An APPetite for Better Health: Closing the Gap Between Health Apps, Data Access, and Patient Engagement

Presentation Type: Panel
Presentation Time: 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM

Abstract Keywords: Population Health, Digital Therapeutics, Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), and Digital Engagement, Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, Reliability, and Security, Innovation Partnerships, Implementation Science, and Learning Health Systems
Primary Track: Implementing Real-World Change, Digital Engagement, and Connected Health


Health apps and patient portals are now ubiquitous, yet many patients and caregivers still struggle to turn fragmented, multi-site records into a usable picture of health. Regulatory mandates and standards, including the 21st Century Cures Act and HL7 FHIR APIs, have expanded patients’ rights to access data, but the “last mile” of interoperability, making that data understandable, actionable, and shareable in daily life, remains elusive. This panel convenes innovators in standards, user experience, clinical informatics, and patient advocacy to examine why gaps persist between policy and practice and how they can be closed. Panelists will share real-world use cases of families aggregating longitudinal records, health systems integrating apps into workflows, and standards organizations elevating patient voices. Through interactive discussion, attendees will explore technical, policy, and sociotechnical levers to support patient-directed data stewardship, reduce redundancy and costs, and improve care coordination. Participants will leave with practical ideas for partnering with patients, startups, and health systems to build a more usable, equitable, and learning health data ecosystem.

Moderator:
Brian Douthit, PhD, RN, NI-BC
Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University

Speaker(s):
James Cummings, BS
4RFLCT, Bajibot, and JamesCummings.design

Jean Ross, MHA, BSN, RN
Primary Record

Michael Lanham, MD
Michigan Medicine

Rachel Richesson, PhD, MPH, FACMI, FAMIA
University of Michigan Medical School

Author(s):
Brian Douthit, PhD, RN, NI-BC - Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University; Jean Ross, MHA, BSN, RN - Primary Record; James Cummings, BS - RFLCT, Bajibot, and JamesCummings.design; Michael Lanham, MD - Michigan Medicine; Rachel Richesson, PhD, MPH, FACMI, FAMIA - University of Michigan Medical School;

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