Task force: How to make mHealth routine by 2017

A report from an FCC mobile health task force includes five overarching goals for making mHealth, wireless health and e-Care solutions a routine part of best medical care practices by 2017. Established in June by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, the task force assessed the opportunities and challenges facing the adoption of wireless health technologies. Over the summer, the co‐chairs held numerous working group meetings, created a shared online collaboration environment and interviewed many stakeholders across the spectrum of healthcare, health IT, and communications, according to the report. While mHealth traditionally stands for “mobile health,” the task force adopted a more broad definition to include mobile health, wireless health and e‐Care technologies that improve patient care and the efficiency of healthcare delivery. This Task Force report sets goals and recommendations for the FCC, other federal agencies and industry to help leverage communication technologies to improve healthcare quality, access and efficiency. FCC leadership, as well as interagency collaborations, will be needed to address technical and policy barriers, including developing appropriate reimbursement and financial incentives. The report recommendations are organized within the following five goals: Goal 1: FCC should continue to play a leadership role in advancing mobile health adoption. Goal 2: Federal agencies should increase collaboration to promote innovation, protect patient safety and avoid regulatory duplication. Goal 3: The FCC should build on existing programs and link programs when possible to expand broadband access for healthcare. Goal 4: The FCC should continue efforts to increase capacity, reliability, interoperability and RF safety of mHealth technologies. Goal 5: Industry should support continued investment, innovation, and job creation in the growing mobile health sector. The report cited another report that found 40 percent of physicians surveyed said they could eliminate 11 to 30 percent of office visits through the use of mHealth technologies like remote monitoring and that such shifts could rewrite physician supply and shortage forecasts for the next decade and beyond. The task force identified several major barriers to broad adoption and innovation of wireless health technology, including: Lack of access to fixed and mobile broadband coverage for providers and patients, particularly in rural areas. Future bandwidth constraints brought on by increased overall usage as well as data intensive medical applications. Patient safety, privacy, and interoperability issues between healthcare solutions. Reimbursement regulations and policies that do not incentivize the adoption of mHealth solutions. The broadband adoption gap for both fixed and mobile broadband services. The absence of secure messaging between health information systems. Read the entire report for more on how the task force recommends improving mHealth.