Modern Healthcare Readers' Favorite Apps

DISTRIBUTED BY: iTriage, an Aetna subsidiaryDEVELOPED BY: HealthagenMOBILE LAUNCH: 2009USE: Search for possible medical conditions based on symptoms; search for appropriate careCOMMON USERS: Patients, caregivers, clinicians advising patientsWORKS ON: iPhone, iPad, iPad mini; Android phone, tablet; BlackBerry via mobile Web PRICE: FreeUSER COMMENTS: “Being able to look up medication, procedures and just having the information at your fingertips”; using the app to “store personal health info”; using its mapping function to find “location of facilities/MDs.”Read the story: No longer a novelty, medical apps are increasingly valuable to clinicians and patients

DISTRIBUTED BY: WebMD, which acquired Medscape in 2001DEVELOPED BY: SPC Communications' “skunk works” MOBILE LAUNCH: 2000USE: General medical reference, drug reference, treatment guide, CME access, medical news, medical calculatorsCOMMON USERS: Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, other clinical workersWORKS ON: iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle FirePRICE: FreeUSER COMMENTS: “Convenient”; “good, solid, up-to-date info”; “daily updates on new research, literature”; “evidenced-based care, clinical care delivery strategies”; “easy user interface, timely info near point of care, concise content.”Read the story: No longer a novelty, medical apps are increasingly valuable to clinicians and patients

DISTRIBUTED BY: Truven Health Analytics, Ann Arbor, Mich.DEVELOPED BY: Dr. Barry Rumack, former head of the Rocky Mountain Point Center, in 1973, on microficheMOBILE LAUNCH: In the mid-1990s, on Palm PilotUSE: Prescription drug reference, general medical informationCOMMON USERS: Pharmacists, physiciansWORKS ON: iPhone, iPad, iPod touch; Android phone, tablet; Windows 8 tabletPRICE: By subscription to healthcare organizationsDEVELOPER COMMENT: “I'm very proud of it,” said Rumach, who's now retired from the company and is a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of Colorado. “I'm not part of it any more, but I'm still happy that it's doing well.”USER COMMENTS: “I'm a new clinician and I use it for less-familiar drugs;” use it “to look up medication by class and mechanism of action”; “better layout of drug information”; and “searchable” as a source of general medical information for patient care.Read the story: No longer a novelty, medical apps are increasingly valuable to clinicians and patients

DISTRIBUTED BY: Epic Systems Corp.DEVELOPED BY: Epic Systems Corp.MOBILE LAUNCH: 2010 USE: Enables patients, clinicians to access a personal health record tethered to the Epic electronic health-record system. COMMON USERS: Physicians, other clinicians, patients, care giversWORKS ON: iPhone, iPad; Android phone and tabletsPRICE: Free to patients; providers must have Epic EHR.USER COMMENTS: “Convenience”; “ability to interact with healthcare information”; helps “track appointments, lab results.”Read the story: No longer a novelty, medical apps are increasingly valuable to clinicians and patients

DISTRIBUTED BY: PatientKeeperDEVELOPED BY: Virtmed Corp., founded by Stephen Hau and Sanjay Vakil MOBILE LAUNCH: 1999USE: Charge capture, clinical results viewing, e-prescribing, computerized physician order entry. First developed as a tool to promptly record patient encounter information for physicians on rounds. Its mobile CPOE function rated highly on customer satisfaction in a recent KLAS Enterprises survey.COMMON USERS: PhysiciansWORKS ON: iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, iPad touch, Android phone and tabletsPRICE: Subscription USER COMMENTS: “I can see clinical data on my app and drop charges for patients I see, which is really slick and a huge time saver.” Read the story: No longer a novelty, medical apps are increasingly valuable to clinicians and patients

DISTRIBUTED BY: WebMDMOBILE LAUNCH: 2008 USE: General medical information, symptom reference, patient education, drug informationCOMMON USERS: Administrators, nurses, physicians, consumersWORKS ON: iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Kindle FirePRICE: FreeUSER COMMENTS:“Available and readable”; used the app “to look up symptoms”; “find out info pertaining to various medical conditions”; “search information for patient education and for personal healthcare questions when they arise.”Read the story: No longer a novelty, medical apps are increasingly valuable to clinicians and patients