Novarus Mobile Technologies, a mobile application development firm out of Charlotte, North Carolina, has announced a change in focus from developing apps for a variety of industries to a 100% focus on the digital health app market going forward.  In addition, the company has hired a new executive with more than 25 years experience in the healthcare space to lead its charge.

Founded in 2002, Novarus creates apps for Android, iOS and RIM devices, with more than 65 apps already in its portfolio.  The company has changed its name to Novarus Healthcare and will focus on developing mobile health apps for hospitals, health systems, physician practices and others in the healthcare field.  The change in focus comes as ABI Research projects the market for mHealth apps will top $400 million in 2016, up from $120 million in 2010.

Kaiser Permanente, who already boasts the largest deployment of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in the world, today announced the launch of a new Android application to allow more than 9 million Kaiser patients to access their medical information on the go.

In addition to its Android app, the healthcare provider is also launching a newly mobile-optimized version of its website located at kp.org to allow anyone with a mobile device to still access their medical information when and where they need it.  Kaiser said it plans to launch a companion app for iOS in the coming months as well.  Through mobile access to their personal health information, Kaiser members now have secure access to lab results, diagnostic information, direct email communication with doctors, and the ability to order prescription refills among other things.

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Happtique, a company known for creating a mobile app store specifically for mobile health applications, has announced plans to form a blue-ribbon panel to oversee development of a new mobile healthcare app certification program.

The new certification program will help evaluate and certify new mHealth apps for both professionals and patients.  The certification program will specify quality and performance standards that focus on an app’s “clinical appropriateness and technical functionality.”

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In a new report from research firm Research2Guidance, the market for mobile health apps produced revenues of more than $718M in 2011, representing a seven fold increase for the year overall.

The report, aptly named “Mobile Health Market Report 2011-2016,” called the market for mobile health apps “embryonic” so far, noting that the amount of apps created by healthcare organizations has more than doubled over the past year.

The report also said the mHealth app market is expected to continue to become more sophisticated, as developers move beyond simple data-capture or data-reporting apps and into more complicated functions like chronic-care management, diagnostics and so on.  This is something that’s long overdue given the features and functionality of today’s smartphones.  Not to mention consumer demand and need for more advanced apps.

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Research firm Frost & Sullivan has published a new report that suggests revenue earned from mHealth apps will reach $392M by 2015.

The report, entitled “Analysis of the U.S. Broadband mHealth Applications Market,” said that the mHealth market earned roughly $230M in 2010, and over the next 3 years is expected to expand exponentially as business models and significant value offerings continue to evolve.  The report also makes note of various restrictions on market entry, however, as seen in 2011 with the release of the FDA’s mHealth guidelines.

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Voice recognition provider Nuance has launched a contest to get developers to integrate voice recognition technology into mobile or Web-based healthcare applications.

The contest, dubbed the “2012 Mobile Clinician Voice Challenge,” calls on independent software vendors, internal development teams and health insurance providers to find new ways to incorporate speech recognition into their medical software.  Nuance already has several mHealth apps using its solution.

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Speech recognition provider Nuance is finding that its technology is a perfect fit for many of the mHealth apps hitting the market these days, and healthcare organizations and app developers agree.

In a press release issued yesterday, Nuance outlined some of the major wins its seen in terms of voice-enabling mobile apps in an increasing number of clinical environments.  Some of them include LifeDox, Massachusetts General Hospital, MedMaster, PhoenixOrtho and the University of Miami, among others.

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