DrFirst Launches Free* Secure Clinical Messaging System to Help Healthcare Providers Close Gaps in Patient Care | DrFirst

*The content in this press release is now out of date. DrFirst no longer offers a free version of Backline, however our premium version is still available. To get a demo of this HIPAA-compliant secure messaging solution click on “Request a Demo” below and someone will reach out to you shortly.

HIPAA-compliant solution improves continuity of care and increases positive patient outcomes

Rockville, MD (December 5, 2012)

DrFirst, a pioneer of innovative healthcare software solutions and services, announced today the launch of Akario Backline^®, a free* HIPAA-compliant web and mobile text messaging solution available to all medical and dental providers and staff. Backline is designed to improve care team collaboration by allowing providers to securely send and receive patient records, hospital discharge summaries, referrals and other rich media clinical content to colleagues and patients outside their practices.

An independent study produced in 2011 by Markle Foundation indicates that only 17% of doctors use computer-based means predominantly to communicate with other doctors, and that 74% of doctors would prefer computer-based methods to paper and fax when sharing patient information with each other. Further, most email services, text messaging, instant messaging and other online communication methods are not compliant with HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which sets standards for protecting sensitive patient data.

“Methods of communication that work in other professions are problematic for hospitals and doctors,” said Peter N. Kaufman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for DrFirst. “You can’t be sure your fax is being securely received on the other end, and email is vulnerable the moment it leaves your firewall. So communicating protected health information through these methods leaves doctors exposed to HIPAA violations. Akario provides healthcare providers with an easy to use, intuitive solution that is as simple as e-mail.”

Akario enables healthcare providers to have instant access to their patient’s care team, and, regardless of each individual practice’s underlying electronic medical records software, supports sending and receiving sensitive patient information such as discharge summaries from hospitals, referrals, assigned tasks within a practice, and rich-media clinical files such as lab results, x-rays, EKG results, photographs and videos.

G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst said, “We developed Akario to break down barriers to care. Healthcare providers need patient information to flow between providers in order to provide continuity-of-care, coordinate treatment, and avoid duplicate tests and conflicting therapies. However, the need to protect patient information limits this flow of information. With Akario, providers can instantly share patient information, secure in the knowledge that the patient data is protected.”

Akario secure messaging is free* to all licensed healthcare providers and their staff, nationwide. Akario mobile applications for Apple iPhone and Apple iPad are available through the Apple App Store. Akario is also embedded within DrFirst’s Rcopia E-Prescribing system and thereby accessible to all Rcopia subscribers and EHR vendor clients.

About DrFirst, Inc.
DrFirst pioneers software solutions and services designed to optimize healthcare provider access to patient information, improve the doctor’s clinical view of the patient at the time of care, and enable more effective, efficient administration and collaboration across a patient’s circle of caregivers. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation and reliability across a wide array of service areas, including Medication History and E-prescribing, Secure Test Messaging and Clinical Data Sharing, and Patient Behavioral Education and Medication Adherence. We are a Surescripts Gold Certified provider, and have the #1-ranked Standalone Electronic Prescribing Software as rated by Black Book Market Research. We are proud of our track record of service to 40,000 providers and 260 EMR/EHR/PBMs nationwide.