About Portable EHR

Portable EHR is first and foremost an application designed for patients. The application is designed for smart phones and tablets with Internet access and a robust identification mechanism, preferably a fingerprint scanner. This application connects to the Portable EHR central servers via a secure connection.

The application thus offers the patient an array of basic services :

• Notifications when new developments arise
• Private messages from medical staff authorized by the patient
• View documents that have been made available by clinical staff
• Inform the medical staff that they have read the message.

Our service-oriented architecture facilitates the integration of our servers into different systems of computerized clinical files, in compliance with the regulatory requirements regarding the privacy and security of information to which the producers of computerized clinical files are bound. Our architecture also allows us to provide value-added services to patients who wish to access them.

Frequently asked questions

From the patient’s perspective

Patient benefits from Portable EHR

• Portable EHR is an extension of the individual’s electronic records, and is accessible via the patient’s cell phone at any time.
• It provides notifications regarding the follow-up of results.
• The patient is able to receive messages directly from their caregivers.
• Patients will soon be able to participate in specific discussion groups of interest, related to their health.
• Patients will not be commercially solicited.

Confidentiality of patient information

• A confidential setting regarding the reception of information may be activated.
• When the confidential setting is activated, the device will require that the patient provide identification in the form of their fingerprint, before receiving the information.
• Furthermore, access to all of the functions that could alter the patient’s service or confidentiality parameters is protected at all times.

How to register

• Registration occurs in a member clinic or member institution connected to Portable EHR. Upon registration in a clinic, a unique token is issued, enabling the patient to activate the application subsequent to its installation.
• After having downloaded the application, the patient can then digitize the token to safely complete the activation process.
• The activation process requires a telephone that is active on a cellular network because a text message will be sent to the patient with a PIN that must be entered during the last step of activation.

Services available

• The basic app features a Notification, Private Messaging, and Private Discussion (chat) service.
• Other services, of which you will be informed, will be added soon.
• These services shall be accessible to patients who express interest and give their authorization.

No access to a cell phone.

Access to Portable EHR is provided only if, when registering, the patient provides a valid cell phone number and e-mail address.

Patient at several clinics

A person who is a patient of several facilities (clinics, laboratories, pharmacies) may be given a mobile app providing access to all their information in these facilities.

Cost

• Basic services (Notification, Messaging, Group Discussion) are free.
• Additional services may be subject to a registration fee and charges, depending on the nature of the service and the manufacturer’s pricing policy.

From the physician’s perspective

Physicians registered with Portable EHR have the opportunity to collaborate with their colleagues in improving and maintaining the availability and quality of the medical services to which their patients have access.

The benefits of Portable EHR

• Physicians have their patients as allies in following up requests/results, given that their patients are informed of the progress of requests, which reduces the risk of medical errors and/or a break in adequate care. Physicians are able to safely electronically contact their patients with specific messages, which will be recorded in the patient’s medical file, without having to play telephone tag.
• Physicians have guaranteed traceability of the transmission of messages to their patients, via the patient records in their digitized clinical file.
• A designated member of the physician’s clinical staff is alerted when a patient does not respond to a read-receipt request within a prescribed timeframe.
• Interfaced with an auxiliary diagnostic service, Portable EHR has the potential to eventually alert physicians of any critical result (severely abnormal VG lab test) pertaining to a patient, so that they can intervene in a timely manner.

How it works

• The clinic where the physician practises signs up for Portable EHR service for all of their clientele.
• Portable EHR can be activated via the computerized clinical file (DCI) to send a message to one of the clinic’s patients.
• Depending on the case, the message may be marked “confidential,” requiring the patient to re-identify themselves on their mobile before being able to access the message.
• A read receipt within a prescribed timeline may be requested.
• A message with a read-receipt request that has not been read by the patient within the prescribed timeline will result in the issuing of a DCI alert to a designated staff member.

How to register

Physicians are not required to register. Once the integration of Portable EHR into the computerized clinical file has been completed, the clinic proceeds with registration.

Confidentiality of messages

• Messages sent to a patient shall be accessible by that patient only.
• Other physicians may view these messages only if they have access to the patient file via the physician’s DCI.
• Patients cannot forward these messages to third parties.

How to ensure that only the patient will be able to see their messages from their physician

• A patient registers at the clinic, after their identity has been verified.
• Once properly identified, the patient will receive an invitation to activate the application on a smart phone.
• To complete the registration, the patient is asked to activate the confidentiality setting by providing authentication using the mobile’s fingerprint scanner.
• From that point on, physicians can specify the need for confidentiality on any message sent to their patients.
• Any message marked “confidential” cannot be accessed through the mobile device unless the patient again provides identification within the application.

From a clinic owner’s perspective

Benefits of such a service

• Efficiency and flow of communications.
• Improved services offered to patients.
• Reduction in the clinic’s operating costs with the use of the application by the highest possible number of patients.

Clinical file technologies supported

• We are currently supporting the Toubib Electronic Medical Record system, by Logipromedic. The application is available to all patients of the connected clinics where Toubib is the EMR system of choice.

The clinic’s confidential information

• Physician patient lists are strictly confidential, and shall not be shared with third parties under any circumstance.
• Whether or not a patient is part of specific physician’s clientele shall not be revealed under any circumstance.
• However, patients may be registered with several institutions. Should this be the case, the information from a specific clinic shall be clearly identified as those of the patient.