Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of those conditions associated with high readmission rates. The Affordable Care Act calls for COPD to be added to the list of diseases for which hospitals could see reduced reimbursements if they have higher readmission rates than the national average. A Philadelphia area company has developed a smartphone app to help patients better manage their condition.
Part mobile health app and part telemedicine tool, the SmartScope app is the product of a joint venture between Temple University spinoff HGE Health Solutions and Futura Mobility’s telemedicine and mobile health division, Futura mHealth, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The head of Temple University Hospital’s Lung Center, Dr. Gerard Criner, developed questions for the patient engagement app. It also gives patients daily results of tests, alerts and messages from their caregivers as well as physicians. These components, coupled with temperature and lung capacity readings, are designed to identify patients at greatest risk for an attack to initiate intervention earlier.
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The app is designed to help some of the 15 million COPD patients manage their condition. It’s the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control. Like diabetes, one of the frustrating aspects of the disease is that many people are unaware they have the condition.
Futura mHealth in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania was formed last year by Futura Mobility to develop telemedicine and mobile health solutions for chronic disease management. Although it has been working with healthcare facilities to do pilot testing for SmartScope, it plans to eventually submit it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for review, according to the article.
Some companies have seen the same opportunity as Futura mHealth and have either already developed an app or are in the process. They tend to be split between physician and patient facing tools. Boehringer Ingelheim launched a patient consultation app in the UK earlier this year. AstraZeneca is working with with Exo InTouch to develop an app to improve patient engagement.
