Nearly a third of healthcare providers offer organization-specific apps for their patients, according to a small survey of healthcare providers conducted by HIMSS. The 2015 HIMSS Mobile Technology survey included 238 respondents.

In addition to the 31 percent of respondents who offer a patient app, another 30 percent are in the process of developing one. And 10 percent of respondents have created an app store to distribute apps either internally or externally.

More generally, 90 percent of respondents said they use mobile devices in their organization for patient engagement. Seventy-three percent used app-enabled patient portals, but only 36 percent found that to be a "highly effective means of engaging patients".

Two thirds of respondents (67 percent) told HIMSS that at least some amount of information from a mobile device is uploaded into their EHR, but only eight percent said all the data from mobile devices went into the EHR.

Respondents said that the most impact from mobile technology was on telehealth interventions, including remote ICUs, teleradiology services, and care coordination, including remote patient monitoring tools.

Forty-seven percent said mobile was a high priority at their organization, but only 18 percent felt they had achieved a mature mobile environment at their organization. Fifty-seven percent of respondents had a mobile technology policy of some kind at their organization, with an additional 33 percent planning to develop one in the future.

Asked for the number one barrier to mobile technology adoption, 51 percent of respondents cited a lack of funding.

A second HIMSS survey, this one comprised of 330 respondents in leadership positions, had 72 percent of respondents naming patient engagement and satisfaction as the issue that would most impact their business over the next two years. Eighty-seven percent listed patient satisfaction as a top priority for the coming year.