The Journal of mHealth Vol 2 Issue 6 (Dec 2015) | страница 6

Opportunities in Connected Health: Improving Patient Care...

Opportunities in Connected Health
Improving Patient Care,
Reducing Provider Cost and
Enabling New Business Models

By Connie Wilkinson and Paul A. Gomez

I. Connected Health Defined

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All eyes are on connected health as
the future of the health care industry, from entrepreneurs and investors
who develop devices and applications,
to providers and payers, to patients, to
public health policy experts. Connected
health involves taking advantage of
information technology to help providers and patients manage chronic conditions, maintain health and wellness, and
improve patient engagement, adherence
to treatment and medication regimens
and, ultimately, improve clinical outcomes. The technology may include

December 2015

smart phones and applications, social
media, other devices and remote monitoring tools, personal health trackers,
sensors in clothing or other wearables,
to computers and networked devices.
Specific applications may range from
text reminders for smoking cessation or
sunscreen application, to visual acuity
screening performed by teachers using
smart phones and reviewed by remote
health care professionals, to the full diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of diabetes through mobile solutions.
At its best, connected health has the
potential to advance the U.S. National
Quality Strategy, developed in response
to the Affordable Care Act, and the “Tri-

ple Aim” it set as a goal, of better care,
better health and lower cost. It implicates
key strategies enunciated under the Triple Aim such as patient engagement and
empowerment, by delivering information to the consumer that allows him or
her to make better choices about health
and wellness and to engage in self-management of chronic medical conditions.
It enables capture and delivery of patient
information and data obtained through
remote monitoring to clinicians and
electronic health records and thereby
extends access, even into the patient’s
home, and as a result may improve clinical outcomes. And it lowers health care
costs by improving the quality and value
of health care.