Pager alternatives

[DannMann99]

So my pager is getting real expensive.

Does anyone out there use any alternatives? Are there any apps or free options?
I feel like with an iPhone in my pocket I shouldn't have to carry around a pager from the 80's.

Any thoughts?

Thanks SDN you've always been a help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Raryn]

So my pager is getting real expensive.

Does anyone out there use any alternatives? Are there any apps or free options?
I feel like with an iPhone in my pocket I shouldn't have to carry around a pager from the 80's.

Any thoughts?

Thanks SDN you've always been a help!

Your employer doesn't provide you a pager? Are you in private practice?

 

[Psai]

I don't understand why we still use pagers and fax machines. We've had phones and computers for a few decades now. We might as well be sending telegrams to the PCPs and using typewriters to write our notes.

 

[IM88]

At my program every resident in every specialty is provided with their own iPhone. We have a secure messaging app (and website) to communicate with eachother and nurses, which has been awesome at cutting down time-wasting phone calls (Eg. "FYI patient's BP is 120/80). There is also a homegrown app/website which serves as a directory with up-to-the-minute phone numbers for essentially every medical and ancillary service in the hospital. Our mobile EMR/signout tool automatically pulls the relevant nurse/consult service contact info so you don't have to search for phone numbers. It's awesome.

 

[gutonc]

Secure messaging apps FTW.

I haven't carried a pager in 5 years.

 

[DannMann99]

Yea private practice in a real small hospital, every other doc (4 or 5) uses pagers so I'm not sure if it would be a big commotion to buck the trend. What kind of 'secure messaging apps' are there? I'm hoping to make it as simple as possible for the staff and am looking for something someone can access via a telephone that will just shoot me a text (that isn't my cell number because apparently the hospital is against that as if a staff member leaves a voice mail it might leave them open for a hippa issue.

THANKS!

 

[gutonc]

My group uses Startel (which isn't great, but doesn't completely suck either). I'm sure there are dozens (at least) more HIPAA compliant texting apps out there.

And unless every other doc in your group is older than 70, I'm sure they all have smartphones so you're not really making waves by suggesting this. In fact, the pager company you already use may already have an app option for you.

 

[smartparts]

Personally, I prefer 2 way pagers. I've rotated at places where everyone uses a cell phone app and you run into some snags. You can hand off a pager pretty easily if your going to be off the grid for a bit (instead of forwarding), but you can't hand off your cell phone. I guess if the hospital provides you with one you could, but you're still trusting someone with a $5-600 piece of tech instead of a $75 device. Also I feel guilty texting even work related stuff in front of patients because I worry that they'll think I'm just texting friends. When I two-way page, patients know it's work-related. Lastly, that black plastic some pagers are made of is nearly indestructible, but drop an iPhone once from your shirt pocket...

 

[gutonc]

Personally, I prefer 2 way pagers. I've rotated at places where everyone uses a cell phone app and you run into some snags. You can hand off a pager pretty easily if your going to be off the grid for a bit (instead of forwarding), but you can't hand off your cell phone. I guess if the hospital provides you with one you could, but you're still trusting someone with a $5-600 piece of tech instead of a $75 device. Also I feel guilty texting even work related stuff in front of patients because I worry that they'll think I'm just texting friends. When I two-way page, patients know it's work-related. Lastly, that black plastic some pagers are made of is nearly indestructible, but drop an iPhone once from your shirt pocket...

This is the difference between being a resident and an attending. You don't hand off your pager as an attending. And you also quickly realize that, unless you're in trauma call (which nobody in this thread should be), pages are not the emergencies that are made out to be when you're a resident.

 

[Raryn]

This is the difference between being a resident and an attending. You don't hand off your pager as an attending. And you also quickly realize that, unless you're in trauma call (which nobody in this thread should be), pages are not the emergencies that are made out to be when you're a resident.

+/-

I know hospitalists doing night shifts where, if there's two people doing the shift, they might hand one another the pagers on a slower night and take a few hour nap. Doesn't happen every night, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.

 

[gutonc]

+/-

I know hospitalists doing night shifts where, if there's two people doing the shift, they might hand one another the pagers on a slower night and take a few hour nap. Doesn't happen every night, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.

That's what paging operators are for.

 

[DannMann99]

Yea probably 75% of my pages are bogus things the nurse just needs an order for.

So what kind of secure messaging apps do you use.
My other thought is just outsourcing to a answering service.

 

[michaelrack]

If you are using a pager and walk into a hotel, make sure to ask if it is "pager-friendly"

 

[Psai]

This is the difference between being a resident and an attending. You don't hand off your pager as an attending. And you also quickly realize that, unless you're in trauma call (which nobody in this thread should be), pages are not the emergencies that are made out to be when you're a resident.

I've found a strong negative correlation between the frequency of pages and the importance of what you're being paged for.

 

[Cirrus83]

That's what paging operators are for.

Our pager system is antiquated nonsense that can't be forwarded because they're mostly external dial out numbers and they actually span multiple area codes as well. And then there are some in house pagers as well that oddly need an extra prefix to be appended for the pages to be valid.
So...yeah, we still physically hand the pagers off to get a bite to eat or whatever.

Funny thing is that our sister hospital has a fully functioning web portal for text paging every doctor in the hospital but we're stuck with this bizarro mashup of nonsense.

 

[ANCAdoc]

Our group uses PerfectServe. I like it just because it isn't a pager. I can "turn it off" when I'm on vacation. It replaces our answering service and has a voice automated prompt system to get you to the right person (on call doc rounding at X hospital, office staff, etc). Has secure messaging, with timestamps so I know messages were read. When the on call doc is on (after 4PM or weekends) no calls get routed to me. The phone beeps when I get a page. Luckily unless its a physician calling (for a consult) all calls pretty much route to the office. Our call calendar displays on the phone and easily changed at last minute if needed.

 

[Psai]

Our group uses PerfectServe. I like it just because it isn't a pager. I can "turn it off" when I'm on vacation. It replaces our answering service and has a voice automated prompt system to get you to the right person (on call doc rounding at X hospital, office staff, etc). Has secure messaging, with timestamps so I know messages were read. When the on call doc is on (after 4PM or weekends) no calls get routed to me. The phone beeps when I get a page. Luckily unless its a physician calling (for a consult) all calls pretty much route to the office. Our call calendar displays on the phone and easily changed at last minute if needed.

This system makes too much sense for my administrators to buy into it.