Arthritis Associates of South Florida Acquires Access to Patient Health History Faster with Digital Pen Technology from Anoto and NextGen Healthcare

Joint Solution, NextPen™, Imports Patient Information Immediately Into EHR Solution Resulting in Faster Diagnosis and Care for Patients

News provided by

Anoto Group

Jul 10, 2012, 09:00 ET

WESTBOROUGH, Mass., July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Anoto Group, the worldwide leader in Digital Pen and Paper technology, and NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC announced that Arthritis Associates of South Florida has experienced significant benefits since implementing digital pen and paper technology - particularly when importing medical family and social history into their EHR solution.

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Arthritis Associates of South Florida specializes in adult and pediatric rheumatology. They treat all types of arthritis and autoimmune disorders through nonsurgical means. Previously, notes from patient visits would be dictated and transcribed and would take about three days to process. Now, by just having the patient fill out a form with a digital pen, the practice can immediately bring relevant data directly into their EHR system. This has resulted in improved efficiency – especially for new patients.

"The information and health history we capture is invaluable in our being able to determine a diagnosis," said Steven I. Goodman, M.D. "Now patients can just fill out forms with the digital pen and we can quickly capture details, such as where they are having pain, how severe it is, what makes it better and what makes it worse. Now, when I walk into the room, I have access to everything I need – it's all right there."

The system works exactly like traditional pen and paper. Each medical assistant is assigned two pens. They provide the patient with the form and the digital pen and then later check to make sure that the data is downloaded correctly. 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 is then converted into electronic data for immediate use. The solution also helps to achieve meaningful use standards since the forms contain details such as smoking history, race and demographic information.

"Digital pen and paper technology is enabling healthcare organizations like Arthritis Associates of South Florida to increase efficiencies while also helping them to move toward achieving Meaningful Use," said Pietro Parravicini, senior vice president area manager Americas for Anoto. "Digital pens can quickly capture important information and are very easy to use for staff and patients alike, resulting in immediate benefits."

In addition to their current use of the technology, Arthritis Associates of South Florida is looking to expand the combined solution from Anoto and NextGen Healthcare within its practice to collect data for disease activity levels for rheumatoid arthritis. They are currently in the process of developing a template that patients can use to fill out with questions reflecting the active level of their condition. The practice believes this will help doctors more quickly and easily prescribe what is needed to improve patient comfort and outcomes.

About Anoto Group
Anoto Group is the company behind and world leading in the unique technology for digital pen and paper, which enables fast and reliable transmission of handwritten text into a digital format. Anoto operates through a global partner network that focuses on user-friendly solutions for efficient capture, transmission and storage of data within different business segments, e.g. healthcare, bank and finance, transport and logistics and education. The Anoto Group has around 100 employees and is headquartered in Lund (Sweden). The company also has offices in Guildford and Wetherby (UK), Boston (US) and Tokyo (Japan). The Anoto share is traded on the Small Cap list of NASDAQ OMX Stockholm under the ticker ANOT. For more information: www.anoto.com.

About NextGenHealthcare
NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc., provides integrated clinical, financial and connectivity solutions for ambulatory, inpatient and dental provider organizations. For more information, please visit www.nextgen.com and www.qsii.com. Follow NextGen Healthcare on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nextgen or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NextGenHealthcare