With the release of Apple Inc.'s iPad 2, and with meaningful use deadlines quickly approaching, many electronic health record vendors are creating iPad EHR apps to help
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doctors and other health care workers do their jobs efficiently and on the go.
Wherever a wireless connection is available -- or if they spring for an iPad with 3G services,
wherever they can make a phone call -- health care
providers using the iPad have a number of EHR apps from which to choose.
Virtualized iPad EHR applications
Like the Web-based versions of Care 360, the EHR system from Quest Diagnostics Inc., the iPad version, with its colorful and clear layout, is easy to learn and use, the company says. Physicians can view patient health records, including their symptoms, previous medications and diagnoses, as well as review lab results and approve prescriptions. A mobile Care 360 application is available for the iPhone.
Practice Fusion, an established EHR vendor, has partnered with LogMeIn Inc., a remote access software company, to create a free iPad version of its already popular EHR product (that requires a one-time $29.95 LogMeIn initiation fee). Practice Fusion is an advertising-based service: Consumers can opt for an ad-free version that costs $100 per month. This iPad EHR helps doctors schedule appointments, manage medical billing, stay up-to-date on new lab reports and prescribe medications in a secure online environment without their having to be tethered to a laptop or desktop computer.
General Electric Co.'s EHR software products, GE Centricity Practice Solution and GE Centricity Advance, also are making the technology jump. The company's new iPad EHR application lets doctors access critical patient information and enter clinical notes anywhere, from their patients' hospital rooms to their own home. Aiming to take full advantage of the iPad's touch capabilities, the app lets the user flip through pages and zoom in on images.
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems Inc. has created versions of its ambulatory EHR system for a number of different mobile devices, including the HTC Droid, BlackBerry, iPhone and iPad. NextGen Mobile for the iPad lets physicians review and update medical records outside the office. They also can use the system for e-prescribing, reading lab data and keeping in contact with co-workers in the office. NextGen claims its system increases revenue by optimizing care, and reduces medical liability through better documentation of out-of-office practices.
ClearPractice LLC offers both iPhone and iPad applications for subscribers to its full EHR system, Nimble. With the app, doctors can review and update patient charts, view schedules, write new prescriptions and look over lab results. With such features as lists of patients to be visited and intra-clinic messaging, this iPad EHR is designed specifically for staff members to take with them on hospital rounds whenever the physician is unable to be there.
Greenway Medical Technologies Inc.'s Prime MOBILE offers access to all the patient information stored within Greenway's flagship EHR application, PrimeSUITE, from an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Users pay a monthly subscription fee for PrimeSUITE. The application enables complete remote access to patient data and features appointment scheduling, charge capturing and direct communication with partners and staff.
Many vendors are creating iPad EHR apps to help doctors and other health care workers do their jobs with efficiency and mobility.
Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. has released an application that supplements Allscripts Electronic Health Record by providing remote access to patient information. Allscripts Remote, available free through the Apple App Store, also offers an e-prescribing feature that expedites the prescription process. The application is available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and for the Android and Blackberry platforms.
Native iPad EHR applications
Dr. Chrono Inc. calls its free, native iPad app the "most affordable EHR on the market." Dr. Chrono offers many features one would expect from a mobile EHR -- paperless medical billing, lab results from anywhere, the ability to access and update clinical notes -- plus such features as speech-to-text technology. It is the first native iPad EHR application to obtain ONC-ACTB certification for meaningful use.
The native iPad EHR app from MacPractice Inc. packs useful features into a clean-looking layout. Users can track daily appointments, view patient diagnoses and clinical notes, electronically prescribe medications, and communicate with other clinical staff. All patient-centered content comes with the option of adding a photo, so patients can become more than just a chart, symptoms and numbers. The content is fairly customizable as well.
Mediforms EMR by Idea Oven LLC will be available for the iPhone and iPad. The application takes advantage of the devices' touch capabilities, and particularly the large screen of the iPad, to create fast, efficient and mobile electronic health records. Mediforms uses templates that cater to the information capture needs of specific specialties. Mediforms EMR Lite is free through the Apple App Store. The full version, which will allow for the use of multiple templates and the export of data in the PDF file format, is slated to come out soon.
Finally, IQMax Inc. offers iPhone and iPad applications that let health care providers keep track of their schedule and rounds, check clinical results, capture charges and dictate patient notes.
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This was first published in August 2011