Tag: health care

InstaMed announces support for Apple’s mobile payments service

InstaMed, a health care payments network, has announced that it will be supporting mobile payments made through Apple Pay. Apple’s new payment platform has broken into the health care sector, where a growing number of people are beginning to use their mobile devices to manage their accounts online. Apple Pay was launched late last year, finding support among a large number of prominent retailers. In a relatively short amount of time, the service has become quite popular among consumers with iOS devices.

Consumers will now be able to use their mobile devices to pay for their medical bills

Those with an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will now be able to use Apple Pay in concert with InstaMed. This will allow them to make contactless payments and manage their medical costs. InstaMed offers its services to a wide range of providers. Many health care organizations are beginning to see promise in the mobile payments field, not for financial gain, but as a way to make it easier for consumers to pay for the medical care that they receive. Mobile payments have been praised for their convenient nature and growing reliance on mobile devices is beginning to change the way people interact with businesses.

20% of consumers currently have unpaid medical bills

According to InstaMed, approximately 20% of consumers have unpaid medical bills. This is largely due to confusion regarding the payment process. InstaMed believes that this problem will continue to grow as more consumers enroll in high deductible health insurance plans. Resolving confusion concerning the payment process is becoming a priority in the health care field and mobile payments may be able to introduce some simplicity to the process that will alleviate this problem, to some extent.

Health care providers are becoming more mobile-friendly

The mobile payments industry is expected to reach $142 billion by 2019, and health care providers are beginning to position themselves to embrace the mobile space. Health care providers may benefit from the advent of mobile commerce, as it will make them more accommodating to consumers and give them access to a growing mobile consumer base.

Mhealth technology trends

Consumers in growing numbers are tying their healthcare to internet and mobile devices, bring mhealth and mobile commerce closer and closer together. More often than not, patients have already looked up their symptoms online long before they land in a waiting room or even an emergency room.

Google it first

Google, Bing, and other searches are fast becoming part of medical care for patients. Looking online at sites like WebMD is a lot faster than making an appointment and sitting in a waiting room for an hour waiting to see a real doctor. A study by DC Interactive Group and Demi & Cooper Advertising surveyed 18-24 year-olds about healthcare information. A whopping 90% stated that they believe in information found on web sites and through social media about medical conditions.

Anyone with a computer can post medical advice online, which is hugely dangerous, but there are credible sites out there. WebMD is one of them. Some have real doctors and nurses answering health care concerns for users, some on a paid basis. Other than information about symptoms and what they may mean, users also post reviews of doctors and medical institutions online, all available for anyone searching to find and read.

mhealth and mobile commerce

Doctors and medical facilities have a decent presence on social media. More than half of doctors surveyed believe that this actually helps to improve patient care. The downfall is that doctors have privacy laws that they must follow so they must be careful about how they address concerns and questions on social media. In a way, this can mean revenue through mobile means – mhealth mobile commerce – but can also be very limiting about how specifics are addressed.

Most doctors and nurses would agree that going on the internet to get medical advice is not the best option. An in-person visit is always essential, especially when a condition could be serious. However, some medical advice online can be useful and some mobile commerce tools can also help save likes. Apps that record when a patient takes medication or emails caretakers when medication has been skipped can go a long ways towards saving lives and upgrading quality of life for patients.