Long gone are the days when grizzled old Marcus Welby came to your door to see how your strep throat was doing.
But now, thanks to a whole new world of technology, healthcare providers are once again making house calls.
House calls offer an alternative to patients whose conditions keep them from getting to and from doctor's appointments, according to a press release about Practice Fusion posted at prnewswire.com.
The company’s new web-based electronic health record (EHR) system, running on an iPad, allows nurse practitioners and other providers to have patient health histories and other important facts at their fingertips when visiting a patient. With their free, portable EHR, providers can now “chart anytime, anywhere without being tethered to a locally-installed EHR or standalone computer,” according to the press release.
Practice Fusion helps solo and small practice physicians switch over from paper charts to a web-based EHR and bring back traditional house calls, “increasing their ability to communicate and collaborate with patients and other care providers in real-time,” according to the press release.
According to the company’s web site, Practice Fusion is an ad-supported solution. To use the app for free, clinicians must first listen to an ad, then be connected to the service. For $100, healthcare providers can use the system ad-free.
In 2005, Scharmaine Lawson-Baker lost all her physical medical records in Hurricane Katrina, but was able to quickly rebuild her practice using this new medical record technology, enabling her to move away from the inefficiencies and risks of paper records, according to the press release.
Previously, Lawson-Baker paid almost $12,000 to use an EHR system, a very expensive way to keep tabs on patients.
In addition to getting the valuable service for free, Lawson-Baker’s new EHR app may allow her to meet “meaningful use” requirements and have her practice CCHIT-certified, according to ehrdecisions.com.
“Scharmaine is a healthcare hero. She is leading the charge with medical technology to support her community and deliver the highest quality of care to patients,” said Ryan Howard, CEO of Practice Fusion, in the press release. “Whether it's a house call, medical office, or from their home, doctors and nurses are creatively delivering medical care using Practice Fusion every day. Our goal is to make a healthcare professional's work easier every step of the way with the best EHR technology absolutely free.”
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Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
