Michelle McNickle

At the third annual mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C., major players in the mobile arena noted the impact that mobile phones and other devices have and will continue to have in the United States and across the globe. Brian Edwards, mHealth feature editor at iMedicalApps, agreed. We asked him to highlight five mobile trends to look for in 2012.

It's easy to get caught up in all the issues associated with new health IT. From non-effective EMRs to mandated practices that cause stress and headaches, the past few years have been tough. But across the country, organizations have seen success by jumping on the bandwagon, and we have their stories to prove it.From ICD-10 implementation to mobile apps and more, check out three health IT success stories.

Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business professor and author of the books Disrupting Class and The Innovator's Precription, described disruptive technologies as "cheaper, simpler, smaller, and, frequently, more convenient to use." And when it comes to health IT, disruptive technologies are springing up left and right, allowing for less costly care and better communication. From telemedicine to point-of-care payments to medical tourism, disruptive technologies have revolutionized the industry.

The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates is using WebChart EHR from Medical Informatics Engineering to collect, track and manage medical information gathered from field physicals on eight U.S. military bases throughoutArea Support Group Kuwait.


The latest technology to significantly improve healthcare might not come in the form of a multi-million dollar computer system. Recent research has proven smartphone apps can be used for more than a good game of Angry Birds -- in fact, they're revolutionizing the way doctors diagnose, nurses interact and patients receive treatment.

With sweeping health reform came a laundry list of technology promising to save time, better the environment, and improve patient care. And as more of it is implemented, we learn what works best and what ... doesn't.