In March physician network Sermo announced it was working with Johnson & Johnson company Janssen Global Services to develop mobile apps for its 120,000 members. This week Sermo launched Sermo Mobile, an iPhone app that provides users access to Sermo discussions and enables users to query other Sermo members.
The app's primary feature is called iConsult, a physician consultation feature that makes use of the phone's camera: "With three touches of the screen, physicians can take or add a photograph of a physical finding, x-ray or laboratory result, choose a suitable question from the list available and then immediately send it to relevant specialists in the Sermo network," the company's press release states. "Members can view and respond in real time, offering unparalleled access to shared medical expertise."
"The ability to consult with my colleagues in real-time, from the patient's bedside or my exam room, addresses an unmet need and will be of tremendous benefit, particularly for urgent clinical cases when I need an immediate response," said Christopher Y. Chang, MD, Fauquier ENT Consultants. "Similarly, the capacity to instantly post images and explanations about a patient case and share this information with colleagues through Sermo Mobile helps me provide the best care possible to my patients."
Sermo Mobile is available for free from the online network's site as well as in the iTunes AppStore, where the app became available on July 5. The app description claims that since the Sermo website launched in 2006 it has logged "100,000 discussions and 2 million comments to date and counting. Thousands of clinical cases solved on Sermo."
The addition of mobile is sure to help those numbers jump. Question is: What took them so long?
More in Sermo's press release below:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 13, 2011 -- Sermo, Inc. (www.sermo.com), the largest online network in the United States exclusive to physicians, today introduced Sermo Mobile, an application that allows physicians to access the country's greatest concentration of medical knowledge in real-time. Sermo Mobile builds on Sermo's current web platform, an online resource where physicians from across 68 specialties and all 50 states collaborate, discuss and consult with each other to provide the highest quality care to their patients.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/51104-sermo-launches-real-time-medicine-mobil...
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110713/MM34274 )
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110321/MM68825LOGO)
"Sermo Mobile allows members quick and easy access to the knowledge and expertise of leading PCPs and specialists throughout the country, anytime, anywhere," said Daniel Palestrant, MD, founder and CEO of Sermo. "Turning the concept of real-time medicine into reality has been our vision for some time, and this technology allows physicians to immediately impact patient care."
A key feature of Sermo Mobile is iConsult. With three touches of the screen, physicians can take or add a photograph of a physical finding, x-ray or laboratory result, choose a suitable question from the list available and then immediately send it to relevant specialists in the Sermo network. Members can view and respond in real time, offering unparalleled access to shared medical expertise.
Additional features of Sermo Mobile include:
Fast, easy access to Sermo discussions about clinical cases, practice management, healthcare reform and more
Anytime, anywhere access to the Sermo community to ask questions or share opinions
Ability to author and track posts directly from a mobile phone
Notifications that keep members informed of the latest developments in medicine
"The ability to consult with my colleagues in real-time, from the patient's bedside or my exam room, addresses an unmet need and will be of tremendous benefit, particularly for urgent clinical cases when I need an immediate response," said Christopher Y. Chang, MD, Fauquier ENT Consultants. "Similarly, the capacity to instantly post images and explanations about a patient case and share this information with colleagues through Sermo Mobile helps me provide the best care possible to my patients."
Working in close collaboration with physicians across the country, Sermo identified an increase in mobile use in clinical settings, and the need for a mobile app to complement its online service. Sermo Mobile is currently available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. A partner of Janssen Global Services, LLC, Sermo will continue to develop and deliver additional real-time services that will help physicians provide more efficient and enhanced care to their patients.
