I was walking past a local Walgreens over the weekend, when the electronic sign in front of the store flashed a message about the drugstore chain's iPad app. My friend asked me why anyone would need such an app.

The answer, I said, was to order prescription refills, keep a log of your prescription history, or to find a nearby store. What happens if you need a walk-in urgent care clinic or it's after hours and you're looking for a Walgreens with a 24-hour pharmacy?

Suddenly it made sense to my friend, a typical healthcare consumer with no special knowledge of how this country's dysfunctional health "system" operates.

(As it turns out, the app seems pretty cool. You can order a refill simply by scanning a pharmacy label, and you also can upload photos and order prints for pickup at whatever Walgreens location you specify, often in as little as an hour.)

Consumers want anything that makes the complicated world of healthcare easier to navigate. Which is why Walgreens, like many of its competitors, previously launched a texting service to alert customers when prescriptions are ready for pickup.

It's also why in just the last week, at least two more major healthcare companies beefed up their mobile offerings for consumers. On Monday, Aetna launched a texting service for members with diabetes that's intended to serve as the basis for a study.

Participants agree to receive reminder messages for three months and will be evaluated on how well they follow three measures: regular hemoglobin A1C tests; an annual cholesterol screening; and medication compliance. Aetna also will look to enroll them in a disease management program, run by nurses and health coaches.

Some might view this last part as a front by a health insurer to promote disease management, but, really, is that so bad? Patients and physicians alike tend not to trust insurance companies, so let's view anything that helps diabetics control their conditions as a win. It saves money and can improve people's lives.

The other piece of news is from another sector that struggles with trust, pharmacy benefits management. As MobiHealthNews reported last week, Medco Health Solutions has teamed with Verizon Wireless—itself a pretty active player in m-health—to introduce Android and BlackBerry apps that actually tell people exactly what their out-of-pocket costs will be for any given drug, based on the formulary specific to each member's insurance coverage.

If the doctor won't take the time to go over medication options, then patients should. Next time a physician recommends a new prescription, take out your smartphone, look up the drug, see what it will cost you out of pocket, then have an informed discussion on the same level as the prescriber.

If consumer-centric and patient-centric healthcare is ever to become a reality, patients have to assert control. Despite what some elements of the medical establishment want you to believe, patients rule. And mobile access to information makes it happen.