XiMED physicians and their patients will soon be using the XiMED app, which, in conjunction with the newly installed proximity beacon network at Scripps/XiMED Medical Center and affiliated organizations in the San Diego area, will enable communication and location services, including automatic notifications, streamlined check-ins, medication reminders and other personalized content, both inside and outside the facilities.
Erik Bjontegard, the founder and CEO of Total Communicator Solutions Inc., a company that implemented the installation of the proximity beacons and mobile app integration with the Spark Compass platform, told PNN that to his knowledge this is the first installation of this kind in a medical setting. With geo-fences outside, the system delivers customized content with pinpoint accuracy via the XiMED app. The system lets staff know when a patient has entered the parking lot or building so they can be checked in, and it can automatically send a text greeting to the patient or thank them for visiting and remind them to follow doctor’s instructions. Patients can locate the nearest doctor, lab or pharmacy in the XiMED network and get guided directions or information about a specific doctor.
The true value of the platform, according to Bjontegard, is not in providing state-of-the-art mobile guidance or even in enabling medication reminders via the app, but in establishing a stronger connection with patients and providing them with a personal touch without putting a burden on the physician.
“I am very excited about XiMED because they recognize that if we can deliver the right message to the right person at the right time and place, we can go back to improving experience, improving care and changing behavior,” Bjontegard said.
Tom Sounhein, CEO of the XiMED Medical Group, said, “The XiMED app’s augmented reality component will add video and other features to assist physicians in patient education using the very latest technological trends.” Patients can review educational materials relevant to their condition, and physicians can get verifications that their patients followed their instructions.
Bjontegard told PNN that it is this ability to add customized, personal content that technology can help deliver without physicians having to take on more tasks that is so exciting. He said there are already a number of videos by XiMED physicians that patients can see when they need additional educational information.
“We are not trying to do a medical diagnosis but simply replicating how doctors used to be in the old days,” Bjontegard said. A simple message automatically sent to a patient asking him how he is feeling can make a difference in care, or at least in how a person feels about the care. “We are not trying to boil the ocean. We are just trying to take the burden off the doctors who would love to be more in touch with their patients, and we are doing it by having an intelligently programmed system that makes a patient feel that they are personally taken care of.”
The app is projected to launch in September after final quality control testing is completed. It is currently available on the iPhone with Android integration coming soon.
Content retrieved from: http://www.physiciansnewsnetwork.com/ximed/article_3f715702-060f-11e4-9b02-001a4bcf6878.html.