In the digital world in which we now live, consumers are defining quality in terms of convenience. We are doing some innovative work to not only connect consumers and members to health information and decision support tools, but to also create new patient-to-provider connections via mobile. Secure messaging and clinical integration will enable provider organizations to tailor their services and develop one-on-one relationships with patients, creating a game-changing dynamic. We are committed to making it as simple as possible for individuals to pick up a mobile device and manage the complexities associated with seeking, getting and managing their health.

Q. Should healthcare providers place restrictions on the types of mobile devices used in the workplace, or should they develop BYOD policies?

Every industry needs to figure out how to stay current with consumer trends and use behaviors. We need to leverage secure methods of accessing information on personal devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) so that fewer restrictions are necessary. At Aetna, we have lots of work underway right now related to BYOD and virtual machines. 

Q. In this ever-changing landscape of patient-centered healthcare and accountable care, how can a physician use mobile tools to improve his or her communications with a patient?

Mobile is a powerful enabler to an efficient patient-provider connection and to the data that flows (or should flow) between them. But we have to make it simpler for providers to manage patient data by incorporating it into their workflow.

The Consumer Engagement with Health Information Technology Survey by the National eHealth Collaborative found that 53 percent of organizations rank patient engagement as a high or very high priority. The survey found that 68 percent want to engage consumers to improve outcomes, 66 percent to deliver information, 59 percent to enable consumers to take on shared responsibility, 59 percent to control costs and 57 percent to enhance the patient experience. Web, mobile and social technologies will play increasingly important roles in how providers engage with patients. But currently, providers’ readiness to use mobile devices and social media to establish a two-way dialogue trails consumer’s readiness and demand.

Accountable care is driving providers’ focus on population health, and mobile tools fit well within that model. Dr. Michael Zaroukian, an internist practicing in East Lancing, Mich., is an example of a physician who has challenged his patients to lose weight by using the mobile applications Lose It! and Fooducate. He regularly prescribes the apps in the clinic, and allows his patients to track his weight loss journey as well as their own. Others have seen text messaging drive results – text messages reminding patients to refill medications, go in for required tests or exercise more have shown to increase patient adherence and healthy behaviors.

Q. What mHealth or telemedicine fad or craze will die out? Why?

As you know, mHealth is a highly dynamic environment and it’s hard to predict what experiences will fade away. This space will certainly continue to evolve rapidly around an individual’s willingness to collect, share and manage data on a mobile device, in some ways similar to the growth we’ve seen in mobile finance over the last few years. Anything that doesn’t properly address broad consumer demand, with security and usability in lock step, will not survive.

Q. What are the three biggest issues facing mHealth in the coming year?