AHIMA Launches mHealth Resource, Assessment Tool for Vendors

The American Health Information Management Association is jumping on the mHealth bandwagon with a resource site and assessment standards for digital health companies.

Working with Moxe, a clinical data warehouse focusing on interoperability, AHIMA has unveiled AHIMA dHealth. The site offers resources for healthcare providers on digital health products, including privacy and data security practices and policies, and an assessment tool designed to help vendors meet AHIMA standards.

“Through AHIMA dHealth, we’re assessing digital health products so providers can spend more time focused on patient care and discern risk more quickly,” AHIMA CEO Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PhD, CAE, said in a press release. “Providers will have to place fewer requests in their ‘need to review’ funnel, as they can use the AHIMA dHealth directory to easily see which digital health products are AHIMA dHealth Approved. I believe this program will make it easier for providers to comply with the Cures Act Final Rule.”

The announcement addresses not only recent federal actions to give consumers more control of their personal health information, but also the increase in use of connected health devices, particularly in telehealth and remote patient monitoring programs. And with that surge in interest comes concerns that these devices, apps and wearables aren’t adequately protecting data.

To become AHIMA-certified, a vendor will have to complete a self-reported assessment based on the organization’s standards and best practices for privacy and security.

“Earning AHIMA dHealth Approval shows that your product takes privacy and data security seriously,” Wilson said in the release. “Having this designation allows developers to build trust with providers and patients, which has the potential to earn and positively impact more users.”

CVS Health is also giving the digital health industry some love. The company has launched a $100 million venture capital fund targeting early-stage companies that are developing “cutting-edge, digitally enabled solutions.”

"We have deep experience investing in innovative companies," Josh Flum, executive vice president of enterprise strategy and business development at CVS Health, said in a press release. "We will build on this experience by providing capital to our start-up and venture partners and helping them scale more rapidly through commercial relationships with our business units. This is an exciting opportunity to accelerate innovation and effectively bring new solutions to the consumer health space."

Spurred in part by the coronavirus pandemic, that consumer health space is seeing a lot of action. While consumer-facing companies are developing wearables and devices that enable people to monitor their health and wellness, providers are looking for specific tools that capture and in some cases evaluate data for clinical uses.