Secure Messaging from a Smartphone to Any Other Device at Your Hospital

It’s an exciting time for Amcom because we’ve just announced the latest release of our Amcom Mobile Connect (AMC) product, which offers some amazing new capabilities for hospitals. The most notable enhancement is that a user can communicate with other individuals or groups via encrypted, traceable messages—right from their smartphone or tablet running AMC. Amcom Mobile Connect runs on Apple®, BlackBerry®, and Android® smartphones and tablets, as well as Cisco® tablets and wireless IP phones.

With full authenticated directory access, clinicians or others can send messages to staff running Amcom Mobile Connect on smartphones/tablets, as well as colleagues using pagers, wireless telephones, and other types of devices. As in previous versions of the product, staff can also send messages from Amcom operator consoles, Web directories, emergency notification, and other solutions.

We’re also keeping security top of mind. Amcom Mobile Connect uses industry standard best practices to ensure the protection of sensitive electronic health information in accordance with guidelines from HIPAA and the HITECH Act. This includes a variety of security features, including encryption, application lock, automated message removal, and password-protected inbox. With version 3.0 administrators can complete a remote device wipe to remove Amcom Mobile Connect messages from a smartphone that has been lost or stolen.

These capabilities contrast sharply with the limitations of text (SMS) messaging, which lacks the message traceability and encryption that could lead to a security breach. In fact, the Joint Commission stated on Nov. 10, “No it is not acceptable for physicians or licensed independent practitioners to text orders for patients to the hospital or other healthcare setting. This method provides no ability to verify the identity of the person sending the text and there is no way to keep the original message as validation of what is entered into the medical record.”

You can learn more about Amcom Mobile Connect on our Web site.

As always, your comments are welcome!

Winthrop-University Hospital: Smartphone Messaging and Web-Based On-Call Scheduling

We’re pleased that our customer Winthrop-University Hospital is implementing Amcom solutions for smartphone messaging and Web-based on-call scheduling in its 591-bed facility in Long Island, N.Y. The forward-looking hospital will use the Amcom applications to enable highly mobile caregivers to better communicate, elevating patient care and safety.

Winthrop will use the Amcom Mobile Connect smartphone messaging solution to send critical messages to caregivers on their BlackBerry and iPhone smartphones, which will be used to acknowledge the inquiry. The hospital plans to implement the solution on 100 phones in 2011, with plans to add up to 1,000 more phones in 2012.

The Amcom Web-based on-call scheduling solution, WebXchange, will serve several purposes at Winthrop. Staff will be able to update on-call schedules at any time to reflect even last-minute calendar changes. This Web portal can also be used to send critical messages to smartphones as well as other communication tools at Winthrop, including pagers, desk phones, and email applications.

Read the full announcement.

Stony Brook University Medical Center is Deploying Smartphone Messaging for 3,000 BlackBerry Smartphones

We’re thrilled that Stony Brook University Medical Center has chosen our pager replacement and smartphone messaging system, Amcom Mobile Connect. They will be using it for 3,000 BlackBerry smartphones throughout their facility to handle high-volume messaging.

This well-respected medical center will also benefit from Mobile Connect’s encrypted messages and full visibility and traceability of all message activity. This will include time and date stamps showing when messages are sent, delivered, and opened, as well as when responses are sent and the information contained in each response.

You can read more in the press release we issued today.