With thousands of mobile health apps available to consumers, there is no standardized way for providers to find clinically proven apps that can be easily delivered to patients. Through RxUniverse, a new platform developed by researchers at the Mount Sinai Health System, the institution aims to be the first to address
this problem.
“Apps have typically been recommended to patients verbally, but with the myriad of mobile health apps on the market, many with no proven evidence, it is a challenge for providers and patients,” says Ashish Atreja, MD, MPH, Chief Technology Innovation and Engagement Officer in the Department of Medicine, and Director of Sinai AppLab.
“RxUniverse simplifies the process, both for our clinicians and our patients,” says Bruce Darrow, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Information Officer, Mount Sinai Health System. Clinicians use the app (pronounced “Prescription Universe”) to direct patients to a list of apps evaluated for efficacy based on published evidence. Popular apps include MyChart, which allows patients to access their records and communicate with doctors; the MountSinaiNY app, which allows patients to look up doctors and make appointments; and Health Promise, which helps patients with chronic diseases track their symptoms and treatment.
“The goal was if we prescribed apps to 100 patients within six weeks, and the patients were finding them useful, that would be a success,” Dr. Atreja says. “And we were blown away with the results: Within six weeks we had more than 2,000 patients who were prescribed apps.” For clinicians, using RxUniverse is much like prescribing medication. “We can open the electronic medical record, go to the patient chart, click on the ‘App Portal’ and choose the right app through RxUniverse,” he says. “Then a link to the app gets into the hands of the patient’s smartphone and email.”
One of Dr. Atreja’s patients, Laura Webb, says she was very happy with her prescribed app. “I use Health Promise to track my symptoms, primarily thinking about things like pain, or whether am I anxious,” says Ms. Webb, who has Crohn’s disease. “This is a way for us as patients to really feel out where we are with our symptoms—how we’re doing—and then communicate that information to the doctor in real time.”
The RxUniverse platform was launched in August and is in use at eight pilot sites in the Health System, including Mount Sinai Doctors East 85th Street, which was recently celebrated as the top prescriber of apps during the pilot.
In response to the internal success of RxUniverse, the Sinai AppLab has worked with Mount Sinai Innovation Partners to launch a new startup company, Responsive Health, which will license RxUniverse for use by other health systems. “As the pace of innovation in digital medicine accelerates, there will be increasing demand for the ability to quickly integrate new apps into our health care systems,” says Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai Health System. “Mount Sinai is proud to be at the forefront of digital medicine and dedicated to streamlining the eHealth care delivery model.”
More details are at http://rxuniverse.com. Providers interested in bringing RxUniverse to their specialties can contact Dr. Atreja at ashish.atreja@mssm.edu.