Healthcare has been a tough sector for the digital platforms to penetrate in. That one thing is true. However with the revolution that this century witnessed, it is hard to keep any sector away from the clutches of digital technology.
In the archaic tradition of healthcare, patients had to wait for days to get an appointment, they then would wait for their turn to come and get a prescription, pay bills etc.

It was difficult to keep a record of patient’s history and maintain discretion for the same. In such an infrastructure the patient was never the centre. However, in today’s world this changed. Patients no longer want to keep their health at stake by waiting for the medical facilities to reach them. M Apps give them a great option to engage with their healthcare provider and get all the information about their health that they need with minimum fuss.

Patients require more transparency and want a robust platform for healthcare to be managed on. M apps serve as a great option to foster this trend. They have, in the most cost effective ways, broken the barriers between the hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and the patients. What this has done is revolutionize the healthcare sector. While the doctor or any other healthcare provider is still the one steering a case, the patient will be at its centre.

This was accelerated majorly by the smart phones that have become as common, especiallyongst netizens, as any routine lifestyle item. Researches from Accenture show that almost 75% of the customers believe in technology being an integral part of how they manage their heath. Almost 45% of the customers use the M apps in 2018 to reach out to their healthcare providers. These customers show likelihood of switching their preffered healthcare providers with the ones who can offer them anytime and anywhere medical consultation through their mobile apps. So whether it is for accessing test reports, consulting a doctor, collecting reports of the X-rays, paying bills, getting prescriptions etc., the old redundant ways have been shown an exit door, and the digital platforms of Mapps have taken their place.

The ones who are benefitting the most from these are the traditional hospitals and pharmacies, digital companies involved in healthcare and some purely digital and non-healthcare companies that develop apps and have jumped into the business. These companies have realized the potential that the digital forces have in changing the face of the healthcare ecosystem, generation more business and thus, increasing the ROI. Investors are keen on investing in such business models in Healthcare that are also run through some online or offline digital platforms. Around 85,000 companies in US alone are providing M apps. The M Apps market crossed the 20 billion dollar in 2017 and is expected to reach 90 billion dollars by 2020.

Diabetes and obesity have been the most consulted conditions online, where people like to identify symptoms or keep a check on their existing condition through a mobile app. But another medical condition that is showing a great potential for Mapps market is mental health. Attributed to the fact that people are being readily made aware of the conditions such as depression, stress, anxiety and the dangers that they pose, they are increasingly depending on clinical treatment for the same. Mapps play a great role in the treatment of these conditions. Not only can the person approach his doctor without any hassle through these apps, but also will come in contact with various other people who are going through the same stages as he is. Apart from these hypertension and heart diseases too offer a great market potential.

So while M Apps are increasing businesses by paving a way for the old and concrete structure of the healthcare where only the hospital or the healthcare provider was the centre by bringing the customers in the centre of this universe, it is doing so in cost cutting ways. This is how it is definitely boosting the healthcare ecosystem.