Mayo Clinic 2010 Annual Report
Mayo iPhone apps save time, help improve care
Physicians now have mobile access to electronic medical records, AskMayoExpert
Mayo physicians are spending more time in patient rooms and less time in their offices now that they can use Apple's iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to check electronic medical records (EMR) and dictate clinical notes through a proprietary Mayo application, or app, called SynthesisMobile.
Accessing info at home or on the go
Physicians report that SynthesisMobile saves them 10 to 60 minutes per day when they use it during hospital rounds, while riding a shuttle between facilities or when off campus and on call. The iPhone app accesses the same electronic medical records information as the Mayo Clinic desktop software, also called Synthesis, but provides access to a week's worth of patient information, including documents, reports, lab results, medications, vitals and fluids.
Within the first several weeks of its rollout, more than 1,000 physicians across Mayo Clinic downloaded the app. Within the first month, more than 700 became active users, and now about 400 physicians use SynthesisMobile each day.
"Our physicians who were involved in the pilot project of the iPhone application says this is the easiest way to access the EMR ever offered, and one of the best things Mayo has done to enhance electronic systems for clinical practice," says C. Michel Harper Jr., M.D., executive chair for Clinical Practice.
"We developed this application because physicians, in a satisfaction survey, said they wanted mobile, easier and faster access to Mayo information. All indications are that we have achieved that."
Keeping patient information safe and secure
SynthesisMobile is only available via Mayo Clinic's internal "app store" for download to personally owned devices that meet Mayo-approved specifications for security and technology standards.
Improving patient care and provider collaboration
Two other mobile apps help Mayo Clinic employees connect with each other and access valuable information.
- The mobile app version of AskMayoExpert provides quick access to Mayo-vetted clinical information about conditions and their treatments as well as contact information for related Mayo experts.
- The Quarterly Directory app enables display paging, search, one-touch calling, texting and e-mail contact information as well as access to the intranet when using Mayo's wireless network.
As Mayo Clinic continues to develop and offer more apps for physicians and other health care providers, patients will benefit from improved efficiencies.
Mayo Clinic envisions developing meaningful mobile health offerings for audiences that include patients, consumers, corporate clients, medical professionals and academia. According to Scott Eising, Advanced Market/Product Development at Mayo Clinic, "We intend to pair our expertise in health care with our growing understanding of the mobile world to develop products and services that are optimized for the mobile audience."