AirStrip CEO: Mobile Technology Will Be a Vehicle to Support EHR Adoption, Meaningful Use and ACO Requirements

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With most US healthcare institutions falling behind in preparing to meet federal meaningful use guidelines, mobile-enabled health (mHealth) technology and clinical decision support systems are poised to drive physician adoption of technology initiatives – which in turn can help hospitals improve patient care and workflow.

“The other 90 percent of hospitals have to accomplish the same within five years to meet the requirements from the federal government.”

AirStrip Technologies, Inc. CEO Alan W. Portela, a noted authority on healthcare technology development and adoption, will discuss the influence of mHealth on Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption at the annual meeting of the California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians this weekend in Santa Barbara. Physicians are able to receive CME credits for attending the presentation.

Portela’s lecture, entitled ‘Transforming Your Organization for EHR Adoption,’ discusses technology trends that can address clinical automation gaps.

“Research indicates that in the past 10 years, only 10 percent of US hospitals have fully implemented an EHR and are concentrating on Healthcare Information Exchange (HIE),” Portela noted. “The other 90 percent of hospitals have to accomplish the same within five years to meet the requirements from the federal government."

There is a critical need for hospitals to improve and mobilize access to their clinical data, yet most have failed to implement the majority of the systems needed to meet meaningful use requirements by 2015. There are a number of barriers with mHealth that hospitals must still contend with, including privacy and security concerns, mobile device management, and the maturity of existing products.

At the same time, Portela said, the federal government is pushing for rapid EHR adoption, with a goal of strengthening quality of care and optimizing workflow.

“Decision-makers are under the gun to move forward or else face reimbursement penalties in the near future,” Portela added. “As hospitals incorporate HIE, hospital IT executives must find ways to decentralize patient information and allow physicians to interact with the data in the course of their workflow. The good news is that mHealth is proving to be a vehicle that will decentralize patient data and support meaningful use and accountable care organization (ACO) requirements.”

Portela outlined a number of statistical indicators that show the growing influence of mHealth:

Most physicians will be using mHealth solutions on smartphones by 2013
Most physicians will own tablets by 2014; right now that number is two in five
Physicians now strongly prefer native apps to web-based or Citrix-tunneling alternatives
The market size for mobile health apps will reach $1.7 billion by 2015. EHR-related apps will lead the way, followed by remote monitoring and imaging apps

“To be sure, there are a number of issues to grapple with as the healthcare industry moves to embrace the promise of mHealth,” Portela said. “But - when incorporating mobile healthcare such as the innovative patient monitoring solutions created by AirStrip Technologies - the result will be more timely, confidential, convenient, and safer healthcare service than ever before.”

This week, Portela was named CEO of AirStrip Technologies, Inc. He is also a lecturer in the MBA program for Healthcare Executives at the Paul Merage School of Business, located at the University of California - Irvine.

To download the entire ‘Transforming Your Organization for EHR Adoption’ presentation, click here.

About AirStrip Technologies, Inc.

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, AirStrip Technologies is a pioneer in mobile medical software applications designed to work across any platform to improve patient safety and reduce risk in the healthcare setting. AirStrip Technologies engages, consults and employs leading technology and medical experts to ensure their products are the best in the industry. The core technology team is committed to bringing best-of-breed products to the market that enhance the ability of physicians and healthcare professionals to perform their work on a daily basis with the added assurances that their patients are being provided the best care available. Visit www.airstriptech.com for more information.