US healthcare app store Happtique is setting up a programme that will evaluate and certify healthcare apps for physicians and patients. The company has formed a panel of experts to advise on the development of the programme which is expected to take about six months to set up. It will be open to all app developers and will be funded by developer application fees. Its aim is to help both healthcare professionals and members of the public to pick through the thousands of health and wellness apps that are currently available.

The panel aims to get a cross-section of opinions. It will be chaired by Howard J Luks, an orthopedic surgeon and associate professor at New York Medical College who is also interested in healthcare and social media. Franklin A Shaffer is also a member of the panel. He is the CEO of CGFNS International, the certification organisation for nursing and healthcare personnel. Shuvo Roy is a leading biomedical scientist and technologist who is the Director of the Biomedical Microdevices Laboratory and Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, School of Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco.  Dave deBronkart, a cancer patient and blogger who is known as e-Patient Dave, is the final member of the panel.

Separately Happtique has appointed a new CEO called Ben Chodor. He was SVP of global streaming and virtual events at InterCall, a leading business conferencing provider. Previously Chodor sold Stream57, a videostreaming business he started to InterCall in 2010.  Aside from his background in video technology, he was also involved in developing the Patient Locator service that tracked patients in New York's hospitals in the wake of 9/11.