MacPractice releases iPad interface with ePrescribe

Oct 28, 2010

MacPractice has released the MacPractice iPad Interface with ePrescribe. The application was designed with Apple's Web App development tools to provide remote and network communication from the iPad to a medical, dental, or chiropractic office that uses MacPractice MD, MacPractice 20/20, MacPractice DDS, or MacPractice DC, according to the company.

"Doctors have overwhelmed us with requests to use an iPad with MacPractice and particularly to ePrescribe," said Mark Hollis, president of MacPractice, in a press release. "Today, we are announcing an iPad replacement for the index cards used by so many physicians to record hospital rounds, but this product can perform much more than that for physicians, dentists, and chiropractors."

Among the capabilities that come with the new interface:

Doctors can create new patient records in MacPractice from the iPad and post procedures and diagnoses from outside the office or in an exam room.
Daily practice activity reports can be reviewed easily from outside the office.
Reminders and notes may be sent between the office staff and the doctor.
E-mail may be sent to patients and referring providers.

MacPractice users can also see their office schedule and patient photos and demographic information. In addition, doctors and assistants may now review and record patient vital statistics and chronic diagnoses, and review prescription history and allergies when seeing a patient, all on an iPad.

With MacPractice ePrescribe for iPad, MacPractice users have all the same capabilities of ePrescribe for MacPractice on the desktop in their office. When they write a prescription on the iPad, it is added automatically to their patient's record in the office. Additional content -- including automated allergy, drug information and review, herbals, managed care formularies, drug interactions, and leaflets for patient education in 18 languages -- is available. Managed care connectivity, as an option, provides an all-doctor drug history.

"We are pleased to contribute to the improvement of healthcare in America by offering doctors an ePrescribe solution on the iPad that improves efficiency and can increase Medicare reimbursement," Hollis said. "Doctors who wish to meet the ONC's [Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology] idefinition of Meaningful Use must ePrescribe, and providing the ability to write a script on an iPad makes it just that much easier."

MacPractice iPad Interface with ePrescribe and MacPractice Interface for iPhone may be purchased together for $800. Doctors will receive a $300 discount with a new purchase of MacPractice. The annual support and enhancements fee for either interface is $200, and for the use of both the fee is $400. ePrescribe is free to MacPractice clients already enrolled for ePrescribe.

Subsequent to ONC Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) certification of MacPractice 4, MacPractice said it will also release companion native iPad apps, including electronic medical record/electronic health record (EMR/EHR) functionality.

MacPractice is currently used in some 3,500 medical, dental, and chiropractic practices, according to the company.