Challenges inhibit adoption of clinical management apps

Laura Pedulli | November 14, 2013 | Health Exec | Precision Medicine

Clinical management apps hold the promise of improving health outcomes, reducing health disparities and controlling costs, yet an array of hurdles prevent their widespread adoption, according to an issue brief published by the Commonwealth Fund.

Some challenges to wider adoption include lack of objective research to evaluate outcomes and uncertainty about how to pay for and encourage the use of the apps. “If this infrastructure is developed, apps may serve as a catalyst to stimulate the transformation of healthcare generally and target low-income populations to expand access to care and help reduce health disparities,” wrote lead author Sharon Silow-Carrol, MBA, a health management associate at the Commonwealth Fund.

Several different types of clinical management apps have been created and promoted by developers, payers and healthcare organizations. Some hospitals use them to help achieve the Meaningful Use threshold requiring that at least 5 percent of patients access their medical records through an online portal. The report zeroed in on two particular types of promising apps: asthma management and diabetes apps, which both demonstrate the benefits of clinical and self-management interventions.

However, adoption these apps is hampered by the following:

The lack of a business case supporting their use by providers, particularly in fee-for-service environments;
Technical challenges due to lack of seamless interfaces between app platforms and providers’ existing IT systems;
Absence of regulation to standardize development and use of health apps;
Privacy and security concerns by patients;
Insufficient training in IT applications for both patients and providers; and
The expense of smartphone technology for lower-income populations.

For widespread adoption of clinical management apps to occur, the authors concluded that their use must be incorporated into provider reimbursement schemes and integrated into EHRs and other health IT. Such apps must be "rigorously" evaluated and regulated to ensure their safety, performance and effectiveness, according to the brief.

Read the report here.