Can You Diagnose Me Now? A Proposal to Modify FDA's Regulation of Smartphone Mobile Health Applications with a Pre-Market Notification and Application Database System.

Abstract

Mobile applications provide limitless possibilities for the future of medical care. Yet these changes have also created concerns about patient safety. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to regulate a much broader spectrum of products beyond traditional medical devices like stethoscopes or pacemakers. The regulatory question is not if FDA has the statutory. authority to regulate health-related software, but rather how it will exercise its regulatory authority. In September 2013, FDA published guidance on Mobile Medical Applications; in it, the Agency limited its oversight to a small subset of medical-related mobile applications, referred to as "mobile medical applications." For the guidance to be effective, FDA must continue to work directly with all actors--including innovators, doctors, and patients--as the market for mobile health applications continues to develop. This Article argues that FDA should adopt a two-step plan--a pre-market notification program and a mobile medical application database--to aid in the successful implementation of its 2013 guidance. By doing so, FDA will ensure that this burgeoning market can reach its fullest potential.