mHealth: Taking the Pulse

mHealth: Taking the Pulse is an overview of the opportunities and challenges in the mobile health revolution.

The US health care industry faces numerous challenges with rising costs, evolving reimbursement and insurance models and an aging, and generally less healthy population. In simple terms, the current structure does not allow for efficient rationalization of consumer, corporate, and government health care dollars. Our study's focus is on the role of technology, specifically mobile technologies, in this transformation.

Mobile solutions offer unique characteristics that can reduce health care costs and improve patient and practitioner satisfaction. By extending monitoring for both preventative and post-treatment care, increasing access to under-served segments, and facilitating remote testing and diagnoses, mobile solutions are important components of a new health care paradigm.

However, just because the technology may be ready does not mean the market is ready. As we found out through our study, there are significant challenges that must still be addressed before wide-scale adoption, including uncertain long-term payer/reimbursement models, legal and regulatory issues, concerns over quality, health care provider acceptance of new technologies, and of course, gaps in EMR that serves as a foundation of many mobile health solutions.In spite of these challenges, we are cautiously optimistic about the opportunities over the long term. Moreover, the continued evolution of our connected world will demand that health care accelerate these developments.

Our focus is on the US market, including US-specific health care context. However, many of the solutions, applications, trends, and findings do have applicability to other global markets, especially developed markets.

Some of the key questions we address include:

• Why do we need mHealth? What is its fundamental value proposition?
• What factors will drive evolution of the US mHealth market over the next five years?
• What is the overall opportunity size and pace of growth? Why?
• What are the most attractive emerging mHealth opportunities? 
• What opportunities and challenges do non-traditional health care players, particularly mobile network operators and device OEMs, have in this sector?

For this study we have relied upon:

1. Secondary research based on a comprehensive review of industry context and recent developments.
2. Qualitative and quantitative strategic analysis of emerging trends and their impact on the mHealth market.  
3. Selected primary interviews with key stakeholders in the mobile health ecosystem, including wireless service providers, health care software and hardware specialists, insurance providers, hospital systems and physician practices.

To request a PDF copy of mHealth: Taking the Pulse, please email us at strategy.inquiry@csmg-global.com.