Stanfy Publications: Successful Cases of Mobile Technology in Medical Industry

Successful Cases of Mobile Technology in Medical Industry

Stanfy PublicationsExploring Mobile Space

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The advent of mobile technology has redefined how modern consumers read the news, communicate with others and entertain themselves on the go. While triv-ial interactions and content consumption play a large role in the average smartphone owner’s daily phone usage, the medical industry is quickly adopting mobile technology as a means of connecting lay users with medical professionals. Increasingly, smartphone and tablet users are speaking to their doctors, scheduling medical appointments, and even receiving complex diagnoses via mHealth platforms.

The global mHealth marketplace already represents a staggering $1.3 billion annual economic impact, and analysts are confident that this trend will continue up-wards. According to a report released by Transpar-ency Market Research, mHealth technology will be responsible for some $10.2 billion annually by 2018. From private hospitals to pharmaceutical companies, a myriad of medical groups are exploring the growth potential mHealth platforms offer.

Consumers have increasingly shown a willingness to adopt mHealth applications as a part of manag-ing their health. This phenomenon can largely be ex-

plained by a few simple variables. Firstly, patients are eager to obtain insightful information at a moment’s notice. Whereas years ago patients needed to make a doctor’s appointment for a proper diagnosis, the In-ternet has placed a world of information at patients’ fingertips. Additionally, many medical organizations have begun to recognize the value in providing high-quality care, even if it means serving a smaller group of people. Using mHealth platforms to deliver such services is a natural transition.

The emerging domain of mobile health applications can already be observed in several successful cases across the planet. Not only are intuitive mHealth re-sources a promising opportunity for medical profes-sionals and organizations, but these tools also pro-vide immeasurable benefits to the general population. The convenience factor alone makes it possible for consumers to receive personalized medical care that may otherwise be unavailable to these individuals.

The following cases include some of the most suc-cessful mHealth developments to date.

The global mHealth marketplace already represents a staggering $1.3 billion annual economic impact. In this whitepaper we are exlploring some of the most

successful mHealth developments to date.

ABOUT STANFY PUBLICATIONSStanfy is a mobile design and development team specializing in mobile UI/UX and native iOS & Android app development. For the last 5 years we’ve been creating successful mobile apps for companies from different fields of business. We сlosely follow newest mobile trends in marketing, design and tech fields, constantly apply them in our work and share our findings with the mobile entrepreneurs community. With this publication we’d like to share the results of our internal investiga-tions in mobile space.


Nearly 9 million people have healthcare coverage through a Kaiser Permanente plan

The group maintains the largest database of electronic medi-cal charts in the world.

The company has both an Android and iOS app.

SUMMARY



Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is an umbrella organization that includes private hospitals, healthcare providers, and various medical groups. Nearly nine million people have healthcare coverage through a Kaiser Perma-nente plan.

The group maintains the largest database of electron-ic medical charts in the world. With the development of its proprietary mHealth app, this information is now available directly to patients, as well as the doctors they consult for medical guidance.

The vast majority of Kaiser Permanente’s healthcare customers already utilize the company’s mobile tools. The company has both an Android and iOS app, which allow customers to perform a wide assortment of different tasks. Scheduling doctor’s appointments, refilling prescriptions, and private messaging capabili-ties all make Kaiser Permanente’s app a valuable tool for its members.

The mobile app’s ability to access in-depth medical records truly makes it a standout platform within the mHealth industry. Members can easily review detailed notes from previous medical appointments, along with current immunization and allergy information. Furthermore, the app provides up-to-date lab results for any tests ordered.

Kaiser Permanente’s app has a high loyalty rate, both among its members and the doctors who serve them. Medical staff appreciate the ability to interact with their patients and provide valuable insight when non-urgent questions arise. Patients, on the other hand, are able to keep track of their medical history and ac-cess changes immediately.

This has far-reaching implications for the patients in question. For example, should a Kaiser Permanente member visit an emergency clinic on vacation, the medical staff can be provided with immediate access to the patient’s chart via the application.

The mobile app’s ability to access indepth medical records truly makes it a standout platform within the mHealth industry



Patients use the platform to speak to a doctor and receive an immediate diagnosis.

Its prescription system allows submitting an ePrescription to a local pharmacy.

A flat-fee basis makes MeMD a viable alternative for consum-ers without health insurance.

SUMMARY

MeMD

MeMD is a digital consultation group that aims to re-define how modern consumers interact with medical doctors to receive care for non-life-threatening ill-nesses. This intriguing platform has already shown impressive success since its launch in 2010. This year alone, MeMD has already doubled its staff, and the company plans to triple staff once again in the next 12 months.

The premise of MeMD is simple: patients use the plat-form to speak to a doctor and receive an immediate diagnosis. The medical staff providing this service are board-certified, experienced physicians who commu-nicate with the patient over a webcam connection. While MeMD does not offer proprietary mobile appli-cations, many smartphones and tablets are compat-ible with the consultation platform’s technology.

One of the defining characteristics that makes MeMD unique is the prescription system it uses. If a patient is deemed to need prescription medication, the consult-ing physician will submit an ePrescription to a local

pharmacy. Certain controlled substances cannot be prescribed by these medical professionals, including Pseudoephedrine and Tramadol. Physicians are also restricted in regards to elective medications, such as those prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction or hair loss. Nevertheless, most patients are able to receive a prescription for minor ailments by consulting with the doctor.

Many of MeMD’s customers rely on digital consulta-tions, rather than visiting a local emergency room. Consultations are charged on a flat-fee basis, which makes MeMD a viable alternative for consumers with-out health insurance. Many of the platform’s users also rely on MeMD when traveling, as the tool makes it easy to get expert medical guidance anywhere in the United States.

Consultations are charged on a flat-fee basis, which makes MeMD a viable alternative for consumers without health insurance



ZocDoc allows patients to complete medical forms before ever seeing the doctor.

It provides patients with a database of medical profession-als in a particular area, along with specific ratings information submitted by past patients.

SUMMARY

ZocDoc

Finding a qualified healthcare professional is not al-ways a simple task for connected consumers. For-tunately, ZocDoc is actively working to change how patients find a new doctor. Instead of relying on the Yellow Pages or asking around for recommendations, ZocDoc provides patients with a database of medical professionals in a particular area, along with specific ratings information submitted by past patients.

ZocDoc was originally developed to cover medical or-ganizations in Manhattan, but today the service cov-ers more than 1,900 cities across the United States. Furthermore, an estimated four million users book ap-pointments with ZocDoc. The platform covers medical professionals in 42 unique specialties.

Medical professionals join ZocDoc on a subscription-based service plan. In turn, patients can search for doctors by speciality, languages spoken, and insur-ance policies. ZocDoc users are encouraged to leave reviews after visiting a doctor, which allows other pa-tients to make an informed decision regarding wheth-

er or not the service professional is the right match for their healthcare needs. After selecting a doctor, patients make an appointment by looking at a virtual appointment book and choosing a convenient slot.

In addition to facilitating appointment booking for medical professionals, ZocDoc also allows patients to complete medical forms before ever seeing the doc-tor. This helps streamline the visit to a new doctor’s office. ZocDoc users can book an appointment using the service’s dedicated mobile apps for iOS and An-droid, or instead access the database via the ZocDoc website.

ZocDoc’s rapid adoption rate and loyalty from both consumers and medical groups has helped propel the site forward. ZocDoc has raised more than $95 in venture capital and is profitable in nearly all of the markets in which it operates.

ZocDoc allows users to search for doctors by specialty, languages spoken, insur-ance policies and specific ratings information submitted by past patients.



Hello Doctor was created for patients who are dealing with a long-term illness, such as cancer or a heart defect.

It’s keeping up with the latest information from a large medical team.

Software provides statistical information when new medica-tions are entered.

SUMMARY

Hello Doctor

Hello Doctor is a relatively new addition to the mHealth world, but it is already showing promising results. The platform recently won the coveted DemoGod award, and it has already pulled in thousands of users across the planet. This sophisticated platform was developed for patients who are dealing with a longterm illness, such as cancer or a heart defect. Hello Doctor ag-gregates data from various medical charts and makes it possible for users to keep a handle on their health.

The development of Hello Doctor was triggered after its founder’s partner was diagnosed with a brain tu-mor. Mayaan Cohen attended doctor’s appointments with her partner, noting the various information and keeping hard copies of medical information from each specialist. Quickly, she realized that the only viable solution was to keep a full record from each doctor on hand at all times.

Hello Doctor aims to bridge the gap for patients. This full-featured iOS app is currently intended for use on the iPad. It keeps appointments record that can only be accessed by patients who have created a pass-word to secure the information. Not only is Hello Doc-tor useful keeping up with the latest information from

a large medical team, but the software also provides statistical information when new medications are en-tered. Furthermore, Hello Doctor even predicts the probability of various treatments down the road.

For example, when a patient’s record reveals that a certain medication has been prescribed, Hello Doc-tor reveals information about the side effects expe-rienced by other users. Patients can also use Hello Doctor to learn their prognosis and explore the roads of treatment other patients have followed. To further simplify matters, patients can search for information across all of their records at a moment’s notice.

Doctors who need a hard copy of a report or medical chart can always request one from the patient, who in turn can fax or email the chart in question directly from the application. Annotations and notes can also be added to the medical files when needed. In this way, Hello Doctor bridges the divide between tradi-tional charts and modern technology, allowing con-sumers to keep their records constantly accessible.

Hello Doctor even predicts the probability of various treatments down the road.



HealthTap available free on iOS and Android.

Allows getting answer on serious medical question from cer-tified physicians.

Platform lets doctors to build an online reputation.

SUMMARY

HealthTap

Most doctors are already accustomed to consulting with their established patients, but HealthTap makes it possible for medical professionals to provide insight to question-seekers from across the planet. This so-phisticated platform is a free resource that allows any-one to pose a serious medical question and receive a response from a certified physicians in mere minutes.

It may sound simple, but the platform has dramati-cally changed the lives of many of its users. Accord-ing to statistics published in the New York Times, the app has been credited with literally saving the lives of 10,000 of its unique users. Not only does it help patients to get a second opinion for existing health problems, but the platform also lets doctors build an online reputation.

HealthTap makes it possible for people from across the planet to ask a serious medical question and receive a response from certified physicians in a minutes.



Looking to the future

mHealth was once a niche field that held little impact on the medical industry as a whole. Today, however, analysts believe that mHealth will likely have a great-er impact than progress like nanomedicine. Not only will this progress be evident in developed areas like the United States and much of Europe, but it could also help save lives in areas of the world where tradi-tional medicine is not available to wide swaths of the population.

In addition to the opportunities that mHealth repre-sents for the developing world, these technologies represent enormous economic growth potential for physicians and medical organizations. In many cas-es, providing consultations to patients over mobile platforms is more cost-efficient than traditional ap-pointments. Staffing needs may diminish as a result, and physicians can consult with a larger number of potential patients in any given day.

The patient also benefits from mHealth applications. These resources make it possible for consumers to stay in touch with their physicians and address press-ing medical issues as the need arrises. The peace of mind and convenience mHealth products provide is likely responsible for the enormous loyalty mHealth apps already hold.

The mutually-beneficial nature of mHealth apps is slated to dramatically impact adoption rates across the globe. According to a recent report, an estimated 96 million consumers will be using mHealth apps by 2018. Furthermore, the cost savings stemming from increased productivity are slated to reach a stagger-ing $500 billion.

References1. mHealth Market- Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018,” - http://www.transpar-encymarketresearch.com/mobile-health-market.html

2. Kleinberg, Kenneth A. “ Meet the Poster Child for Successful mHealth Adoption.” Nuance Healthcare’s Advancing the mHealth Ecosystem . (2013): 9. Web.

3. Smith, Kat. “Provider of Online Medical Care, MeMD, Achieves Explosive Growth in 2013.” MeMD Blog. MeMD, 13 Aug 2013. Web.

4. “What is ZocDoc?.” . ZocDoc, n.d. Web. <http://blog.zocdoc.com/wp-content/images/ill/ZocDoc-FactSheet.pdf>.

5. Taylor, Colleen. “Medical E-Booking Platform ZocDoc Opens Up $55 Million In New Convertible Debt .” TechCrunch, 24 Jun 2013. Web. <http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/24/zocdoc-debt-funding-53-million/>.

6. Israel, Shel. “Hello Doctor Puts All Your Medical Data Into One Mobile App.” Forbes. N.p., 23 Oct 2013. Web. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/shelisrael/2013/10/23/hello-doctor-puts-all-your-medical-data-into-one-mobile-app/2/>.

7. O’Leary, Amy. “An App That Saved 10,000 Lives.” Bits. The New York TImes, 5 October 2013. Web. <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05/how-to-save-10000-lives-with-an-app-flatter-doctors/>.

8. Rockefeller Foundation. “mHealth and the Future of Medicine.” From Silos to Systems: An Overview of eHealth’s Transformative Power. Chapter 5. Web. <http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/uploads/files/9fd8b605-f89f-4ddd-9851-3541c5d196fd-silos-to.pdf

9. Juniper Research. “Mobile Health & Fitness: Monitoring, App-enabled Devices & Cost Savings 2013-2018.” (2013) Web. <http://www.juniperresearch.com/reports/mobile_health_fitness>.

Stanfy Publications: Successful Cases of Mobile Technology in Medical Industry

Health & Medicine

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