Feature of the day: Patient Portal

NOSH ChartingSystem features a Patient Portal, as a standard feature.  Essentially, the patient has access to the NOSH ChartingSystem but has significantly different permissions and a different dashboard than other types of users.  So what type of features does the Patient Portal offer for patients?

First, patients have electronic access to their medical records.  This includes test results, encounters and other pertinent documents.

Second, there is intra-office messaging and direct messaging to the medical provider that is secure and HIPAA compliant.

Third, there is an online scheduling system that is nearly identical to the provider schedule.  The only difference is that other patient appointments are blocked out and there are no patient identifiers (obviously for HIPAA compliance).  NOSH ChartingSystem also has, built-in, the ability to remind patients via e-mail or SMS (text messaging) about their upcoming appointment 48 hours prior.

Feature of the day #4

NOSH ChartingSystem has a very easy-to-use scheduling system that is flexible to each medical provider and is accessible through the patient account portal when a patient is given access.  On top of that, there are built-in features such as e-mail or SMS (text messaging) reminders of appointments to patients 48 hours in advance!  Usage is super easy with just clicking the time and entering the information for the appointment.  You can even drag and move the appointment or extend the appointment time with your mouse!

 

Just a friendly reminder, please contact me if you have downloaded and utilized NOSH ChartingSystem!  Thanks!

Feature of the day #3

Another cool feature on NOSH ChartingSystem is the ability to print out growth charts for kids.  The charts are based off of the World Health Organization Growth Standards.  The use of the Highcharts jQuery plugin makes the chart look really nice to look at and easy to use!

Feature of the day #2

Another useful feature is prevention guidelines taken from US Preventative Services Task Force.  Based on the information of the patient (child, gender, and other parameters entered into the chart), NOSH will automatically retrieve and display the recommendations on a dialog box so that a glance, you can see recommendations for your patient.  What it will NOT do is force you to adhere to these recommendations and will NOT affect your workflow in any way…because, in general, most doctors went to medical school to know where and when to look up the information and to use it when appropriate.

Feature of the day

For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting a few significant features of NOSH ChartingSystem.

One significant feature of NOSH ChartingSystem is the easy to use “Quick Glace” feature.  As you hover over one of the left hand headings (Demographics, Issues, Medications, Allergies, Alerts, Supplements), you’ll get a quick snapshot of the pertinent information of each heading.  Even better is that this is available when you are documenting your encounter, typing in a telephone message from a patient, viewing lab reports, or reviewing consult notes.  When you click on each heading, you can update the information quickly and easily.  Take a look at a screenshot!

For those of you that have tried installing NOSH ChartingSystem and are using it, please e-mail me and let me know!

What makes the GUI for NOSH so special?

If you just read the title of this blog, for some people, it sounds like I’m talking about the chewing consistency of snack food!  Although I love to talk about yummy food, GUI actually stands for Graphical User Interface.  Some have been asking me, what makes the GUI so special in this electronic health record that I made?

Well, most doctors I know generally do not like their current EHR because the GUI looks like it got pulled from the 1970’s and it looks like  a spreadsheet.  You have to click on hidden windows and buttons and what could have been a simple flick of the hand when you open a paper chart, is a series of pre-learned steps to get just one piece of information (like finding out a medication allergy).

If you check out my live demonstration, you can see that I don’t really need to give someone a tutorial about how to get the information that you need as a doctor.  If you know how to use Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or any other web-based mail program, you pretty much know how to get what you need in a flash.  Here are some examples of the intuitive nature of this GUI…

• Type a few letters in the Search Patient bar that is at the top of the page (where it’s clearly visible) and the  system automatically gives you a list of patients without clicking an extra button to search.  This is everywhere in NOSH ChartingSystem where a doctor usually types in something to search for, like a medication name, diagnosis code, supplement, procedure code.  When you get the list, it doesn’t obliterate the page you’re at and switch you to a different page, you’re still right where you are.
• Hover your mouse over Demographics, Medications, Issues, or Allergies and instantly, you get a snapshot of the information seek.  No button clicking and you get to see it anywhere you have the chart open, whether you’re typing in a telephone encounter or an office visit.
• The main patient chart is simple and uncluttered, yet informative at the same time.  It just looks peaceful (most doctors I know need it in the hustle and bustle of work!).

Although talking about the GUI may seem mundane to some people, it is the number one reason doctors hate EHR’s (if you are in the doctor’s forum Sermo, there’s a lot of complaining out there!).  Out of frustration of all the other EHR’s I’ve used, which made me cringe every day, I became my own harshest critic when I made my system from scratch.  My testing bed was my own practice, and I continued to refine it over time until I knew I got it right…until it just made sense.

I believe an EHR should be built for physicians not for system or health administrators (full disclosure…I am a physician…obviously),.  I always got a feeling that EHR’s were designed for someone else in mind and the doctors were not even consulted in understanding how a doctor thinks or works when they treat a patient.  I want to change that for good…  Like what I’ve mentioned in my About page, the greatest compliment for me is that NOSH ChartingSystem will have made doctors free do do what they do best, treating patients.