76% Of Consumers Who Use Digital Health Tools Say They Improve Health: HealthMine Survey

57% Say Digital Health Tools Have Helped Lower Healthcare Costs

Seventy-six percent (76%) of consumers who use digital health tools say their health apps/devices have made them healthier. And, 59% of consumers who use digital health tools use them at least once per day. Another 57% responded that using digital health tools has helped to lower their healthcare costs. The results are based on a March HealthMine survey of 500 insured consumers who use mobile/internet-connected health tools.

Has use of your mobile/smart health device/app changed your behavior with regard to managing your health?

Growth In Digital Health Usage
Consumers are taking more steps towards digital health. There are now nearly 165,000 health-related apps which run on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. PwC, a consulting firm, forecasts that by 2017 such apps will have been downloaded 1.7 billion times. Add to that 10 million activity trackers and 7 million smart watches shipped by the end of 2014 (ABI Research), as well as a growing crop of other internet-connected health devices. According to HealthMine’s survey, these tools—when used consistently—can drive up healthier behavior and drive down healthcare costs.

But Consumers Need More Motivation/Guidance to Maximize Digital Health Benefits

Despite the growth in health app and device usage, some consumers need more engagement and/or education to reap the benefits of these tools. HealthMine’s survey found that, for those who are using digital health but not seeing the advantages, low usage is the number one reason, followed by a lack of understanding of what to do next/differently.

Why has use of your mobile/smart health device/app not had a positive impact?

Bryce Williams, CEO and President of HealthMine said, “The benefits of connected health are just starting to be realized. Real-time data can help drive the right health actions at the right time. Improving health status one person at-a-time can add up to improved population health.” He continued, “At HealthMine, we are making sure the data gathered by these tools is 1) unified with a person’s complete health information, and 2) analyzed against diagnostic codes and a person’s clinical ‘big picture’ to identify specific actions that improve health.”

About The Survey
The HealthMine Survey queried 500 consumers who use mobile and/or Internet-connected health applications/devices and are enrolled in a 2016 health plan. The survey was fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) in March of 2016. Data was collected via an opt-in panel. The margin of error is 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the Worldwide Leader in Survey Sampling and Data Collection Solutions, across every mode, for 37 Years.

About HealthMine
HealthMine, a leading consumer health engagement company, has developed the wellness industry's first and only Personal Clinical Engagement solution. HealthMine empowers individuals to make meaning of their health information by automatically collecting clinical data, identifying risk for chronic disease, and setting health goals. Making it easy for consumers to manage their own health, HealthMine provides a personalized health portal available on any device, and delivers tailored recommendations, resources and incentives. HealthMine has more than one million users, and has saved employers and payers more than $100M in healthcare costs. The company, founded in 2008, is based in Dallas, Texas with offices in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis.