Paging Dr. Device Overload...A
recent survey showed nearly three out of four physicians carry around a smartphone. Yet, when it comes to receiving hospital alerts, many still have to carry around a separate tool belt of pagers or hospital-specific devices.
A fast-growing Minnetonka software company is working to free up some pocket space for doctors with a pager-replacement smartphone application.
Amcom Software has sold hospital call-center technology since the mid-80s. Chris Heim and Dan Mayleben bought the company in 2007 and have since grown annual revenue from $11 million to about $50 million.
Some of that growth is due to acquisitions, says Heim, but some comes from growing interest in new products such as
Amcom Mobile Connect. The app lets physicians receive pages on their BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android smartphones.
"We've got pictures of doctors carrying five different devices," says Heim. "What this application allows them to do is consolidate down to one device."
Since
releasing the product in December,
several major hospital systems have bought in, including Park Nicollet Health Services in St. Louis Park.
"I think there's an increasing awareness within healthcare that communication is the root cause of a lot of inefficiencies," says Heim.
Heim believes better communication can lead to better patient care. Amcom Mobile Connect improves on the pager by automatically sending confirmation messages when alerts are received and read, and allowing text replies.
Amcom has about 230 employees and was
seeking to hire another 10 more.
Source: Chris Heim, Amcom
Writer:
Dan Haugen