Only 2 percent of patients use healthcare apps despite 66 of the 100 largest hospitals in the United States offering the apps to patients, as found in an Accenture report, according to Healthcare IT News.
Here are five points:
1. Hospitals often do not provide apps for services patients want most, which may cost each hospital more than $100 million annually in lost revenue.
2. The report found 38 of the nation's top hospitals devised health apps in-house as opposed to hiring a vendor.
3. Merely 11 percent of the hospital apps offer at least one of the three most desired functions — access to medical records; the ability to book, change and cancel appointments; and the ability to request prescription refills.
4. With 7 percent of patients changing healthcare providers due to a poor online customer service experience, some experts say hospitals should adopt a patient-centric approach to health apps.
5. Healthcare facilities can work with digital and mobile health companies to understand which services consumers want.
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