Dive Brief:
- According to blog Hospital Impact, there are many good reasons for hospitals to implement remote monitoring devices to track cardiac rhythms, glucose levels and vital signs, as well as implement smartphone apps.
- One reason hospitals should pursue this strategy, the blog notes, is that hospitals and technology companies have already demonstrated some success in reducing readmissions with pilot programs that remotely monitor patients after discharge.
- Another reason cited by the blog is that EMRs are increasingly beginning to integrate data from remote monitoring devices, demonstrating mainstream acceptance. mHealth also supports population health initiatives by helping people manage chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
Dive Insight:
While hospitals have extremely difficult technology challenges to face, it's increasingly important to consider the role mHealth can play in care management plans, according to the blog's author, Jenn Riggle, a vice president at Weber Shandwick Worldwide. She argues that CIOs need to allocate part of their budget to mHealth, given the number of problems that it can solve. It's hard to argue with her conclusion; there are few technologies on the horizon that can pack the punch mHealth can.