initial funding for their smart phone app, PocketHealth, was complete. With this announcement, Cognovant also revealed that the app would be released for both Android and Apple operating systems this month.

PocketHealth is the latest mobile personal health record (mPHR) available for smart phones. This isn’t the first mPHR; other popular ones are mPHR 2 and My Medical. However, PocketHealth appears to be one of the first of its kind. It is untethered, which essentially means it isn’t tied to just one insurance company or healthcare provider. While untethered mPHR’s often make the user key in their own data manually, this isn’t necessarily the case with PocketHealth. What also sets this mPHR apart from others is that it was built following CCD standards. Dr. Joseph Ketcherside, the President and CEO of Cognovant, said in an interview with Mobi Health News:

 From the user interface standpoint, it might look like every other PHR. But the guts of our PHR are comparable to what you would find in the parts of an electronic medical record.

This is essential, because in the future, if medical providers have to be able to give copies of patient medical information in CCD format. PocketHealth is designed to be able to import that format. This also gives PocketHealth an advantage over other untethered mPHRs because doctors and hospitals that have EMRs integrated into their systems can simply upload the CCD, rather than having to take time to log in to a website or deal with a USB drive to read the patient’s mPHR.

One of the issues with some mPHR is whether or not the information is secure. PocketHealth tries to overcome that problem by having PocketHealth encrypt the data and be password protected.

PocketHealth is a free app, though there will be a 3.99 version that a user can upgrade to if they monitor the health of more than one person or have a complicated medical history. The free version seems good enough, however, and tracks information like immunizations, medical conditions, family and social history, information on providers, and more. In addition, the information can be exported as a report or a CCD.

Because PocketHealth has been released for the Android OS, I decided to download it. This was my first experience with mPHR. I was impressed with all the information that could be recorded, and I can definitely see the benefits of it (well, just the idea of an mPHR to begin with). Because I have no idea where my family will be in a year from now, it would be helpful to have this information available at the tip of my fingers when we visit with a new doctor wherever we move. I also see it being handy if someone is admitted to the hospital in an emergency situation and information needs to be quickly accessed.

However, I see some potential problems, such as if the information wasn’t totally correct. What if someone thought they were O negative blood type, so that was entered into the “vital stats” section, but they were actually A negative? Granted, I’m sure a medical professional would test a blood type, and not just trust the PHR, before doing something like a blood transfusion, but there is always the chance for incorrect information. I do like that PocketHealth is created on the same foundation as an EMR, so information can be directly exported from a doctor’s office. I also was a bit concerned about privacy, but the fact that PocketHealth is password protected and encrypts the data made me feel better.

One thing I didn’t like about the app was that it seemed a bit sluggish. I had to press my selections a few times before it would work, which was kind of annoying. Overall, I think I will probably upgrade to the 3.99 version, so I can track the health of my family and me and have a lot of information readily available.

The Android version can be downloaded . The version for the iPhone is still in the works but the release is expected to occur in the next few weeks.

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May 29, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Android  Apple  Health Care  iPhone  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones
Tags:Android Health Apps  CCD standards  Cognovant  Dr. Joseph Ketcherside      mPHR  mPHR app  PHR  PocketHealth  untethered mPhr

Regulating mHealth Apps: Does it Limit Creativity?

Last year, the FDA announced plans to regulate some smart phone apps that involve medicine or health. The specific apps that would be regulated “are used as an accessory to medical device already regulated by the FDA [or] transform a mobile communications device into a regulated medical device by using attachments, sensors or other devices.” In addition, apps that suggest potential diagnoses or treatments for the person using it.

As I was perusing comment boards for various articles about this, the feelings were mixed. Some think that the FDA already has too much control. Others think it totally makes sense. A comment from someone on a Washington Post article sums up how I feel:

Yes, some software that turns a smartphone into medical use has to follow the same rules as developing a medical device — from the first moment you think about it. It’s not hard, but you had better know what you are doing because what the FDA gives you is basically the right to market the device and if you don’t follow the rules, you could end up with is a really neat program that you can’t even talk about to your customers.

I think it definitely makes sense to regulate these things. I mean, there are quack doctors out there that we don’t know about, who seem legitimate; how are we supposed to discern between a quack health app, and one that can actually be trusted? There needs to be some kind of regulation, but the question is — how much?

The issues I find with certain apps, is that if they get too advanced (such as an x-ray), people might start avoiding the doctor because they diagnose themselves. Basically, I think that without regulation, certain apps may seem awesome, but in reality, they have fatal flaws that could be just that — fatal. There shouldn’t be a chance that bad apps could possibly act as an authoritative source.

In the Washington Post article I previously referenced, Bakul Patel, a FDA adviser was interviewed. I thought he made a good point when he said:

We wanted to make sure that we are consistent in regulating medical devices so nothing has changed. If somebody makes a stethoscope on an iPhone, it doesn’t change the level of oversight we have of a stethoscope.

I mean, that totally makes sense. Just because something is digital doesn’t mean it should be able to bypass requirements. A stethoscope is a stethoscope. End of story.

Overall, I agree with the regulation. If medical and health apps are going to actually be taken seriously, we should be able to see right of the bat if it can actually be trusted as a medical device. I’m not a huge fan of the government controlling everything, so there should definitely be regulation on the apps that could actually determine the health status of a person. However, the rules shouldn’t be so strict that people can’t be creative in what they create. That’s my two cents on the issue, what are your thoughts?

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May 23, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Android  Apple  Health Care  iPhone  Medical Devices  Smart Phones
Tags:Bakul Patel    FDA mobile health regulation  FDA Regulation      Washington Post  X-ray App

Mobile Health Apps Created to Combat Mental Illness

Mental illnesses are becoming less of a “taboo” topic than in the past, and as such, more information is becoming readily available about them. Because of this increased awareness, apps and technology concerning mental illnesses have been popping up recently.

One app has been created to help combat social anxiety. Designed by researchers at Harvard, the app is supposed to “re-condition the brain to automatically look away from, and not fixate on, hostile expressions.”

The app created to combat social anxiety “re-conditions the brain to automatically look away from, and not fixate

A phone, called Mobilyze, apparently has been designed to diagnose someone with depression. It picks up on different social situations, physical habits, and location. Using this data, it determines if you are on the verge of a depressive episode.

And even more recently, one that is supposed to help with the effects of OCD (though, at a hefty price of $79.99). The app uses a widely-used OCD treatment called exposure and response therapy. Users select challenges and exercise to help combat their OCD tendencies.

According to a the creator of Live OCD Free, Dr. Kristen Mulcahy, in a recent Mass High Tech article, between 4 and 7 million people in the United States have OCD and a large portion of those don’t have access to treatment. She said:

That was the huge reason why I thought about developing this app. There is such a huge need for those who don’t have access to a therapist.

But, is it a good idea to have people consult a smart phone, rather than a therapist, for help? Dr. Andrew J. Gerber, a psychiatrist at Columbia University, spoke with the New York Times recently about his skepticism about these apps.

We are built as human beings to figure out our place in the world, to construct a narrative in the context of a relationship that gives meaning to our lives. I would be wary of treatments that don’t allow for that.

Personally, I think that these apps could be helpful. However, I don’t think they should replace treatment with an actual therapist. They could, however, be great for a supplemental treatment, because patients can’t always be with their therapist. With Live OCD Free, it has been designed to be used concurrently with therapy sessions, and information collected from the app can be uploaded and sent to the patient’s therapist.

I don’t think anyone should spend all their time focusing on something like a smart phone, but these apps are pretty cool. I think that if they are used appropriately, many people will benefit and come closer to overcoming mental illness.

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May 18, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Gadgets  Healthcare IT  iPhone  mHealth  Mobile Health Care
Tags:Andrew J. Gerber  Kristen Mulcahy  Live OCD Free  Mental Health Apps  Mental Illness smart phone apps    Mobile Health    Mobilyze  OCD

Too Many mHealth Apps, Not Enough mHealth App Usage

Eric Dishman made a really insightful comment in a Healthcare IT news article in response to a question about how patient-centered care evolved over the past few years:

“In a way, it’s started to evolve with the whole mHealth movement. And the focus on consumer apps. That’s certainly brought a lot of attention to the possibilities of patient-centered health. I’m a little concerned about the way it’s going in that regard, though, because there’s a lot of hype and very little reality. I go to the mHealth conferences, and I’m the first person who will stand up and believe – and we have prototyped at Intel a range of mHealth solutions – I am absolutely convinced that the role of the smartphone in our life, it’s going to be a coaching tool, it’s going to be a diagnostic tool, it’s going to be a reminding tool, and you’re certainly seeing applications built out from that. But people will say to me, ‘There’s 65,000 apps for health in the iTunes store.’ But I say, 12,000 of them are diabetes apps, maybe six of them have ever been downloaded more than once, and two of them have been used continuously.”

Certainly the usage numbers at the end are a very large exaggeration by Eric Dishman, but the point is a very interesting one. It’s one thing to have an mHealth app. It’s a very different thing to have an mHealth app that actually gets used on a regular basis by a patient or other user.

I think one of the biggest challenges facing mHealth apps is the perception by many that we don’t need an mHealth app. As a relatively young, healthy person, I’ll admit that I don’t use an mHealth app to monitor myself. We need to get to the point where we’re doing what I’ve called “Treating Healthy Patients.”

Many might argue with just the issues of obesity and diabetes alone, that should make most American’s candidates to participate in some mHealth app. The bigger problem is that most don’t see those as issues. It’s a perception problem as much as anything and that’s hard to overcome.

I do believe that mobile will revolutionize many of the things we do in healthcare. Plus, I think a number of really well designed mobile health apps are going to do really well. I just don’t think we’ve yet seen one that’s cracked through the mobile health noise. I won’t be surprised if the one that does will come from a surprising place.

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April 23, 2012 I Written By

John Lynn is the Founder of the HealthcareScene.com blog network which currently consists of 15 blogs containing almost 6000 articles with John having written over 3000 of the articles himself. These EMR and Healthcare IT related articles have been viewed over 14 million times. John also manages Healthcare IT Central and Healthcare IT Today, the leading career Health IT job board and blog. John launched two new companies: InfluentialNetworks.com and Physia.com, and is an advisor to docBeat. John is highly involved in social media, and in addition to his blogs can also be found on Twitter: and and .

Filed Under: Healthcare IT  mHealth  Mobile Health Care
Tags:Eric Dishman  Healthcare IT News    Intel      Mobile Health  


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