Another Day, Another Great Physician App

No doubt many physicians cheered when the American Medical Association today introduced its first-ever app designed to help them quickly find CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) billing codes. But what might have been more exciting was the association's announcement of its 2011 AMA App Challenge to find the next great medical app idea.

"The AMA's new CPT quick reference app helps physicians determine the appropriate E/M code for billing quickly, easily and accurately," said AMA Board Secretary and physician Steven J. Stack, in a press release. "To find the next great medical app idea we are going right to the source by inviting physicians, residents, and medical students to participate in the first-ever AMA App Challenge."

The news underscores how hot the apps market is for providers (and how lucrative it is for the developers, tech players like Apple and Google, and now medical associations, that target providers).

The AMA’s new iTunes-downloadable app, an on-the-go guide that is compatible with Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices, adds to a growing list.

Some of the best ones we’ve seen yet (that are also popular with physicians) include Epocrates’ eponymous free and paid apps that help physicians identify pills and drug interactions, MedCalc, E/M Code Check Basic, and Taber’s Medical Dictionary.

And as technology advances in the next two years, we expect we’ll see an an influx of even more interesting and useful smart phone and tablet apps tailored for practice-based physicians.

Learn more about Marisa Torrieri and our other contributing bloggers here.