Max Healthcare starts blackberry app for patients

Max Healthcare has rolled out a unique solution to help its patients reach out to their doctors, even at odd hours, with just one click on their BlackBerry phones.

Developed by Gurgaon-based MphRx, the cloud-based solution 'MphRx Connect' securely connects an archive of radiology images, lab reports and other patient information with smartphones and laptops that clinicians can access wherever they are.

The solution has been deployed at Max Healthcare since September, 2010.

"We rolled out the MphRx application in phases. We started with radiology last year and this year we have extended it to the laboratory results as well," Max Healthcare Chief Information Officer Neena Pahuja told PTI.

The solution has been helpful in getting the doctor's opinion as images can be sent to him on his Blackberry smartphone and he can give his opinion, without having the patient come back to the hospital, she added.

MphRx Connect is currently being used by 241 senior physicians for viewing radiology images and lab reports and the deployment spans across staff and consulting physicians at multiple locations of Max Healthcare.

"The healthcare ecosystem players worldwide are realising the efficiency and productivity benefits of mobile applications, more so in India, where telemedicine is our only hope for rural healthcare outreach," Research In Motion (RIM) Head of Alliances and Developer Relations in India Annie Mathew said.

BlackBerry (developed by RIM) offers value proposition for the healthcare sector with its enterprise server and software, data compression and encryption techniques as well as the high quality digital imaging, which are important factors for offering the correct diagnosis, she added.

MphRx's solutions were created by its software development team in India who, in collaboration with a of researchers and physicians in South Florida, came up with a solution to instantly transport radiology images without compromising diagnostic quality.