by: Michelle Kraft
Happtique, an online mobile health application marketplace, has announced it will develop a certification program to vet mobile applications for doctors, nurses and patients. The organization created the program based on feedback from providers and hospitals, Corey Ackerman, president of Happtique, told eWEEK. Happtique will evaluate which applications are appropriate for clinical use and those that are outdated or poorly built.
According to Happtique representatives evaluation criteria will include functionality, usability and security. Any application, whether it is in the Happtique mobile application store or not, is eligible to be reviewed by the organization. The program will be funded by charges levied on app developers. Happtique also stated it plans to provide constructive feedback for application developers on how to make their applications better, rather than criticizing applications publicly.
If an application fails, they can reapply, but their failure may or may not be made public based on the panel’s decision.
As previously mentioned by the iMedicalApps team, Happtique created a custom catalog of mobile health apps directed towards physicians and patients. Apps are sorted into specific clinical subtopics.
Cory Ackerman, Happtique President, said,
“With more than 20,000 healthcare apps in the marketplace – and more coming out every day –healthcare organizations and professionals are expressing the need for a bona fide mhealth app certification program.”
Happtique announced it will be forming a “Blue Ribbon Panel” to create a certification program that Happtique will use to evaluate and certify mobile healthcare apps for medical professionals and patients. The panel will be responsible for developing quality and performance standards including procedures to be certified.
The panel will be a multi-disciplinary group with clinical experience, expertise in social media, mhealth technology, healthcare accreditation & certification programs, and patient engagement. The panel will be chaired by orthopedic surgeon Howard J Luks, M.D., Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at New York Medical College (Valhalla, NY), who serves as the Chief Of Sports Medicine And Arthroscopy at University Orthopedics, PC and Westchester Medical Center. Other members of the panel are Franklin A. Shaffer, EdD., RN, FAAN, Shuvo Roy, PhD, and Dave deBronkart.
