Summing up Brian Dolan’s extensive coverage for MobiHealthNews of the 3-4 February mHealth Initiative conference are his thoughts on what will be driving mHealth–providers or consumers/patients? While there are highly ‘activated patients’, the least activated are least compliant with care plans, most likely to be readmitted to the hospital–and the most costly. The low consumer adoption of personal health records (PHRs) and other evidence is suggested in Rob Havasy’s (Connected Health) tweet, “When providers adopt consumers will engage”–a doctor’s prescription. Other highlights of the conference:
- Is the mHealth revolution unstoppable? The technology is ready–but the participants need to change their ways (kickoff keynote)
- The FCC’s digital healthcare director on mHealth driving economic growth, jobs–the connectivity situation (10% of the US still has no wireless)–and sorting it out with the FDA
- Finding the ‘willpower’ to integrate mHealth into a neurological practice (with Verizon Droids)–its potential for practice management and ‘remote virtual nursing’
- George Washington Medical Center’s (Washington, D.C) case history of an intensive mobile phone based program for Medicaid patients with diabetes, teaming up with WellDoc and Medicaid PPO clinic Chartered Health Family Clinic
- AT&T’s iPhone hospital launches: Doylestown Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Mt. Sinai Medical Center (Toronto, Canada)
- mDhil, a successful health text messaging company in India, with 150,000 users in 10 months (probably highly activated)