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If
you think back to the last time you saw a doctor, it’s easy to see the
barriers that stand between patients and physicians: excessive
paperwork, difficulties sharing test results and medical records,
confusing payment instructions, not to mention the limited time doctors
have with each patient. Xerox researchers are on a mission to tear down
these obstacles and simplify healthcare.
“A
huge amount of healthcare work happens in the back office, before and
after the patient encounter. It’s not always flashy but it’s very
important.”
Xerox
LiveKey, already at work for several customers, helps capture and share
paper-based information in seconds, slashing steps that typically take
up to 14 days to complete for processes such as medical claims or
insurance billing.
An
office administrator processing a medical claim, for example, can place
a document on a Xerox multifunction printer (MFP), touch the LiveKey
button on the MFP’s screen, and digitize information instantly. The
device forwards the information through secure cloud-based services and
connects it to a Xerox facility for coding and claims processing. In
addition to saving time, Xerox LiveKey reduces costs by up to 30%.
Currently available in the U.S., LiveKey can be used to instantly
process documents within any industry.
“A
huge amount of healthcare work happens in the back office, before and
after the patient encounter. It’s not always flashy but it’s very
important,” said Markus Fromherz, chief innovation officer, healthcare,
Xerox. “Our research projects focus on solving the problems healthcare
organizations face today and in the future—making it easier for
caregivers, insurance companies and government organizations to access,
share and apply information—ultimately improving healthcare interactions
and patient outcomes.”
This
week at TEDMED 2012, Xerox pulled back the curtain on some of the
healthcare-related research occurring in its labs around the world:
- Mobile care coordination: Ethnographers—researchers
who track the habits of workers as they go about their day – and
technologists at PARC, A Xerox company, are working with practicing
nurses to develop the Digital Nurse Assistant – a combination of in-room
displays and mobile technology that delivers information on past,
current, and planned actions for a patient. Displays turn on
automatically when a recognized clinician enters a room to treat a
patient, and mobile devices allow caregivers to document their work
without locating and logging into a workstation. - Predictive clinical analytics: Healthcare
organizations will soon benefit from a new user interface for Midas+
Live, a Xerox solution. The interface actively monitors patient data and
prevents potential emerging complications. Caregivers will view data
about multiple patients from one central location, accessible on mobile
devices including smartphones and tablets. - Infection detection:
To help detect and prevent hospital-acquired infections more quickly,
providers use FactSpotter text mining technology developed at the Xerox
Research Centre Europe. As part of the ALADIN (Assistant de Lutte
Automatisée et de Détection des Infections) project, Xerox technology
can analyze information in patient records – such as symptoms, drugs and
types of bacteria found – and proactively identify risks. If a risk is
likely, the system will alert caregivers. - Medication management:
Xerox researchers have “smart” medication packaging in development that
will allow pharmacies to help patients manage their daily pill regimen
more easily. Using innovations in personalization, data collection and
packaging, the system will organize medication, provide personalized
instructions and then track whether a patient adheres to doctor’s
orders.
Source: XEROX
