mHealth Technology Transforming Today's Healthcare in Michigan and Beyond

April 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Mobile healthcare, also known as mHealth, is one of the fastest growing segments of the mobile technology industry, though early consumer adoption currently lies with the younger demographic.  From a consumer perspective, a 2010 mobile health report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that 15 percent of 18-29 year-olds had a mobile health app on their phone compared to 8 percent of 30-49 year-olds, 6 percent of 50-65 year-olds, and 5 percent of those 65 years and older.  However, according to a study by MobileStorm, medical/healthcare apps currently account for 3-4 percent of all app store sales, and were the 3rd fastest growing category of applications in early 2010, with over 200 million mHealth apps currently in use according to Pyramid Research.  The same study indicates that over 70 percent of people worldwide are interested in having access to mHealth applications. Further, a recent report from Parks Associates indicates the U.S. market for wireless home-based healthcare applications and services will grow at a 5-year cumulative annual growth rate of over 180 percent and become a $4.4 billion industry by 2013.

What exactly is mHealth?  It is healthcare enabled by the use of mobile phones and other wireless devices, and it is a technology that is transforming healthcare from a physician and hospital-focused system to one that connects all the entities involved in the healthcare process (including patients) via mobile in order to achieve community and clinical health data collection, delivery of healthcare information to practioners, researchers and patients, real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, and direct provision of care.

In a recent article, Justin Montgomery of MobileStorm states, "mHealth Technology has the ability to deliver a wide variety of healthcare services to people who previously had difficulty seeking, obtaining or following up on healthcare-related matters.  Healthcare treatments have historically been defined by the patient traveling to see the practitioner, either a single time, or more often than not, on a repeated basis.  This provides a huge barrier to treatment for those who live in rural areas or don't have access to reliable transportation.  mHealth Technology won't take the place of every patient visit, but more often than not it can reduce the number of visits required while increasing the quality of the care provided."

To insure that metro Detroit's healthcare community is well-versed on the opportunities and challenges facing the healthcare industry in the upcoming years, as well as the role that mobile technology will play in the healthcare industry's transformation, Mobile Monday Detroit is presenting 'Mobile in Healthcare' at its next meeting on Monday, April 18th.

Presenters for that meeting will include:

•   Jason Joseph, Director of Technology and Information Solutions for Grand Rapids-based, Spectrum Health Systems and a member of the Board of Directors for the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan
•   Caston Thomas, Account Manager at Voalte, Inc. and former President of InterWorks Technology, and
•   Doug Zeffer, Director of Mobile at Ann Arbor-based Logic Solutions.

Mr. Joseph will provide an overview of the healthcare technology environment, as well as the identification of key opportunities and challenges that are present when considering mobile technology applications as healthcare solutions.  The presentation will highlight progress that Spectrum Health Systems has made in leveraging mobile technology in business and clinical environments, potential uses for patients and providers, and the most promising uses of mobile technology within the industry in the next few years.

Mr. Thomas' presentation will focus on techniques, resources, metaphors, Web 2.0, translating traditional desktop applications, multi-media, imitating the native look & feel, and evolving technical issues that will impact the user experience in the near future.  He'll also review Voalte's hospital-focused application and discuss how it has been designed with the end-user experience as its central driving force, while addressing universal issues that will help application developers become more attuned to their end-users, and will also help corporate decision-makers assess which tools will be best for their enterprise.

Mr. Zeffer's presentation will focus on the impact of mobile technologies on healthcare providers such as physicians, hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as consumers.  He will discuss how the impact of mobile technology on healthcare is undeniable; on the healthcare provider side, it is shaping the way healthcare providers are administering, monitoring and delivering healthcare.  On the consumer side, mobile technology is allowing instant access to information, thereby enabling consumers to be more informed about their health and able to make better real-time decisions.  

The Mobile Monday Detroit event will be held on Monday, April 18th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Compuware Building located at One Campus Martius in Detroit.  Attendance is free, though space is limited and registration in advance is required.  Those interested in attending may register at http://meetup.com/Mobile-Monday-Detroit.  Parking will be validated for attendees who utilize Compuware's parking deck.

Sponsors for the event are the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan, Mobile Monday Michigan, and Compuware.

For more information about this event, email your questions to info@MobileMondayMichigan.org.

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MobileMonday (MoMo) is an international community of mobile industry visionaries, developers, influential individuals, and users fostering cooperation and cross-company business development locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Mobile Monday Michigan branch executes on these objectives, thru its Ann Arbor and Detroit chapters (with additional chapters currently being planned in Lansing, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo), by delivering a balanced approach of business and technical content from within the Michigan business community, as well as beyond our State. Those interested in learning more about Mobile Monday Detroit can find the group's website at http://MobileMondayDetroit.org ; and information about the International organization can be found at http://MobileMonday.net. Mobile Monday Detroit is sponsored by Compuware and the Mobile Technology Association of Michigan.