What the Doctor Ordered: Apps

Patient engagement aims to enhance communication channels between patients and healthcare providers, improving health outcomes and aid care coordination efforts, including Patient-centered Medical Homes (PCHM), Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and Meaningful Use. In fact, ONC has released the final Stage 2 criteria for Meaningful Use, which includes requirements for providers to offer online access to health information and secure messaging for 5% of patients, encouraging physicians to implement patient engagement tools.

Outside of reimbursement incentives, providers see the benefits. In January, eClinicalWorks conducted an online survey of healthcare professionals with 2,291 healthcare respondents, including 649 physicians. The survey gauged healthcare providers’ interest in mobile health apps that are tied to EHRs. The results show providers want their patient engaged and see clear benefits in health outcomes with this connection.

As shown below, the survey found 93% of physicians find value having a mobile health app connected to EHRs. The same survey found that 93% of physician respondents believe that mobile health apps can improve a patient’s health outcome, and 89% are likely to recommend a mobile health app to a patient. Additionally, the top three health issues that respondents believe a mobile health application linked to an EHR could make an immediate impact are medication adherence (65%), diabetes (54%) and preventative care (52%).