Customized Reports Available Same Day
Instead of handing patients lengthy assessment surveys and forms to fill out, providers can now expedite this process with a touch-screen kiosk that interactively captures patient data in minutes.
Although patient surveys are used across most healthcare specialties, they are most widely used in cardiology, orthopedics and behavioral health where information about patient medical histories is critical to providing customized care.
The new intranet program, developed by NobleQuest, a Chicago-based provider of Web-based survey products and support, bolsters physician relations efforts by allowing physicians to quickly convert existing paper-based assessment surveys into touch-screen applications.
The surveys are immediately scored and available to physicians on the same day they see patients.
In addition, the surveys can be combined with patient-based educational information and used for outcome studies, utilization reviews, and other data analysis, says Gregg Fraley, NobleQuest's president.
The system was beta tested last year at Lenox Hospital Hill's preventive and rehabilitation cardiology department in New York. The system, which can range in cost from $7,500 to $22,000 (depending on customization) is now available for other hospitals.
At Lenox Hill, the surveys, which take 10 to 15 minutes to complete, capture patient information in a variety of cardiac disease areas from panic disorder risk factors to psycho-social behavior and dietary habits, says Dr. Richard Stein, VP of medical affairs and chief of the cardiology department at Lenox Hill.
So far, 300 patients have used the NobleQuest system. Most of the patients are comfortable with technology, successfully navigating through an average of 85 questions. The survey's non-usage rate at three percent is comparable to what the paper-based non-usage rate was. "Some patients are very uncomfortable filling out this kind of information," says Dr. Stein.
The NobleMed Editor, the program's authoring tool, allows survey creators to specify questions, follow up on possible answers and designate background colors, numbering, fonts and branching logic. There are nine question types available.
NobleQuest's closest competitor is the Dexter Outcomes Management WorkStation by Cedaron Medical Inc., based in Davis, Calif. This touch-screen kiosk system also collects patient data for customized care delivery.
(NobleMed, Greg Fraley, 312/609-1315; Lenox Hill, Dr. Richard Stein, 212/434-6200; Cedaron Medical Inc. 800/424-1007)
Virtual Wrap-up
- Company: NobleQuest
- Headquarters: Chicago
- Interactive Product: NobleMed Kiosk/NobleMed Editor
- Cost: $7,500 to $22,000
- Specifications: NobleMed Server component runs on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0; NobleMed Editor requires a Windows 95 workstation.
- Contact: Greg Fraley, 312/609-1315