Expectant Moms, The White House is Calling

Chopra added that this application can be seen as an example of the Obama administration's emphasis on collaboration with the private sector to promote information technology. He said the Text4baby service "represents an extraordinary opportunity" to expand the way "we use our phones—to demonstrate the potential of mobile health technology."

The partnership is made up of 15 telecom carriers, healthcare industry, insurance plans, and federal agencies, including the HHS and Defense departments and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Wireless carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, have agreed to waive all fees for receiving the texts. The U.S. program is being run by Voxiva.

Researchers at George Washington University evaluate the effectiveness of Text4baby by measuring health trends for mothers and newborns.