In a new report from Scientia Advisors, health IT is named as the one area of the global healthcare products market that is growing the fastest. Although established electronic medical record (EMR) vendors who offer pre-packaged systems that are guaranteed to comply with “meaningful use” criteria (set by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) are still expected to gain a large percentage of this market share, the research firm also states that free and open source software could grow significantly in popularity and drive down the cost for healthcare facilities.

This new report comes after the Health IT Advisory Committee – a group that advises the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – approved the certification of open source medical software. Open source software utilizes code that is already written and is therefore readily available for anyone to use (non-proprietary). Subsequently, it also often happens to cost much less than other software systems that do contain proprietary code. Perhaps the best-known example of open source medical software can be found in the VA’s Vista EHR, which has been made accessible to software developers for some time.

For many medical practitioners, the issue of cost and questions about certification lie at the center of this discussion. If less expensive, open source software systems are indeed eligible for government aid, it is much more likely that the overall price of medical software systems will be brought down. In addition, the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has agreed to certify EMR software using the exact guidelines that are set forth by HHS, and the Health IT Advisory Committee has claimed that perhaps the guidelines previously set forth by CCHIT for medical software certification have been too specific. Some experts are predicting this shift will also help to pave the way for increased open source utilization.

All of this information bodes well for open source software users, especially for the doctors and healthcare facilities that stand to save substantially as a result of its allowance. In order to continue to make strides and convince physicians everywhere to adopt EMRs, it is essential that such innovative, effective options continue to be recognized as viable avenues to creating digital recordkeeping systems for medical providers.

Today, patients can easily manage and access their personal medical records online via Google Health, a simple and effective program that removes the hassle of paper filing systems. In addition, Google Health has simple, well-documented Application Program Interfaces (APIs) and employs the use of health information standards – including the Continuity of Care Record (CCR) and ASTM International – to transfer, retrieve and store patients’ health information.

Thanks to these advances in technology, healthcare professionals can now empower patients to gain control over their own medical histories – and encourage them to spread the word about Google Health among friends and family as well! Asking patients to import their medical records to this platform is a crucial step in digitizing health records, as healthcare software and device developers can then create personalized information for each user by accessing the patient’s information from the operating platform.

Google Health has taken the user’s privacy concerns into account as well, implementing the highest level of online security that includes but is not limited to the use of digital certificates and end-to-end public key encryption. In addition, Google Health allows physicians to analyze cross sections of a single patient’s medical history, and/or to compare it with multiple patient histories – as long as the patients have all granted access.

Patients can formulate electronic medical records in Google Health simply by creating a Google account and signing up for Google Health. Next, they are prompted to import their records online and to add the name and location of any medical providers. There is also room to add a variety of other medical information, as well as a number of questions that must be answered, including data regarding the patient’s height, weight, age, existing medical conditions, etc.

Physicians and patients who work together via Google Health will be ahead of the curve in the effort to centralize the nation’s medical records. Doing so will prevent loss, reduce errors and improve the quality of care – what are you waiting for?

Kirsten E. Silven

Imagine a paperless medical practice environment – All your medical records stored safely in one place and easily accessible; no losing file sheets or taking care of paperwork, not to mention the thousands of dollars you save in time and effort!

That’s what we promise to do for you with Medicalsoftware.com’s MedAppz. Electronic Medical Records Software (also known Electronic Health Records) is an electronic document containing a patient’s health details.  The software which enables the creation, updation and retrieval of EHRs allows the physician’s clinic to function pretty much like a paperless office.

With EMR, the physician has the advantage of managing patient details from a centralized console with minimum effort, increasing the productivity of the entire consultation process right from scheduling an appointment to the final report. It also means saving a lot of time and effort that is usually spent duplicating the entire process when the patient lands up for another visit. Billing and managing receivables too now become an easy task, with the exact service details being available whenever they are required. And from a patient’s point of view, no more deciphering the physician’s famously illegible handwriting!

Most EMR applications are designed with features capable of handling the various stages of the medical practice process management.  Medappz is one such application with a range of features in its integrated EMR MedAppz iSuite Software suite.  The features, developed with inputs from physicians themselves, include appointment management, recording patient information, diagnostics and prescription, billing and claim management.

Further, the Medappz suite is available as a service, where the application is hosted at a central location on the Web. Physicians can use the software without the hassles of software installation/ maintenance, expensive IT infrastructure and technical resources, simply by means of a secure login access code.  Medappz will also periodically back up your data to avoid data loss and allow future access. Thus the technical process tasks will be dealt with completely and efficiently, and the physician can spend quality time on the actual consultation.

By: Kirsten E. Silven

Medical software for computers has been a vital tool for many health care professionals for several years now. From EMR software to practice management to specialized diagnostic and surgical programs, physicians, nurses, surgeons, EMTs and other members of the medical industry consider these programs absolutely indispensable. In fact, the government has even decided to mandate that doctors “go digital” over the next few years. One notable holdout has been the FDA, or Food and Drug Administration. Despite the fact that computers are everywhere nowadays, the FDA has continued to allow paper filings from physicians, drug companies and medical device makers who need to report problems with products that have already hit the market. Now, however, the government agency is seeking to incorporate medical software into their standard reporting protocol.

Essentially, the FDA wants to make electronic reporting mandatory in the interest of patients who may be affected by flawed or faulty drugs, devices or products. According to an online posting from the FDA, requiring these reports to be filed online will “help lead to faster identification of potential safety problems.” In addition, it seems that an electronic method would allow health care professionals to communicate their findings and concerns more efficiently, and prevent certain reports from being lost, overlooked or tied up in processing.

It seems clear that the FDA should take the plunge and go electronic. While drug companies and device manufacturers have had the option of filing these reports online since the year 2000, making the use of specialized medical software mandatory seems like a step in the right direction for all parties involved. Government agencies like the FDA should be leading the charge when it comes to digitizing the medical industry, not falling behind the times. Implementing this change would be an excellent way to begin doing just that, and securing the health and wellbeing of millions of patients to boot.

Since health care is a bustling, lively, constantly expanding field wherein time is of the essence, most physicians, nurses and medical professionals are very busy individuals. Thus, it’s not surprising that many of them rely on their PDAs, or personal digital assistants, to keep them connected to their practice and their patients even when they’re out of the office or can’t make it to a desktop computer. Luckily, there are many different medical software programs available that are specifically designed to work with handheld electronic devices. These programs allow doctors to stay on top of their game and keep their lives and their medical practice in order without expending a great deal of effort and energy that  could otherwise be devoted to caring for patients.

Here are some of the different kinds of medical software that you can purchase or download for your PDA:

• Information software. These programs allow you to subscribe to news feeds, blogs and medical journals in order to ensure that you have access to all of the latest information in your field right in the palm of your hand. Learn about up-to-the-minute advances in research, technology and treatment so you can better serve your patients!
• Reference software. Instead of poring over dense medical tomes that take up space in your office, simply use one of these programs to conduct a search next time you need the exact definition for a term or you have a question about certain symptoms or potential treatment methods.
• Pharmaceutical software. PDA drug guides can provide information about prices, dosing, drug interactions and more.
• Patient tracking software. Keep all of your patient data on hand and easily accessible, even when you’re out of the office.
• Coding and billing software.
• Calculators and formulas.
• Medical Ebooks. Keep your standby texts in your pocket and free up shelf space at the same time.

For a vast number of health care professionals, medical software is an absolutely essential feature on any portable electronic device – and with so many excellent options to choose from, it’s not difficult to understand why.