App Store Friday – Interview with drchrono CEO Michael Nusimow

This is the start of a new weekly feature on EMR Daily News we’re calling App Store Friday.  In this series we will be talking  with some of the leading EMR and EHR vendors who are using both the App Store and the Android Marketplace as Distribution Channels for their products.

In our first interview we are extremely pleased to have Michael Nusimow, the CEO and Co-Founder of drchrono,  the world’s first native iPad EHR Platform.   Not only were they first to the iPad App Store they are among the first EHR vendors in the Android Marketplace as well. 

Steve:  What devices will drchrono currently run on?

Michael:  The drchrono EMR runs on the iPad and iPhone. In addition, we recently launched our first application for the Android OS.

Steve:   Does drchrono require any of those devices or can it be utilized as a web app?

Michael:  drchrono’s EMR is supported by a comprehensive web-based SaaS practice management system that can be run over the web using any browser.

Steve:  What size practices can best utilize drchrono?

Michael – Absolutely any!  However, our customizable service and software packages are ideal for small one- to five-physician practices that can’t afford to front $60,000 and up for an EMR solution.

Steve:  Are there specific specialists that can best utilize drchrono?

Michael – Our system works for any specialty practice. We can even make custom modifications to fit specific requirements of a particular practice.

Steve – Has drchrono been ONC-ATCB certified?

Michael – We are in the process of doing so now. We guarantee all current and future customers that we will be certified.

Steve – What are the different components of a complete drchrono system for a typical customer?

Michael – Our customers always start off by using our Electronic Medical Record system on the iPad.  drchrono’s No. 1 goal is to facilitate and personalize the doctor and patient interaction in the exam room by freeing the doctor from using paper charts or cumbersome laptops. Our release of speech-to-text technology in our application last week (drchrono V 7.1) fulfills this promise of doctors not being tied up by their EMR.

The second phase of our approach is to get the physician’s staff members using the drchrono.com website for scheduling, patient communication, and medical billing.

The third and final step (and the step that has the most room to grow in the future), is to engage the patient to schedule their appointments online, retrieve their medical records, and even pay their account balances via drchrono.com and the physicians personalized web site.

These interactions open up new doors for the patient to have access to their doctors and their own health information, while saving the doctor’s office the cost of providing these services.

Steve – That new speech-to-text feature sounds incredibly cool and I see you have information on that new feature on the drchrono product page at the App Store.  How effective has the App Store been for you as a sales channel?

Michael – One in every five physicians in the U.S. currently owns an iPad. Out of the 300,000 iPad’s that were sold on pre-order, 10 percent of them (30,000) were initially sold to physicians in the US. The iTunes App Store is an amazing distribution channel to reach these doctors. The opportunity to put clinical software tools into the hands of 120,000 physicians with a 20-second download has never before existed. This new distribution channel will revolutionize the way all health care software vendors build, distribute, and sell software. We are just at the tip of the iceberg as far as how the App Store distribution model will affect the health care IT industry.

Steve – Do you mind sharing the number of practices that are currently utilizing your products?

Michael – We have several hundred professional customers across the country in a wide array of specialties and geographic locations.  We don’t want to fall into the trap (that many previous innovative health care software vendors have fallen into) of focusing on one geographical area.  We want to be a national resource for all doctors and are planning on exploding our growth in the next several months across the U.S. as we release new innovative ways to have doctors access our product.

Steve – Is there anything else you think we should know about drchrono?

Michael – drchrono recently donated health care services and its iPad EMR technology to help victims still suffering from the devastation of the 2010 earthquakes. Our Senior Medical Director, Dr. Matthew Krasucki, spent a week working onsite with World Wide Village’s Community Health Initiative.

(Note to readers – Dr. Krasucki continues to blog about his amazing work in Haiti at the drchrono blog site.  This link will take you to Dr. Matthew Krasucki’s most recent posts.  His trip posts began on January 7th, 2011 and include posts on his clinical work in Haiti.)

Thanks very much to Micheal and the drchrono team for being willing to be our first App Store Friday interview.  Additional thanks to Christian Bonawandt for facilitating the interview.