The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is already achieving big results with point-of-care apps, saving time and money for both doctors and patients.

“Many mobile apps have been developed that provide quick access to vital information, and these apps include both provider-centered and patient-centered information that can be used at the point of care,” said Linda Hogan, director of faculty development at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “They are user-friendly, many are free, and some will save patients money on prescriptions.”

But amid the onslaught of available apps, Hogan said that providers must be able to determine how a particular app will be used at the point of care, which means choosing software that is both effective for generating clinical recommendations and simple enough that physicians can demonstrate how patients can use it to improve their health.

Hogan will facilitate a roundtable discussion about improving care delivery while saving time for providers and patients at HIMSS16 during a session titled “10 Essential Point-of-Care Applications for Health Providers.”

Hogan added that such mobile apps should fit into the HIMSS STEPS value optimization framework for technology. STEPS stands for Satisfaction, Treatment, Electronic secure data, Patient engagement and population management, and Savings.

“There should be satisfaction with point-of-care applications available on mobile devices; improved treatment outcomes with up-to-date, convenient reference information for clinical decision-making; and electronic data at the point of care for differential diagnosis and risk calculation,” Hogan said. “One of the apps I will share in this session is designed to save patients money on their prescriptions,” Hogan explained. “Most are designed to help healthcare providers and patients save either money or time or both.”

“10 Essential Point-of-Care Applications for Health Providers” is slated for March 1 from 2:30-3:30 in Galileo 1004 at HIMSS16 in the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas. 

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