Analysts share mHealth outlooks

BOSTON—Many healthcare organizations keen to jump on the mobile health bandwagon need to be sure they’re ready to truly incorporate the technology into their workflow, said Daniel Ruppar, connected health global program manager and North America healthcare director for Frost & Sullivan, speaking during an analyst outlook panel at the mHealth + Telehealth World Congress 2013.

mHealth raises lots of questions, Ruppar said, such as regulations, reimbursement and value. The mobile apps are “not really the endpoint of mHealth discussions.” With more than 50,000 apps available, consumers need to know which ones will actually be helpful.  Also important is “better ability to integrate these products into their daily lives.”

Jennifer Kent, research analyst for Parks Associates, discussed the idea of virtual care which involves the digitization of healthcare, leveraging connectivity, engaging consumers out of facilities and expanding healthcare access and access to specialists. Virtual care “does not necessarily replace face-to-face meetings but fill care gaps.”

Numerous factors are driving virtual care, she said, including cost efficiencies, EHR incentives, incentives for readmission reductions and the movement toward home self-care. The coming consumerization of healthcare involves price transparency, consumers’ reviews and individual health plan purchasing behaviors. In the future, “consumer satisfaction will matter.”

Fenk cited a 4th quarter 2012 survey of consumers with broadband access aimed to determine awareness of virtual care. Most were interested in after-hours service “which gets to convenience.” Respondents also were interested in live chat and monitoring of recovery after major treatments/hospitalization. “That’s a care gap that these services can address.”

Shawn Dimantha, principal analyst for Manhattan Research, shared his recent experience stuck in the middle seat on an airplane between two people sneezing. He caught a cold and scheduled a doctor appointment online. He also used a patient portal and participated in a virtual chat with a pharmacist to check on drug interactions.

His own mobile interactions echo his firm’s studies on mobile health use and awareness. He said his firm is starting to see physicians impacting their studies on telehealth. “Our most recent study showed that more than half of physicians are communicating with patients online, mostly through email but we’re starting to see secure messaging systems and texts.”

Remote care and health tracking are poised to be a game changer, he said. Seventy percent of physicians saw a patient who presented self-tracked data. “This is not an isolated phenomenon.” Eleven percent of consumers track or monitor their health to manage a chronic condition. Thirteen percent of consumers track or monitor their health or medical measurements electronically to manage weight, fitness or nutrition. These people used to be called the worried well, now we call them the empowered well, he said.

These newer technologies involve a complex interplay of multiple stakeholders and alignment of goals, Dimantha said. Reimbursement caps, regulations and data security present significant barriers to adoption. However, “I’m encouraged by the drivers—new forms of reimbursement, new CPT codes for telehealth, the risk of retail healthcare and incentives from the FCC, HITECH Act, EHRs and employers.”

Looking to the future, the panelists shared their thoughts on which technologies will have the biggest impact on healthcare in 2020. Ruppar said a robust video telemedicine market has the ability to change how we interact.

Kent said “if the business model shakes out, I’m very interested in kiosks. They speak to patients’ top concern which is convenience.”

Dimantha said any technology that enables caregivers to provide supplemental care from the physician to the patient will have the biggest influence in 2020. “Technology won’t replace doctors but technologies that underlie existing human relationships will win out.”