According to the latest industry data and growth projections, the medical apps market is estimated at $489 million in 2015.

That tidbit comes to us from the team Kalorama Information, which is buoyantly optimistic about the future of the mHealth app business.

While that’s not huge compared to the total app market, the healthcare market research firm says the mhealth apps market was a mere 85 million five years ago.
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In March of 2014, a group of researchers at the University of Washington evaluated 9 of the most popular mobile health apps to see if they were compatible with programs such as iPhone’s VoiceOver. They found that all 9 apps were not, meaning that blind users cannot currently benefit from such apps.

iPhone’s VoiceOver program, and similar programs for other smartphones, are designed to allow blind users access to their smartphone or notebook—most often by “reading” the screen features from left to right.

While it is fairly simple for programmers to develop their applications within compliance of such programs, for many these tools simply aren’t on their radar, Medical Press reports.

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The America Medical Association (AMA) recently announced that they will be providing a “best practices” guideline for mobile medical app developers.

According to MD All Specialties, with the FDA’s recent announcement that they will play only a minimal role in regulating mobile health applications, the AMA is stepping up to help consumers and physicians alike determine which app provides the results they are designed to deliver.

As more Americans invest in smartphones, and turn to mobile applications for everything from tracking health conditions, monitoring daily health and wellness, assisting with medication reminders, and even researching medical concerns, the need for reliable apps is there.

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A new app called Spruce allows people to seek dermatology treatment via their mobile device.

The app has raised $2 million in seed funding since its launch two months ago.

The telemedicine app, which recently scored some precious digital ink courtesy of Entrepreneur, is free to-download and connects users to a board-certified dermatologist.

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In recent years, the world of mHealth apps wasn’t dominated by a few, but populated by many developers and healthcare organizations looking to find their way in a fledgling market.

But at the start of 2014, when it became crystal clear that the world’s biggest tech companies were determined to claim their piece of the mHealth pie, the landscape began to change. And now, as 2015 fast approaches, a whole new ballgame awaits mHealth app vendors — but, in particular, the “little guys.”

According to ABI, a freshly published 2-year study of the most popular health and fitness apps “reveals very little continuity in the popularity of specific mHealth applications.”

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MedDiary Inc., a mobile health (mHealth) software company, has announced the launch of its mobile health software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform consisting of a cloud-based portal for healthcare providers and a mobile app for patients.

The integrated platform makes it possible for healthcare providers to create custom mobile health apps for their patients and to subsequently remotely monitor them.

According to a statement provided to mHealthWatch, patients pay a $35 monthly in-app subscription fee for this “concierge level” service. MedDiary then compensates providers with a $15 monthly services fee for coordinating the patient’s care.

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On Monday, Apple proved the rumor mill right when it took the wraps off of its long-anticipated plans to make mHealth a higher priority for the company, its customers and growing army of app developers.

Apple used WWDC 2014 as the stage to showcase “HealthKit,” a new app bundled with iOS 8 that focuses on fitness and tracking solutions while unlocking almost limitless potential for added convenience from today’s leading mobile health services.

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