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As an example, eCW now has a link to UpToDate. This link appears in the progress note and allows the user to search UpToDate readily. At least, it appears that way. I don't have the subscription so I can't comment as a user. i will post to see who has more experience.
Anyway, any vendors have links to other resources?
Lowell Kleinman, MD www.drkleinman.com www.old-fashionedhousecalls.com
Wow- they don't know what to invent next. It's like using MS Word as a IE-like browser. It can be done, but do you really want to reference UpToDate that way (through eCW)? On the other hand, I'd rather them using 3rd party software for reference than developing that reference in-house.
They are simply running out of things to invent and are trying to come up with something to make their pricetag worthwhile.
Al Borges, M.D.
DrK: As an example, eCW now has a link to UpToDate. This link appears in the progress note and allows the user to search UpToDate readily.
How about a screen shot ?
email:
Al,
alborg: I'd rather them using 3rd party software for reference than developing that reference in-house.
I'd rather them using 3rd party software for reference than developing that reference in-house.
I completely agree with your assessment here with regards to many features that the EMR software companies are looking at. IMHO, many of the software vendors are getting too horizontal which in the end will make their products too complex and problematic to maintain and enhance. Developing the functionality and introducing it is one thing, but the bigger issue is the ability to support and enhance it over the duration of the product life cycle. This, no doubt, is becoming a bigger and bigger issue for all the software developers as each product matures and increases in scope.
The strategy that we have employed here is to seek out the best of the niche players and provide seemless integration with those companies. The old argument of "Interface or Integrate" use to be centered around whether or not a software product had integrated Billing/Scheduling/Charting functionality. I think that most of the products have come close to achieving this, and if not, have several partners that come close to making this a non issue. However, the next frontier is the land of edge functionality with items such as Portals, Kiosks, Patient Notification Services, etc ...
Many of the software companies have developed their own edge products. Patient Portals are one such example. It's tough to argue against the strength and potential of an integrated home grown portal ... if it is properly designed and coded. On the other hand, there are companies that do this as their primary core business, i.e. Medfusion. I tend to lean towards the approach of establishing solid business partners. e-MDs has delivered a very nice portal product and it is full of potential. It does concern me that this is yet one more piece of software that has been loaded into the wagon and must be brought along as new versions are introduced. At some point, IMHO, a company gets too horizontal and software development and release schedules can be hindered by a least common demonimator scenario.
We have partnered with the following companies and have ensured that they properly interface with our core offering (e-MDs). Zirmed (Clearninghouse), OtechGroup (Self Checkin Kiosk), Callpointe (Patient Notification), Televox (Patient Notification), Medfusion (Portal - under development), MediVoxx (Transcription Services), Lifepoint Informatics (Lab Integration).
We continually look to expand our partners and I'm anxious to see what other users respond with. There are many niche companies that offer services that are beneficial to the practices. We continue to seek them out, but most of the time they are brought to our attention by our end users who are looking to solve specific problems at their practice.
Cheers.
Chuck.
UptoDate is the number one decision support tool being used by Physicians at all the major medical schools. I think this link is brilliant. We looked into it a while back, but no such link existed.
I think a EMR that allows you to give your Chief Complaints and your Diagnosis and then look up treatments new and old for this via UptoDate is awesome. Searching related items could really enhance the Physicians Knowledge well beyond his own experience. What a tool, what a good use of EMR/EHR.
I like an EMR that allows the user to customize their own links. I have hyperlinks in my Plan Notes section to Epocrates, several of my own URLs, Merck, etc. When a particular reference is used often, I customize it to a hard button on my TPC.
Chris Wilkerson, D.C. Carson Doctors Group TabletPCs in Medicine Editor-in-Chief www.MedicalTabletPC.com Home: www.Digital-Doc.com
digital-doc: I have hyperlinks in my Plan Notes section to Epocrates
What ? How about a screenshot ? Not sure how this would work. You link to a medication ?
DrMurdoch: digital-doc: I have hyperlinks in my Plan Notes section to Epocrates What ? How about a screenshot ? Not sure how this would work. You link to a medication ?
>>You link to a medication ?<<
No, just my hyperlink to the free online version of ePocrates. I then enter my name and password (which are already saved), wth a single click.
digital-doc: No, just my hyperlink to the free online version of ePocrates. I then enter my name and password (which are already saved), wth a single click.
You want a link to epocrates.com *INSIDE* your EMR ?
There are much quicker ways to work for all your sites.
Dr. M,
e-MDs incorporates Krames Patient Education into their charting product. From the end user's perspective, everything looks like it is running within the e-MDs applications. From a technical standpoint, there is a browser type interface running which is reaching out to the Krames database and pulling the info.
This is a good example of leveraging a quality 3rd party vendor as opposed to building a lesser inhouse product. It's the art of the programmer and system designer to hide the lines of integration and present a clean consistent user interface, which is the case here.
We have several docs who use UpToDate and this would make all the sense in the world to incorporate, as well as Epocrates. Much of this can be achieved by organizing web links, but in reality I think the end users want things even easier. Having tools and resources plugged into the core product (EMR) makes complete sense. Especially when there are many quality 3rd party products. Reinventing the wheel is a bad idea.
I would like to see the cardiac risk calculator in an EMR.
This is the one with Synapse. Note that it is a template so it can be easily altered by the user to use other units instead of mmol/L but since it's a ratio, it doesn't matter.
Graham http://www.synapse-ehr.com/ Synapse - the EMR for the superior physician
>>> UptoDate is the number one decision support tool being used by Physicians at all the major medical schools.
That may be because it's FREE to those clinicians. Outside, in the real world, I use various on-line resources, s.a. eMedicine, Medscape, NIH's website, Epocrates, Merck, and of course the all-knowing Google, all of which are free.
>>You want a link to ePocrates.com *INSIDE* your EMR ? >>
Yes, because when I am in the Plan section, with the patient in front of me, these links serve as mental ticklers and they are all one click away. I actually have them bookmarked in the IE Browser of my Terminal Server monitors as well.
<<There are much quicker ways to work for all your sites.<<
I will link to a hard button on a TPC as that is faster, but bookmarking in an open browser is the same. I assume that is what you had in mind for faster?
digital-doc: I assume that is what you had in mind for faster?
I assume that is what you had in mind for faster?
No. I have methods that are much faster.