Learn about ICD-10 on your mobile device through QuantiaMD

How well do you understand ICD-10? Well, there are a series of great modules on practice management that are freely available on QuantiaMD and you can view these modules on your mobile device through the QuantiaMD app.

Don't miss these ICD-10 modules such as:

Implementing ICD-10 in Your Practice

ICD-10: What’s Different?

How ICD-10-CM Impacts Your Documentation

While you're on QuantiaMD, you can also find some free CME activities.

Participate in this oncology mobile CME activity on QuantiaMD

I invite you to participate in this certified CME activity on QuantiaMD called "NSCLC: The Evolving Role of Molecular Markers for the Selection of First-Line Therapy." Thomas E. Stinchcombe, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of North Carolina, is the presenting faculty for this certified CME activity. You can view this CME activity on your smartphone by downloading the QuantiaMD app on your mobile device and looking under "CME."

My company (Medical Communications Media) is currently developing several additional CME activities in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. These activities will appear on QuantiaMD so stay tuned!

QuantiaMD is an online physician-to-physician learning collaborative where 1 in 6 U.S. physicians engage, share, and learn from experts and each other, free of charge. Members visit QuantiaMD daily to interact with respected experts who deliver clinically relevant, unbiased content in a concise, interactive format to fit the busy schedules of today's physicians..

QuantiaMD becoming the largest online and mobile physician community

QuantiaMD Now Largest Online and Mobile Physician Community With Over 125,000 Physician Users

Company Prepares for Next Phase of Growth by Doubling Work-Force, Expanding Executive Team and Delivering New Mobile and Web Physician Services

WALTHAM, MA — APRIL 27, 2011 - QuantiaMD® has become the leading online and mobile physician community and a destination for over 125,000 physicians to learn and connect with each other. Every day, clinicians come to QuantiaMD— a third of them through mobile apps on smartphones and tablets— to engage with their peers and respond to a wide variety of interactive medical cases and presentations. To prepare for its continued growth beyond its current user-base of 1 in 6 U.S. physicians, QuantiaMD doubled its work-force in 2010, expanded its executive team and has recently released a major version with new content, resources and services for its community.

Additional medical apps for my wife's new Android smartphone

When my wife (a family physician) received her HTC Droid Incredible last week, I loaded the following medical apps on her Android smartphone:

• Epocrates
• Skyscape
• QuantiaMD

Here are some of the other medical apps I recently installed for my wife:

• MedPageToday
• Lexi-Comp
• QxMD

She may purchase a medical book through Unbound Medicine. She's using UpToDate via the super-fast mobile web browser on her HTC Droid Incredible.   If you haven't tested the web browser on this phone, you have to give it a try. It's phenomenal!

She's still waiting for an Android app from Medscape and ReachMD (so that she can listen to my Mobile Medical Minute on ReachMD). 

My wife got her HTC Droid Incredible

I probably had more fun setting it up for her. The more I spend with the HTC Droid Incredible, the more I realize that Android will quickly emerge as the dominating smartphone OS. I am really impressed by the way Android integrates elements of your Gmail/Google account, Facebook, and other elements of social media. Given that my wife and I both actively use Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar, the Android OS is a true winner for people like us.

The HTC Droid Incredible is a very fast phone. The browser opens web pages very quickly compared to most older smartphones. It's a great size and you won't be disappointed by this device. The Motorola Droid X is also a very fast smartphone, but the Droid X may be too big for some people.

After I pulled the HTC Droid Incredible out of the box, I went right to the Android Marketplace so that I could download and install some medical apps for my wife (who's a family physician). What apps did I download and install?

I started with these free medical apps:  Epocrates, Skyscape, and QuantiaMD

I'll be installing a few more apps for her over the weekend.

Pri-Med Launches Pri-Med Mobile (powered by QuantiaMD)

Free mobile medical app for the Apple iPhone®, iPod touch®, and Android™

BOSTON, Mass. (June 16, 2010) – Pri-Med, a brand owned and operated by M|C Communications LLC, the leading provider of professional education solutions to a community of more than 220,000 clinicians, announces the launch of its newest mobile app—Pri-Med Mobile—for the Apple iPhone®, iPod touch® and Android™ at Pri-Med New York, June 17, 2010. The app will become available for the Blackberry in July.

Pri-Med Mobile offers clinicians important medical education and information through Featured Experts, Pri-Med Live Meeting Content and Patient Cases—many of which are available for free CME credit. Each piece, lasting no longer than 10 minutes, is designed for easy and clear viewing on a smartphone or other mobile devices. Pri-Med Mobile also creates a platform for health care practitioners to exchange ideas with peers and discuss hot topics in primary care through discussion board and comment fields. The app provides two unique non-CME clinical gaming offerings, the Pri-Med Monthly Medical Challenge and Mental Health Challenge, in which clinicians compete against their peers to be the first to solve the clinical content game. Participants accumulate gaming points that are redeemable for Amazon gift cards.

CME on your smartphone

There are several ways to get CME (continuing medical education) credit by using your smartphone.  Several years ago, there were only a handful of options. Today, there are many more ways to get CME on your smartphone.

Here are some examples of medical apps, medical websites, and other smartphone resources that will allow you to participate in CME activities on your smartphone:

• Epocrates Mobile CME
• Real CME
• ReachMD
• Medscape
• Skyscape CME Stat
• QuantiaMD
• MedPageToday (mobile website)
• UpToDate (point of care CME)
• XtraCredit

This is not a comprehensive list, but you'll see that this list continues to grow each year. The bottom line is that busy physicians are looking for ways they can get their CME credit by using their smartphones. They're probably not going to spend a few hours going through a CME activity on a device that has such a small screen, but they'll spend 15 or 30 minutes reviewing something. As smartphone web browsers become more sophisticated and more powerful, we'll be capable of viewing almost any type of web page on a smartphone. This means that you'll get to view any type of online CME on your smartphone.

Epocrates will be a top free medical app on the Android Marketplace

It's no surprise, but there aren't too many true medical apps for Android right now that are free. You can purchase medical references, but the Android Marketplace is not full of feature-rich medical apps that can be used by physicians and other health care professionals. QuantiaMD is a great free medical app, but it's not near the top because it's being pushed down by consumer health apps. Plus, you need to be a registered health care professional to access QuantiaMD, so you won't get any consumers "testing" this medical app.

Now that Epocrates has their app on the Android Marketplace (still in beta), it won't be long before this becomes a top free medical app. Health care professionals all need access to a drug database. Plus, the pill finder is a great feature that any health care professional can use to help patients identify their medications.

I still remember the old days of the Palm Pilot when Epocrates dominated those devices. Every physician and medical student who had a Palm Pilot used Epocrates. Pharmacists and pharmacy students used Epocrates. Those were the days of grayscale screens. The original Palm Pilot didn't even have a backlight.

Now, we live in an era where smartphones are gaming devices and video players. They hold gigabytes of storage space and essentially function as mini computers with fully-functional mobile web browsers. Smartphones are now becoming a GPS navigation system for the car. They're becoming our pocket cameras. We can't imagine leaving home without our smartphones.

I'm testing Epocrates (beta) on the Motorola Droid

I want to thank Epocrates for sending me a Motorola Droid smartphone running Google Android. Over the next week, I'll be testing the latest beta version of Epocrates on the Droid and will be reporting my findings. My wife (a family physician) is currently considering an Android smartphone, so let's see what she thinks about the Droid. Since we're both on Verizon Wireless, our options are a bit limited. However, we all know that several new smartphones will be appearing on the Verizon network.


A few months ago, I extensively tested QuantiaMD on the HTC Droid Eris.

To test Epocrates on your Android smartphone, visit:
http://www.epocrates.com/products/android/

Review of the QuantiaMD smartphone app for Android

Over the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to review the QuantiaMD smartphone app for Android. I've used QuantiaMD on the Apple iPhone and iPod touch, so I'm quite familiar with this innovative medical app. QuantiaMD also has a smartphone app for the BlackBerry, but they don't currently have an app for Windows Mobile (but you can access QuantiaMD using your mobile web browser).

The QuantiaMD interface on Android is very similar to that found on the iPhone. The main difference is that there's a small gray bar that sits on the bottom of your screen. Slide that bar up and you'll get access to the main navigation menu. Here, you can access clinical activities, educational content, communities, and much more. You'll even find a case challenge involving H1N1.


After you log in as a validated member, you'll have the opportunity to participate in the Monthly Medical Challenge. It's a great way to test your knowledge of medical trivia and earn some Q-Points. I spent most of my time in the Expert Practice Series where you can learn about clinical topics or non-clinical topics such as "coding for revenue," or "understanding and complying with HIPAA." I also enjoyed earning "Q-Points" through activities like the Expert Practice Series. You'll see a multimedia presentation of a clinical case that also includes some embedded multiple choice questions. I love the clinical photos. Some of these are creative market research activities and you can earn Q-Points that can lead to Amazon credit. Here's a brief explanation of Q-Points:

Validated members of QuantiaMD can only earn Q-Points by engaging in market research activities which offer clinical value and unique peer exchange opportunities focused on the improvement of patient care. Validated members who accrue Q-Points by participating in market research activities may exchange them in increments of 100 Q-Points for an electronic Amazon.com® Gift Card.

The QuantiaMD smartphone app also allows you to interact with a clinician-only community when you click on the "Question & Consult" section of the app. You can also go to the "community" section and access short clinical cases and other presentations that are relevant to your specialty. Once you start exploring QuantiaMD on your smartphone, you'll quickly realize that the app is unlike any other medical smartphone app. The interface is unique, the content is engaging, and you have the opportunity to interact with other physicians. It's a portal to a host of medical presentations, clinical cases, and an online physician community. Before you realize it, you'll be collecting Q-Points and you may end up with an Amazon gift card.

So, here's a summary of some of the key features you'll find on QuantiaMD:

Expert Presentations

• Leading physicians deliver multimedia presentations on the most critical clinical and performance issues in medicine. Interact and debate with peers and download and collect completion certificates.

Earn and Redeem Q-Points

• Be rewarded for contributing your valuable time by completing surveys, finishing the monthly clinical challenge, and referring colleagues. Q-Points are redeemable for Amazon.com gift cards.

Compete Nationally

• Compete for national ranking in our exciting monthly medical challenge, as well as specialty challenges.

Free CME

• QuantiaMD brings you outstanding CME from partners in an interactive and concise format you can’t find anywhere else.

100% Clinician

• Each member’s identity is verified. You can be sure that only other clinicians are commenting, posting a question, or contributing presentations

Go to quantiamd.com from your smartphone's browser and follow the download instructions.

When will we see more medical apps for Android?

Android smartphones have gained tremendous traction, but the development of medical apps for Android continues at a slow pace. When will we see more professional medical apps for Android?

Right now, QuantiaMD is on the top of my list for professional medical apps for the Android OS. QuantiaMD also has an iPhone app. If you're a medical student or resident, you may feel intimated by the need to enter an National Provider Identifier (NPI). You can still use the app if you don't enter an NPI, but to access all the benefits associated with using QuantiaMD, you'll need to enter your NPI.

I'm still waiting for Epocrates to release their app for the Android OS. They're planning on releasing something in the early part of 2010, so let's see what they have coming.

10 minutes on QuantiaMD

I'm currently reviewing QuantiaMD's smartphone app for the Apple iPhone and Google Android. I'll be posting some updates over the next few weeks. In the meanwhile, I wanted to refer you to this short YouTube video titled, "What can you do in 10 minutes on QuantiaMD?"

A physician community improving the quality and safety of healthcare by engaging in world-class interactive CME, education, and cases on smartphones and the web. http://quantiamd.com

Top free medical apps for Android in 2009

This year, we saw Android emerge as a leading smartphone OS. In 2010, we'll see Android begin to dominate the smartphone marketplace (especially among health care professionals such as physicians, medical students, pharmacists, and nurses).

Let me list some of the top free Android medical apps for 2009 and then list my prediction for 2010. Here's the current list for 2009:

• Skyscape Reader: includes RxDrugs, Outlines in Clinical Medicine (OCM), and the Archimedes set of medical calculators.
• QxMD (pregnancy wheel and several different medical calculators)
• QuantiaMD (medical content, CME, medical challenges, and more)
• Mobile MerckMedicus (powered by Unbound Medicine)
• AgileMedCalc (several different medical calculators)

In 2010, you can expect this list to include some additional free resources such as:

• Epocrates
• MobilePDR
• WebMD/Medscape
• Medical encyclopedias
• Medical calculators
• Drug guides
  
• and many more!

So, are you excited about Android? I hope to see many electronic health record (EHR) vendors creating mobile apps for Android. The Apple iPhone continues to gain popularity among medical professionals, but Android will be right up there next to the iPhone in 2010 once we see a larger supply of medical apps for Android. As more medical students and physicians create medical apps for Android, we'll see growing excitement about this OS within the medical community.

My favorite smartphone on Verizon Wireless for 2009 is...

My favorite smartphone on Verizon Wireless is currently the HTC Droid Eris running Google Android. I realize that we don't have many medical apps for Android right now, but this will change in 2010. We'll see many medical apps released in 2010 and some of those on the top of list are:

• Epocrates
• MobilePDR
• Tarascon
  

Skyscape and Unbound Medicine already have Android apps. This means that free apps like Mobile MerckMedicus are already available for Android. QuantiaMD is another great free medical app for Android. I'll be writing some reviews about QuantiaMD over the next few weeks as I test this app on an HTC Droid Eris.

Android is going to gain tremendous momentum in 2010 as new phones emerge on virtually every wireless carrier in the United States. This means that you won't need to switch carriers to have an Android smartphone. Unless Apple moves quickly to place its iPhone on other carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile, it will quickly lose health care professionals to Android. I also predict that many Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Palm OS users will switch to Android as they recognize all the benefits associated with this great OS. 

Top 10 Medical and Health Apps on Android

I'm in the Android App store (Market) and I've navigated to the "Health" category. The top apps ranked by popularity as of December 2009 are:

1. Calorie Counter by FatSecret
2. Favorite Recipies
3. CardioTrainer
4. Skyscape Medical Resources
5. Lightning Bug
6. Beauty Tips
7. Simple Weight Recorder
8. JogTracker 1.0.3
9. Easy Weight Loss Tips
10. OM BMI Body Mass Index Calculator

You'll notice that all these apps are FREE. If you continue to scroll down the list, you'll see other apps like:

• MealCalc
• Fitness Tips
• Diet Tips
• Best Diet Foods
• Health Facts
• CookIt
• Simple Meals ready in 10 mins

Now, these apps may not be very useful for health care professionals who are looking for medical apps, but this is a start for Android. I'm sure by the early part of 2010, we'll see a much more robust list of professional medical apps that will help physicians and medical students.

A fairly recent medical app that's going to quickly climb the ranks is the QuantiaMD app. You can expect some detailed reviews from me soon.

Testing medical apps on the HTC Droid Eris

I'd like to thank the folks at QuantiaMD for sending me an HTC Droid Eris so that I can test some medical apps on the Android platform. I just received the test phone and since I'm on vacation starting tomorrow, I'll have plenty of time to test medical apps, including the free QuantiaMD medical app that's currently available for the Apple iPhone, the iPod touch, BlackBerry, and Android. What can you do with QuantiaMD? Click here to find out. 

By the way, I love the capacitive touch screen on the HTC Droid Eris already. I currently own an HTC Touch Pro2 and it does not have a capacitive touch screen, so I can't use any multi-touch gestures like pinching to zoom. I use multi-touch gestures on my iPod touch all the time.