WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), today held a hearing as part of the ongoing Disrupter Series to examine how mobile health care apps are disrupting the ways that doctors and patients engage in the health system and the impact they are having on the affordability, accessibility and delivery of care. Today’s hearing provided the subcommittee with a greater understanding as to how mobile health apps are empowering patients and improving the quality of life for every American.
“The draw of mobile health care tools and services, and health apps in particular, lies in their potential to radically improve health care. The potential comes in part from enabling both sides of the equation-doctors and patients," said Burgess. “For health care providers, health apps enable constant, instant and real-time access to patient data, helping to streamline workflows and decision-making processes. So the data is both more complete and more accessible."
Dr. Ray Dorsey, a Levy Professor in neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, spoke on the ways in which mobile health apps are utilized “to enhance research and improve care for individuals with Huntington disease and Parkinson disease." He explained, “[b]ecause of their potential, pharmaceutical companies are incorporating smartphones into clinical trials" - noting an example from March 2015 when a smartphone app successfully recruited 2,000 individuals to participate in a study on Parkinson’s disease in one day. As he stated during his opening statement, these technologies could “accelerate our ability to find treatments for Parkinson disease and other neurological disorders that will affect almost all of us."
Diane Johnson, the Senior Director of North American Regulatory Affairs Policy and Intelligence at Johnson & Johnson, addressed the development of specific mobile health apps, and how they have positively disrupted the healthcare landscape to “empower patients, reduce care of costs, and enhance patient outcomes."
Ms. Johnson spoke in detail about several health apps created to “help individuals monitor their health or the health of their family to support the doctor-patient relationship." These apps allow a patient to remotely check blood sugar levels via their mobile phone and can even remind patients to take medications in order to adhere to physician-prescribed treatment plans.
Witness testimony also provided clarity on the benefits of this technology - including how mobile apps are expediting the quality, delivery, and timeliness of care - while also expanding on the need to ensure mobile apps protect health information of patients.
“The potential stemming from this technology is undeniable and exciting. To ensure that these life-saving tools are accessible to folks in Michigan and every corner of the country, we need the right regulatory framework in place," stated full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “A framework that encourages innovation, removes barriers to investment, and advances new opportunities for patients and providers to engage in the health care system. At the same time privacy and security are absolute musts."
