10 Commandments of Success for the iPad in Healthcare

The iPad is clearly cool but it is still missing plenty of notable features such as Flash, Multi-tasking, a Camera, Streaming Video, USB ports etc... None the less at least for Healthcare we believe it will be at least as big of a hit as the iPhone and we outline the commandments of its success below.

No Training Needed – Historically, the expense and risk of training a user on a particular technology often dwarfs the expense of the hardware and/or software, and often extends for years after purchase. This is particularly true when you deploy a new device or expand into a larger demographic pool, both of which are proposed by the release of the iPad. But the iPad will require no training. The one thing that the iPhone has taught us is the enormous value of an intuitive interface.  Additionally, after 2.5 years of common use, over 75 million users of the iPod touch and iPhone, ubiquitous and lovely apps, countless and enticing TV commercials, the lessons you receive from your grandchildren, it has just become part of our collective cultural DNA to know how to use this thing even before it arrives on the shelves. No training required is the first and most important reason why the iPad will be successful as a Healthcare delivery platform hence EMR’s deploying http://mobihealthnews.com/6093/12-emrs-with-remote-access-iphone-apps/

Opens a New Demographic - The iPad will expand the use of personalized health and medical care delivery just like the iPhone has done only it will perform better at this function for the exact demographic that needs it the most. No longer will older generations of people feel alienated by cumbersome operating systems and/or tiny screens.  We predict these generations will now flock to the device like nursing homes to the Wii. It will create a seismic shift in usability and scalability to the burgeoning fields of TeleHealth, mHealth, and Health 2.0 for older generations.  http://buzzdroid.com/apple/ipod/the-ipod-for-old-people/

Connecting Professionals with Patients -  Health promotion and disease management programming on the platform are now able to be delivered effortlessly, customized, relevant, and monitored for compliance by professionals connecting both the patient to the professional in ways that have never been possible before. This brings rapid adoption for both patients and healthcare professionals alike.  Hint http://www.pumpone.com/pt.html

Thou Shalt Be Low Cost – If you intuitively know how to use it, and it is fun, effective, and personal, then that leaves the issue of cost as the final barrier to adoption. For less cost than a monthly insurance payment you can now be outfitted with the best tool for managing your own health, and many will.  Many clinics will outfit their waiting rooms.  Hospitals will use them as kiosks and concierge services, and more.  The return on this investment for these devices might be in the days to weeks but certainly not much more.  Hint just make sure you protect them with RidRx so you are not creating an even bigger problem of cross contamination with the device.  http://www.ipadcost.com/

Thou Shalt Provide Immediate Scalability to Innovators – Because the platform is at scale with iPhone/iPod touch users and developers, and lives within a thriving marketplace (iTunes), this platform is the Holy Grail for innovators, developers, entrepreneurs, medical devices, monitoring and sensing solutions, social networks, media, education, customized and enterprise programming, and more.  Personally I struggle daily with batting down a barrage of innovative ideas on how to use the platform.  It is likely that product designers, marketers, and I dare say the FDA, will all need to have their thoughts together on how to exploit the platform to add value to currently available products and services. Hint www.innovationthrives.com

Thou Shalt Reduce Health Care Expenditures - An insurance plan or employer that would use the platform to incentivize and monitor users for chronic and expensive health conditions to adopt a personalized health, medical care delivery solution for themselves could very easily lead to 10x cost advantage.  The cost of the platform may be substantial, but it is dwarfed by the cost reduction available by having a connected and informed patient that uses the platform to initiate healthy behavioral change and medical monitoring, both of which are rapidly deploying into the ecosystem as we speak. Hint www.FitnessBuilder.com

Sheer Awesomeness Shall Make Me Cool – The platform reflects strong emotions that my doctor is tech savvy and must therefore also be a great technical and informed physician.  This idea has already been studied for the iPhone, and it will be even more dramatic for the iPad.  It will be an extremely powerful and sexy way for health care professionals to show their patients all forms of medical information. It will serve as the intake form, the satisfaction survey, the concierge service, the promotional tool, and the health education platform. Patients will get used to using it in these settings as well as others and they will take a side trip on their way home just to stop by the APPLE store to get one for home. Hint HealthEd CRM

Digital Data Shall Entice - No industry is more hungry for digital data than in healthcare.  Digital data is needed by both providers and patients for: good decision making and limiting errors and added costs; for targeted treatments and tracking of compliance; and effectiveness of the treatment as well as side effects in drug trials; for discovery and research; and for countless other uses for the industry as a whole. The value of this alarming amount of digital data that will be made available to specialized applications on the device will grow into an ecosystem of tremendous value for health and medical discovery.  It will become a compelling choice to gain digital data compiled, organized and personal. 

Thou Shalt Be Mobile, Capable, and Handy - The platform will be upgraded year after year adding more features with even less cost.  At 1.5 pounds and .5 inches thin with 10 hours of usable battery life, 3G, etc... this is a truly flexible and handy device for all users, wherever they intend to use it. 

Waiting Rooms Shall Become Wastelands of Efficiency - Face to face with your doctor will be limited to meet and greets, and specific diagnostic dilemmas.  No longer will you wait in the waiting room for hours to get your prescription filled.  It will be done remotely and so will you be asked to consume all the information related to that medication before it is fully prescribed. Your understanding of your health conditions will be tested and your compliance in taking the medication equally so.  This same workflow will be required for any procedure such as surgical informed consent, and you will be asked to review your record before you export it to your own personal health record (PHR).
 
There will need to be some further guidance by both Apple and the FDA for HiPAA compliance in this ecosystem and ultimately as app developers and consumers we should remember "Do to others what you would like to be done to you“  And you too will be just as much a part of this solution as anyone else.  Hallelujah 


Blaine Warkentine MD with partnerships @ www.innovationthrives.com orthoblaino@gmail.com