Utah org. launches smartphone project to link mental health and primary care

Laura Pedulli | | Health Exec | Precision Medicine

The Association for Utah Community Health has launched a smartphone-enabled quality improvement project to improve patient satisfaction and health outcomes while reducing costs for treating patients with mental illness.

The association’s Utah SmartCare initiative, slated to launch at six clinical sites and two health centers, targets 500 patients with co-morbid conditions, or mental health plus a physical health condition such as hypertension.

Utah SmartCare helps patients stay connected to their doctor between appointments. Using an app, physicians will collect patient data such as answers to simple questions, daily activity and socialization. An analytics engine digests patient data and clinical staff will check the patient dashboard daily. If any issues arise, the physician receives notification and, depending on the situation, may follow up with a phone call, according to its recently launched website.

More information on the initiative is here. 

Laura Pedulli

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