US mHealth market to reach $4.6 billion by 2014

The US mobile health (mHealth) market will reach some $4.6 billion by 2014, according to a report on the state of the U.S. mHealth published by CSMG, the strategy division of TMNG Global.

The report titled "mHealth: Taking the Pulse" claims that while the market is expected to grow it will be fragmented across many solutions and device types.

The mHealth market is currently estimated at some $1.5 billion and is expected to grow over the next five years at a 25 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate). CSMG analysts noted that if several health care reforms will be instituted, such as pay-for-performance, adoption could accelerate even further.

"mHealth is well positioned to address the needs and evolution of the US health care delivery because it provides cost-efficient care delivery and increases access to quality health care," said Rich Nespola, Chairman and CEO of TMNG Global. "The proliferation of embedded wireless connected devices and Smartphone growth creates significant transformational opportunities to deliver cost-effective and viable mobile health care options."

CSMG outlined several leading mHealth technology opportunities including monitoring, personal emergency response services (PERS), telemedicine, mobile medical equipment, mobile health information, RFID tracking and health/fitness software.

The report outlined four key drivers that will influence the pace and direction of mHealth evolution:

• Mobile/connected device technology innovation drives near-to-mid-term growth. 

• The appeal of mHealth will overcome short-term barriers on consumer  concerns about the quality of mHealth solutions.

• Health care-specific technology developments such as adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) will remove barriers to mHealth adoption.

• Broader health care industry reform will be required to reach the full market potential.

US Government incentive to push personal health to records

Personal health record (PHR) providers are expected to be among the main beneficiaries from the U.S. government’s recent EMR (electronic medical records) incentive, according to a report published by international research firm Parks Associates.

The report, titled Electronic Health Records: Information Center of Connected Care, notes that the intuitive will raise awareness among consumers and will push the total number of PHR users to over 100 million by 2014.

This authors note that the $19 billion financial incentive from the U.S. federal government includes a “meaningful use” requirement. They added that although PHR is not fully spelled out as part of the reform, designed to promote EMR adoption, it is implied in one of the requirements.

“Despite a slow start, the PHR market is poised to grow, thanks in large part to government incentives,” said Harry Wang, Director, Health and Mobile Product Research, Parks Associates. “Patient portal as a tethered PHR will experience the fastest expansion over the next few years because it will serve a dual purpose for physicians. PHR will serve as a patient communication tool and will also help them qualify for the incentive. Doctors will communicate the benefits of PHRs to consumers, resulting in rising awareness and more frequent usage.”