At last week’s mHeath Innovation Expo, the FCC brought together a terrific mix of exhibitors from the government, telecommunications, healthcare and health IT communities who share a dedication to encouraging new and innovative mHealth products, and streamlining their introduction for use by consumers, including people with disabilities.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who opened the event, said innovation was key to the success of mHealth:

“I was particularly impressed by the high level of technological innovation and harmonization with existing wireless, online and wire line applications.  I am glad to see that many of these tech companies realize that mHealth solutions for seniors, those in underserved communities, and people with disabilities, must be launched from the very start, and should not be an afterthought.  Only by doing so can we ensure that all consumers seamlessly adopt these technologies to serve their critical day-to-day needs.”

We look forward to the keeping the discussion going and growing. On Dec. 11, Commissioner Clyburn and I will participate in an FCC Town Hall on mHealth and Healthcare Initiatives as part of the mHealth Summit at National Harbor (near Washington) from 12:30-2 p.m. There we’ll elaborate further about our collaboration with fellow Federal agencies to promote innovation, promote safety and avoid regulatory duplication.

Our goal is for the use of mHealth technology to become a routine medical best practice – sooner rather than later. We hope our work with the community – through events such as the FCC’s mHealth Innovation Expo – is a catalyst for more and better mHealth.

The FCC gives its sincere thanks to all those who participated in our Expo:

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  • Alere (formerly known as MedApps)
  • American Telemedicine Association
  • Captureproof
  • GenieMD
  • GOGO Health
  • HiMSS
  • ImageWare Systems, Inc.
  • Intel Corp.
  • iSelectMD
  • Medigram
  • Mitre Corp.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Office of National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • Ostendio, Inc.
  • Partners Health Care
  • Qualcomm Life
  • Stratus Video Intrepreting
  • text4baby
  • T-Mobile
  • Vatex Divert-X Systems
  • Verizon
  • West Health
  • Zephyr Technology Corp.

Watch this space for video from the FCC’s mHealth Innovation Expo and links to featured media coverage.