Happtique, a mobile health application store and total app management solution, today announced the commencement of its pilot program of mRx, Happtique's patent-pending solution that enables physicians and other health practitioners to electronically prescribe medical, health, and fitness apps to their patients. mRx is designed to improve communications between practitioners and their patients, patient engagement and adherence, and ultimately patients' health.
"Happtique is pleased to officially launch the mRx Pilot Program. Given the tens of thousands of medical, health, and fitness apps on the market today, patients need guidance from health care professionals as they select and use these apps to manage their health. We also firmly believe that app prescribing will prove an effective tool for facilitating positive patient behavior change, which will foster self-management and monitoring and ultimately result in improved health outcomes and lowered health care costs. We welcome the participation of health care practitioners across the U.S. in our mRx Pilot Program and look forward to receiving their feedback on mRx," said Ben Chodor, Happtique's CEO.
The pilot will focus particularly on cardiology, rheumatology, endocrinology, orthopedics, physical therapy, and fitness training. For these areas, Happtique consulted a specialist in each field and reviewed relevant websites to develop a sample list of apps for each of the targeted areas. Practitioners may prescribe apps from the sample list or other apps of their choice. Licensed or certified health care practitioners in other specialties and disciplines are also welcome to participate in the mRx pilot. Such practitioners may include physicians in specialties other than those described previously, nurses, dietitians, therapists (i.e., physical, occupational, respiratory and speech), chiropractors, social workers, etc. Practitioners in these fields will choose the apps they wish to prescribe. The pilot will focus on the usability of mRx along with practitioner and patient satisfaction. While the pilot will track how many apps are prescribed and how many times the "fill" button is clicked after an app prescription is sent, it will not measure app usage or clinical outcomes.
"As a rheumatologist, it is particularly important that I work with my patients to enable them to take responsibility for their own health," said Steven Magid, M.D., of New York-based Hospital for Special Surgery. "As the first physician to prescribe these mobile apps under this program, I am setting a path for my colleagues and patients alike to use these tools to enhance doctor-patient communication and, ultimately, patients' health." Specialists at Hospital for Special Surgery, a national leader in orthopedics and rheumatology, work to provide the best possible outcomes for patients with challenging diseases such as lupus, as well as those with inflammatory or degenerative arthritis.
Practitioners who are interested in participating in the mRx pilot must complete the mRx Pilot Program Practitioner Application Form. Once Happtique reviews and accepts the application, the practitioner will be sent a link and instructions on how to install the mRx app. mRx can be installed on any Apple or Android smartphone or tablet. Happtique's mRx app comes with:
mHealth App Catalog - a catalog that contains the apps that the practitioner will prescribe;
Patient Directory - a field that is populated automatically with the patients who are prescribed apps along with the specific apps they are prescribed; and
mRx™ - the electronic prescription form used by practitioners to prescribe apps.
When the mRx prescription form is completed, the practitioner sends it to the patient's smartphone or tablet. Practitioners can track which patients have clicked to fill prescribed apps and send reminders to patients who haven't clicked to fill them. At the end of the pilot program, practitioners and patients will be asked for feedback on their experience using mRx.
mRx Pilot Program Timetable
The Pilot Program is beginning today, August 20th, and is slated to run until the early December. The pilot consists of several phases, including practitioner enrollment, use of the mRx app by enrolled practitioners, and feedback.
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