LIVE FROM GSMA-mHA MOBILE HEALTH SUMMIT: Clint McClellan, senior director of Business Development for Qualcomm, talked up the potential for mobile health technology to shift the emphasis in the healthcare system from a “sick care system” to a “health maintenance system.”

McClellan noted that the model for healthcare systems is currently focused on treating those who are already ill: “you enter the system when you are sick, the doctors and hospitals make money when you are sick.” However, by using remote monitoring and providing consumers with new tools, it is possible to provide care to patients away from the hospital, including through the management of chronic illnesses, reducing costs for healthcare providers.

“I know more about my car than I know about me. Imagine if you got into your car and you didn’t have a dashboard. You don’t know how much gas you have, you don’t know how fast you are going. That’s the way we are living right now. I don’t think people want to be sick, I don’t think they want to be overweight, they just don’t have the tools, and so that’s what we are working on and that’s what we are developing,” McClellan said.

However, there are challenges with the delivery of more “consumer” healthcare propositions, including issues related to technology compatibility. “Every time we go to integrate a sensor with a new Android handset, there is a 50/50 chance it won’t work,” the Qualcomm exec said. He highlighted the work of interoperability group Continua Health Alliance, where he is president and chair, stating that “theoretically, over time we’ll have less expensive systems, because everything will be standardised.” This will also enable healthcare providers to more easily share data, through support for open standards.