Apps for Physicians Who Need More Time in the Day

“There just isn’t enough time in the day” is a refrain familiar to us all. And it often feels that way. The truth is, we have all the time there is. What we do with it is up to us. For doctors, as the popular saying goes, “the struggle is real.” Effective time management is essential to leading a professional life that is orderly and productive while leaving time for a high quality of life. Fortunately, there are apps for physicians that help you manage your daily life as efficiently as possible.

The following list is not exhaustive nor is it meant to reflect our rating of available apps. We are simply including some apps for physicians we think might be valuable additions to your time management toolbox. Some of these are free; we will identify those that are not.

Doximity: (iPhone/iPad and Android via Google Play Store)

This app provides access to HIPAA-secure communication, efax, custom-curated career management and medical news. All HIPAA communication is encryption secured. Communicate with colleagues, get the most current medical news and journal articles, search other career opportunities, and establish a secure fax-line.

Medscape by WebMD: (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android)

This app serves as a clearinghouse for all information related to prescriptions as well as drug safety. Procedure videos are available, as is a medical calculator and online access to materials for Continuing Medical Education (CME).

Epocrates: (Available on iTunes for Apple devices and Google Play for Android – There is an annual subscription fee for Epocrates Essentials of $159.99)

The company claims that 1 of every 2 physicians uses this app which might suggest you should do so if you’re not among that group already. The app itself possesses multiple features such as:

•     Drug prescription and safety info
•     Information regarding potential harmful interaction between/among meds
•     Up-to-date medical news/research
•     HIPAA-compliant text messaging

Family Practice Management: (Apple and Android devices – Basic app free, individual issue subscriptions available)

Published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), this is one of the more popular practice apps for physicians. Designed for physicians, care administrators, office staff and other health care professionals, the journal provides assistance ranging from improving the quality of care and enhancing payment to managing technology and, perhaps most relevant to you personally, achieving better life balance.

As with some other
apps for physicians, the FPM provides news and content in real time. A complete subscription is available for $69.99 per year. The annual subscription for a single issue is $29.00.

PEPID: (Android and Apple devices)

This is how the company describes itself on its website:
“For more than 20 years, PEPID has provided exclusive web-based point-of-care solutions that enable healthcare professionals to efficiently pinpoint diagnoses, treat diseases and medical conditions, detect harmful drug interactions and allergy sensitivities, accurately dose patients, and provide quality patient education. PEPID’s products are integrated within the systems of clinics, hospitals, universities and schools around the world.”

One of the tools available from PEPID is what they call the ICD-10 Lookup Tool. Providing coding support that incorporates all information the World Health Organization publishes, this is one of the few apps for physicians that minimizes the time and effort necessary to find information when updating patient records or working with an insurance carrier to coordinate payment.

MedWeb LIVE:
(Android, iPad)

This is one of the apps that was designed to enable physicians to collaborate across multiple PC/mobile device platforms. Providing secure video communication, it permits:

•     Specialty consultation
•     Clinical collaboration
•     On-call telemedicine
•     Primary care telemedicine
•     Prehospital telemedicine
•     Educational presentations

Needless to say, the time-saving opportunities are extensive.

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