Mobile Healthcare Solutions Are the Future of the Healthcare Industry

Over the last decade, we have seen mobile technologies become a ubiquitous part of American life. Smartphones are used as a way of making purchases, checking social media, and emailing on the fly. Tablet computing devices can be used for all of those functions while adding the ability to watch movies and study on the fly.

However, modern technology has far more important applications than simply improving our entertainment capacity. Modern mobile technologies have been and continue to be created in order to give the American healthcare industry the hand-up it has been desperately needing for decades. This revolution, popularly referred to as “Health 2.0”, is often defined as the use of software and mobile healthcare solutions to promote collaboration and ease of sharing information between patients, their doctors, and other interested parties. To many, this revolution in healthcare apps is only a good thing. However, as you will see, to others it represents great cause for concern.

1. They Save Time

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According to a study by the Commonwealth Fund, as early as the 1990s, Danish doctors were reporting that they were saving an average of 30 minutes each day by prescribing drugs and ordering lab work through electronic means. Mobile healthcare solutions offer doctors the ability to save a lot of time that can be directed toward improved patient care.

2. Improve Patients’ Healthcare

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The American health landscape is not just about primary care physicians any longer. Gynecology, oncology, and every other type of medicine now has specialized professionals. Seeing this variety of medical providers allows us the best care for all of our needs, but it also represents possible failures in communication between so many individuals. Mobile healthcare solutions, like secure text messaging, allow our doctors to easily share our information so that they can all make informed decisions about our health.

3. Written to Be Compliant with HIPAA

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HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was written to protect Americans’ private health information and to ensure adequate coverage for our health needs. For instance, Title I of HIPAA protects health coverage for workers and their families in the event they change or lose their jobs. Further, HIPAA allows us to keep our information private from those who do not need to know. Mobile healthcare solutions, like HIPAA secure email, are created to protect our HIPAA rights. These specialized healthcare apps encrypt data, send it to the intended recipient, then decrypt the information. This ensures safe transmission of all HIPAA protected data.

Common Concerns

Even with the benefits of mobile healthcare apps, there are concerns. One of the biggest in the medical industry is how to secure employee-owned devices like smartphones and tablets to continue protecting HIPAA rights. Many companies operate on a “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy. This cut costs but may increase security threats. Through mobile security programs built for healthcare providers, all devices can be easily secured against potential problems.

Mobile healthcare solutions are key to the future success of the healthcare industry. While there will continue to be concerns over privacy for some time, the fact is that mobile medical applications are written with both security and convenience in mind, making them a great choice for any healthcare provider looking to improve their services.