New Coalition Plans to Apply mHealth to Tackling Health Disparities

A new coalition aims to shine the spotlight on consumer-facing mHealth and telehealth tools to mitigate health disparities.

Shepherded by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and Connected Health Initiative (CHI), the Health Equity and Access Leadership (HEAL) Coalition brings together a variety of organizations and companies in the digital health space. Its first project will focus on operational and policy recommendations for increasing the value of connected health technology in tackling disparities in the US health system.

“The rise of digital health technology gives us a unique opportunity to help advance health equity, improve access to care, increase health care quality and lower costs,” Rene Quashie, the CTA’s vice president of digital health, said in a press release. “Disparities in health have long been an issue in the U.S., and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exposed those gaps. With greater use and adoption of technology, we can help reduce inefficiencies and provide more personalized care for marginalized patients and consumers.”

“We are at a tipping point for wider use of digital health tools because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” added Brian Scarpelli, CHI’s senior global policy counsel. “As this public health emergency illustrated, technology can assist providers in treating patients no matter their location. We cannot afford to leave marginalized populations behind in this effort and must make a greater effort examine how technology can help close the gaps in the provision of care due to racial disparities within the healthcare system.”

Driven by an increased interest in commercial mHealth tools, the CTA has been busy this year.

In April, the organization partnered with the American Telemedicine Association to develop a Digital Health Care Directory, an online database of mHealth and telehealth tools and platforms for both providers and consumers. In July, the CTA launched the Public Health Tech Initiative, a collection of more than a dozen providers and companies tasked with creating opportunities to use digital health tools in public health emergencies like the pandemic. And in August, the organization unveiled a new initiative to develop standards for digital therapeutics.

The new coalition includes Boston Children’s Hospital, the American Medical Association, the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Apple, Google, AT&T, Best Buy Health, HP, Intel, Validic, Cambria Health, Grapevine Health, MLEM, Omron Healthcare, ResMed and Rimidi.

The group also includes non-participatory observers from government agencies like the Federal Communications Commission, and plans to work with allied organizations like Brookings, the Kapor Center and Plum Alley Ventures.

The coalition will be co-chaired by Lucienne Idle, founder and chief health innovator at Rimidi, and Lisa Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Grapevine Health and part of Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden’s committee for health care policy.