Simulated screenshots of AirStrip's expanded iPad app
This week San Antonio-based AirStrip Technologies announced that it was expanding its suite of mobile patient monitoring applications to enable physicians to more easily access information housed in various electronic health record systems (EHRs) via their mobile devices. The expanded offering leverages a recent acquisition by AirStrip. The company bought the worldwide, exclusive rights to market and develop San Diego-based healthcare system Palomar Health's EHR-agnostic and mobile-enabled MIAA (Medical Information Anytime Anywhere) platform.
While the companies aren't calling it an acquisition officially, that is what it is in effect, they told MobiHealthNews.
AirStrip's expanded offering will make available real-time access to medical device data as it always has but it will also now include all other current and historical patient information that is relevant to clinical decision-making. AirStrip's CEO Alan Portela stressed to MobiHealthNews in an interview that the key is that the augmented mobile application will allow physicians to access information stored in EHRs developed by different EHR and EMR vendors. Because of increasing consolidation between organizations that own healthcare facilities and the fact that it is not unusual for the same healthcare system to have different EHR systems installed in its various facilities, the need for a mobile app that can access data from multiple records systems is crucial.
AirStrip specifically pointed to Cerner and the VA's VistA EHR system as two examples of the EHRs it currently can help physicians access through the app.
AirStrip's Portela has long-argued that EHRs are important but mostly as platforms, like the operating system on a computer. Their true value and benefits are unlocked by connecting mobile apps and other technologies built on top of them.
More details on the expanded feature set of AirStrip's mobile offerings in the press release below:
PRESS RELEASE: SAN ANTONIO – June 14, 2012 – AirStrip Technologies, Inc., the leader in mobile patient monitoring solutions, has expanded its platform to deliver information currently housed in electronic health record systems to clinicians using mobile devices. For the first time, within a single mobile solution, physicians have real-time access to medical device data such as ECG waveforms as well as all other current and historical patient information imperative to clinical decision-making but formerly locked away in difficult to access, often disparate records repositories.
By making patient information accessible by physicians when and where they need it, workflow and clinical decision-making can be strengthened, all while leveraging the investments that healthcare organizations have already made in their existing EHR systems.
The expanded platform and application, which are now available, include the following key features:
•Vendor-independent, real-time access to patient information housed in multiple electronic health record systems such as Cerner Millennium® and the Veterans Administration CPRS/VistATM, with more being planned
•Consolidated patient summary to facilitate rapid ‘on-the-go’ review of critical patient information
•Real-time access to clinical information including allergies, medications, laboratory results, medical images, clinical documentation, vital signs, and more
•Cross-organizational view of patient information to facilitate integrated care coordination, providing support for emerging Accountable Care Organizations and the medical home
•Clinical context messaging, video and voice integration that facilitates collaboration across a mobile care team
•Mobilization of health information exchange transactions, such as the dynamic generation of Continuity of Care Documents (CCD) from electronic patient record systems, and interoperability with NwHIN (Nationwide Health Information Network) DIRECT
“AirStrip is integrating this new offering with our current mobile medical platform and FDA-cleared, CE- marked applications for smartphones and tablets, including AirStrip OBTM, AirStrip CARDIOLOGYTM, and AirStrip PATIENT MONITORINGTM,” noted AirStrip Technologies CEO Alan Portela. “By combining these two powerful platforms, physicians gain ‘anytime, anywhere’ mobile access to all information they need, regardless of where their patient has been seen.”
Vendors typically attempt to mobilize patient information using desktop virtualization, a process with severe limitations. “In contrast, the AirStrip platform embraces the rich native design characteristics of current smartphone and tablet applications, enabling intuitive click, scroll, pinch and zoom functionality without delays or data degradation,” Portela added.“The AirStrip user experience is uniform, smooth and instant even if the data connection is sporadic, supporting workflow improvements and more timely clinical decisions.”
The AirStrip platform expansion was initially developed by Palomar Health, the largest healthcare district in California, under the name MIAA (Medical Information Anytime Anywhere). The original application was the first of its kind for any healthcare organization, and represented a significant milestone in the advancement of mobile technology in healthcare. Under the agreement, AirStrip holds exclusive rights to enhance, support, and market the application across the globe.
“We are very excited about the prospect of sharing our mobile platform with colleagues across the healthcare industry,” said Orlando Portale, Chief Innovation Officer for Palomar Health and co-inventor of the application. “Mobility will be a key enabler for improving both care coordination and clinical outcomes - which in turn will drive higher levels of patient and physician satisfaction.”
About AirStrip Technologies, Inc.
Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas and backed by Sequoia Capital, AirStrip Technologies develops first-in-class mobile technology that enables access to live and actionable patient data across the care continuum. By pioneering mobility in healthcare through solutions that can be accessed without restrictions—geographic or otherwise—AirStrip will further enhance physician reach and improve patient outcomes to transform healthcare. AirStrip Technologies develops native smartphone and tablet applications for true mobility-enhancing clinical workflow and decision making, allowing physicians to be anywhere and still access patient information. Visit www.airstriptech.com for more information.
About Palomar Health
Palomar Health, formerly Palomar Pomerado Health, operates two hospitals and several other health facilities throughout north San Diego County. It plans to open a third hospital this summer, the new Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.
