10 Mobile Health Apps From Uncle Sam

Michelle McNickle | InformationWeek | January 9, 2013

New mobile apps from the Department of Health and Human Services, for consumers and doctors alike, let you search medical literature, locate health centers, fight drug abuse and much more.

Health Apps Set to Explode in 2013

Will 2013 be the year of the mobile app? Pundits seem to think so, and the prediction holds true for healthcare professionals and consumers alike. Although developers have come up with several apps to help clinicians diagnose and manage disease, the use of medical apps among consumers is set to take center stage, especially in light of new patient engagement requirements that are part of the government's Meaningful Use Stage 2 program.

With apps like Novo Nordisk's HemaGo already on the market, patients are finding it easier to take control of their care. Included in the list of apps sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are similar tools, such as Health Hotlines, which acts as a directory of almost 9,000 organizations focusing on diseases, disorders, mental health and substance abuse, along with their toll-free phone numbers; and NCI QuitPal, designed to help users stop smoking...