A new report examines the vast potential of mobile broadband technologies to help address some of the nation’s most pressing health concerns among Hispanics and other minorities.

The report, Minorities, Mobile Broadband, and the Management of Chronic Diseases, summarizes key issues raised during a roundtable discussion among leaders from the government, health care, technology and health policy sectors. The report was prepared by the Joint Center Media and Technology Institute and the Health Policy Institute with support from the UnitedHealth Group Foundation.

The report indicates that mobile devices, telemedicine and health applications can bolster preventive and follow-up care for minority mobile users, thereby improving their health outcomes. Mobile technology also has the potential to reduce administrative expenses and inefficiencies that contribute to rising healthcare costs and reduce access to affordable care.

About 63% of Latinos are wireless Internet users, and they are more likely to own a cell phone (87%) than whites (80%), according to the report.

“In effect, by increasing the ability of some people to manage their own care on an outpatient basis, doctors and hospitals will have more opportunities to devote their time and energies to serving patients with more urgent needs,” the report states.