Healthcare apps played a prominent role in a new report that estimates the mobile app industry has evolved into a $950 billion ecosystem.
Highlighting the ubiquity and importance of smartphones across multiple industries, a new report by ACT | The App Association indicated that two out of three businesses utilize enterprise apps. And many of those opportunities are rising up throughout the healthcare industry.
“Innovations in the app economy are providing new avenues for users to interact with their doctors, make financial transactions, manage employee contracts, and even secure parking permits,” the report stated. “With these new opportunities, patients will need secure channels to share health data with their doctors and insurance companies.”
A state-by-state breakdown highlights several pockets where health apps are emerging as a significant contributor. In Arizona, Banner Health is “helping to drive growth in local telehealth apps and innovations.” Meanwhile, Georgia is combatting issues associated with healthcare costs and access with apps geared toward diabetes care and medical adherence.
Rural areas of the country, like Mississippi, are leveraging new technology to provide care to residents with limited access.
Elsewhere, app developers are homing in on the need for consumers to access health information and share data with other providers across the continuum of care. Earlier this year, Apple launched an update to bring medical records from a dozen providers onto the iPhone. Other systems have quickly jumped on board, and the company recently added 27 more systems to the app.
Those types of solutions are expected to take on a bigger role as federal agencies like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services take an API-forward approach to data sharing and look to incorporate claims data into new solutions.