MedQuist announced the release of PhysAssist IQ Enterprise, an on-premise solution that enables physicians and medical caregivers to use a variety of popular personal digital assistant (PDA) devices to capture patient-related data and dictation. More than 40 different PDA models have been certified to work with the PhysAssist IQ Enterprise software, using either the PocketPC or Palm OS platforms. This allows the users to select the PDA device that best suits their specific needs.
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“This application significantly enhances the quality of patient care while reducing errors. A physician — or other caregiver — can now have a list of patients in the palm of their hand and can display that list based on their preferences,” says Rob Johnson, product manager for PhysAssist IQ. “During or immediately after the point of care, they can dictate their findings while the information is still fresh in their minds. And because of the interface, there’s no need to re-enter any patient identifier or demographic data.”
Patient demographic data is obtained by an interface with physician or hospital information systems. Users simply select the appropriate patient from a list on their PDA and select “record” to dictate. PhysAssist IQ operates like a hand-held dictation device, allowing the originator to fast forward and rewind through dictation, as well as hold dictation on the unit to complete at a later time. The user can also select a work type for the dictation and assign a STAT note for priority transcription.
The PhysAssist IQ synchronization process can be performed through a wireless connection or by inserting a multimedia memory card (MMC) into a MMC reader on the computer. In a wireless environment, PhysAssist IQ can send completed dictation, as well as obtain any new or updated patient information, at predetermined times or each time a dictation has been completed.
One of the key advantages of PhysAssist IQ is that the application, as well as patient demographic and dictation data, is stored on the PDA’s MMC card. If a PDA malfunctions, the MMC card can simply be inserted into another PDA and the physician or caregiver can continue without any loss of data or dictation.
MedQuist, a member of the Philips Group of Companies, is a leading provider of electronic medical transcription, health information and document management products and services. MedQuist provides document workflow management, digital dictation, speech recognition, mobile dictation devices, Web-based transcription, electronic signature, medical coding products and outsourcing services.
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