Health insurer Highmark plans to launch a new mobile app for its members early next year, Lisa Fitting, Director of Digital Client Engagement at Highmark told attendees this morning at the World Congress Leadership Summit on mHealth in Boston. Highmark partnered up with A.D.A.M. last year to build a pilot app called Health@Hand based on A.D.A.M.’s Medzio app.

Health@Hand was similar to Medzio but also included customized information for Highmark members that enabled them to find healthcare services and physicians available within their plan. Users could search for providers within a certain radius of their current location using their phone’s GPS and subsequently get a map and directions to the provider via the app. Like Medzio, the app also included a symptom navigator and other health information resources.

Fitting said the new app will have additional core functionalities, including an “authenticated” section which will include personalized information about the user. Part of the offering will include a “digital ID card” and a more advanced provider search built into the app.

Fitting said Highmark is planning to sunset its pilot app, Health@Hand in anticipation of the launch of its new app.

Fitting said that Health@Hand had a number of shortcomings, including user interaction design, no feedback mechanism, and an unclear branding strategy.

The new app from Highmark will include a way for users to shop for insurance, Fitting said. The health plan aims to generate revenue from the app.

Following the launch of the new app during the first quarter of 2012, Fitting said that Highmark plans to develop other complementary apps over the course of the year.