Doctors to get patient info via smartphones

More than 150 primary care physicians in Pennsylvania will soon have access to their patients' health plan-based information through their smartphones, enabling them to keep track of prescriptions and receive important clinical alerts at the point of care, reports Healthcare IT News.

AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, billed as one of the largest Medicaid-managed care plans in the US, will start a six-month pilot project in its home state on 1 October, offering a mobile platform to approximately 167 physicians. Those physicians will have access, via mobile devices, to patient-specific clinical and medication information, as well as e-prescribing services.

According to Jay Feldstein, AmeriHealth Mercy regional president, Northern Division: “Mobile technology will allow physicians to have the latest clinical and medication information about patients covered by AmeriHealth Mercy, which will support doctor-patient engagement, a model that has been proven to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs,” writes Insurance and Technology.

Market Watch says to support its mobile healthcare programme, AmeriHealth Mercy selected NaviNet Mobile Connect to deliver care alerts and e-prescribing at no cost to physicians.

NaviNet Mobile Connect is a mobile care management platform that enables health plans to send patient-related information to physicians using handheld devices. NaviNet Mobile Connect, which integrates in real-time with the office's practice management system, is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Windows Mobile platforms.