Mobile Health Technology: Targeting Needs for Patient Health

With the health technology market continuing to expand, innovators are finding promising ways to address health care needs through the use of mobile health apps. From opioid abuse to mammogram promotion, here are a few of the areas where mobile health technology could be used to help improve health outcomes.

Opioid abuse

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing for the development of innovative mobile health technologies to address public health crises such as the national opioid abuse epidemic. In 2016, it conducted a prize competition to encourage the development of a mobile app to help connect opioid users experiencing an overdose with nearby carriers of the prescription drug naloxone for emergency treatment. The winning app included a breathing monitor to detect when a victim’s breathing rate is dangerously low, a sign of an opioid overdose.

Diabetes management

Mobile health apps have been shown to be effective for helping diabetic patients manage their conditions. According to a report published in Health Affairs¹, a University of Chicago pilot program used text message reminders for diabetic patients to improve health outcomes and lower medical costs per patient.

Promoting mammograms

Although the American College of Radiology and American Cancer Institute both recommend regular mammograms in women beginning at age 40, the percentage of women who receive an annual mammogram is only 65 percent². Health plans are interested in improving their mammogram screening rates because it is critical for early detection of breast cancer and for patient health.

Mobile health technology can be used to help improve these rates. We have authored a case study, entitled “Utilizing RxEOB®MercuryMessaging™ to promote mammograms,” that highlights how health care plans wanting to increase the percentage of appropriate patients getting mammograms can do so through better and effective communications using a patient-centric messaging platform.

When communicating digitally with health plan members, it is all too easy to lose credibility with the audience. When it comes to mammograms, minimizing false positives is critical, and the timeliness of message is vital.

MercuryMessaging allows health care organizations to reach members through secure and preferred channels such as text messaging, email, native apps, and push notifications. It can maximize the digital connections and does so with minimal message noise and false positives.

Contact us

RxEOB continues to work with health care organizations to create member engagement programs to increase adherence and to drive better patient health care outcomes. For more information, visit www.rxeob.com, or call 804-643-1540.

¹https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mammography.htm

²Nundy, Shantanu, et al. “Mobile phone diabetes project led to improved glycemic control and net savings for Chicago plan participants.” Health Affairs 33.2 (2014): 265-272.