WATERTOWN, Mass., June 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Epocrates, Inc., an athenahealth, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATHN ) service, today announced that, for the fifth consecutive year, Epocrates leads the digital health market in terms of medical reference app reach on smartphones 1 , according to Manhattan Research's 2014 Taking the Pulse® U.S. study.
The newly released Taking the Pulse U.S. study reports on technology adoption and behavior trends among physicians across the U.S. More than 3,000 physicians shared their opinions. Key findings include:
- Epocrates is #1 - Epocrates is the most popular medical reference application on smartphone and tablet devices among U.S. physician app users.
- Critical to Workflow - Epocrates users are more likely to use digital resources on their smartphones for professional purposes than the average U.S. physician. 62 percent of physicians who use Epocrates use their smartphones to access clinical content in between patient consults; 39 percent during patient consults.
- Epocrates Physicians are Frequent Users - Nearly one-third of physicians using Epocrates on a smartphone launch the app three or more times a day.
- Clinical Content Seekers - While drug references remain one of the top digital resources used by physicians on a smartphone, those who use Epocrates are almost twice as likely as non-Epocrates users to access both drug reference databases and clinical references.
"I have worked in pediatrics for 13 years, and Epocrates has made a big difference in the quality and safety of the care I deliver," said Dr. Ryan Walley, a pediatrician from Birmingham, Alabama. "I use Epocrates to answer critical questions, and it has never failed me. You can never overestimate the value of accurate peds dosing or information on drug-drug interactions when you need it most."
"We're ecstatic that we're getting it right," said Rob Cosinuke, president of Epocrates and CMO of athenahealth. "Epocrates lives and breathes its mission to be health care professionals' most trusted service by helping them make decisions with confidence and efficiency during moments of care. It is what compels us to innovate in ways that add more value to providers, and ultimately patients. As for the future, while our core app is always our focus, we are exploring ways to bring Epocrates into the next stage of mHealth—care coordination and network connectivity—with our ongoing goal of equipping physicians to deliver the best care outcomes."
To learn more about Epocrates and its latest point-of-care solutions, please visit www.epocrates.com . For more information about athenahealth, please visit www.athenahealth.com .
1 Epocrates has also led the market for medical reference app reach on tablet devices since 2012, when Manhattan Research began reporting tablet device usage.
About Taking the Pulse® U.S.
Taking the Pulse U.S. 2014 is a physician research study and advisory service fielded annually by Manhattan Research focused on understanding technology adoption and current and future use among U.S. practicing physicians. The survey was conducted among a randomized sample of 3,066 U.S. practicing physicians using an online survey fielded in February and March 2014.
About athenahealth, Inc.
athenahealth is a leading provider of cloud-based services for electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and care coordination. athenahealth's mission is to be caregivers' most trusted service, helping them do well doing the right thing. For more information, please visit www.athenahealth.com .
About Epocrates, Inc.
Epocrates, Inc., an athenahealth service, is recognized for developing the #1 medical application among U.S. physicians for clinical content, practice tools, and health industry engagement at the point of care. Epocrates has established a loyal network of more than one million health care professionals, including 50 percent of U.S. physicians, who routinely use its intuitive solutions to help streamline workflow and improve patient care. For more information, please visit www.epocrates.com/company .
Holly Spring / Jillian Palash athenahealth, Inc. (Media) 617-402-1631 / 617-402-6509 Dana Quattrochi athenahealth, Inc. (Investors) 617-402-1329 April Marks Epocrates, Inc. (Media) 650-520-2413
