Patient safety, mobile health strategies--latest in clinical practice

New developments are coming fast and furious when it comes to health IT and its impact on clinical practice. The federal government has focused on a national health IT safety plan, and innovative healthcare delivery organizations are utilizing mobile health strategies for patient engagement, care coordination and more.

Medication adherence remains a prevalent problem, but technology and data can be leveraged to influence patient behavior so they better manage their health, according to a panel of speakers at the mHealth +Telehealth World Congress 2013.

Atlantis Healthcare, with U.S. headquarters in Summit, N.J., built a patient adherence program that leverages technology to work with patients on an individual basis. The patient enrolls, fills out an individual profile that addresses their medication beliefs, illness beliefs, self-efficacy, motivation and unintentional non-adherence. Then they personalize the content and frequency of messages they want to receive and through what platform (text, web portal, nurse calls, etc.)

Aunia Grogan, CEO, said mHealth is critical for Atlantis Healthcare in two areas: at enrollment, when gathering information to drive personalization; and during the actual intervention.

At the same meeting, Philip Fasano, executive vice president and CIO of Kaiser Permanente (KP), shared the organization’s mobile health strategy. KP decided to integrate all ancillary systems into its EHR system, HealthConnect, because “we believed that having all systems connected for the benefit of patients is critical to care.” All information is available in real time for all patients no matter the care setting.

HealthConnect “allows us to do things that many other organizations struggle to do to fully understand the patient and potentially anticipate their needs through data analytics.” Beyond that, all 37 KP hospitals are paperless which “opens the door to tremendous potential to how to care for patients and allows clinicians to practice at the top of their license.”

KP has many pilot projects underway, Fasano said. While they have been doing videoconferencing for years, “the technology is now starting to converge where video chats and mobile capabilities are becoming more and more ubiquitous.” Next up, he said, is a fully engaged, empowered patient. But, those patients want and need to be engaged “on their terms, not ours. Technology tools play a big role in allowing us to connect with patients in a much more proactive, seamless, service-oriented way. Once we’re down to that level, the patient/consumer defines what’s personal to them.”

KP’s mobile apps have been available for just over a year and already have been downloaded by more than 250,000 people. “They tend to use it more and more often because it’s always with them,” Fasano said. And, studies have shown that more engaged patients are healthier. “KP members say they would never join another organization that doesn’t offer Kaiser. There’s a level of service they’ve come to expect.”

How is your organization using or planning to use mobile health? Please share your thoughts.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor