Mobility revolutionizing Medical Industry


The biggest trend today is mobility. The possibilities are endless. Recently Mary Meeker of Kliener Perkins Caufield Byers predicted that the global smartphone and tablet installed base will exceed the PC installed base by Q2 2013 – just weeks from today. Text messaging has become the standard method of communication. We text our friends, our kids, our colleagues - and doctors are no different. They want the same convenience of texting at work that they have become accustomed to in all other aspects of their lives. They also want to do the right thing when it comes to their patients’ security and privacy, but efficient, high quality care trumps everything for doctors. For an ER doctor like Imprivata’s Chief Medical Officer, Sean Kelly, the ability to instantly text message the on-call cardiologist a picture of a patient’s EKG, and quickly mobilize the catheterization lab can literally save a life.


The ability to send secure, HIPAA compliant text messages is a perfect example of how technology can help to solve the healthcare crisis – and Imprivata is helping. When we started talking to many of our customers about texting, we often heard two different stories: the CMIO would say that texting was not happening and was not allowed. Then the CIO would tell me that it was happening all over the place, and he was panicked about the security risk, potential law suits, and the damage to the hospital’s reputation. We shipped Imprivata Cortext, our HIPAA compliant texting solution only five months ago, and already more than 500 hospitals are enrolled. That tells you something. I have been in the enterprise technology space for a long time, and I have never seen adoption like this.



Healthcare Industry Embracing Technology


We are already beginning to see radical change on two vectors; a drastic technology revolution is taking place at the same time that the industry itself is undergoing a tremendous transformation. On the technology front the digital natives are already in the workforce. The doctors coming out of medical school today have grown up with smartphones, Xbox, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They are demanding the same level of “invisible” technology in the workplace. The bar has been raised substantially and vendors have to stay ahead of the curve.


The proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices is having a huge impact on healthcare. There are 2.4 billion global internet users and 1.2 billion global smartphone subscriptions today. Patients have the tools to take a more active role in their own care. The difference is drastic compared to even 10 years ago. Today patients compare doctors and treatments on-line through services like Healthgrades. They consult with other patients with the help of tools like PatientsLikeMe. They can monitor their own vital signs using their smartphones. This patient involvement is all good – and necessary in order for us to improve outcomes, increase efficiency and lower costs.


Meaningful Use is driving the change here in the U.S., but other countries are on the same track as well. All industrialized countries are facing the same issues, and looking for dramatic and much needed efficiencies in the care delivery process. Technology is the only option we have. With an aging population on a global scale, the skyrocketing cost of care, and healthcare accounting for 18 percent GDP - and growing fast – our current model is unsustainable. Every other major industry has applied technology to increase efficiency and improve quality. Look at finance, manufacturing or retail.

They have all been way ahead of healthcare in terms of automation. Yet, in the past few years, we are seeing healthcare actually beginning to leap frog the others – and that’s largely due to meaningful use – which in my opinion, has been great for the industry. We have customers all over the world, and I find it interesting that when I speak with CIOs in the U.K., France or Germany for example, they tell me that they would welcome similar legislation to help drive the adoption of electronic health records in their countries.
The sweeping benefits will come down the road, but we are making substantial progress already.

We have some very forward thinking customers who are seeing terrific results. Augusta Medical Center has been able to tie shorter hospital stays to faster medication adjustments for patients as a result of higher adoption of CPOE. Intermountain healthcare, a pioneer in evidenced-based medicine, has greatly improved the quality of care by analyzing the vast data they have collected over the years. One example is that they were able to determine that 39 weeks is the optimal gestation age for babies delivered in their hospitals. So by adhering to that 39 -week standard, whenever possible, patients have less complications and better outcomes, and as a result, Intermountain has lower costs.

Focus on Solving Strategic Problems


The biggest challenge entrepreneurs face is complacency. It is easy to think “you’ve made it” when you have experienced significant growth in a short period of time and there is still plenty of upside in the market. You listened to the market and understood its needs, which helped deliver a best in class product. But markets are cyclical and requirements change. This is especially true in healthcare, as the market is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. To be successful, you have to stay vigilant, listen, observe and continue to make bets, because all it takes is one difficult economic cycle or industry shift to learn the tough lesson that a company is not built on revenue alone – it is built on the value it delivers to the marketplace. Entrepreneurs can easily become complacent as they begin to achieve fiscal success, but it is important to constantly reevaluate the problems you are solving and the value you are delivering to customers. The companies that solve strategic problems are the companies that survive and thrive in any economic cycle.