The Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, a Boston-based healthcare delivery system founded by Harvard Medical School affiliated teaching institutions Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, has announced a co-development agreement with Japanese pharmaceutical Daiichi Sankyo to create a mobile app to serve as a coaching platform for patients with atrial fibrillation who have been prescribed oral anticoagulation therapy.

The goal of this mobile app will be to support patients living with atrial fibrillation by helping improve patient adherence and compliance to medication, as well as fostering feedback loops that connect the provider to the patient.

Many pharmaceutical and life sciences companies are incorporating mobile and connected health tools to support clinical trial recruitment and data collection, as well as medication adherence, patient engagement and disease management programs. At the same time, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing the way providers think about and deliver care to patients. Many innovative pharmaceutical companies are responding to these changes via connected health solutions as a way to help improve patient care and clinical outcomes. 

"By leveraging ubiquitous mobile technologies, we can help enable providers to engage patients in new ways that provide disease education, motivation, reminders and other medication compliance strategies," said Joseph C. Kvedar, M.D., director, Center for Connected Health. "Our research has demonstrated that mobile health tools, including apps and text messaging programs, are effective means to engage patients in their care, supporting healthy behavior change and overall patient engagement. In today's era of accountable care, creating opportunities for successful treatment, improved outcomes and patient satisfaction is critical. By embracing connected health technologies, pharmaceutical companies can truly move 'beyond the pill.' ”

The center has created and deployed mobile technologies in a number of patient populations and care settings. The center's research team also is conducting innovative clinical studies to test the effectiveness of mobile health technologies in various clinical applications, including medication adherence, care coordination, pain and chronic disease management and prevention and wellness.