Easing the Pain: Frustrated by inefficiencies at his doctor's office, Jusman Ichwan chose to do something about it, developing a software program to speed services. (Small Business).EXCITED and anxious about the impending im·pend intr.v. im·pend·ed, im·pend·ing, im·pends 1. To be about to occur: Her retirement is impending. 2. birth of his first child 11 years ago, Jusman Ichwan would often attend his wife's frequent doctor's visits. But what the computer consultant from Indonesia discovered bothered him no end - needlessly long visits as nurses searched for medical information already offered many times over. "They didn't have any computer system to track paperwork," says Ichwan, 38. "There was only one viable solution." Which Ichwan created. MedicWare Inc., the company he started in 1991, produces electronic medical records (EMR (ElectroMagnetic Radiation) The emanation of energy from everything in the universe. Although the EMR from electrical and electronic devices is typically measured for practical, every-day situations, every object, including humans, emanates energy. ) software intended to replace the traditional medical file and create a more efficient doctor's office. Two years ago, the Irwindale company secured a round of financing and a distribution agreement with Companion Technologies, a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Shield A US not-for-profit health care insurer that is a reimbursement intermediary for physicians. Cf Blue Cross. of South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. . Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Companion, which took a minority stake, had been a reseller of other "point-of-care" EMR programs, but now exclusively distributes MedicWare's product. "Jay is a genius at taking technologies that are out there and putting them together," says Lynn Hudson, Companion's national MedicWare product manager. The initial version of the software, ready in 1994 after an infusion of $4 million, was essentially a clinical chart. Ichwan, who previously had a software consulting practice, realized after attending an American Association American Association refers to one of the following professional baseball leagues:
Ichwan sold his first piece of software in 1995 and since then the company has placed its product in 1,000 offices nationwide. He projects revenues this year of $1.2 million. Customers mostly include practices with a handful of physicians, although the company is now aiming at larger ones. With a database of 130,000 drugs and templates that assist in the diagnosis of various maladies, the software is intended to replace paper in every function in a doctor's office. Receptionists can schedule appointments, nurses can triage triage Division of patients for priority of care, usually into three categories: those who will not survive even with treatment; those who will survive without treatment; and those whose survival depends on treatment. patients, and doctors can order tests, chart a diagnosis and write prescriptions. The one area Ichwan has shied shied 1 v. Past tense and past participle of shy1. shied Verb the past of shy1 or shy2 away from is billing, which was a well-established, highly competitive field by the time the company got started. To input data, doctors can use a traditional personal computer, a laptop, a touchscreen computer or a wireless Palm or other PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A handheld computer for managing contacts, appointments and tasks. It typically includes a name and address database, calendar, to-do list and note taker, which are the functions in a personal information manager (see PIM). . Existing files can be fed into the system as scanned graphical files. Offices can either license the software for $17,000 and then sign up for a maintenance contract that includes updates, or, with the newest version, subscribe via the Internet for a per-user fee that comes out to about $7,000 annually for an office of two to three doctors and support staff. Dr. Lori Kemper, co-owner of a Phoenix-area osteopathic os·te·op·a·thy n. A system of medicine based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts, causing many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques in conjunction with conventional practice that also trains residents, has been using MedicWare since 1998, carrying her laptop to patient visits. She says there was a tough six-month transition period during which the office converted most of its paper files. But now, she says, she wouldn't practice without it. MedicWare allows her to easily read past charts - "the handwriting of doctors is typically not outstanding". she says - complete her own charts in seconds, but most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially document patient visits in a complete, standardized fashion. Effective back-up Those concerns arose out of high-profile government prosecutions in which medical providers were accused of filing fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid Medicare and Medicaid U.S. government programs in effect since 1966. Medicare covers most people 65 or older and those with long-term disabilities. Part A, a hospital insurance plan, also pays for home health visits and hospice care. claims. Ichwan says the software avoids any appearance of impropriety Appearance of impropriety is a term often used in reference to a situation whose ethics is deemed questionable. It means that any layperson, without knowledge of the facts, would assume that something he/she saw or heard was inappropriate or a violation of a rule/regulation. by helping doctors satisfy guidelines established set forth by the Health Care Financing Administration Health Care Financing Administration, n.pr department in the U.S. agency of Health and Human Services responsible for the oversight of the Medicaid and Medicare benefit programs, including guidelines, payment, and coverage policies. (now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) computing how much Medicare should be billed for a visit from elderly patients. It's also compliant with new federal regulations that will take effect over the next few years and are intended to safeguard patient privacy, regulations that will even bar the use of traditional sign-in logs in doctor's offices that publicly disclose patient names. Despite its growing acceptance, MedicWare has made barely a dent in its market. It is estimated that only 3 percent of the nation's doctors' offices use EMR software, with older doctors leery of the systems and many practices questioning whether the investment is worth it. Zan Calhoun, a health care consult and vice president with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, says that historically EMR vendors have oversold Oversold In technical analysis, it is a market in which the volume of selling that has occurred is greater than the fundamentals justify. Notes: It is the opposite of overbought. their system. But he said that the roughly $7,000 monthly cost for MedicWare's online system is approaching what doctors would be willing to pay. RELATED ARTICLE: PROFILE MedicWare Inc. Year Founded: 1991 Core Business: Electronic medical records for doctors' offices Revenues in 1997: $100,000 Revenues in 2001: $1.25 million (projected) Employees in 1997: 4 Employees in 2001: 13 Goal: To reach $10 million in revenues by 2005. Driving Force: Government and insurance industry rules and regulations requiring medical practices to safeguard patient privacy and better document reimbursement claims. |
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