Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Eventually in healthcare, there will be an app for that

Mark W. Browne, MD
Tech
March 29, 2012
Share
Tweet
Share

As a traveling consultant, I eat at a lot of restaurants on the road and am frequently short on time when I do. I have had to learn to live with the very inefficient current model of business in restaurants. Wait to be seated, order your beverage, wait again, hear the specials, order my meal, wait some more, eat my meal, wait for the check, pay the bill, wait again, you get the picture.   I love good service, but why do I have to wait to be asked and for the server to share the specials with me as if it were some big secret. Information seems to be shared only when you ask, and then only in limited amounts. Why can’t I just go online, see the menu, order, and pay when I’m done with the terminal at my table? And now … here it is – they have an app for that.

An iPad at every table to put the customer in charge of his destiny. This model has the potential to upend the current service model. The dependence on those running the restaurant is gone. Now the customer is truly in control. Although servers were concerned they would be put out of a job, the opposite has happened. They now have more time to focus on actual service and spend more time with their patrons. Customer and server satisfaction has increased and tips have actually gone up. Restaurants are still reluctant to adopt this, but are cautiously evaluating its effectiveness and are studying how this just might work.

With a bit of tweaking, it seems to me that something like this would be the perfect patient centered app for hospitalized patients. One of the biggest fears and frustrations for those in our healthcare system today is the lack of information and the lack of control. How much better would the care and outcomes be if we used this type of technology to truly put the patient in the center of their own care by providing real time, up to date information? What if the “app for that” looked something like this:

  • Every morning a daily summary in laypersons terms of the physician’s orders and daily notes is shared that allows the patient to advance their care. “Good morning, Mark. The doctor has changed your diet this morning. Would you like to see a menu for lunch? Click here”
  • A summary of medication changes with links to layperson information on new medication as an educational tool appears with each medication update. “Your medicine for your blood pressure has been changed. Here is a link to information on this medicine. Click here for links to the pharmacy nearest your home with the best pricing. Would you like this link sent to your physician”
  • “Your doctor is running late on rounds today. He has shared with us he plans to be here around 3PM. Please let your family know.” How much more time would there be for nurses to actually care for patients if this type of communication was automatic?
  • “What questions do you have for the doctor today?” “When can I take a shower?” “The doctor will be happy to discuss this with you, but in the meantime, click here for information provided to us by your doctor on what to expect after this surgery.”
  • “There will be a live online hangout with others who have had your surgery. Some are still here in the hospital and some have had your surgery recently and are now home. Click here to reserve your spot.”
  • And this is my favorite – “Here is a running total of your bill to date. If you have any questions about your bill, click here to speak with a live representative now.”

I understand that this type of communication would require an enormous change in culture and in systems. The creation of the “app for that” will be necessary, but not sufficient to create this change. And much like the restaurant industry, few in healthcare would be willing to jump into this with both feet. It will take a lot of momentum for something like this to occur, but many are looking for new and better ways to re-create the healthcare system every day and as the call for true patient centered care continues to grow, the “app for that” may be here sooner than we all think.

Mark W. Browne is Principal, Pershing Yoakley & Associates and can be found on Twitter @consultdoc.

Submit a guest post and be heard on social media’s leading physician voice.

Prev

Doctors and hospitals are cheated during rate negotiations

March 29, 2012 Kevin 8
…
Next

What does broccoli have to do with health reform?

March 29, 2012 Kevin 34
…

Tagged as: Health IT

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Doctors and hospitals are cheated during rate negotiations
Next Post >
What does broccoli have to do with health reform?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Mark W. Browne, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Is the health quality bar set high enough?

    Mark W. Browne, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    What the physician hiring process can learn from the NFL draft

    Mark W. Browne, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Concierge and primary care medical home hybrid model of care

    Mark W. Browne, MD

More in Tech

  • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

    Miguel Villagra, MD
  • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

    Adwait Chafale
  • How AI is revolutionizing health care through real-world data

    Sujay Jadhav, MBA
  • Ambient AI: When health monitoring leaves the screen behind

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Closing the gap in respiratory care: How robotics can expand access in underserved communities

    Evgeny Ignatov, MD, RRT
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech
    • When service doesn’t mean another certification

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech
    • When service doesn’t mean another certification

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Eventually in healthcare, there will be an app for that
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...