07/ 16/ 2007
"Software as a Service" helps hospitals simplify workloads, improve patient safety and reduce risk
| CONTACT: | Jennifer J. Davis, Dell Inc. | Michael E. Diegel, NFIB |
| 512-723-3091 | 202-554-9000 |
New York--On 9/11, volunteer physicians flooded New York City hospitals to help with the crisis. Many were turned away because hospital staff couldn't efficiently confirm if volunteers were doctors, much less validate the procedures they were qualified to perform.
Today, that dilemma can be avoided, thanks to one small business' innovative use of technology. For their trailblazing work to automate the laborious process of physician credentialing and hospital privileging, Medkinetics, a software start-up based in Franklin, Tenn., is the winner of the 2007 Dell/National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Excellence Award.
Hospital staff can spend hundreds of hours and millions of dollars in people resources per year completing tedious paperwork to confirm qualifications, performance ratings and patient procedures physicians are "privileged" to perform when they join a hospital. Medical institutions also can face a daunting challenge in efficiently managing, updating or transferring the information – potentially leaving patients, doctors and hospitals at risk.
For a growing number of healthcare institutions, Medkinetics provides a solution. The company offers customizable, web-based software solutions to meet the needs of clients ranging from rural clinics to urban hospitals, allowing them to easily verify a new doctor's credentials, receive alerts about potential issues, update privileges as new standards develop, facilitate peer-to-peer reviews and transfer information between client facilities.
"Years ago my wife, a pediatric ophthalmologist, came home with a stack of credentialing paperwork to fill out and challenged me to find a technology solution to the time-consuming, antiquated process," said Jim Cox, founder and president of Medkinetics. "I started writing the software that night and my business idea was born."
Today, Cox sees an even greater need and application for his software solutions. During a disaster, emergency privileging becomes vital as hospitals need a standardized method to immediately identify valid doctors.
The Medkinetics system is web-based and makes critical information available anywhere there is an Internet connection, saving time, eliminating human error and ultimately saving lives.
"With broader adoption of technology in our health-care system, you can imagine the implications for better patient care and lower costs," said Frank Muehleman, vice president and general manager of Dell's small and medium business division. "It's Medkinetics' leadership in this area that earned them the 2007 Excellence Award."
Medkinetics will receive $30,000 in Dell products and services, a lifetime membership to NFIB, one of the nation's leading small-business advocacy groups, and a day with Dell executives, including Chairman and CEO Michael Dell. The nine finalists will receive a Dell Latitude™ notebook and a one-year membership to NFIB.
"Jim Cox founded Medkinetics to address a societal issue and has turned it into a small business success story," said Todd Stottlemyer, CEO of NFIB. "It's nimble, innovative small businesses that are having the greatest impact on our economy and society, and we are proud to have Medkinetics as a lifetime NFIB member."
To learn more about Medkinetics and the award program, please visit www.dell.com/ceaward.
About NFIB
NFIB is the nation's leading small-business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, NFIB gives small- and independent-business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their business. NFIB's powerful network of grassroots activists send their views directly to state and federal lawmakers through our unique member-only ballot, thus playing a critical role in supporting America's free enterprise system.
About Dell
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