The iPad is becoming a popular hardware device in the healthcare industry. Research has shown that more and more physicians and hospitals are choosing the iPad as their tablet device. The rising popularity of the device is leading more and more electronic health record (EHR) vendors to provide iPad functionality.
There are 3 main options for vendors looking to include iPad functionality with their EHR software:
- Native: these EMRs were designed specifically for the iPad. They take full advantage of Apple’s iOS.
- Web-based: these EMRs were designed for a web-browser, and work with Safari on the iPad.
- Remote-access: these EMRs (commonly designed for Windows) work by using a remote access system, such as Citrix.
Of the top 10 vendors (by market share), all either provide or have announced initiatives to make their EHR software accessible via the iPad. Here’s a look at how the top ten vendors, based on market share, have approached an iPad EMR solution:
Allscripts
Provides Allscripts Remote, delivered via remote-connection through the iPad. Operates via Allscripts’ web services technology called UAI.
eClinical Works
No official solution, but reseller easeMD, who is a reseller for eClinicalWorks, has released the app iClickDoc – another remote desktop application.
Eclipsys
Provides Sunrise Mobile MD that can access the Sunrise hospital EHR.
Epic
Provides Canto, but much is unknown about the app.
GE Centricity
Announced development of iPad apps back in Februrary. Not much is known, but is expected to debut by the end of this year.
Greenway Medical
Provides PrimeMobile, one of the few native iPhone/iPad EHR apps.
NextGen
Provides NextGen Mobile, which works on all Apple, Blackberry, and many Android devices.
Practice Fusion
Can be accessed via LogMeIn, a third-party remote access app.
Sage Intergy
No iPad functionality, but the system does allow remote access. This means that if configured correctly, that the iPad can access Sage’s EHR software.
SOAPware
Can be accessed via LogMeIn or Jaadu, both third party remote-access apps.
The most common offering seems to be the remote-access solution. But, if the iPad continues to remain popular and become the defacto tablet choice in healthcare, look for more of the major players to announce high quality iPad functionality.
There are other options for healthcare professionals who want to use their iPads to run an EHR system. There are web-based EMRs that operate via the iPad’s Safari web browser. While many of these are ONC-ATCB certified—meaning the physicians can receive government incentives—they are not optimized for the iPad. There are also remote access EHR applications, but these also are not optimized for the iPad. These applications are essentially a mirror of the desktop versions.
There are also a few native iPad EMRs—Dr. Chrono, Nimble, MediMobile, IQMax, Capzule EMR, and Mediforms. These applications take full advantage of the iPad’s slick operating system and provide powerful mobile applications, such as portable medical diagrams and charts. Unfortunately, these systems are not ONC-ATCB certified—a sticking point for many doctors looking to transition from paper systems to electronic health record software.
For more information on iPad EMR applications, check out this guide: iPad EMR Apps | A Guide to Electronic Medical Records.
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