Review of mHealth: Global Opportunities and Challenges,by C. Konschak,D. Levin,and W.H. Morris

Virtually all major industries have been dramatically transformed by the use of mobile devices, information technology, and wireless communication within the past decade—as opposed to being the exception, it is finally time for health care to join the trend. Across the globe this transformation is presently under way, with technological innovation driving improved health outcomes, cost savings, and an enhanced patient experience in the new era of value-based care. Mobile health (mHealth) plays a critical role in this larger shift, and is loosely defined as a “new way of interacting with patients that is divorced from the traditional four-walls-and-an-examining-table model…it's the ability to provide care over a multitude of media without being physically present.” In mHealth: Global Opportunities and Challenges, the authors provide an in-depth overview of this fascinating new field, and offer countless examples of ways in which mHealth applications are revolutionizing health care delivery and consumption, both in the United States and abroad. However, they match their optimism by also recognizing the challenges of ubiquitous use of mHealth solutions, which cannot be ignored in an environment in which privacy and security may be major barriers to implementation.

The authors uncover major topics of interest to key health care stakeholders: patients, providers, and payers. On the payer side, the book delves into the challenges of demonstrating a return on investment, as well as highlighting opportunities for the role of mHealth in value-based reimbursement models. For providers, the authors describe the need to “keep it simple” by seamlessly integrating data captured by mobile devices into the electronic health record. In addition, to advance clinician engagement, the book emphasizes the need to publish studies that further substantiate the claims that mHealth can significantly improve health outcomes and rein in costs. Patient engagement remains one of the central themes throughout each chapter, with several examples showing how mHealth is empowering patients to take a more active role in their health, and to reject the traditional paternalistic doctor-patient relationship.

Another advantage of this book is its global perspective on the use of mHealth applications. The authors draw attention to the fact that underdeveloped countries are utilizing mHealth not to transform their system, but to develop the necessary infrastructure to create viable health care delivery networks with a limited number of providers. The book also discusses potential challenges for developers of mHealth solutions in third-world countries, such as low health literacy, limited resources for government funding, and the need to adapt to a wide variety of cultural norms.

One of the most beneficial and well-written chapters delineates a “road map” of how to successfully implement an mHealth strategy into any health care organization. This makes the book particularly novel because it discusses mHealth in the context of health care reform. Mechanisms by which mHealth fits in with key business drivers such as accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes, value-based purchasing, and meaningful use are discussed in detail. Another chapter is dedicated to taking an in-depth look at the growing concerns of mHealth security and privacy, which is especially relevant given the rising number of health care data breaches in recent times.

Overall, mHealth: Global Opportunities and Challenges could be useful to anyone involved in the health care field who would like an insightful understanding of the ways in which mHealth can improve the health care delivery system, and the critical threats that may hinder its widespread implementation. As health care professionals, we have no choice but to embrace the wave of change that mobile technologies are bringing to the health care industry—but to be successful, we must understand that the path is not always clear and set realistic expectations in light of the challenges that lie ahead.