Leaders in healthcare show a growing interest in adopting connected health, thanks in part to a "fear of missing out" on innovation, Joseph C. Kvedar, M.D., director for the Center for Connected Health, writes at his blog.
There are many signs pointing to the reasons for the change, Kvedar writes, including:
- Ubiquity of mobile tech: It is harder to be skeptical of how powerful connected devices can be when physicians hold them in their hands and use them daily, Kvedar writes. To that end, a study by Research Now reports 96 percent of consumers believe health apps will boost quality of life and more than three quarters of healthcare professionals view health apps as a viable way of increasing knowledge on patients' condition.
- New payment models: Recent announcements on new payments models--including a new accountable care organization model--encourage use of connected health, he says. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' chronic care management code will drive use of telemedicine, according to Kvedar.
- Apple ResearchKit: "If you read the headlines about ResearchKit … and didn't think too hard about it, you'd have to conclude, 'This is a big deal. We'd better get on the stick,'" Kvedar writes. This new platform opens the doors for organizations to want to develop a strategy for mHealth and patient engagement, he says. Since the announcement of the platform earlier this month, thousands of people have signed up to participate in disease investigation efforts while companies launch medical research projects and apps for the smartphone-based platform.
"Perhaps these recent events are more than sign posts, but are putting us on the fast track on the road to adoption," Kvedar concludes.
To learn more:
- read the blog post