Everything I need – including my EHR system – is in my pocket!
As time passes, it’s hard to keep up with the daily advances in the world of technology. Every day we are bombarded with a new device to wear, app to download or update to complete which make our lives easier. As long as I have my smart phone in my pocket, it has become a reality that everything I need is at my fingertips.
I experienced this phenomenon most recently after going for a walk one Saturday morning. I woke up early to get some exercise before the daily demands started to pile up. With my smart phone in tow for music, I set off. Midway through the course, I was distracted by the local Starbucks and decided to stop in for a quick break. No wallet on me, I was able to swipe to the app on my phone and make my purchase. I’m grateful to be part of this digital era, when you don’t have to have your purse or wallet on you at all times.
The impact of this cloud-based freedom really set in when my answering service called while I was enjoying my beverage. As a practicing rheumatologist, I take after-hours calls for the practice every three weeks. The calls range from last minute medication refills to more serious issues of hospitalization. There was a time, not so long ago, when I would have to call the patient back with only the knowledge of his/her name, phone number and one sentence describing the reason for the call. Fortunately, this is no longer the case.
Pocket EMA has revolutionized my ability to review a patient’s entire medical record prior to calling him/her back. Modernizing Medicine’s Electronic Medical Assistant® (EMA
) is a specialty-specific electronic health record (EHR) system that is cloud-based and mobile, giving doctors the freedom to access a medical record in real time from any device. EMA EHR is native to the iPad, and in my daily practice, I move from room to room effortlessly charting along the way. It’s a time saver for both my staff and me.
Pocket EMA is the smart phone counterpart to EMA that allows the doctor to have the app at his or her fingertips on the go. In my opinion, this translates into patient safety. By being able to access a patient’s chart and review allergies and current medications, one can easily avoid drug reactions and interactions. The physician is able to review the patient’s past notes and additional documents such as imaging reports. In addition, the app allows physicians to access private calling, clickable drug formularies and e-prescribe capabilities. And whether my colleagues have an iPhone or an Android phone, Pocket EMA has a native app for both operating systems.
EMA and Pocket EMA specialty-specific EHR systems are available for dermatology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, orthopedics, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, urology and rheumatology.