Forgot password?
Login / Register
Allscripts has announced the release of Wand, an iPad application that offers EHR users mobile access to the most commonly used functions of the company’s professional and enterprise technologies.
The goal, said Stanley Crane, chief innovation officer for Allscripts, is to offer easy, on-the-go access to the core EHR capabilities that physicians need most. The marching orders for the app’s design, he said, were “let's focus on the classic, typical ordinary things that physicians do every day.”
In developing Wand's interface, Allscripts developers and user experience designers used human performance modeling – a technique used by NASA to predict and improve pilot performance, officials sid.
Allscripts officials tout Wand's ability to let clinicians review a chart quickly before entering the exam room, input real-time information, such as vitals and medications, and access EHR information after hours.
The launch comes on the heels of a recent poll by the Physicians Consulting Network, which found that more than a quarter (27 percent) of physicians own an iPad or similar device – a rate that's five times higher than the general population.
Developers of the Wand say its graphical interface helps clinicians to:
Lisa Young, MD, a physician with Pediatric Clinic LLC in Auburn, Ala., said the app offers a view of “patients’ lab trends that are easy to pull up and look elegant,” adding that “the quick view of immunizations is perfect for pediatrics.”
As for security, Crane said, “When you install Wand, if you are a pro EHR customer, we automatically create an SSL certificate and install it on your software. We can do this automatically behind the scenes.”
He said no patient data is stored on the iPad itself.
“When you hit the home button, there is nothing there,” he said.
Allscripts officials said they submitted all code and protocols to two security scans by third-party companies. “Wand is as secure, as safe, as any other product Allscripts has ever had,” Crane said.
Wand is available for users of Allscripts Professional and Enterprise electronic health records, and users can download the app from iTunes before installing the necessary server components from Allscripts. No on-site training is required, said Crane.
As more physicians flock to mobile devices, he added, it's important to offer a clinician experience that's commensurate with the iPad’s simple and intuitive design.
EHRs themselves may be outfitted with hundreds of capabilities mandated by meaningful use – some of which the physician may never use. But with Wand, Crane said, Allscripts hopes to simplify things, distilling functionality down to the “core mission – what is the healthcare provider trying to do in this moment in time, and what can we do to help them to get their job done?”
More information about formatting options
