Metro Imaging Achieves Meaningful Use with Digital Writing from Anoto and NextGen Healthcare

Employing Anoto's digital writing technology to collect patient history, demographics and signatures directly from the waiting room without interviewing, scanning or transcribing, reduces utilization of high cost staff, thereby improving outcomes through proactive patient engagement.

"Metro Imaging is independently owned by radiologists who provide real-time results to patients, so our system has to flow really well," said Chris Keefe, chief financial officer of Metro Imaging. "Everything must run smoothly and this solution was perfect since it allows us to continue to work the way we always have and only required a small amount of user training. There is no way we could have achieved meaningful use without it."

In addition to patient history and consent forms, Metro Imaging is also using the technology to populate structured data and alerts, such as whether the patient has a pacemaker or not. Pens are provided to each patient along with the form and the handwritten information is recorded onto a chip in the digital pen. When the form is completed, the data in the pen is transferred via a computer docking station. The handwritten information then becomes digitized data that is available for immediate use. The solution helps Metro Imaging achieve meaningful use since the forms contain important patient background details such as smoking history, race and demographic information.

"Healthcare professionals across all kinds of practices continue to struggle with EHR adoption and achieving meaningful use," said Pietro Parravicini, senior vice president area manager Americas for Anoto. "In many cases, the introduction of new processes and technologies day-to-day causes too many obstacles. Digital pen technology is simple to use and renders the writing 'live,' resulting in information that is immediately available, as well as much faster EHR adoption and attainment of meaningful use."

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