digital health apps

Person in orange shirt looking at computer screen
By  Trevor Dermody 02:30 pm April 4, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it is launching S.A.R.A.H, or Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health, a generative AI assistant designed to provide information on major health topics such as healthy lifestyle habits and mental health. The prototype health AI can communicate in eight languages and is available on any device.  Topics it touches on include cancer, heart disease, lung...
ORCHA, NHS, digital health apps, weight management, mental health, dementia, Integrated care systems
By  Tammy Lovell 05:01 am October 8, 2021
People across the South-West of England will be given access to digital health libraries, through a partnership between the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) and seven Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). It follows the success of the Our Dorset programme, which allows health and care staff to recommend apps focused on mental health, dementia, diabetes and cancer support to...
DiGA
By  Anna Engberg 11:41 am March 18, 2021
A recent document released by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has revealed that despite the invalidated Privacy Shield there are exemptions in place for Germany to allow data storage from digital health applications, so-called DiGAs, in European and even US clouds under specific terms. MobiHealthNews has looked into what it means for DiGA developers and startups...
DiGA, health apps, mental health
By  Anna Engberg 08:10 am March 5, 2021
Germany is the first country in the world to prescribe digital apps – DiGAs, as the Germans call them, and reimburse them through the statutory health system as reported in Healthcare IT News. To drive innovation and speed up the regulatory process around those digital health applications, Germany has introduced a 'Fast Track' for approval, testing, piloting and evaluation of these apps – which...
By  Sara Mageit 06:49 am August 12, 2020
UK-based UX design and development agency, Sigma, has been selected by health app evaluation and advisor organisation, ORCHA, to improve usability and accessibility of their health apps. ORCHA provides review, accreditation services, reports and advice to developers, detailing what can be done to better meet the needs of health and care providers, including connecting them with specialists in the...
By  Ralf-Gordon Jahns 04:48 am March 17, 2020
Ralf-Gordon Jahns [pictured on the right] is the managing director of market analyst and strategy consultancy company Research2Guidance. Since 2008, he strategically advises healthcare companies and startups to better understand the value of adopting digital innovations. Prior to founding Research2Guidance, Ralf was a member of the leadership team of Capgemini Telecom Media & Networks...
By  Heather Mack 03:22 pm January 6, 2017
While digital health doesn't have as big of a presence at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as other industries, there were a fair number of wearables, apps and sensor-enabled tools showcased. There were also several partnerships announced, which you can read about here. Some have already been covered in MobiHealthNews yet didn't make their official debuts til this week, but most were...
By  Heather Mack 02:32 pm November 22, 2016
In a far cry from the previous comparison of digital health tools to “snake oil,” the American Medical Association is now openly embracing them, albeit with a healthy dose of discretion and some ground rules.  During the AMA’s Interim Meeting last week in Orlando, the group approved a list of principles to guide coverage and payment policies that support the use of mobile health apps and devices...
By  Brian Dolan 09:42 am June 13, 2016
The American Medical Association's CEO Dr. James Madara kicked off the House of Delegates at the AMA Annual Meeting in Chicago yesterday by drawing parallels between the "quackery" and "snake oil" common among self-proclaimed doctors a year ago, and direct-to-consumer digital health services today. “Today we have really remarkable tools -- robotic surgery, new forms of radiation treatment,...
By  Brian Dolan 03:05 pm March 7, 2016
Aetna has merged its Denver-based health app-maker subsidiary iTriage with its cost transparency business, WellMatch, to form one team. The move follows lay offs across four Aetna businesses, an iTriage spokesperson confirmed to MobiHealthNews. The iTriage app, which has been downloaded more than 15 million times, helps consumers connect with the right care provider via a symptom navigator. It's...