Mobile Health: Revolutionizing Technology at the Point of Care

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Last week, we released a new white paper for one of our clients to highlight the growing use of mobile apps by specialty physicians. In tracking physician communication patterns over the past four years, we found mobile health technologies are steadily gaining ground as a preferred form of communication and information retrieval.

mHealth app usage among survey respondentsThe white paper explores a potential revolution in the application of technology to diagnosis and patient care. Of the 365 physicians who participated in our online survey, those who use mobile medical apps on a daily basis reported a difference in how they practice medicine – they use the apps to enhance at-the-bedside functionality, patient education, and even diagnostic capabilities. A breakdown of mHealth app usage among our survey respondents is shown to the right.

According to iTunes.com, more than half of all U.S. physicians have downloaded mHealth apps to their smart devices. We found hospitals and health systems that promote the broad use of new technologies in the workplace show more rapid physician adoption among both the younger and older generations. Current industry articles and surveys indicate Epocrates (pictured below), Medscape and Micromedex typically top the list of most-used medical apps by physicians.

Epocrates screen shot

The survey respondents’ wish list for mHealth functionality is long and includes the following:

– Access to electronic medical records
– Medical illustrations and information for patient viewing at the point of care
– Evidence-based references and protocols with easy search and read
– Patient reminders
– Dictation, coding and billing assistance
– Calculators

We believe many opportunities exist to enhance the physician practice through future development of mobile health applications. At Dobies Health Marketing, we look forward to further exploring the evolving use of medical apps among physicians as an efficient accessory to the power of the brain.

Medical professionals: Are you using mobile health apps at your practice? If so, tell us about your experiences and what you hope to see for the future of mHealth. We want to hear from you!

Healthcare Innovation Brings New Opportunities for Healthcare Marketers

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Healthcare InnovationTechnology is rapidly changing healthcare. Mainstream devices can now go far beyond provider-patient communication and into specialized patient care, and things are just getting started.

In other words, what we’ve done so far with healthcare innovation pales in comparison to what we haven’t done…yet. For healthcare marketers, that means:

  1. You must understand and embrace healthcare innovation for success.
  2. Your health organization has the potential to be a vanguard in this space, either through early adoption or invention (or both).

Get your creative juices flowing by exploring some out-of-the-box thinkers who are doing big things now to further the gains made possible by health technology. For example:

Dr. Smartphone will see you now.

Okay so a phone can’t earn a medical degree, but it does have a big job to do in the exam room. As Dr. Eric Topol, cardiologist, points out in this clip from NBC News, smartphone technology has become a very effective, very efficient tool for patient care. Watch the video to hear Dr. Topol explain how “wireless medicine” made possible through affordable smartphone technology is clearing the path to that much-coveted holy grail: better, cheaper healthcare.

Among other things, Dr. Topol demonstrates how smartphones can substantially reduce waste in health care delivery and, at the same time, enhance the patient experience. He also says, “These days I’m actually prescribing a lot more apps than I am medications” – a noteworthy quote because it’s indicative of what’s now and what’s next in healthcare: the meteoric rise of mHealth.

To reduce costs while meeting increased demand for outpatient care and self-care, mobile technology is key. “Virtual visits” are surging in usage and usefulness as providers and patients embrace the power of remote patient care and monitoring. According to Sg2, the virtual site of care is expected to grow much more than any other point within the care continuum over the next 10 years. Differentiate your organization now by carving out a place on the leading edge of mHealth.

Have you seen the latest healthwear?

People love wearable fitness technology – apps you put on to track movements, calories, etc. are making big gains in popularity and sophistication. So what else is possible in healthcare you can wear? This line of technology is quickly evolving beyond wellness and into highly specialized healthcare, as featured in this Mobile Minute video: How Wearables are Changing Healthcare.

The video points out how wearable health technology can help people track their own health data and better manage their own health, potentially putting a significant dent in today’s $30 billion price tag of patient non-compliance. Wearables with smart and sensor technology are helping providers become more precise with meds and dosages, remote diagnostics, pain management and more. 3-D printing is making custom prosthetics more accessible. What wearable tech ideas can you or your providers dream up to add to the mix?

After all, your organization doesn’t have to make the technology – bright ideas and strategic investments will take you where you want to go. Stretch the limits of what you previously thought possible through partnerships, sponsorships, co-branding opportunities and licensing agreements with tech providers. If you’ve ever wanted to be a trailblazer in healthcare, the time is now, the stage is set, and the possibilities are endless.

Hospital Community Relations Directors Evolve to Chief Marketing Officers

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With so many patient-facing changes in healthcare these days, it’s no surprise the role of the hospital community relations director is also changing. Once focused primarily on communications, advertising and outreach, today’s community relations directors now drive patient experience, hospital strategy and business development.

Maybe the person who manages community relations at your hospital has a new title, maybe not. Regardless, the purview of the position has expanded. At Dobies Health Marketing, we see three core responsibilities for hospital marketing officers:

  • Drive the patient experience. Today’s hospital marketing officers own the patient experience. They take a lead role in creating loyalty and repositioning the patient at the center of the hospital’s delivery system.
  • Develop overall business strategy. In addition to increasing market share, hospital marketing officers are now responsible for new business and program development to enhance the hospital’s competitive advantage.
  • Nurture the system of care. Now more than ever, it’s important to be proactive rather than reactive in creating and nurturing an emerging system of care. Working with leadership on service line, physician engagement and system of care issues has become a routine function.

Even from this quick summary, it’s easy to see how the role of hospital community relations has evolved far beyond its more traditional PR/promotional functions. That’s why many hospital leaders turn to healthcare marketing specialists who can help them navigate these complexities and grow into the next generation of healthcare.

SHSMD Word Cloud Finds the Focus of Today’s Hospital Strategists and Marketers

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In our last post, we talked about word clouds and their practical uses beyond the blog. This week, we’ll continue that discussion in lieu of our recent discoveries at SHSMD Connections 2011, an annual conference hosted by the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development. The event was a meeting of the minds from all levels of hospital communications, and the word cloud was our way of learning more about what’s on their minds.

SHSMD attendees participated by entering today’s hot topics into our word cloud app. But what do the results tell us about the directions and challenges hospital marketers face as we head into 2012?

The most commonly used phrase was “physician strategies,” with “social media” coming in close behind. Many hospital strategists are looking for effective ways to engage with physicians and patients. While social media continues to grow as a cost-effective way to expand reach and frequency, strategists are struggling with how to reconcile professional relationships with online social platforms—and even how to get people to “Like” or “Follow” their hospitals in the first place, let alone leverage that affinity. It’s a challenge many of today’s healthcare marketers must untangle, and clearly engagement is the name of the game.

Other issues taking center stage for healthcare marketers include:

• Direct marketing – promoting what works to grow market share.

• Brand building – on-target messaging in the midst of health reform and ACO debates.

• Market-driven plans (and plans that drives markets) – thinking strategically and delivering creatively.

• Better returns – demonstrating improved ROI and ROE as direct results of marketing efforts.

If your marketing initiatives don’t include solid strategic planning in the areas described above, you’re missing opportunities to enhance relationships, grow in volume, improve your brand and more.

What about you—what’s on your mind in healthcare marketing today? If you didn’t share with us at SHSMD, feel free to do so in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.

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