Just three weeks after its iPad-native EHR made news for gaining ONC-ATCB-certification, drchrono has launched an iOS app to replace paper-based patient check-in.

Company execs say the OnPatient app can be downloaded to the iPad for free and integrated into a medical practice as a standalone application – the patient check-in software also integrates with with the drchrono's iPad EHR.

[See also: iPad EHR gains meaningful use certification.]

“The OnPatient check-in app digitizes the waiting room and eliminates significant barriers to mass adoption of patient check-in technology," said Michael Nusimow, co-founder and CEO of drchrono. "Proprietary check-in hardware is prohibitively expensive and integration with existing EHR systems is too complex. We designed the OnPatient app to be intuitive for both physicians and patient users to create a better patient check-in experience.”

On-Patient features customizable templates that enable physicians to eliminate paper forms and clipboards in the waiting room. Upon download, the OnPatient app allows patients to:

• Complete family medical history and demographic information
• Complete insurance information
• Snap a profile photo
• Sign the HIPAA consent form with a digital signature

The information auto-populates directly into the drchrono EHR platform. On subsequent visits, patients do not have to complete duplicate forms, they need only review their information and make any necessary changes on the iPad.

That saves "time and money" says Nusimow. "Putting in insurance info and all that minutiae takes a lot of time." With medication and allergies pre-entered, "the next time [patients] go to the doctor, they can just engage with the doctor."

[See also: iPad can accelerate new era of care.]

Surinder Saini, MD, a gastroenterologist in Fountain Valley, Calif. who was an early user of the app, says OnPatient "has benefited my practice in many ways." Patients like it too, he says. They enjoy the novelty of being "given an iPad to register in the office," and they "love to enter information" on the app.

Officials say OnPatient meets all industry security standards ensuring the privacy and safety of patient data.

drchrono also announced Thursday that it has closed an additional $650,000 in seed funding from start-up investor Yuri Milner, founder of DST Global, and venture capital firm General Catalyst. This follows $675,000 of seed funding from General Catalyst, Charles River Ventures, 500 Startups and angel investors, previously announced in July.