Vision
mHealth Initiative Inc (mHI), a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Massachusetts, USA, envisions the emerging mHealth Revolution. Cell phones and other mobile Devices (mDevices) are becoming prized tools of clinicians after initially being viewed as forbidden gadgets.
mDevices offer interoperability, provide the basis of mobile communications, allow access to the Internet and the huge scientific body of medicine, serve as documentation systems, and provide decision support guidance for care. But their most important benefit is in enabling Participatory Health, the new paradigm that involves healthy people, patients, wellness and care providers, payers, pharma, researchers and public health as active participants in a healthcare system that is open and transparent, with the patient at its center. Most of all, it allows new 24/7 communication patterns between healthcare participants, including observations of daily living (ODLs).
News
iPhones and PDAs in Radiology
Many physicians are concerned that the small screens of smart phones don't work in the radiology environment. But a new study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Radiology concludes that "handheld devices show promise in the field of emergency consultation for detection of basic orthopedic injuries and intracranial hemorrhage". Click here for details.
Which cell phone should a clinician select?
Check out our Observatory page to learn the steps to follow for selection - and much, much more
The Beginning of the End … of the medical book?
Healthcare is not only entering a period of revolutionary changes in relation to patient-provider communication. Other dramatic changes include the at least partial transfer of many medical books into digital format, thus allowing instant and easy access to the scientific body of medicine. In early January 2010, Blio by Ray Kurzweil was introduced. This amazing step forward is just one piece for the puzzle for mHealth and digitized medical decision support. See more in Wired magazine - and take particular note of the chart comparing eBooks.
Claudia Tessier RHIA, president of mHealth Initiative, has authored the first comprehensive book on mHealth, Management and Security of Health Information on Mobile Devices, to be published by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in early 2010.
Learn about "New Communication Patterns in Healthcare" and “Which Healthcare Applications are Available on Various Smartphones?” on our Observatory page.
We are pleased to offer mHealth Initiative's website viewers a special one-time online journal subscription rate to Telemedicine and e-Health Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. This is a 2010 personal online subscription (10 issues) including all the journal online archives (16 volumes), as well as the twice weekly email newsletter Telemedicine and e-Health News Alert for only $99 (a $164 value). Click to order or call 800-654-3237 and mention code pcmhealth to subscribe at this special rate. This offer is valid through March 31, 2010.
Second International mHealth Networking Conference
Sponsored by mHealth Initiative
September 8-9, 2010
Town & Country Resort Hotel
San Diego CA
Click here to register by March 5 at the low rate of $295
See next column for report of First International mHealth Networking Conference, February 3-4, 2010
Report of First International mHealth Networking Conference
Close to 300 representatives from health plans, provider organizations joined nurses, government officials, investment bankers and industry representatives at the mHealth Networking Conference in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington DC, February 3-4, 2010. While most registrants came from the US, the meeting also drew several attendees from Asia and Europe.
The opening plenary session was especially well received, where the comprehensive vision of mHealth was explored by mHealth Initiative leaders C. Peter Waegemann and Claudia Tessier. Other keynote presentations included an update by Dr. Mohit Kaushal of the FCC on its plans for mHealth; and Dr. Andy Barbash, a neurologist, described how he uses simple networking solutions to improve the quality of care and enhance his role as a caregiver, emphasizing the ease with which they can be adopted by other healthcare providers. Adam Bosworth of Keas (formerly of Google Health) described the Keas approach to personal health records and announced its plans for mobility.
In breakout sessions, speakers noted that low-cost solutions exist today to create medical networks, implement new communication patterns with patients, colleagues, and others such as pharmacies, labs, payers, etc. Many focused on the use of apps on smartphones and the changing healthcare decision making processes for patients and healthcare professionals. The need for a restructuring of the healthcare system was also emphasized, including a payment system that reimburses a caregiver for researching and for communications outside of the traditional encounter.
Fitness and healthy-living programs were also a focus. Participatory health, as a necessary element of mHealth, will change our healthcare system dramatically. Yet, while these systems promise to cost savings and improved quality of life, they remain to be integrated into the wellness and healthcare process.
It was acknowledged that the field is so vast and there are so many developments that it is difficult to conduct a comprehensive analysis. However, the benefits of mHealth are clear to those practices, clinics, hospitals, and health plans that are experimenting with a variety of implementations.
In response to the growing level of interest and the rapid pace of developments in mHealth, mHealth Initiative has scheduled its next mHealth Networking Conference for September 8-9, 2010 in San Diego, CA, where attendance is expected to double. An early bird registration rate of $295 is offered through March 5.