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Data management – Top 10 apps set to change health care

June 07, 2016
From the June 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The notion that commercial technology is leagues ahead of the stuff being used in hospitals is certainly nothing new. Historically, health care facilities have been reluctant to embrace change — and even if they did change, and even in an era where value is king — the regulatory waters around new technology can be murky. While the FDA has been hard at work writing the rules for medical apps, interest in these free or low-cost tools has skyrocketed. According to a report last year from Kalorama Information, the mobile health apps market was estimated at close to $500 million for 2015 — up from just $85 million in 2010. That analysis projects the health care app market will become a $1.7 billion industry by 2020.

Of the 1.4 million apps used through Apple’s operating systems, more than 18,000 are for medical applications, and that doesn’t count another 10,000 apps listed as “health and fitness apps.” By comparison, the Google Play Store, which is the Android platform marketplace, boasts about 1.5 million apps, of which about 2 percent are focused on medical, health and fitness categories.

In April, HealthCare Business News asked its readers to share with us their favorite health apps or the ones they are most excited about. Based on that feedback, as well as some internal discussions and research, we have selected 10 apps that deserve to stand out from the crowd.

Name: AirStrip ONE
Produced by: AirStrip
Price: Free
OS: Apple / Android

AirStrip has been dealing in the medical app market for over a decade, and with AirStrip ONE it aims to create a complete enterprise solution. By connecting the AirStrip ONE platform and application to a health system's existing EMR, cardiology and patient monitor products, AirStrip ONE provides a complete infrastructure for clinical mobility. Designed to be vendor-agnostic, the beauty of AirStrip ONE is that it opens up the possibility that physicians will be able to access whatever relevant information they need from the patient record just as easily as they would pull up a website. It is also cleared by the FDA for use as a diagnostic aid, so users can be confident that the data displayed is reliable.

Name: My Baby’s Beat
Produced by: Matis Inc.
Price: $4.99
OS: Android and Apple

My Baby’s Beat, which monitors a fetus’ heartbeat during pregnancy, was one that several readers submitted. The app simply uses the device’s microphone, with no accessory required, to pick up the heartbeat and make it loud enough to hear. This is one of the highest ranked and downloaded paid medical apps available on Apple’s App Store. While this fetal stethoscope is geared toward mothers instead of physicians — complete with record and share functions — the device still manages to bring key vital signs to the forefront.

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