Online Doctor Visit App Is Most Downloaded

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

Mobile apps are becoming commonplace in the healthcare landscape and continually proving their value in both monetary savings and improved patient care. Smart solutions providers will want to keep an eye on which are being used most commonly in the industry so as to better offer their clients solutions that fit the needs and preferences of their patients and organizations.

2015’s Winner

For the second year in a row, American Well’s Amwell, a consumer-facing app that facilitates live, online physician visits, was named the number one most downloaded app in the telehealth sector by App Annie. The market intelligence leader in app analytics determined the ranking by reviewing combined iOS and Google Play downloads for various apps, according to HIT Consultant.

The app, which gives patients the ability to see their doctor of choice via video, connects patients with U.S. board-certified and telehealth-trained doctors, as well as psychotherapists and registered dieticians. Amwell offers considerable benefits to individuals as well, with it potentially saving them $43 per visit in time lost waiting, filling out paperwork, and travel.

The Amwell App

Features of the telehealth app include

• Immediate care access. While other telehealth services feature a function that requires users to wait to hear back from an operator, Amwell’s wait time is only 2 to 3 minutes.
• Convenient, integrated service. Amwell is available at no cost to download, and physicians have access to health insurance information as well as medical images and preferred pharmacy details.
• Security and privacy. The app is HIPAA compliant.

Market Growth

As of last year, healthcare as an industry ranked as number one in app growth, with mHealth apps growing from $85 million in 2010 to $489 million in 2015 according to Kalorama.

However, while patient-facing apps like Amwell are growing quickly in popularity, clinician-facing apps shouldn’t be ignored. Healthcare workers have shown a big jump in app use, growing from between 35 and 40 percent before 2008 to over 70 percent presently. They spend more on apps (averaging $9 per app purchase) and most frequently use them to access patient records. Other uses for clinician medical apps include

• health management
• data management
• education
• workflow processes