Paper Based Check-in a Thing of the Past with the drchrono iPad App
I hate checking in at the doctor’s office. No matter what type of doctor it is, or how many times you have been to that very same office, it seems like there is always a stack of paper for you to fill out. Having moved quite a bit in my life I have regularly had new doctors, dentists, and other medical providers. That means even more forms for lucky little me.
With the development of the drchrono iPad app, all of that hand cramping writing may very well be a thing of the past. According to an article from medGadget this new app, called OnPatient, will help reduce, or even eliminate all of that paperwork check-in hassle.
The new app is free, and only requires the purchase of the iPad units for patients to use. The patient uses a simple touchscreen interface to enter personal and insurance information, and even to digitally sign the HIPAA consent form.
In terms of the healthcare provider, it is also convenient because the information automatically populates in the drchrono EHR. Obviously that means you must be using their EHR, but this is definitely a feature with a tremendous amount of value added.
It is great to see the move of healthcare technology towards patient convenience. In order for EHR/EMR to really take off, that is the move that needs to be made. Patients are ultimately the customer in healthcare so this technology will not reach its pinnacle until customers see the value themselves.
These apps have been around for a while actually. However, for some reason they’ve never caught on in healthcare. I think the iPad could help solve part of the problem, so it will be interesting to see how OnPatient does with this. No doubt we all want to be done with filling out forms when we visit the doctor.
It makes me wonder why more tools like this are not being adopted. Are doctors choosing not to use them? Are patients put off by the technology? I for one, am into anything that will save me time, especially filling out the same stupid forms over and over again.