Mobile Medicine:
Increasing Productivity with Mobile
Integration.
Executive Summary
Mobile devices – smartphone or tablet computers – are everywhere increasing effectiveness and efficiency in everyday life. They transform the traditional ways of working. For example, grocery store chains now offer mobile applications, or “apps”, that encourage electronic coupons that can be virtually “clipped” with any hand held device at any time or place and save money instantly at the store check‐ out. With this kind of emerging technology it is a natural evolution that healthcare would in‐turn advance by using new devices and applications to drive the future of medicine towards mobility. The early defining capability of mobility in healthcare included elemental services like making office visit appointments via a centralized call center. Today, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are using mobile apps daily to research medical material and exchange information on a regular basis. General non‐EMR mobile apps are being adopted as soon as they are being developed. According to industry estimates, 500 million smartphone users worldwide will be using a health care application by 2015. By 2018, 50 percent of the more than 3.4 billion smartphone and tablet users will have downloaded mobile health applications. A major driving force in mobility is to aide healthcare professionals with remote patient monitoring and to facilitate effective and timely delivery. Does a mobile version of the electronic medical record live up to its promise to boost productivity? What about cost saving? According to the results of the 2015 Mobile Technology Survey, Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) in their recent study of more than 200 healthcare provider employees, more than 70 percent of participants utilize app‐enabled portals to engage patients and reduce costs. In addition, more than 90 percent of the survey group is currently utilizing mobile devices within their organizations to engage patients regarding their healthcare. The report also showed that mobile healthcare technologies are beginning to cut provider costs and improve quality of care delivered. Also reported in the 2015 Mobile Technology Survey by HIMSS, 54 percent of survey participants indicated they achieved cost savings when asked if the addition of mobile technology had a positive return on cost.Benefits and Solutions of Mobility
While healthcare is one of the leading professions to embrace mobility, it is well behind other industries such as food service, retail or banking. Clearly mobility in healthcare is gaining momentum and interest at a rapid pace. It has become imperative for healthcare providers to stay competitive and to find ways to connect with patients without losing productivity. Insurance reimbursements and patient collections continue to decline while operating costs per provider have increased and are still on the rise. Therefore, mobile integration must strike a balance between productivity and cost savings while placing critical functions in the hands of the end user, the healthcare professional. Concerns over how to best control costs while having a proportion of meaningful interactions that support decision making are shaping the decision to go mobile. Despite the concerns, nearly 50% of healthcare providers see the deployment of mobile technology as a high priority, while 78% see it as at least a medium priority. Standard functions offered by mobile applications include viewing patient notes, sending an electronic prescription, receiving lab results, ordering a test or other procedures. In short, mobility must help providers to overcome challenges and promote effective healthcare delivery. Healthcare providers will most likely use many apps at different times throughout the work day while in or away from the office. While mobile apps for healthcare have become easy to integrate with various job duties within the medical organization, it would stand to reason that the apps that might be most widely used would be the ones that offer a service that is streamlined and familiar. Is the healthcare professional even included in the workflow of the app? Often, standalone apps or provider centric apps will not achieve the same goals as the patient centric apps. The well delivered app to the healthcare provider should furnish a continuous familiarity of the patient across time as well as be capable of aproactive response. In short, mobile apps should not be viewed as one size fits all. An effective mobile application should facilitate the end user to seek out and identify the information needed in order to make a medical decision. This includes making it easy and simple to use in terms of logging in and entering a patient record with pertinent information (i.e. information at the fingertips of the clinician.) How should healthcare providers go about selecting which mobile application is best for them? Our advice is to evaluate the workflows of the practice and identify guidelines that will lead to a successful integration, especially in moments when the clinician is not in the comfort of the office with the EMR within arm’s reach. Is there timely and immediate access whenever and wherever? Does the app offer a “one stop shopping” approach where there is a minimal amount of searching and tapping? Does the app capture patient data seamlessly? Does the app offer administrative functionality or the ability to integrate into your office based system?
Considerations for Integrating
Mobile Technology
Benefits of Integrating Mobile
Technology
Provide a Valuable Service Increase Productivity Expedite Decision Making Reduce Cost Minimum Administrative Tasks Improve Patient OutcomesGoing Mobile
InSync Mobile adds freedom and value to the healthcare provider. Today’s healthcare professional has the opportunity to grow and explore new opportunities as technology advances towards data management. Mobility also allows for the capture and documentation of an encounter that is directly stored in the patient record for staff to understand and process in a timely manner. Mobile apps are a critical part in time management and patient engagement. Ongoing, the mobile user will be enabled with up‐to‐date patient information and therefore better equipped to make sound decisions and retain data for administrative processing, thus providing a better experience for the patient. The mobile health revolution is in a period of rapid growth, adaption and evolution. There is no better time to take advantage of all mobility has to offer.InSyncMobile™
InSyncMobile™
offers a cost effective mobile solution that is a secure HIPAA compliant EMR integrated mobile solution. Thus allowing for increased productivity via robust synchronization. With InSyncMobile™
, making the mobile transition will provide you with a strong platform for patient engagement that is easy to use whether you are a clinician or staff member. There is no sacrificing ofthe workflow or clinical documentation and no repetition of data entry across different EMR systems. Our mobile app incorporates: Access Patient Information Remotely Patient Demographics Patient Health Information: allergies, medications E‐Prescribing Clinical Reports Documentation Capabilities Facilitate direct communication with patients Increase Practice efficiencies Enhanced overall patient care InSyncMobile
