The American Medical Association’s (AMA) first consumer app, My Medications, hit Apple’s AppStore late last week. The app allows patients to manage their medications, immunizations, allergies, and to access their medical team’s contact information. The app costs just under a dollar: $0.99.
In March, the
AMA released CPT E/M QuickRef, a reference guide that helps physicians determine the appropriate CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code to use for billing. That marked the first high profile app launch for the association.
Also, last week the AMA announced the winners of its 2011 App Challenge, which sourced ideas for apps from physicians, medical students and residents, which the AMA would then “bring to life.” Winners included the Rounder app, in the physician category, and the JAMA Clinical Challenge app in the resident/fellow/medical student category. The Rounder app “would provide a data capture point for information on hospital patients, allowing physicians to easily keep track of their patients’ progress. The JAMA Clinical Challenge app would “present clinical vignettes and images along with medical case information, serving as a learning tool.” The winners received $2,500 (cash and prizes) and a ticket to New Orleans to watch the “unveiling” of their app at the AMA’s annual gathering this month.
Notably, neither of the winning apps were apps intended for use by consumers or patients.
With My Medications, the AMA has created a consumer health app intended for use by their members’ patients. It follows then that the AMA would expect physicians to start recommending the use of consumer health apps to their patients, right?
