1. mHealth is already proving itself a viable solution for providing quality care to chronic disease patients outside of the care setting

Patient engagement and remote monitoring mHealth apps that assist patients in managing self-care are already drastically improving the health outcomes of patients suffering from chronic disease. For HIV patients who were given a secure messaging mobile app, prescription adherence increased significantly such that the outcomes have potentially been life-saving.
Source: mHealth news
 
Online and mHealth platforms that support remote monitoring are giving clinicians’ newfound ability to improve the way they treat people who suffer from chronic behavioral disorders like ADHD: “‘Working with paper, it would be impossible to get this turn-around time…with [an online platform] like this, you can make decisions without needing a face-to-face visit, and can actually manage treatment several times in between office visits.'”
Source: mHealth news
 

2. mHealth solutions that connect clinical systems to clinicians and patients have the potential to support population health and care coordination goals

Study finds physician smartphone adoption to be nearly universal, and yet “a full 83 percent of doctors say their EHR platforms don’t allow for easy clinical communications via mobile devices. That lack of interoperability, the doctors said, makes it difficult to find important clinical data”.
Source: mHealth news
 
When writing secure text reminders for patients remember to include the “what”, “when” and “why”. Patients are more likely to follow text message reminders when given information that explain the potential outcomes of their choices according to a recent study released by the Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Medical Center.
Source: Healthcare Informatics
 
Smartphone apps were the most requested feature among 18-24 year olds in recent survey of patient satisfaction with their healthcare provider’s digital services.
Source: Practice Unite
 

3. Physicians should proceed with caution when recommending mobile apps to patients that qualify as wellness apps

The FDA recently released guidelines for distinguishing whether mHealth apps should be regulated as medical or wellness apps and devices. The point of differentiation between claims that must be regulated by the FDA and those that need not, occurs when mHealth app vendors claim a user can diagnose or treat his/her medical conditions through the app. Only time will tell whether the FDA’s distinctions on which claims should be monitored are enough to protect patients from gimmicky mHealth apps.
Source: mobihealthnews
 

4. Selecting patient engagement technology is only the first step in the process of achieving high adoption rates and real outcomes

Never underestimate the importance of providing a high caliber user experience when developing a patient portal. Remember your mHealth app has to win the trust and confidence of patients for them to use it.
Source: Becker’s Hospital Review
 
Physician engagement with patients has been on the forefront of healthcare discussion this month. Amidst the reports on documenting low physician-patient engagement, CMOs are beginning to speak up on the subject. Last week a CMO from Pennsylvania shared how he restructured their physician training program to encourage physician and patient engagement. This week, three CMOs from large hospitals across the country have shared their most memorable patient interactions. Physicians, what’s your most memorable moment with a patient? How have moments like those inspired your career?
Source: Becker’s Hospital Review
 
At its best, communication failures cause delays in diagnosis and treatment. At its worst, patients’ health can rapidly deteriorate. Consider following the lead of Pinnacle Health System’s CMO, who revised their physician-training programs to encourage doctor-patient communications: “Over the next two years, patient satisfaction with doctors, as measured by a standard questionnaire, moved the hospital’s predicted score up in national rankings by a remarkable 40 percentile points.”
Source: New York Times