WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire/ — The convergence of personal
health records and mobile communication devices may provide the
mechanism to engage consumers to use technology to enhance
self-care, taking cost out of the health care system, according to
a new Deloitte Issue
Brief released today by the Deloitte Center for Health
Solutions.
Following on the heels of the state of California’s launch of
the nation’s largest telehealth system last week, the Deloitte
brief explores the potential benefits of mobile communication
devices (MCDs), such as cell phones, smart phones and other mobile
tablet personal computers, to collect environmental and
patient-entered information and transmit it via the Internet to a
personal health record (PHR). Combined with actionable decision
support, the MCD-PHR combination, or “mPHR,” can analyze aggregate
data to activate mobile, patient-specific output such as medication
reminders, healthy habit tips and medical bill reminders.
“The personal health record embedded in mobile communication
devices – mPHR – is the ‘killer app’ that may change
the game for providers, consumers and payers,” said Paul Keckley,
Ph.D., executive director, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.
“Considering that treating chronic disease accounts for more
than 70 percent ($1.7 trillion) of the total $2.4 trillion in
health care spending in the United States, the business case for
mPHRs is solid for helping to reduce costs for managing chronic
conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.”
The brief provides an update on some major pilots underway using
the technology, as well as an overview of key research findings on
the topic, including the following statistics from the Deloitte
2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers:
Fifty percent of consumers want a personal monitoring device to
alert and guide them to make improvements in their health or
treat
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