(verlo completo aqui: Why health and medical apps should be certified:
by DAVID LEE SCHER, MD )
A draft of standards for a health and medical app certification program was released recently by Happtique. As a matter of disclosure I am proud to have been the Chair of the panel that drafted these standards. The standards are in draft form and are open to public comment until August 17, 2012.
While some might say that these standards add even more barriers to the commercial adoption of these technologies, there are substantial reasons for the need of such certification.
1. Consumers, patients, and healthcare providers want reliable, safe apps.
2. App stores will request or showcase certified apps.
3. Certification standards will serve as a guide for app developers.
4. Certification will become a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
5. Certification might become a standard for reimbursement and formulary placement by payers. The prescribing of medical apps will be a game changer for the pharmaceutical industry. It will also change healthcare in general. It is possible that payers will position apps on formularies as they do pharmaceuticals. A certification designation might trigger a higher formulary position.
While none of the above justifications for app certification are definitive, common wisdom and historical perspective dictate that some or most are accurate or plausible. Medical apps present a new paradigm in healthcare, and new ways of evaluating them are necessary. Today a large part of the healthcare system fabric consists of certifications. Certification implies meeting defined and accepted standards easily transmitted to a user of a product or service. Medical apps are different as they emerge and play a larger role in healthcare.
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