A variety of companies — from the likes of Google and Microsoft to hospitals and doctors’ organizations — have stepped up efforts to promote electronic medical records (EMR). EMRs allow health systems, like Sanford Health, to create a single storage point for a patient’s personal health information and the elimination of redundant questions and additional paperwork.
Despite the movement to streamline the volumes of manila folders holding patient records, adoption of EMR technology is primarily dependent upon the medical professionals, namely the physician. While doctors and medical personnel understand and value the importance and efficiency of EMRs, studies cite cost, reimbursement, and privacy issues as challenges to overcome.
“Patient Keeper“, a recently enhanced mobile application, “automates a physician’s duties such as viewing patient data from electronic records systems, ordering prescriptions or lab tests, and recording charges for services.” These are all tasks they might otherwise do manually or on another computer, so the firm’s software gives doctors the chance to do their work from virtually anywhere.
Over 23,000 clinics, including Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, IA, use the software on a variety of mobile devices such as the BlackBerry, laptops, PCs and now the iPad.
