Tablet PCs (finally!) for healthcare

In searching for news on Catalis, about which I wrote my last post, I learned about another Austin company that exists in the health IT field: Motion Computing. Led by a former Dell exec, Motion has redesigned the tablet PC specifically for doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

Their tablet PC is called the Motion C5 and seems to be -- according to this Austin American-Statesman article -- either endorsed or designed with the help of both Intel and UCSF's medical faculty. Features of the C5, as quoted in the article, are:

The book-size device comes with a built-in bar-code scanner for tracking patients and medications, a video and still camera for documenting patient problems, and radio frequency identification tracking technology.

It has the ability to store, access and update patient records wirelessly from anywhere in a hospital. It also is spill-resistant and easy to disinfect.

Executives say the device will help nurses cut down on paperwork, freeing them to spend more time with patients. It also is designed to reduce medical errors and improve efficiency in hospitals.

It is, according to the CEO Scott Eckert, the only tablet PC that currently packages all those features in one computer. This seems a boon to healthcare workers. However, in the short-term there will be the usual source of resistance: the difficulty of teaching old dogs new tricks. And the C5 is competing in a tough field, tough not because of competition but due to lack of demand.

A few years ago, after Microsoft Corp. introduced the operating system for Windows-based tablet computers, some analysts predicted as many as 14 million of the devices would be sold by 2009.

Today, the projection is closer to 3.5 million, according to Roger Kay, a computer industry analyst who runs Endpoint Technologies Associates Inc.

Still, the article notes that one strong area of demand for tablet PCs is the healthcare industry. In fact Motion makes a large portion of their revenue by selling tablet PCs to healthcare workers. And at $2,200, it's in the same price range as high-end desktops (which hospitals and practices often buy) and laptops.