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Medical House Calls Revived With the Help of iPad and EHR

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Scharmaine Lawson-Baker, a certified family Nurse Practitioner in New Orleans, relies on Practice Fusion's free, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) system on her iPad to deliver care to patients in their homes. Lawson-Baker makes about 10 house calls every day, to senior and disabled patients who would otherwise go without critical healthcare. Lawson-Baker is profiled in Practice Fusion's latest EHR case study video.

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"I love making house calls because it really puts you on the frontlines of primary care," said Lawson-Baker in the new film. "Technology not only makes my job easier, but makes me more efficient and I'm able to provide patients with information in real time. They love it."

In 2005, Lawson-Baker lost all her physical medical records in Hurricane Katrina, but was able to quickly rebuild her practice using new medical record technology. Thousands of health professionals in Louisiana are turning to EHRs to move away from the inefficiencies and risks of paper records, especially in the aftermath of the devastating hurricane.

Key facts:

    --  View Lawson-Baker's video case study and blog profile of her work in New
        Orleans
    --  Lawson-Baker was named NP Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008 by Advance
        for Nurse Practitioners Magazine
    --  She formerly served as a Lieutenant-Family Nurse Practitioner with the
        United States Navy Nurse Corps
    --  Before Practice Fusion, Lawson-Baker paid almost $12,000 to use an EHR
        system, a significant drain on her practice finances
    --  House calls offer an alternative to patients whose conditions keep them
        from traveling to doctor's appointments. Low cost technology, like
        Practice Fusion, helps physicians deliver care in a diverse range of
        settings
    --  With Practice Fusion, providers can securely use all features of the EHR
        from their iPad or tablet computer, increasing their ability to
        communicate and collaborate with patients and other care providers in
        real-time.
    --  Practice Fusion currently has 100,000 healthcare professional users
        serving 16 million patients.

"Scharmaine is a healthcare hero. She is leading the charge with medical technology to support her community and deliver the highest quality of care to patients," said Ryan Howard, CEO of Practice Fusion. "Whether it's a house call, medical office, or from their home, doctors and nurses are creatively delivering medical care using Practice Fusion every day. Our goal is to make a healthcare professional's work easier every step of the way with the best EHR technology absolutely free."

Practice Fusion uniquely supports solo and small practice physicians transitioning from paper charts to a web-based EHR. With their free, portable EHR, providers can chart anytime, anywhere without being tethered to a locally-installed EHR or standalone computer. New technology helps micropractitioners like Lawson-Baker bring back traditional house calls and thrive in a rapidly changing medical sector.

Healthcare providers across the country have relied on Practice Fusion's web-based EHR system to instantly access their records even when their practice facility was damaged or inaccessible in a disaster. Contact our media team to learn more about their stories. Medical providers looking to make the switch from paper in their own practice can sign up at www.practicefusion.com.

About Practice Fusion

Practice Fusion provides a free, web-based Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to physicians. With charting, scheduling, e-prescribing, billing, lab integrations, referral letters, Meaningful Use certification, unlimited support and a Personal Health Record for patients, Practice Fusion's EHR addresses the complex needs of today's healthcare providers and disrupts the health IT status quo. Practice Fusion is the fastest growing EHR community in the country with more than 100,000 users serving 16 million patients. The company closed a $23 million Series B round of financing led by Founders Fund in April 2011. For more information about Practice Fusion, please visit www.practicefusion.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.Ryan Howardhttps://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=93794

Contact: Helen PhungSan Francisco: 415.992.7726helen@practicefusion.com

SOURCE Practice Fusion