The Medical Blog

Running an EHR system on the cumbersome stationary systems that we are used to makes it difficult for physicians to maintain any level of bedside manner. The iPad can alleviate that problem, but first there needs to be a developmental leap, creating software specifically for the iPad.

A lot has changed in the World of Apple since we originally wrote this post. Apple introduced the iPad, iPad 2 and version 4 of the iPhone. Over and above that, the App Store grew to more than 350,000 apps and reached over 10 billion downloads. Apple is clearly winning over the hearts and minds of consumers.

Apple’s iPad is making rounds in healthcare. Its ergonomic design, long battery life, and beautiful user interface (UI) gives other tablets a run for their money. Several reports indicate that the iPad is growing in popularity among physicians. As a result, more EMR vendors are releasing iPad versions of their EMRs.

There’s a lot of talk about the risks of storing health information in electronic medical records (EMRs). But, EMRs aren’t the problem. Those consent forms you sign at the doctor’s office… yeah, you should pay attention to the fine print. You may be giving permission to companies to access your health information.

At Software Advice, we speak on the phone every day with physicians who are researching electronic health records (EHR) software. We commonly hear that they’re afraid to switch to a system that puts their health records “in the cloud.” Their fear is that patient records will be out there on the Interweb, just waiting to be hacked.

The passage of the HITECH Act under ARRA has brought whirlwind changes and generated many questions in the electronic health record field. The ONC certification program is among them. While the six ONC-ATCBs have been approved to administer ONC-approved testing and certification, there are differences between them.

Intuit has a large presence among SMBs in most vertical industries aside from healthcare. They have muscled their way to significant market share in the retail, manufacturing, distribution, nonprofit, property management, and construction industries primarily through its QuickBooks product line.

Last week Microsoft announced it is entering into a partnership with Athena to make their systems more compatible. The move was predicated on two hospital clients building bridges between Amalga and AthenaClinicals to share patient information. Is this the first step toward an EHR acquisition?

We might say, social media has a tremendous opportunity to improve healthcare. But doctors have been slow to adopt social media. Why? Why aren’t they using social media to talk with other professionals, connect with patients and share information with the public? The time commitment, concerns of liability, and naiveté are cited as major causes.

And we’re off! More than 21,000 healthcare providers have registered for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs. Additionally, four states have already paid out initial incentive payments, totaling over $20 million. We’re excited to see the HITECH Act finally underway.