Four organizations have teamed-up to form an alliance, Xcertia, dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and effectiveness of mHealth apps. The initial supporters of the collaboration include the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Medical Association (AMA), DHX Group, and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

As a nonprofit corporation, Xcertia will establish and promote best practices for mHealth apps. Xcertia’s membership and governing board will be open to broad representation from consumers, developers, payers, clinicians, academia and others with an interest in the development of guidelines for mobile health apps.

“The collaboration builds on each organization’s ongoing efforts to foster safe, effective, and reputable health technologies, while complementing our mutual commitment to advancing innovation in medicine, and improving the health of the nation,” Xcertia’s four founders said in a statement. “Our combined expertise, along with a diverse membership, will leverage the insights of clinicians, patients and industry experts to help improve patient care and increase access to data.”

Xcertia will develop a framework of principles that hopes to positively impact the trajectory of the mHealth app industry. Said guidelines will also be a resource to support consumer and clinician choice of mobile health apps.

This collaborative effort will incorporate feedback from its members in a consensus-driven process to advance the body of knowledge around clinical content, usability, privacy and security, interoperability and evidence of efficacy. Xcertia will not engage in certifying mHealth apps, but will encourage others to apply its principles and guidelines in the development and curation of safe and effective mobile health apps.

Xcertia invites other organizations in the patient, technology and other health care communities to join the collaboration and add their expertise to the development of guidelines for mobile health apps.