80% of smartphone users want care alerts

Four-fifths of people would like the option to use their smartphones to interact with healthcare providers including government and private insurers, hospitals, pharmacies, mail-order drug companies, third party administrators and clinics, according to a global survey conducted by FICO, a predictive analytics and decision management software company.

The survey of more than 2,200 smartphone users in several countries showed that 76 percent of people worldwide want medical appointments reminders and 69 percent would like to receive reminders to arrange appointments or to prompt them to take their medication.

"The way healthcare organizations communicate with people is changing, as individuals become more and more sophisticated about using information technology to make health-related decisions," said Stuart Wells, FICO's chief product and technology officer, in a release. "People are especially interested in mobile services that can help them manage their personal health and shop for healthcare services. The leading healthcare providers are increasingly turning to mobile technologies to meet this demand, and to engage frequently and proactively with consumers."

The survey showed that 56 percent of people worldwide trust health care organizations with personal data. "Privacy is critically important and consumers are required to opt-in, but given the benefits of mobile technology in the healthcare field, that doesn't appear to be an impediment to adoption. People are eager to have a dialog with their healthcare providers in ways that are convenient to them."

Almost two-thirds of smartphone users want to receive medical advice through digital channels instead of visiting a doctor. In addition, 71 percent of smartphone users are open to offers of relevant healthcare services from businesses, and 53 percent are open to provider-initiated communications.