The DiMe Seal: A new benchmark for trust in digital health technology

Health and medical technology exist in a period of change and opportunity, caught between the wake of the electronic medical records (EMR) era and the cusp of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. In these turbulent, fast-moving times, the exponential proliferation of digital health software products (DHSPs) has created a dynamic yet challenging landscape for the medical community.

With over 30,000 DHSPs currently available for use in practice and medical education in the United States alone, physicians, health care organizations and patients face the daunting task of discerning which tools are trustworthy, effective and safe. This situation is, at best, inefficient, and, at worst, potentially dangerous. The modern health care professional or medical educator doesn’t have the time or expertise to independently verify the reliability of these products as they become increasingly specialized and complicated.

Amid this overwhelming abundance, a need for a trusted gauge of reliability has arisen. Ensuring quality is a critical requirement for the full adoption of emerging technologies in osteopathic medical practice and education. How can we tell effective and useful innovations from silicon snake oil? Or, put differently, how can we discern “signal” from “noise?” Unfortunately, with the breakneck pace of development, the industry is somewhat behind the curve in being able to fully and comprehensively review every DHSP that comes to market. This leaves us wanting a solution from an objective, unbiased third-party source with expertise in digital health products.

Created by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), the DiMe Seal has emerged as a critical new benchmark for reliability and quality in the osteopathic medical world and beyond. The DiMe Seal is supported by the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) and endorsed by experts from AOIA’s Digital Health Innovation Community of Practice (DHI CoP).

This commentary explores why the DiMe Seal matters and why the osteopathic medical community and osteopathic medical educators should consider joining this effort and advocating for digital reliability.

Addressing the trust gap in digital health

Digital health solutions promise to transform patient care, streamline workflows and enhance health outcomes. However, a significant gap exists between the promise of these tools and the trust they inspire. Many DHSPs lack robust evidence of security, usability or efficacy, leaving potential adopters uncertain about their value and safety. Without a reliable mechanism to evaluate these products, patients and providers are left vulnerable to unvetted and potentially harmful technologies. The DiMe Seal directly addresses this trust gap by setting a new paradigm for evaluating DHSPs.

The 4 domains of DiMe Seal certification

The DiMe Seal offers a comprehensive, standardized framework for evaluating DHSPs across four key domains:

1. Security and privacy: Ensuring that products safeguard sensitive patient information and comply with regulatory standards is the most fundamental task for DiMe reviewers. When I used to work for Walt Disney World, “safety” was the first and most important of the Four Keys that governed every company activity, and, in my opinion, it must hold the same importance in medicine and digital health technology. The most serious threat to patients, students, physicians and the future benefit of emerging technology is the demonstrated propensity to cause direct harm or breach of protected health information. Products that don’t pass or submit to this key metric should be avoided at all costs.
2. Usability and accessibility: Verifying that tools are intuitive and accessible to diverse populations, including those with disabilities, is another important metric for the DiMe Seal and digital health as a whole. Digital health technology that cannot be freely and openly used or, worse, actively discriminates against certain users, has no place in modern medicine, and should be identified and repaired or weeded out.
3. Clinical evidence: Evaluating whether a solution has credible data to support the veracity and consistency of its claims is core to the necessary level of trust. To borrow an example from AI specifically, while “hallucinations”—the phenomenon where an AI makes up false information to satisfy a user’s question—are thankfully much less common with time and improvement since they began to be widely deployed, this kind of thing happening at a critical or the exact wrong moment has untold potential for destruction and harm. In a high-reliability field like medicine, reliability must be one of the most important standards for digital health technology, as we have no room for error when it comes to patient care.
4. Equity and inclusion: The DiMe Seal also assesses how well products address health disparities and serve marginalized communities, as an extension of the accessibility metric above. Fair and equitably designed algorithms are essential to employing digital health technologies to bring the greatest benefits to the largest number of patients.

This rigorous evaluation framework ensures that awarded products meet the highest standards of quality and trust, reducing the burden on health care organizations to conduct time-intensive reviews themselves.

The benefits of the DiMe Seal for osteopathic physicians

What benefits does a program like the DiMe Seal have for physicians and medical educators? Why is this effort something we should get behind?

The primary goal of any health care innovation is to improve patient outcomes. DiMe Seal-awarded products are designed to meet stringent criteria for evidence and usability, ensuring they deliver real-world benefits. By prioritizing these tools, physicians can confidently integrate digital solutions that support better diagnoses, treatments and overall care experiences with the peace of mind that they really will offer improved outcomes.

Furthermore, as already discussed, the process of selecting and implementing new technologies can be overwhelming for a busy modern physician, particularly when having to wade through a rapidly evolving market. The DiMe Seal simplifies this process by pre-vetting products, reducing the risk of adopting unproven or poorly designed tools. Additionally, the DiMe Seal’s annual renewal process ensures that awarded products remain compliant with the latest standards and best practices. This dynamic approach guarantees that health care professionals always have access to cutting-edge, reliable tools, fostering continuous improvement in digital health.

Why the osteopathic medical community should advocate for reliability evaluation

Patients depend on physicians to deliver effective care and accurate diagnoses. By extension, it is imperative that the digital technologies we use to render this care are safe and effective. Reliability evaluations like the DiMe Seal provide a trusted framework for evaluating these tools, increasing the likelihood of expected impact from vetted products. By championing such evaluations, the medical community can better protect patients and uphold the highest standards of care.

Widespread adoption of reliability evaluations encourages developers to prioritize quality, security and equity in their product designs. This creates a ripple effect across the industry, raising the overall standard for DHSPs and fostering innovation that aligns with health care values.

Join the movement by prioritizing trust and quality

The DiMe Seal offers a path forward for the medical community to navigate the complex digital health landscape with confidence. By prioritizing DiMe Seal-awarded products, physicians and health care organizations can:

• Enhance patient/student outcomes with trusted, effective tools.
• Save time and resources in the procurement process.
• Support health equity and inclusivity.

It is time for the osteopathic medical community and osteopathic medical educators to embrace reliability evaluations like the DiMe Seal. Doing so will not only safeguard patients and students, but also foster a health care ecosystem where innovation and trust go hand in hand. By advocating for and adopting these standards, physicians can lead the way toward a future where digital health tools deliver on their transformative potential.

The DiMe Seal represents more than an evaluation; it is a commitment to elevating the quality of digital health tools. By adhering to its rigorous standards, developers signal their dedication to creating trustworthy, effective and inclusive solutions. For the medical community, adopting DiMe Seal-awarded products reinforces a culture of accountability and excellence, demonstrating a commitment to prioritizing patient safety and innovation.

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