Using mHealth devices, apps and solutions to improve population health management can be hugely impactful for patients, providers and payers, according to a recent blog post by PatientPoints Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Noel Khirsukhani.
PatientPoints is a patient and physician engagement solutions organization.
Mr. Khirsukhani highlighted five ways mHealth and population health management can be combined to improve clinical efficiency, better patient outcomes and lower costs, listed below.
1. Deliver patient information 24/7. Various mHealth monitoring tools, devices and wearables can provide a constant stream of information to providers which can help deliver coordinated care to patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or cardiac disease and prevent readmissions.
2. Make patient records more accessible. Integrated mHealth-population health platforms would allow providers from different organizations to view patient information in real-time and would improve communication between physicians and patients.
3. Agglomerate various data sources. Many mHealth applications have the ability to overcome the variety of formats for EHRs and database structures so information from different physicians, hospitals and other providers can be viewed on a mobile device.
4. Boost patient engagement. Considering how commonplace smartphones are, mHealth apps allow physicians and providers to contact patients on their smartphones in a variety of ways to motivate them to visit for screenings, checkups or follow-up appointments, strengthening the physician-patient relationship.
5. Improve patient compliance. In addition to reminders about physician visits, mHealth apps can improve patient medication adherence and compliance with physician orders, which in turn can lead to better outcomes, especially for patients with chronic conditions.
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