Saturday, June 22, 2013

View Your EHR on Your Android Phone

I just logged into my EHR and viewed some charts, checked my schedule, and sent myself a reminder message all from my mobile phone. It was very cool and can be done by anyone using practically any EHR. Of course the usability will depend on your phones screen size, but with everything getting bigger and by using "pinch and zoom" I found it to be quite functional. I used a couple of freely available programs for this and it only involved a few simple steps. I am using an Android phone, but I have heard this will work for an iPhone as well, I am not familiar with the apple iOS so you will have to investigate yourself to find the compatible app for your iPhone.

First, I downloaded TightVNC - a free, lightweight, fast and reliable remote control/remote desktop software and installed this onto my desktop computer. Then I made sure to open up port 5900 on my firewall. Installation of TightVNC is very quick and easy. It can run as a service so it will automatically start when your computer starts, and you can set a password to prevent unauthorized logging in to your system.

Next, I installed Remote Ripple from the Google Play Store onto my Android phone. Then, I entered my desktop computer's IP address (just type "What Is My IP" into Google and you will get it) into Remote Ripple, signed-in with my password and - voilĂ  - connected!

I can do this whether or not my phone is connected to WiFi or not, so I can access my PC anywhere my phone works. It runs very nicely on the 4G mobile network. So not only can I access my EHR, but I also have full access to any file or program on my desktop. Here is a screenshot of my EHR running on my desktop computer as viewed on my Android phone in landscape orientation:
Android Screen Cap

4 comments:

  1. Roger,
    Just an excellent job on this blog!
    I have also been using Dragon for many years. I recently purchased the Medical version since the Premium version did not work inside my EMR. Does the Premium version work with Lytec? I also purchased a Speechware tabe top mic. and it is amazing. No head phone to take on and off, it works about 15" away, and the accuracy is incredible. I'm sure you're familiar with the "Knowbrainer" website. It has all the information about this mic.
    At first glance the Lytec features look intuitive and efficient. I have purchased a Windows 8 Samsung ATIV 700 pro tablet (with detachable keyboard) recently and use it in the treatment room on a laptop stand very simlilar to the one I believe I saw on your blog. I am currently using the DrChrono EMR which is optimized for an iPad, but also is web based and works with Windows. I love the screen layouts since they are simple and designed for touch input. I also love that patients can register their demographics and med. history either in the office or through a portal.
    I realize that all the EMRs have their limitations, but I have recently become frustrated with the lack of customization available with some of the DrChrono templates and features. I'm thinking about contacting a Lytec sales rep, but I am hesitant to get involved with yet another sales pitch.

    So I have a few questions for you:
    1. are you still using Lytec?
    1. what Lytec reseller would you recommend?
    2. does Lytec have a patient portal?
    3. Would it be feasible to use the Lytec program on a tablet?
    4. Does McKesson listen to the Dr.'s suggestions and implement them?

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  2. Jake -
    Thanks for the nice comments. Yes, I am still using LytecMD. I am familiar with the Speechware table top mic - it's on my "wish list".
    There are many Lytec resellers. I shopped around and picked someone close to my location so they could come out to my office and get things set-up. They also let me "customize" my package with minimal training hours as I didn't feel the need to go crazy with training and that saved quite a bit in the cost. LytecMD does have a patient portal as an added product, although I currently don't use it. I have used the program on a tablet but I prefer a keyboard. There is also a new McKesson web-based product that you should look into. It is very similar to LytecMD but looks like it might be a little more tablet-friendly. McKesson does listen to suggestions and does upgrades, but fairly slow to move on some. Feel free to contact me if you need any more info.

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  3. Roger,

    Thank you for sharing such a great review on how you use our remote desktop software in your everyday work. It is so nice to learn it helps :) Best wishes to you in your work!

    TightVNC/Remote Ripple team

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