Practice Fusion Launches Social Media-Style Messaging for Doctors

The following is a press release that caught my attention today:

Practice Fusion Launches Social Media-Style Messaging for Doctors

HIPAA-compliant messaging designed to improve continuity of patient care across medical practices

SAN FRANCISCO - April 18, 2012 – Practice Fusion, the fastest growing Electronic Medical Record (EMR) community in the US, launched a HIPAA-compliant messaging feature today within its EMR to enable physicians, nurses and medical providers to communicate with colleagues outside their practices. The service replicates intuitive social media-style messaging to improve medical collaboration and ensure the continuity of patient care.



In a sector still dominated by fax machines, communication between medical providers can be a tedious and time-consuming task. Standard email, IM and other forms of online communication are off-limits to medical professionals since they’re not HIPAA-secure methods for relaying sensitive patient data. With an estimated 195,000 deaths each year due to preventable medical errors, clinical messaging can save lives by allowing instant communication of key patient information such as drug allergies.

“Patient care shouldn’t end in the exam room. Legacy EMR technology has failed to provide a way for medical providers to send secure referrals, much less get a quick curbside consultation on clinical cases,” said Ryan Howard, CEO of Practice Fusion. “Our messaging feature makes communication between providers as easy as sending a Facebook message to a friend—and this could mean the difference between life and death for a patient.”

Key Features of Practice Fusion’s Messaging:

· The messaging network is built directly into Practice Fusion’s free EMR, helping users find and connect with colleagues while working with other features, including charting, scheduling and e-prescribing
· Providers are invited to use the messaging feature independently of the full EMR, allowing them to leverage one of the largest online medical communities for free collaboration and networking
· Practice Fusion’s messaging feature is HIPAA-compliant for sensitive clinical conversations
· No paper or fax transmissions are required for the service, removing the potential for error during the referral and collaboration process
· The system uses existing contacts already in the EMR to quickly populate the messaging network
· This is the first step toward additional tools Practice Fusion is launching later this year to enable continuity of patient care and interoperability

Clinical messaging is now live for all existing Practice Fusion users and available at no cost for new users. To try the new feature, visit www.practicefusion.com and sign up for a free Practice Fusion account, or view a short tutorial video here.

About Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion provides a free, web-based EMR system to physicians. With medical charting, scheduling, e-prescribing (eRx), lab integrations, referral letters, Meaningful Use certification, unlimited support and a Personal Health Record for patients, Practice Fusion's EMR addresses the complex needs of today's healthcare providers and disrupts the health IT status quo. Practice Fusion is the fastest growing Electronic Medical Records community in the country with more than 150,000 users serving 35 million patients. The company closed a $23 million Series B round of financing led by Founders Fund in 2011. For more information about Practice Fusion, please visit http://www.practicefusion.com/.