Interactive Patient Care (IPC) solutions, are playing a big role in today’s health care. After enrolling in their provider’s patient portal, patients can access personalized education, medication information and chronic condition management resources at home via their own mobile device or PC. Patients can update their progress and record milestones in their personal health journal, while notifications, care tips and reminders are proactively delivered to reinforce their daily care management routine.

Comprehensive mobile platforms also contain proactive patient education: instructing the patient with physician-approved educational content to help them manage an ongoing condition or prepare for and/or recover from an outpatient procedure.

Health care providers are finding that mobile technologies can be used to help patients take greater control of their care right where they are. “Health technology advances are beginning to reduce hospital re-admissions,” writes Scott Mace, for HealthLeader Media, on an online article published in the July-August issue of HealthLeaders magazine.

“Mobile technology helps patients arrange for rides or reminds them to take their medications, weigh themselves, or perform other necessary daily activities to stay out of the hospital.” says Mace. Keeping patients engaged in the routine but necessary task of maintaining their health – ranging from wellness and prevention efforts to managing a chronic condition – has far-reaching implications for individual as well as population health.

Mobile self-care patient tools help keep patients engaged and activated in their health at home or any point on the care continuum. In turn, patients are more satisfied with their care experience and providers see improved clinical and operational outcomes, including reduced hospital re-admissions.