3M Bluetooth stethoscope
3M recently announced a suite of mobile applications for physicians for iPad, iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. The offerings includes four apps: Mobile Patient Lists, Mobile Rounds, Mobile Dictation, and Mobile Charge Capture. 3M describes the charge capture app as comprehensive and intelligent coding advice for physicians since it notifies them of potential missing or lost charges.
The apps are the latest offerings to come out of 3M's partnership with IQMax, which partnered with 3M to develop mobile health apps last December. Most of the mobile health activities coming out of 3M that we have tracked are centered on its 3M Littmann wireless-enabled stethoscope, which allows remote physicians to hear what the physician examining the patient hears through a connected stethoscope. 3M recently announced plans to send the connected stethoscope to space so that Japanese astronauts can benefit from the remote monitoring device.
The launch of this suite of mobile apps also follows on an app 3M announced for physician mobile dictation in December 2009. At the time we wrote that, "3M Mobile Dictation, does not require the user to synch his dictation software with the server since it provides always-on connectivity. The software also enables physicians to view patient lists, search patient IDs and display the most current patient information on their phone’s screen." Sounds like it includes some of the functionality this recently app suite offers.
In its most recent press release, 3M reports that "American physicians spend nearly eight hours per week on paperwork and employ 1.66 clerical workers per doctor to manage administrative tasks." The company cites the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) for more data: "An average 2.78 claims per full-time physician are denied each week due to insufficient information."
Read on for a description from 3M of each of the four apps in the new physician mobile suite from 3M:
3M Mobile Physician Solution offers four main modules in a powerful all-in-one tool:
3M Mobile Patient Lists
Real-time access to patient lists helps physicians plan and organize their day while on the go. Customization features make it easy to sort patient lists by location, by appointment date, by hospital census, or if rounding for another doctor, by that physician’s patients.
3M Mobile Rounds
Physicians can view patient medications, allergies, vitals, and other critical data during hospital rounds, before a clinic visit, or in a consult with another physician. Lab test results and other findings are available in real-time on their mobile device, reducing physician wait time and making it possible to initiate treatment plans immediately.
3M Mobile Dictation
A simple click on a quick launch icon brings up 3M Mobile Dictation, allowing physicians to record and transmit dictated progress notes to the facility’s dictation and speech recognition systems. Physician voice files are automatically linked to the correct patient, eliminating the need to enter patient identifier numbers, which reduces errors and promotes faster transcription turnaround time.
3M Mobile Charge Capture
Physicians can capture professional fee charges for any patient encounter by selecting and pairing the correct billing codes with the appropriate diagnosis or procedure. 3M coding advice alerts physicians to missing or incomplete information, reducing claim denials and promoting accurate reimbursement.
3M Mobile Physician Solution keeps patient data secure through the use of advanced encryption technology and a full range of security features that meet HIPAA requirements and hospital-specific security guidelines. 3M Mobile Physician Solution is delivered on the IQMax mHealth Communications Platform, designed to facilitate real-time communications on industry-leading technology that is highly scalable and easily implemented. The 3M solution is fully integrated with hospital and physician practice management systems to provide instant access to patient information stored in the patient’s electronic health record.
More in the release here
