Soon the Feds Under Obamacare Will Turn to Mobile Health as a Way to Track and Treat Patients
Health Care Providers Turn to Mobile Phones to Manage Diseases
July 13, 2010iHealthBeat.org - The medical research community and health care providers increasingly are turning to mobile health as a way to track and treat patients with chronic diseases and provide a better disease management system, the AP/Washington Times reports.
Researchers and health care providers are hoping to tap into the widespread use of cell phones with text-messaging capabilities, as well as smartphone applications, to help patients monitor fitness and health goals.
How Does It Work?
Patients receive text messages and other types of reminders on their phones that provide various health-related information, such as when to take their medications. Some applications also relay patient-submitted data about their conditions to physicians and electronic health records.
New York-based Mount Sinai Medical Center reduced episodes of rejection for liver transplant patients who received text messages reminding them or their caregivers about medication schedules.
In addition, weight-loss patients who participated in a text-message program created by the University of California-San Diego lost more weight than patients who received only printed information on dieting advice.
Meanwhile, researchers at George Washington University Hospital and Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., have launched a pilot project to help patients with diabetes monitor improvements or issues related to their conditions, as well as track and store test results.
Challenges Facing the Mobile Health Movement
According to the latest data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, most U.S. residents have a cell phone and nearly 40% of cell phone owners can connect to the Internet through their phones, which could facilitate digital health interactions.
Some experts note that older adults and individuals with multiple chronic diseases are less likely to use smartphones. However, they add, nearly all phones are capable of handling simpler text-messaging programs.
Concerns Raised Over Reliability of Medical Apps for Smartphones
July 12, 2010iHealthBeat.org - As the number of health-related smartphone applications continues to grow, some doctors are expressing concern about the reliability of the information provided and the impact it could have on patients, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to a mobihealthnews review published in March, there are nearly 6,000 health-related applications for smartphone devices such as the iPhone, Blackberry and Android.
About 80% of the health applications are available through Apple, while Android has about 500 programs, the review found.
Consumers typically can download the applications at no-cost or for less than $10.
Examples of Medical Apps
Smartphone applications cover a wide range of health topics. For example, Medic ID stores patients' emergency medical information and allows medical personnel to access the data in case of an emergency.
Another application called MedWatcher receives FDA alerts and news stories about new medications, side effects and recalls.
Growing Concerns
Despite the potential usefulness of consumer health applications, some physicians are concerned about reliability because the programs are not required to undergo a formal review process.
Some doctors also are concerned that patients will follow advice from smartphone applications rather than seek medical care.
Kevin Patrick -- editor of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and a professor at the University of California-San Diego -- said the medical smartphone application market "is still a very immature market," and that many programs have not undergone clinical trials to demonstrate their efficacy.
Obama Administration Unveils New Apps for Health, Other Services
July 2, 2010iHealthBeat.org - On Friday, the Obama administration unveiled 18 mobile phone-based applications, including several health-related programs, the Federal Times reports (Reilly, Federal Times, 7/2).
The applications are part of a redesign of USA.gov, which provides information on government services.
Consumers can download the applications at no-cost from the USA.gov website or through smartphones like the iPhone, Droid or Blackberry, according to the Office of Management and Budget.
One application allows users to download nutritional information for more than 1,000 food products through the Department of Agriculture. Another program provides alerts on product and food recalls from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (Washington Post, 7/2).
Dave McClure -- associate administrator of citizen services and innovative technologies at the General Services Administration -- said that the redesign of USA.gov cost about $280,000 and that the mobile phone applications are separate expenses that vary based on each agency and program.
Army Taps into Mobile Technology to Provide Health Care Information
July 01, 2010iHealthBeat.org - Last week, members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Health received updates on the Army's use of wireless technology and mobile phone-based applications to care for wounded soldiers, InformationWeek reports.
Col. Ronald Poropatich -- deputy director of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in Maryland -- told the panel that the Army has deployed mobile technology to send health tips, appointment reminders and general announcements to the cell phones of more than 300 wounded soldiers.
mCare Messaging System
Poropatich highlighted the benefits of a new cellular messaging application, called mCare. He said that since June 1, the application has been used to deliver 18,500 messages.
Poropatich said the mCare system is HIPAA compliant, uses bi-directional messaging and transmits information from a central website that uses a secure virtual private network.
The application allows health care providers to enter and control message content, and review acknowledgements and delivery confirmations.
Poropatich said that the initial implementation of mCare has been limited to patients who receive outpatient care at five sites in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and Virginia. Four additional sites are under consideration.
Other Mobile Applications
The Army also has launched pilot projects for two other mobile message applications, according to Poropatich.
One application provides no-cost health information services to new mothers from early pregnancy through their children's first year. The other mobile application involves a reminder system on glycemic control for patients with diabetes.
Telehealth Tools Seen as Key to VA's Rural Health Care Strategy
June 24, 2010iHealthBeat.org - At a Wednesday hearing of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health, experts encouraged the use of wireless health technologies to improve care quality and expand access to care, Healthcare IT News reports.
The hearing addressed issues facing veterans living in rural areas, who often have worse health outcomes than the general population.
During the hearing, Darrell West -- vice president and director for the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution -- said wireless health technologies are a "key ingredient" to improving health care delivery while addressing budgetary concerns.
West also said VA facilities could improve patient care by using:
* Electronic health records;
* Internet-based recordkeeping;
* Remote monitoring technology;
* Social networking sites; and
* Videoconferencing tools.
Other experts at the hearing advocated for the use of e-mail prescription reminders and health care ratings websites.
In addition, participants said health care providers could use mobile phone-based health applications to track patients' vital signs, glucose levels and medication compliance. According to the panelists, patients can use such tools to manage their health continuously, rather than seeking care only when they become ill.
Experts also noted that mobile phone-based tools can help spur behavioral changes by encouraging patients to quit smoking, manage diabetes or remember appointments.
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