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MTAM and HIMSS Join Forces to Promote mHealth

DETROIT (WWJ) -- The Mobile Technology Association of Michigan (MTAM) this week announced a partnership with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) to jointly provide publications, produce events and establish relationships.

The ultimate aim is to promote mobile health apps, or mHealth, which have the potential to reduce medical costs and errors, remove geographic and economic disparities in treatment and reinforce consumer-focused health care for millions of people.

The partnership is designed to bring attention to mHealth for the benefit of app developers, device manufacturers, healthcare services providers and consumers, with particular focus on those products and services originating in Michigan.

It is estimated that remote patient monitoring, driven by mobile technologies, will achieve over $36 billion in global health care cost savings by 2018, according to Juniper Research. In the United States,. by 2016, more than 3 million patients are expected to be monitored remotely over cellular networks, and revenue driven by mHealth technologies will reach $296.5 million by 2019, according to GBI Research.

Said Kevin Lasser, Chairman of MTAM's statewide mHealth Advisory Council: "When an organization with the reach of HIMSS decides to focus directly on the importance of mobility in healthcare through the launch of the mHIMSS initiative, that says everything you need to know about the growing importance of making the one thing that most healthcare professionals already possess -- their smart device -- the most important medical device they can use."

MTAM views mHealth as a vital growth opportunity with the ability to be a driving force in Michigan's economic revitalization. As a result, the organization is utilizing its mHealth Advisory Council and its statewide platform, along with the organization's national relationships, to provide opportunities for education, relationship building and business development.

"Due to changes in the healthcare environment, and the aging of the baby boomer population, mHealth is becoming an increasingly critical component to providing quality healthcare," said Linda Daichendt, MTAM executive director. "We believe Michigan has the ability to be on the forefront of these efforts, and we take great pride that HIMSS has seen the work being done in Michigan and chosen to align with MTAM to showcase this message nationally and globally."

For more information about MTAM or the mHealth Advisory Council, contact MTAM at info@GoMobileMichigan.org. Learn more about the mHIMSS initiative http://www.mhimss.org on the HIMSS website.

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