GE Healthcare showcased the extension of its healthcare IT portfolio to mobile devices and tablet computing at HIMSS11 earlier this week. Its portfolio of EMRs for physician practices, including Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution, is now available for use on the iPad and iPhone.
 
Officials say GE Healthcare is focused on shifting the architecture of its proven software solutions to web technologies, which lighten the application footprint and bring clinicians the benefits of anytime, anywhere access to critical patient data.

[See also: GE makes good on Healthymagination initiative.]

Today, Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution EMR customers are using a range of mobile devices with Internet access to view patient medical records such as history, medication and problem lists, and allergies, helping them reduce potential medical errors and take care of urgent patient questions quickly, even in the evening or on weekends.
 
“GE has some of the best technologies in the world, and now we have the mobile platforms to help customers do even better things with our EMR solutions,” said Jim Corrigan, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare IT. “We can make something easy to use, but the back end can be extremely powerful. The possibilities for rolling out iPad applications to the physician community are truly exciting, and we’re pleased to preview those solutions at HIMSS.”
 
At HIMSS, GE Healthcare demonstrated the iPad applications it plans to roll out this year. These native iPad app versions of Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution will take full advantage of the mobile device’s capabilities, easing the flow of information and adding features such as flicking through the application and zooming in on areas of the screen.

[See also: Healthcare sector among top adopters of iPad.]

The company also launched a limited-time promotion, offering a free iPad to physicians who purchase Centricity Advance before March 31. These customers will have immediate access to the Centricity Advance iPad EMR application when it is available, at no additional charge.
 
“By accessing Centricity Advance on the iPad, providers are able to view the most important patient information and enter clinical notes from the patient appointment room, from home, on the road – wherever makes the most sense and is most convenient,” said Chittaranjan Mallepeddi, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare’s Centricity Advance business. “Not only are we leading the industry in mobile application development, but we’re making the technology more accessible to physicians looking to adopt an EMR now, with the inclusion of a free iPad for new customers.”
 
Centricity Advance and Centricity Practice Solution are part of GE Healthcare’s portfolio of integrated EMR, practice management and patient portal solutions for physicians. In a separate announcement at HIMSS11, GE Healthcare announced the launch of Centricity Practice Solution version 10, which features integrated quality reporting dashboards that are included in the mobile access offering.
 
Centricity Advance is a web-based EMR solution, built as a true Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud computing platform to make the solution affordable, easy to use and flexible to meet the needs of growing physician practices.
 
GE Healthcare is also showing Centricity Imaging Mobile Access for PACS, which will help to enhance patient care by providing untethered access, enabling Centricity PACS users to pull images and reports from an Apple or Android smartphone or tablet. The application is currently 510(k) pending at FDA.