Few iPhone health apps available today are specifically designed to connect patients with care providers in real-time. GreatCall, which offers the Jitterbug mobile phone service, launched such an iPhone app this week: LiveNurse offers unlimited access to a registered nurse 24 hours a day and seven days a week along with a medical library and symptom navigator tool. GreatCall partnered with A.D.A.M. to include its medical encyclopedia and interactive decision tools, which are based on information from the NIH and CDC. While its free to download, the LiveNurse iPhone app requires users to have already signed up for a $3.99 monthly subscription.
The app offers "one touch" access to users looking to speak to a nurse. Nurses are available to talk to patients anytime without an appointment, according to the company. Nurses are available for both English and Spanish speakers, too. The app also lets users search for their symptoms by body part, keywords, or the alphabet. Users can also revisit past searches for recurrent issues. An avatar also helps users search for symptoms by body part or area. Perhaps the best feature is GreatCall's "Shake for Help", which enables confused app users to simply shake their phone to receive a help bubble that explains how that particular screen of the app works.
GreatCall already offers LiveNurse to its Jitterbug users through its Jitterbug Service Store. In mid-2010 the Jitterbug version of LiveNurse already had 12,000 users, according to GreatCall. The company also offers a personal emergency response app for iPhone users called 5Star and a medication adherence app called MedCoach. Similar offerings are available to Jitterbug subscribers.
“Our customers want the convenience of obtaining information and connecting with a healthcare professional that can answer their specific questions and provide concise, relevant advice when they need it and from where ever they are,” Madeline Pantalone, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, GreatCall stated in a release. “LiveNurse was designed to do just that. Whether you’re at the playground with your child, shopping with a friend, on vacation, or visiting a family member, you can have immediate access to the service and use it to address any health concern when it arises.”
More details in the press release below:
PRES RELEASE: San Diego, CA. – April 3, 2012 -- GreatCall, Inc., a leader in wireless services that enable people to stay connected, safe and healthy, today announced the immediate availability of its award-winning LiveNurse service as a mobile app for the iPhoneTM. The LiveNurse app is a unique service that combines unlimited access to a registered nurse for advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the best features of a robust and consumer-friendly medical library and medical symptom checker tool. LiveNurse joins the company’s growing portfolio of award-winning apps such as 5Star Urgent Response ™ and MedCoach™ and is available for $3.99 per month.
What differentiates and makes LiveNurse unique from other wellness apps is that it provides users with immediate access to a live registered nurse just by simply tapping an icon on your device. The nurse will ask a few basic questions and follow standard medical protocols to direct the caller to the appropriate care for their situation. If at any time users need assistance with using LiveNurse, they can use the Shake for Help™ feature -- simply shake your device and step-by-step user instructions will appear on your screen. For additional customer support, and guidance, users can also contact GreatCall’s U.S. based customer service team 24/7 via phone or email.
Additionally, the new app provides its users with access to a wealth of health information provided by the award-winning A.D.A.M. (a Division of Ebix, Inc (NASDAQ:EBIX) Medical Encyclopedia. The look-up feature is easy to use, offering step-by-step descriptions of common medical procedures and treatments, lists of symptoms, warnings, tests and results, prevention and more. Another key feature is the app’s Interactive Symptom Checker tool, also supported by A.D.A.M.’s award winning content. It allows users to identify symptoms and possible causes, when to self-treat and when to contact a medical professional.
“Our customers want the convenience of obtaining information and connecting with a healthcare professional that can answer their specific questions and provide concise, relevant advice when they need it and from where ever they are,” said Madeline Pantalone, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, GreatCall. “LiveNurse was designed to do just that. Whether you’re at the playground with your child, shopping with a friend, on vacation, or visiting a family member, you can have immediate access to the service and use it to address any health concern when it arises.”
According to a November 2010 study[1] by Research2Guidance, a consulting firm and reported by epatients.net, as many as 500 million people will be using healthcare mobile apps by 2015. If the prediction is correct, it means that there is a rapidly growing acceptance to people owning smartphones and empowering themselves as healthcare consumers with interactive apps. Among the individuals polled for the research, 33% indicated that they want to manage their health records online and 32% said they want to have telehealth visits with their doctors.
Key Features of LiveNurse:
· Call a live registered nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
· Shake for Help™, a handy tool to always get an answer when you need one. Just shake your phone at any time and information will appear via a help “bubble” on screen specific to the topic being read
· Access to the award-winning A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia data and Interactive Decision Tools that provide evidence-based health information from leading medical institutions including the National Institutes of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
· Log-in to pre-existing GreatCall account via the LiveNurse app
· Contact customer care via phone and email
· Recommend the application to others
“Smartphone users are beginning to embrace mobile health and fitness applications to enhance their lives. As access to healthcare providers continues to get more difficult due to capacity constraints, robust mobile apps like LiveNurse will become even more indispensable to the savvy consumer,” continued Pantalone.
Download LiveNurse at Apple’s App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id428263748
To access company logo and high resolution images, please visit: www.greatcall.com/assets
Follow GreatCall on Twitter: @GreatCallInc, and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/greatcall
About GreatCall, Inc.
GreatCall differentiates itself as a company of “People You Can Count On” to deliver wireless services focused on helping to keep customers connected, safe and healthy™. The company stands apart from other wireless services providers through its simplified, personalized and humanized approach, as well as its commitment to providing a high quality customer service experience. The company has been widely praised for its ability to deliver the benefits of innovation and technology in a meaningful and easy-to-use format. GreatCall has received prominent national media accolades from the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, Washington Post and major TV broadcast networks.
GreatCall’s services, apps, cell phone handsets, including the new 5Star Urgent Response™ are sold nationwide at leading retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Sears, Sears Hometown Stores, Radio Shack Dealer Franchise, Fry’s Electronics and ShopKo, as well as direct to consumers at 1-800-918-8543 and online at GreatCall.com. Service coverage includes the U.S. and Canada. GreatCall is located in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit www.GreatCall.com.
About A.D.A.M.
A.D.A.M. is a business unit of Ebix (NASDAQ: EBIX), a leading international supplier of on-demand software and e-commerce services for the insurance, healthcare, and health education markets.
With 30+ offices across the U.S., Brazil, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada, Ebix provides SaaS-based products, support and consultancy to thousands of customers on six continents. Ebix’s focus on quality has enabled it to be awarded Level 5 status of the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model (CMM). With a recent ISO 27001-security certification, the company also has an ISO 9001:2000 certification for both its development and BPO units in India. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ebix.com
