Three groups of companies to form the mHealth app ecosystem

research2guidence

Three groups of mHealth app market players will form the inner circle of the new mHealth app ecosystem, according to the data from research2guidence.

A growing number of mHealth publishers is already using the third party data in order to add new features to their apps.Vital data like steps, calories burned and glucose readings will constitute the “core value” of the emerging mHealth app market, and traditional healthcare companies will have to find their role not to be left aside.

A growing number of mHealth publishers is already using the third party data in order to add new features to their apps. Thanks to opening up their APIs, such publishers are able to better serve their core value propositions and gain a substantial competitive advantage over rivals. The more such companies, the more competitive the market and better app offering for the users.

In fact, 71% of mHealth of app publishers connect or plan to connect to an API in order to import or export health data. This is one of the results of the mHealth App Developer Economics 2014 study conducted in Q1 2014.

In the second group of companies, we have sensor vendors like Wahoo and Zephyr, and in the third – a layer of “enabling” companies that capacitate app-app, app-sensor and app-database connections. Furthermore, this third group can be classified into three main segments:

  1. API aggregators which provide “one stop connecting models” for the health data APIs
  2. App aggregators which serve to collect mHealth apps in one place, and
  3. API Managed Service companies which provide the technical infrastructure to facilitate the connection of apps and sensors and medical databases

The “open” app publishers, sensor vendors and the enabling companies constitute the 3 pillars which will form the core of the connected mHealth app economy.

Speaking of which [mHealth app economy], it is going to be fuelled by the accessibility of the vital (patient) data accessed via APIs. The majority of today’s captured and shared data is fitness and nutrition information like steps and calories. However, with the growing number of app users who regularly track their glucose or blood pressure levels, or consult their apps for the purpose of medical examinations, we are going to witness an explosion in the amount of the aggregated and shared health data.

The company which manages to skillfully make meaningful use of this big, aggregated health data might become the Facebook of the healthcare industry.According to research2guidence, the company which manages to skillfully make meaningful use of this big, aggregated health data might become the Facebook of the healthcare industry. Nevertheless, all healthcare market players must understand the impact of the new mHealth ecosystem on healthcare in general and, in particular, on their own business models.

The “mHealth App Development Economics 2014” free report provides information on the state of the art of the mHealth app market with an overview of its leaders. It is available from here.