The Future Of Healthcare Requires Mobility Strategy

Mobility is making a huge impact in many industries, and indeed in people’s common, everyday lives. But I think it could be impacting healthcare more pervasively than in just about any other market outside of field service. Recently I spoke with David Gulian, CEO of Futura Mobility, about the impacts, challenges, and requirements of using mobility to its fullest advantage in healthcare.

Q: Do you think mobility solutions are more prevalent in healthcare than in most other markets?

Gulian: While it may not be as prevalent in terms of maturity, healthcare is certainly one of, if not the fastest growing markets for mobility. By 2016, with meaningful use and all the compliance issues falling into place and as providers catch up with other technologies surrounding EMR, I think healthcare will be the largest mobility marketplace of all. The opportunity is vast, especially when you consider the compliance requirements for real-time delivery of care that includes clinical documentation, medication administration, and CPOE (computerized physician order entry). In addition, there are a lot of new mHealth initiatives — including telemedicine — that allow acute and ambulatory care facilities to stay connected to the patient beyond the four walls of the hospital. This is the wave of the future.

Unlike in most corporate settings, where everyone is typically hard wired at a workstation, it’s so much different in healthcare. Eighty percent of the staff and workflow require real-time patient information while they are moving inside and outside the healthcare facilities. Their interaction with different departments, clinical staff, and patients means that there will be a higher number of mobile users. I don’t think we have determined the potential number of new mobile applications that will be developed for healthcare, especially in the area of telemedicine.

Download the complete Q&A below to read more.