Forty percent of US adults would pay for a remote monitoring device that sends health information directly to their doctor, according to a new study from PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Remote/Mobile Health Interest Grows
Findings from “Healthcare Unwired” indicate that consumers are gaining interest in remote and mobile health technology. For example, 40% of Americans would be willing to pay for a remote monitoring device and a monthly subscription that would send data automatically to their doctor health information such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and weight.
Another 40% of consumers said they would be willing to pay for a device and a monthly subscription fee for a mobile phone application that would send text and email reminders to take their medications, refill prescriptions or to access their medical records and track their health. Thirty-one percent of consumers said they would be willing to incorporate an application into their existing cell phone or smart phone to be able track and monitor their personal health information.
In addition, 27% of consumers said they would find medication reminders sent via text to be helpful, and men are twice as likely as women to say they would use a mobile device for health-related reminders. Overall, 56% of consumers say they like the idea of remote healthcare, and 41% would prefer to have more of their care delivered via a mobile device.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimates the annual consumer market for remote/mobile monitoring devices and services to be $7.7 billion to $43 billion, based on the range consumers said they would be willing to pay.
Physicians More Interested
Consumers are not the only parties interested in remote and mobile health technologies. Physicians are showing even more interest in the capabilities these technologies can offer. Eighty-eight percent of physicians said they would like their patients to be able to track and/or monitor their health at home, particularly their weight, blood sugar levels and vital signs.
In addition, 57% of physicians said they would like to use remote devices to monitor the patients outside of the hospital. Physicians, however, want to see filtered information or exceptions in their patient’s health, not all the data all the time. Too much information could actually slow down care, survey results indicate.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of physicians surveyed said they are using personal devices for mobile health solutions that aren’t connected to their practice or hospital IT systems, and 30% said their hospital or practice leaders will not support the use of mobile health devices.
Of those physicians who are using mobile devices in their practice, 56% said the devices expedite decision-making, and nearly 40% said the use of mobile devices decreases time spent on administration. Forty percent of physicians said they could reduce the number of office visits by 11-30% by using mobile health technologies like remote monitoring, email or text messaging with patients.
Physicians Turn to Digital Media
Physicians are increasingly turning to digital media as a source of health-related information to supplement their practice, according to data from the comScore/ImpactRx Physician Behavioral Measurement solution. In Q1 2010, 81% of physicians online visited health care professional (HCP) content destinations, making it the highest-reaching health-related subcategory among physicians.
General Health Content, including sites such as WebMD.com and About.com Health, reached 75% of physicians, with Association sites reaching 67%. Pharma Support and Pharmaceuticals both reached half of physicians (51% and 50%, respectively).
About the Data: PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute commissioned an online survey in the summer of 2010 of 2,000 consumers and 1,000 physicians regarding their use and preference of mobile technologies in the US. In addition, HRI conducted 35 in-depth interviews with thought leaders and executives representing healthcare providers, payers, private sector technology organizations, academic medical centers, telecommunication companies, pharmaceutical and device companies, retail companies, communication firms and employers.
