A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit Power to the patient: How mobile technology is transforming healthcare Power to the patient: How mobile technology is transforming healthcare Contents Preface 2 1 Introduction 3 2 Case studies: “It would not work without the human component” 6 3 Opportunities for pharma 8 4 Wearables and watches 9 5 Power to the patient 12 6 Challenges, problems, pitfalls 13 7 Conclusion: The path forward 15 Appendix: Survey results 16 1 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2015 Power to the patient: How mobile technology is transforming healthcare Preface Power to the patient: How mobile technology is Interviewees transforming healthcare studies the changing role Paul Cummings, senior fellow at ICF International of mobile technologies in global health. From Kenya to Thailand to the US, smart phones and Robert B. McCray, president and CEO of the tablets are altering how care is delivered and Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance received. The possibilities of these new and Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer at emerging technologies are countered by risks, Samsung Electronics including the potential for privacy issues. This Gigi Sorenson, director of telehealth for Northern report explores the influence of mobile in health Arizona Healthcare systems globally and how it is likely to evolve in the future. Eric J. Topol, director of the Scripps Translational As a basis for the research, The Economist Science Institute Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of 144 Dr. Martin Were, chief medical information officer healthcare leaders working in public and private at Ampath in Kenya and assistant associate healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and professor of medicine at the Indiana University medical devices, in June 2014. The findings and School of Medicine views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor. The author was Robyn Whittaker, programme leader for health John Carey. Frieda Klotz edited the report and Mike informatics and technology at the National Kenny was responsible for layout. We would like to Institute for Health Innovation at the University thank all of the executives who participated, of Auckland whether on record or anonymously, for their valuable insights. 2 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2015 Power to the patient: How mobile technology is transforming healthcare 1 Introduction Imagine a future outbreak of the deadly Ebola The impact of mobile health (also known as virus. It starts just like the 2014 epidemic. But “m-health” or “connected health”) could go beyond suppose that this time, as the virus re-emerges, tackling epidemics. With more than 5bn mobile health agencies use mobile phone records to track phones already in use around the world, doctors the movements of people out of or into disease and nurses can send texts, or create automated “hot zones,” and isolate those at risk. Doctors and messages to remind patients to take their medicine airport screeners have hand-held devices linked to or to help them quit smoking. Providers could fit smartphones capable of detecting the virus in a thousands of people with wirelessly connected drop of blood within minutes. By quickly spotting electrocardiogram (ECG) or glucose monitors, and tracking each new case of infection, the spotting the first signs of illnesses, and nipping technologies could crush the epidemic before it heart attacks or other problems in the bud. Most lab takes off. Such a future is almost here. Many of tests could be done away from doctors’ offices or these mobile technologies already exist, or are clinics using new, connected devices, while under development. hospitals would be needed only in cases of serious What do you think will be the most positive outcome of mobile health technologies? Please select three. (% respondents) Public sector Private sector Greater patient access to medical information could 62 dramatically improve health outcomes 65 Greater patient access to their personal data will allow 63 people to make better decisions about their health 62 Operational stresses on healthcare 35 organisations will decrease 38 Patients’ day-to-day lives will be improved 13 36 Medical costs for individuals will fall 31 20 Pandemic and epidemic prevention 23 will be more effective 18 Costs for institutions will fall 21 15 Revenue for institutions will rise 0 7 I do not think mobile health technology will 2 have a positive effect on consumer health 0 Source: Economist Intelligence Unit survey, September 2014. 3 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2015 Power to the patient: How mobile technology is transforming healthcare illness or for emergency treatment. Mobile health users. Other companies are developing wearable could bring quality care to rural rice farmers in blood-sugar monitors or hand-held devices capable Thailand, cattle herders in Kenya or migrant of monitoring the body’s vital signs and detecting workers on Arizona farms. “Nearly anything we can more than a dozen medical conditions. “I think this do in medicine can be done remotely,” says Dr Eric is a revolution in health—and a huge opportunity,” J. Topol, director of the Scripps Translational says Young Sohn, president and chief strategy Science Institute and chief academic officer at officer at Samsung Electronics. Scripps Health. “We’re talking about things that are Still, formidable barriers to the adoption of really pretty extraordinary.” mobile health remain. Respondents in the EIU In June 2014, the Economist Intelligence Unit survey worry that people will find it hard to use the conducted a survey about the impact of mobile new technology (54%), or be afraid that their health; the survey included 144 CEOs, managers, personal information won’t be kept secure (49% administrators and business development overall; 65% of respondents from North America). strategists in public and private healthcare, as well “If people won’t use the technology because of as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical data breaches, we run the risk of losing the device manufacturing, in 23 countries. Most benefits of these technologies,” says Robert B. executives surveyed (64%) believe that the ability McCray, president and CEO of the Wireless-Life of new mobile technologies and services to provide Sciences Alliance. Mr Sohn notes that “privacy is greater patient access to medical information probably the single biggest issue of our time”. Mobile health “could dramatically improve health outcomes”. A For executives in healthcare and information increases patients’ similar proportion (63%) also predicts that technology, another major challenge is how to knowledge and “greater patient access to their personal data will make money in mobile health. “The problem is that power, changing allow people to make better decisions about their with many of these systems, there is no business health”. Mobile health could reduce medical costs model around them,” says Dr Martin Were, who is the relationship to for individuals (cited by 24% of respondents), offer chief medical information officer at the Academic a more more effective approaches to preventing epidemics Model Providing Access to Healthcare (Ampath) in collaborative one. and pandemics (20%) and lower costs for Kenya as well as assistant associate professor of institutions (17%). medicine at the Indiana University School of Equally important will be the ability to collect, Medicine. Indeed, 10% of respondents (and 19% of process and understand the vast amount of new those in the US) believe mobile health has no health data that will be available thanks to an promising revenue model. unprecedented wave of innovation at the In fact, although healthcare savings might be a intersection of information technology and boon for public sector organisations, connected healthcare. “Moore’s Law [computing power health threatens to take revenue away from existing doubles every 18 months] is coming to medicine,” private healthcare players, especially in the US, says Dr Topol. “Every company with its lights on is where doctors and hospitals typically are paid for into this—Google, Apple, AT&T, Verizon, each service they provide. Each time a patient Qualcomm, Intel, Facebook, Microsoft”—along avoids going to a hospital because he or she has with scores of start-ups. received care remotely means thousands of dollars Already, companies have developed more than in lost revenue for the hospital. “If we take better 40,000 healthcare apps for mobile phones, care of patients, they don’t come back to the according to Daryl West, vice president and director hospital—but coming back is now the revenue of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, opportunity,” Mr McCray explains. Other barriers speaking at a panel on mobile health in March include risk-aversion within the healthcare industry 2014. One app in China, which allows people to ask (cited by 44% of respondents) and regulatory doctors about their symptoms, has attracted 10m requirements that hinder innovation (19%). 4 © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2015 Power to the patient: How mobile technology is transforming healthcare Which of the following do you think are currently the biggest challenges for health industry adoption (eg. by hospitals, doctors or pharmaceutical firms) of mobile health technologies? Please select the top three. (% respondents) Public sector Private sector Institutional bias and conservatism 38 within the healthcare establishment 47 The need to ensure patient privacy 42 40 Healthcare organisations are not sufficiently technologically 35 sophisticated to be able to draw on mobile technology 39 Technology firms do not understand the 29 complexity of the health sector 33 Concerns about burdensome technological 27 complexity and continual updates 33 Transitioning to new technology will cost too much 35 21 Lack of wireless or spotty phone-network coverage impairs 21 access (eg. in rural and/or disadvantaged areas) 20 Regulatory requirements hinder innovation 13 22 The need to accommodate many user needs 21 (eg. multiple languages, disabilities) 17 Source: Economist Intelligence Unit survey, September 2014. Yet experts generally believe these challenges to a more collaborative one.