Alaska Physicians Choose DocBookMD for HIPAA-Compliant Messaging
Austin, Texas, November 30, 2011
Alaska physicians now have bragging rights as the first state in the nation to adopt DocBookMD, a HIPAA-compliant mobile application. Designed for physicians by physicians, DocBookMD speeds communication among physicians and also allows collaboration and data sharing of patient health information including X-rays, EKGs, lab results and images.
“This will speed physician to physician communications throughout Alaska bringing better quality care to patients even in the most rural and remote locations,” said Jim Jordan, executive director of the Alaska State Medical Association.
Since July 2011, physicians who sent individually identifiable health information via a text were in violation of HIPAA regulations, a felony offense. Penalties include hefty fines of up to $50,000 or up to one year in jail or both. A HIPAA compliant messaging application, DocBookMD solves this problem and allows physicians to communicate, connect and collaborate.
“Communication makes up a large part of any physician’s day,” said Dr. Tim Gueramy, an orthopedic surgeon and co-founder of DocBookMD. “DocBookMD is easy-to-use, fast and secure, allowing doctors to improve patient care.”
The smart phone application will be available starting Dec. 10 and is free to physicians who are members of the Alaska State Medical Association through a sponsorship paid by MIEC, a medical professional liability insurance company. DocBookMD is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android phones. To download the application, visit the App store on your smartphone.
The idea was born as Dr. Tracey Haas, a family physician, and Dr. Gueramy celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary over dinner. As the appetizers were served, Dr. Gueramy was paged to the hospital for an emergency. Only upon arrival did Dr. Gueramy learn the bone break was not as serious as first thought.
“We knew it was possible to view an X-ray on a mobile phone,” said Dr. Haas, “and that night we set out to solve this problem. “Using Tim’s knowledge of computer programming, we launched the application just a year later.”
The couple spent months researching technology options and talking with X-ray technicians and their fellow doctors in Central Texas. “It started out as the Travis County Medical Society DocBook and has grown to now being offered in more than 16 states,” said Dr. Haas.
In addition to text messages and photos, DocbookMD also allows physicians to:
- Assign an urgency setting to outgoing text messages
- Search a local pharmacy directory
- Search a local medical society directory to locate other doctors by name or by specialty.
DocBookMD is an exclusive HIPAA compliant smartphone platform designed by and for physicians, creating secure networks for physicians to share patient information and collaborate with their medical colleagues. DocBookMD is offered through county and state medical societies to their members and is currently available throughout 16 states.