drchrono’s Free EHR iPad App now certified for Meaningful Use

Feds Approve $44,000 Reimbursement for Using drchrono’s Free iPad App

Federal Sanction Could Be Needed Boost to Enable iPad as New Platform in Battle to Inspire Electronic Medical Records

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--drchrono, the company modernizing healthcare through a free Electronic Health Record (EHR) platform on the iPad, announced today that its free iPad app has received official government certification that will result in doctors receiving $44,000 in incentives when they use drchrono as an electronic medical records platform. The certification makes drchrono the first native EHR on the iPad to be certified for Meaningful Use.

Laptop theft is a leading cause of health data breaches

Here are more reasons why we should be using Cloud Computing in health care. According to this story on Government Health IT, laptop theft is a top cause of health data breaches:

Laptop theft is the most prevalent cause of the breach of health information affecting more than 500 people, according to the Health & Human Services Department, which last year began tracking data breaches by public and private healthcare organizations.

The fact that laptops are so easily stolen underscores the importance of physical security in the protection of health information, according to Adam Greene, senior health IT and privacy specialist in HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, which enforces the privacy and security rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Read the full story on Government Health IT.

Ingenious Med Founder, Steven Liu, Earns Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine Designation

Ingenious Med Founder, Steven Liu, Earns Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine Designation

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, March 22, 2010-- The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) has announced that
Steven Liu, MD, chairman and founder of healthcare IT company, Ingenious Med, is among the more than 150 hospitalists nationwide who have earned the inaugural designation of Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine (SFHM).

Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Have you heard of the term "virtualization software" used in the context of health IT? I'm sure you've heard of cloud computing. Some experts have said that virtualization unlocks cloud computing. Many people still have misconceptions about cloud computing and may even confuse this phrase with virtualization. Grid computing (a form of distributed computing and parallel computing, whereby a 'super and virtual computer' is composed of a cluster of networked, loosely coupled computers acting in concert to perform very large tasks) deals with virtual machines.

Do physicians prefer mobile computers or workstations? #HIMSS10

Here at HIMSS10, I heard several stories where hospitals were trying to determine what type of computing form factor they should adopt as they prepared to transition from paper orders to computerized physician order entry (CPOE). Do physicians prefer mobile computers like laptops and tablet PCs, or do they prefer workstations with large monitors?

You can't answer this question through a series of surveys. However, you could set up a "tech day" where you set up several different clinical stations that simulate the clinical workflow. Station one may have a slate tablet PC. Station two may have a workstation with a 19" monitor. Station three may have a convertible tablet attached to a docking station and large monitor. You can have physicians try each different station and rate their level of comfort at each station.

In general, you'll find that older physicians like the larger monitors. Younger physicians who train with tablet PCs and laptops will prefer mobility. How do you reconcile these differences?

Special thanks to HP for sponsoring me to attend HIMSS10 and blog about my experiences.

July "Top Posts" on Mobile Health Computing

Here are the top posts for Mobile Health Computing in July:

1. 7 Ways Every Medical Professional Can Use The Kindle

2. Why use a tablet PC in the medical world?

3. Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Tablet Review

4. Windows 7 RC on Thinkpad X200 Tablet: Screen Brightness

5. Archos 9 Windows 7 tablet

6. Viliv S5 reviewed by PC Magazine

7. Dreaming about my next computer

8. Free Wi-Fi while camping

9. Always On USB

10. Apple Tablet or Giant iPod?

Search engines represent 20% of my site traffic and I've noticed that people who land here are looking mainly for information about the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 tablet or mini computers like the Viliv S5 and X70. I'm an early adopter, so I love these small computers. How will mobile computing evolve as health information technology (health IT) becomes a bigger component of the healthcare industry?

Will the Tablet PC Gain Traction?

With so much emphasis being placed on Health Information Technology (health IT, HIT, or HITECH) by the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), will tablet PCs make a comeback in the healthcare sector? Electronic health record (EHR) vendors are making software to be optimized for pen-based entry, but physicians and other clinicians are not adapting well to pen-based computing. They revert to the old mouse and keyboard. Why?

Will we see the Tablet PC gain traction over the next few years among medical professionals? Maybe as more physicians see pharmaceutical representatives (drug sales reps) using Tablet PCs, they will slowly recognize the potential these devices have to offer. Perhaps tablet PC training needs to be a core part of the medical school or residency curriculum. I know that certain medical schools require all their medical students to purchase a specific tablet PC (like the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet). Will that become the norm?

eClinicalWorks, Dell, and Walmart

The eClinicalWorks package at Walmart will include Dell computers. Which Dell tablet PC will be included in the package? That's right, the expensive Dell XT2 Tablet running Microsoft Windows. No Apple tablet running OS X for those who are Mac lovers. I wonder if we'll actually get the chance to play around with an XV2 in the Walmart stores. People don't recognize the value of a tablet PC and most will probably use this convertible tablet as a notebook/laptop. However, for those who take advantage of the pen-based input system, they will quickly learn how efficient they can be by using the digital stylus. What about the ultra-mobile PC platform? Sometimes I wonder about these tiny devices and netbooks. Will they gain momentum in the healthcare field?

Are You Ready for Windows 7?

Have you tried Windows 7? I've been so unhappy with Vista that I've gone back to XP on most of my machines, including my mission critical PC. However, I'm quite intrigued by Windows 7. We will probably see a slim (or lite) version of Windows 7 for UMPCs and netbooks. I'm still running XP on my Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC and my OQO model 02. Will Windows 7 be the ideal operating system for power PCs and ultra-low-cost machines?

In the healthcare field, XP will probably continue to dominate for a few more years because of the way many EHR/EMR systems are configured. Plus, you're often using older peripherals like scanners, printers, bar code scanning devices, and other devices. Some ambulatory EHRs have an EKG attachment that hooks up via USB. My guess is that most of those older connections will only work on PCs running XP. So, I think that health IT will lag behind other industries and we'll be using XP for a long time.