Medical software and healthcare software is used in hospitals, clinics, and related facilities. This product area includes software used to control and monitor medical devices and software used for medical practice management and patient billing. Healthcare applications are also used for the entry, storage, and distribution of medical records. Typically, medical software and healthcare software charting programs are enterprise applications software distributed across local area networks (LAN) or wide area networks (WAN). Medical record information may also be recorded on portable devices such as laptops and notebook computers, and then downloaded to a central repository or database management system. Medical records can then be transmitted from hospitals to doctors, doctors to hospitals and nursing homes, or sent by wireless upload from field medical providers such as paramedics and home healthcare providers.

Standards

Medical software and healthcare software adheres to a number of regulatory requirements and quality standards. For example, in the United States, implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires medical billing software to adhere to ANSI standards 835 and 837 in the areas of accounts payable, accounts receivable, and medical claim processing. ANSI is an acronym for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a member organization of the International Standards Organization (ISO). The American Medical Association (AMA) and departments of professional regulations at state levels also provide guidelines for medical software and healthcare software. This information relates references for:

• diagnoses
• treatment modalities
• assessment protocols
• pharmacopeia
• solutions for treating thousands of diseases

Features

Medical software and healthcare software includes many types of software for medical devices. Medical devices range from medical alert tags and home-health machines to solution pumps, monitoring equipment, and automated treatment devices. Medical software and healthcare software for medical devices can be used to:

• administer drugs and fluids
• control doses in chemo and radiation therapy
• provide instant reporting on critical changes in patient condition

Related Information

Engineering360—IEEE Releases "Building Code for Medical Device Software Security"

IEEE Spectrum—Hackers Invade Hospital Networks Through Insecure Medical Equipment