mHealth in an mWorld

The 4th annual mHealth Summit currently taking place in D.C. this week has placed health IT headlines news squarely on the topic of the growing impact of mhealth. Nicely timed to this summit is the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions release of its latest report: mHealth in an mWorld: How mobile technology is transforming health care.

The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions is the health services research arm for Deloitte with a goal of keeping healthcare stakeholders up to speed on emerging trends and opportunities.  The Center’s latest report puts the spotlight on what factors are driving mHealth adoption.

From the report:

Health care stakeholders find themselves in an unusual position, eyeing the adoption of transformative technologies in an industry historically resistant to change and rooted in physical infrastructure, paperwork and forms, and outdated administrative procedures. Mobile technology has become increasingly and seamlessly integrated into virtually all aspects of everyday life; it is now time for its broad application in the delivery and management of health care services, especially as the model of health care is changing – precipitated to a considerable degree by the impact of mobile technologies – to a more diverse, integrated, and seamless system of care no longer dominated by episodic acute care treated at a brick-and-mortar hospital. While there will always be a place for hospitals, mobile technologies will go a long way towards moving health care systems beyond facility-based care.

The report lists the opportunities that exist for providers to develop highly personalized healthcare capabilities but also addresses the challenges. These challenges include:

• Developing ways for the healthcare industry to monetize mHealth
• Overcoming consumers’ information and security concerns
• Understanding the mHealth industry’s increasing role in the medical device industry and imposing regulatory scrutiny

Highlights from the report include:

• Healthcare and life sciences are two of the top 3 industries identified as most likely to see new mobile business growth in the next 5 years.
• Despite a slow beginning, the healthcare industry is fast embracing mHealth through the development of healthcare mobile devices, apps and telemedicine, and through adoption of EHRs and e-prescribing.
• mHealth can maximize productivity and create greater patient engagement.
• Consumer confidence in protection and security of health information will play a key role in the acceleration of mHealth.

Download the full report here.