4 Top Mobile App Types for Healthcare Providers

If your hospital doesn't already offer a smartphone application, you're probably thinking about creating one. If you're not, you should be.

The number of health apps already available is staggering. There were 17,288 health and fitness apps and 14,558 medical apps on the market in mid-2012, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

And they are spreading. According to Washington, D.C.-based eHealth Initiative, the number of smartphone apps increased 120% during the past year. All these apps are just keeping up with demand, since an estimated 27 million mobile phone users worldwide downloaded a health app in 2012, according to research firm Research2Guidance.

Things are changing fast. The FDA is currently moving to craft a framework to regulate and approve mobile health apps. In July 2012, the organization issued a draft guidance document for Mobile Medical Applications as part of its effort to "help clarify the types of mobile apps to which the FDA intends to apply its authority."

Much of the FDA's guidance will likely be focused on more clinical apps, such as blood glucose monitors and apps containing radiological images, but its move toward regulation only further proves that health and healthcare apps are here to stay.

The barriers to creating mobile app are less daunting than they may seem. Big development budgets are not necessarily a prerequisite. In fact, many hospitals are doing really cool things in the mobile app space, without spending all of their marketing budgets. If you're considering a mobile app for your hospital or health system, take a look at four most prevalent types of apps for these organizations.

General information app

Perhaps the best way to dip your organization's toe in the smartphone app waters is by creating an app with general information and helpful tips about your hospital.

WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, SC, does a great job of this with its app, available on iPhone and Android. The app uses the user's geographic location to tell him how to get to the nearest hospital. It also displays ER wait times, includes detailed campus maps, helps patients find doctors, and allows patients to input health and insurance information.

Patient portal app
For the engaged patient on the go, a patient portal app is ideal.

For example, the UPMC Health Plan app allows patients to see view their personal health records, communicate with doctors and pharmacies, access their plan member ID information, and check their FSA balances.

Patient portals that point to personal health information must be able to protect that data. Be sure to apply best practices to ensure your patients' HIPAA rights—and protection your organization.

ER wait time app
While some organizations, like WakeMed, choose to include ER wait times in their general information app, many have found success in creating a stand-alone app consisting of only emergency department information.

Detroit Medical Center (DMC) is one such organization with an ER wait time application for iPhone and Android. In addition to displaying all of the medical center's ER wait times it includes a special mapping function to show patients how to get to DMC from any location. The app also includes information about the medical center's 29-minute ER guarantee.

Service-line specific app
As hospitals have been growing more comfortable in the mobile application market, they've been experimenting with service-line specific apps, and women's health is one of the fastest growing areas.

OhioHealth has a popular women's health app that aims to connect patients with their obstetric and gynecological caregivers. The mobile app, available for iPhone and Android, provides expectant mothers with text, images, and videos about all aspects of their pregnancies, from appointment reminders to screening test explanations. OhioHealth also has apps in the works for orthopedics, sports medicine, and other specialties.

Apps offer a new communications channel with patients, enabling them to become more engaged with your organization, learn more about your services, and better control their health. This area is only going to continue to grow, so get developing now.