"We need to make healthcare more positive," US Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin told the audience at the mHealth Summit this week. Benjamin's keynote focused on her enthusiasm for mHealth as a key tool in preventive care. She also announced a new developer challenge sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The Surgeon General's Health Apps Challenge.

Benjamin told the audience that some members of her family were not able to attend her appointment to her current position by President Obama because they had passed away because of complications from preventable diseases.

"My family couldn't be there because of preventable diseases," Benjamin said. "I don't want anyone else to suffer the loss of a loved one from something that can be prevented... If we truly want to reform healthcare in this country, we need to prevent people from getting sick in the first place," she said. "We need a new approach to promoting prevention in our communities."

Benjamin said she wanted to launch the new app challenge because she recognizes that "prevention needs to be profitable." Apps that have already been developed can be entered as well as those made specifically for the competition, but the deadline for the competition is near: December 30. Winners will be announced in late January.

Three categories of apps will be judged: physical activity, healthy eating, and integrative health:

According to the Challenge.gov website, apps will be ranked by usefulness, innovation, evidenced-based or data-driven approach, usability, fun factor, potential impact (whether it reaches those not usually engaged in using health apps i.e. underserved and diverse populations), and "Data Downloads", which is described as "if [the] entry can download personal data and integrate into other health applications, including Personal/Electronic Health Records."

"We want to make sure to highlight the ability to have these healthy apps," Benjamin said. "I look forward to working with [developers to] engage Americans in being healthy."

Perhaps the most quirky of Benjamin's plans is a nationwide radio broadcast of Surgeon General "dance minutes" that aim to get office workers to exercise during the work day. All these activities are part of Benjamin's mindset that "we as leaders can do things to make healthy behavior joyful... We have to stop telling people what they can't do, can't have, can't eat...We need to find our own joy in health."

MobiHealthNews’ coverage of the mHealth Summit is brought to you by Preventice.