| |
| |
November 28, 2002
|
UNR Changing the Way Doctors Work
Article by Terri Hendry, KOLO News Channel 8
|
RENO -- A local company, incubated in our own backyard at our own university
with local investors has the potential to change the way doctors are doing
business.
Dr. Phil Goodman has been a practicing physican for 19 years. He is also
a professor at the University of Nevada School of Medicine. His research
at the University relates to computers and medicine.
So, with his background, two years ago he hatched an idea that investors believe
has the potential to be big -- really big.
It fits in the palm of your hand, and has the potential to revolutionize a
physician's practice.
It's a personal data assistant, or PDA, that contains softwared developed by a
Goodman, who saw a need in his practice after using off-the-shelf software that
he says just didn't work.
"It's just too cumbersome to use things that are made of "form software" for
the very sophisticated and special rules we use in medicine," he says. "If it
takes more time to use the PDA then to scribble stuff or to talk on the phone
or dictate, it's just not going to work."
Enter modeMD. It's designed to ease the administrative burden so many physicians
are complaining about. First, it tracks patients.
"We click on what our services were rendered," Goodman says. "We don't have to
deal with paperwork. We indicate what doctor referred it, also click on things
to do. I order a blood test; I need to check back in the morning, click, tomorrow
morning, click, pop down, blood test in the morning, it reminds me to do it."
Second, it increases communication without increasing phone calls or interuptions.
"I don't end up getting any calls from my office asking me, 'where's your report
on those patients and what doctor asked you to do a consult?' The headaches and
after hours trying to remember what it is I did and ultimately putting off to
the end of the week, and unfortunately, losing charges."
Finally, it can "hot bill" an insurance company. The softward is just out of
beta testing and already Dr. Myron Gomez is using it.
"Previous programs were developed from the medical office out," he says. "This
program was developed specifically for the hospitalists or physician who
practices in a hospital environment."
Goodman used his own funds to get matching funds from the Applied Research
Initiative, which is administered through UNR. Eventually, venture capitalists
as well as angel investors in Nevada entered the picture.
The recent launch of the software is going so well, modeMD plans to add another
feature in December -- virtual beaming -- which allows other doctors within a
group to receive all the information about a collegue's patients, with just a
click after hot syncing their Palm Pilots.
|
|
|
UNR Changing the Way Doctors Work