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Written by Eugene Borukhovich
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Saturday, 03 January 2009 16:11 |
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There are usually not many groundbreaking uses of technology in long term care, though it is an industry that desperately needs it. There are efforts to improve technology in LTC such as LTC HIT Summit. While not directly focused on solving the inefficiencies in the LTC market, a startup called "Connected for Healthcare" is attempting to focus on the families of the patients that are placed in those facilities. "Connect for Healthcare is an inexpensive, on-line subscription service created exclusively for the families and loved ones of those in long-term care. It enables our Participating CareProviders to give you and your family what you need - simple, proactive wellness updates on a weekly or twice-weekly basis. In turn the care provider can receive up to 20% of the subscription fee." I definitely like the overall concept of monitoring and keeping an eye on your family, though I am wondering what vital signs are available and how valuable they are given the fact that a good amount of incidents in LTC occur due a mismatch of medication. But if $15/month and a few emails per week give you a piece of mind, Connect for Healthcare can help. |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 30 May 2009 15:55 |
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Written by Eugene Borukhovich
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Saturday, 03 January 2009 16:11 |
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Within days from publishing my original blog on this company, Neil Moore, CEO of Connect for Healthcare contacted me. I sensed the proactiveness and passion in the virtual communication we had over e-mail and it was later reiterated by the presentation they have given me. Neil has an extensive background in the industry and the drive to make this business succeed. One of my first questions was around the integration points into the Long Term Care facility's systems. The answer is simple - currently there is none. Reason is simple as well - caregivers most often just want to know key wellness parameters such as mood, food and good (forgive my poor rhyming). No medical record from an LTC system can provide those human characteristics. The user interface was simple, clean and effective both for the LTC-facing UI as well as the end-user. The free-format field available leaves room for things like "Please bring another book for your loved one to read. They are done with the current one". As a caregiver, those little coments mean a lot! I have spoken to a few of my connections in the Long Term Care industry and the response was - it has been done before but never went anywhere. To me the difference now is that non-medical terminology is being used to communicate with caregivers, technology such as SMS and e-mail is in everybody's pocket these days, and nursing facilities are trying to differentiate themselves more and more in this tough economy vying for the private payer's dollars.
Neil, we wish you all the best in your endeavor! |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 31 January 2009 12:43 |
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