m-Health, Mobile Solutions in Healthcare
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), total costs for healthcare was over $2.2 trillion in 2007 which represented over 16% of the GDP.
In 2009 healthcare spending reached an estimated 17.3% of the GDP.
It is now estimated that by 2019 the spending will increase to over $4.8 trillion, representing 19.3% of the GDP.
The drivers of heath care inflation are primarily due to increased cost per unit and increased utilization, partly a reflection of increased morbidity rates and a longer life expectancy.
As health care costs and utilization continue to rise, stakeholders will put added pressure on cost reduction, causing healthcare providers to seek more creative and cost effective ways to deliver care.
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, into law.
This law includes provisions to expand coverage, control health care costs, and improve health care delivery system. This opens opportunities for technology innovation and new business models. Healthcare IT can make a difference in a number of areas including:
• Adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR), especially in small physician practices
• Remote data entry, monitoring and diagnosis
• Technical Integration and interoperability of data/systems and key information such as Medical Records (EMR), Personal Health Records (PHR), and remote data capture via web or device and patient diaries.
• Technologies related to patient privacy and security
Part One: m-Health, Mobile Solutions in Healthcare
The first event of the series will address the role of mobile technology and other wireless computing devices in delivering health care solutions.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, the number of mobile phone subscriptions reached 4.6 billion in 2009, which represented 67% of the worldwide population. In developing countries the number of mobile phone subscriptions represented 57%.
The high adoption of mobile phones among consumers has established a foundation for developing potential m-health solutions. Mobile technologies are paving the way for people to get more actively and pro-actively involved in their own healthcare regardless of their proximity to healthcare providers.
Examples of emerging m-health solutions include: patient-provider communication, disease management, point-of-care data exchange, remote monitoring of medical devices, public health alerts, patient education and clinical trial information for patients.
The expert panel will discuss the ways for entrepreneurs to ride the wave of mobile adoption to develop solutions that enable effective healthcare access and delivery.
