The Cambridge, Mass.-based health IT consultant, Medullan, recently released a survey of healthcare organizations and found that one out of four have no real driver for their mobile health (mHealth) initiative. The survey, of 106 providers, insurers, and other healthcare-related organizations, found that of those who have a driver, the majority of respondents said it was due to a desire for increased member/customer/patient engagement.

“We were surprised that so many organizations would undertake mHealth initiatives without a clear driver," Ahmed Albaiti, CEO of Medullan, said in a statement. "While we believe strongly in the value of mHealth initiatives, no driver and no objectives is a recipe for disaster. The overall impression we got from the survey results is that there is a lot of activity around mHealth but many companies are spinning their wheels, and need some focus."

Other than patient engagement, healthcare organizations looked for mHealth to compete with other organizations. The number one barrier, according to the findings, is "no clear strategy or objective," followed closely by, "lack of leadership for the initiative."