Like it or not, mobile technology is coming to healthcare. In fact, it is already here. Doctors now use iPads to enter data into a patient's EMR during the patient's visit and patients' smartphones can help monitor their caloric intake or find doctors who accept their insurance policies. Healthcare organizations increasingly are on a daily basis integrating smartphones and tablets into their healthcare infrastructure. A 2010 Pew Research study found that out of the 85 percent of adults that use a cell phone, 17 percent have used it to look up health-related information and 9 percent have health-related software applications (i.e., an "app") on their phones.
The Federal government has taken advantage of mobile technologies for some time. Since January 2010, HHS has invested $5 million dollars to develop and promote its eHealth/mHealth smoking cessation program aimed at teens, young adults and adults. In September 2011, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology launched the Million Hearts Challenge, which is a call to innovators and developers to create an app to empower patients to take charge of their cardiovascular disease. The first prize is $50,000.
But many healthcare organizations are hesitant to take full advantage of mobile health due to privacy and security concerns. In October, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) announced a 24-month public education campaign that will focus on the need to exchange healthcare data. The ONC has solicited public comment on a proposal to expand the campaign's data collection efforts to include gauging consumer opinions on using mobile devices to communicate protected health information.
Healthcare organizations that seek to take advantage of mobile technologies should evaluate whether the technology handles PHI. If so, then HIPAA and HITECH must be addressed. Healthcare organizations that incorporate mobile devices into their business environment must also consider proper security measures such as the ability to wipe devices remotely.
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