iPad Pilot a Success at Fauquier Health
A Virginia hospital leads the way in mobilizing care delivery by using Apple's iPad to access its MEDITECH solution.
(9/10/2010)

As mobile computing continues to take the world by storm, Apple's iPad is one of the latest devices changing the way physicians are able to deliver health care. And Christopher Chang, MD, at MEDITECH customer Fauquier Health System (Warrenton, VA) is one who's seen the benefits first-hand. An Otolaryngology specialist, Dr. Chang is the first physician at Fauquier to pilot the iPad to access the hospital's MEDITECH solution.

"I am very pleased with the sleek design of the iPad, and the availability of a progressive technology that enables the iPad to connect to our MEDITECH solution," he says. "While Fauquier is still in the early stages of evaluating the use of the iPad, I am confident its ability to access MEDITECH will transform the way we deliver care at the patient bedside."

Physicians at Fauquier will soon be able to remotely connect to the MEDITECH system through their iPad, by using a secure Citrix connection. Donna Staton, Fauquier's chief information officer, says that she is impressed with the flexibility of the MEDITECH architecture in enabling hospitals to take advantage of mobile computing solutions.

"By accessing MEDITECH's Provider Order Management (POM) directly from the iPad, clinicians can enter orders at the bedside, without having to run back to the computer on the hospital floor," she says. "Dr. Chang is already taking notice of the advantages MEDITECH and the iPad are bringing to his rounds."

Staton is confident that other physicians at Fauquier will also appreciate the workflow benefits that come from accessing MEDITECH on the iPad. "We feel the iPad will be viewed by our physicians as a productivity tool—turning our MEDITECH physician rounding solution into a more efficient, seamless process," she says.

"It's common to encounter some road bumps when introducing new technology to physicians, due to concerns of technology affecting physician-patient interactions. However, I strongly believe the iPad can help shift this paradigm, to where technology will help make bedside care more personalized, because physicians will have the patients' historical data right in the palms of their hands."

For other hospitals wishing to adopt the iPad, Staton stresses the importance of early planning, and ensuring that the proper infrastructure is in place to support this advanced technology.

"I would advise any hospital interested in the iPad, to know their I.T. department's support limitations before offering this functionality to physicians," she says. "Be sure your I.T. department is well-prepared to meet your physicians' needs, so the demand does not exceed what you can actually deliver."

Staton believes the high demand for mobile technologies is understandable, since they may hold the key to keeping up with the challenges of 21st Century medicine. "I think it is safe to say the iPad is here to stay," she says. "Just look at what the iPhone did to the mobile phone industry—the iPad has the same potential to revolutionize the way we deliver and document care."

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