On June 15, MedShare officially launched MedShare HC V1.0 at an event in Milton, Ontario. MedShare HC is currently being implemented at several Ontario home health care agencies. As well, the MedShare development team continues to add new capabilities and functionality to the system based on the needs identified by our Clinical Advisory Board and current users. We will keep you updated on our release schedule – a summary is provided in the Product Update section below.

We would like to thank our Clinical Advisory Board -- Brenda Labron, Chris Linton, Christine Reno and Dr. John Moore, for providing the deep insight and critical thinking required to build this new class of home health care software.

For your reference,  here is a synopsis of the media release that was sent out following the launch.

Home health care agency management is easier, faster and more accurate with MedShare™ HC

[GUELPH, ON, June 27, 2006] -- Home healthcare providers have a new way to effectively deliver quality care today, with the unveiling of a user-friendly, electronic home healthcare agency management system called MedShare HC.

MedShare HC is an integrated software platform specially designed for home healthcare agencies. It’s built on leading-edge Microsoft® SmartClient technology, which permits continuous upgrades and enhancements without reinstalling software. With its user-friendly graphic interface, MedShare HC looks and operates much like other familiar Windows® products, such as Outlook®.

“MedShare HC lessens the burden of ever-increasing demand for documentation and reporting coming from government agencies in the healthcare field,” says Dr. John Moore, Director of MedShare’s Clinical Advisory Board. “This is accomplished by putting powerful "smart client" technology in the hands of professional health care workers and management as well as clerical personnel. This self-serve approach means healthcare workers in particular can reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks by using electronic media to record and view all information associated with the execution of their responsibilities.”

“The health care industry is moving toward greater and greater standardization of diagnostic categories, best practices and outcome measurements, says Moore. “This is occurring in parallel with steady progress toward agreement on a standard format for electronic health records. The underlying architecture of MedShare HC is designed to incorporate these standards as they become recommended and/or required by government agencies.”

CEO Barry Billings says MedShare HC’s versatility will appeal to a breadth of health care professionals. Nurses can review client history, capture treatment notes and share information with their colleagues. Occupational, physical or respiratory therapists and professionals can access medical images and test results. And to better track personal support workers, MedShare’s proprietary CareLink  device wirelessly transmits activity reports for the services provided in each client's home. This information can then be integrated seamlessly into the system for billing and payroll purposes.

MedShare HC V1.0 was launched for commercial sale on June 15, 2006. Functionality in the initial release includes:

• Agency Management
• Customer Management
• Client Management
• Clinical Database
• Billing
• Payroll
• Management Reports
• Wizards/Power Tools

Future releases will focus on integration of MedShare EHR Portal, additional functionality specifically for the Canadian marketplace and Origami/Point-of-Care. Thanks to our Clinical Advisory Board and clients for their invaluable input into the development of these features.

Our project release schedule follows.

MedShare HC V2.0 – September 2006

• Portal Integration (EHR)
• Scheduling
• CareLink Integration
• HCW Functionality (Connected)
• Quality of Service Reporting
• Dashboard
• Security & Licensing

MedShare HC V3.0 and Origami – Q1 2007

• Origami – Point of Care
• Occasionally disconnected operation
• Smart Forms
  1. consent forms, treatment notes
• Reports

Common Intake Assessment Tool (CIAT) project completed.

For the past 6 months MedShare has been working very closely with the Home Care Client Assessment Project (HC CAP) team of the Ministry of Health on a project called The Common Intake Assessment Tool.  The project is an initiative to standardize the short stay intake assessment process across the province of Ontario. 

Implementing MedShare’s proprietary Smart Applications for e-Health or SAFE methodology (described in further detail below), breakthrough Microsoft Smart Client technology and the InterRAI standardized short stay assessment "tool", the CIAT project was completed on time on March 31, 2006. The tool is currently being implemented in individual CCACs across Ontario. MedShare is supplying transitional services to ensure seamless support and transfer of the tool to the province.

CIAT reduces the administration required in conducting Intake Assessments, allowing Case Managers to conduct the assessment on Laptops or Tablet PCs. Once the Assessment is completed and submitted by the Case Manager, CIAT sends it to a centralized server where other approved Health Authorities can access it. This eliminates the need of Assessment forms being faxed, mailed or emailed and allows for clients to be assessed anytime and anywhere in the Province in accordance with a standardized method (InterRAI short stay assessment).

Leveraging Smart Client Technologies, Case Managers can perform assessments when on or offline because of the synchronization capabilities of the software. In the event the assessment is performed offline (when the computer is not connected to the Internet), when the Case Manager connects to the Internet all information is uploaded to the central server. Thus, CIAT is not a web-based tool, but a compact light-weight technology that allows for the full mobility of Case Managers and lets them perform their tasks whenever and wherever they are. Check-in and Check-out features ensure that Assessments are modified by a single Case Manager at a time. The tool also manages privacy settings for clients and provides a full audit trail of all modifications to assessments.

CIAT brings new efficiencies, control, and standardization to Case Managers, helping them spend more time on Intake Assessments and the right care needed for clients instead of becoming bogged down in administration.  The HC-CAP team estimates that Ontario CCACs will save approximately 275,000 hours per year using the CIAT tool.

As a result of our 2007 strategic planning process, which included input from clients and members of our Clinical Advisory Board, MedShare is dedicating additional resources to professional services.

Our Professional Services division utilizes a proven, proprietary approach -- Smart Applications for e-Health or SAFE -- to develop purpose-built applications. And MedShare is geared up to implement and support these applications, offering our clients turn-key solutions with support and service delivered by a high-performance team of IT professionals with health care experience.

The SAFE process ensures all of our purpose-built applications operate seamlessly on common Microsoft hardware platforms and comply with government privacy and health information security regulations. We employ an Agile methodology to accurately capture customer needs and turn them into requirements that meet current expectations and anticipate the challenges of the future

The SAFE process was used extensively in our service engagement producing the Common Intake Assessment Tool (CIAT) and in the development of MedShare HC.

More information about our Professional Services division and the SAFE approach can be found at our web site under Service and Support.

MedShare is currently invigorating its Customer Support Process.

The process is critical to ensure that we are meeting our customer support needs and that we maintain and improve the customer experience with the MedShare suite of applications. Several exciting changes are being made towards this goal:

• The appointment of Evan Selkirk to the position of Customer Support Coordinator.  Evan moves from his current System Engineer role into this position.  He brings with him several years of hands-on Fortune 500 level Customer Service and Support initiatives from companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Procter & Gamble, and Purolator Courier.
• The implementation of an on-line 24/7 Support Ticketing System to better track and measure the support given by MedShare to its clients.
• The continuing review and improvement of Service Level Agreements with our customers, in an effort to provide more responsive and reliable service.
• The establishment of regular Customer Feedback meetings, to better gauge the Support we provide and to gain valuable insight as to how we can improve our processes to better meet customer needs.
• The development of a MedShare Support website which will provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions, notify customers of technical advisories and continue to update customers about the ongoing Support Initiatives being introduced.

MedShare recognizes and values the trust put into us by our customers, and we are committed to providing the best Customer Support possible.  We feel that the implementation of these changes will foster reliable, world-class technical support for our customers, and put in place processes to ensure customer satisfaction for years to come.

We’re pleased to announce the re-launch of our web site – www.medshare.com

The new site features detailed information about our home health care solutions --  MedShare HC and CareLink, as well as an overview of our Professional Services division and Service and Support functions, plus MedShare and home health care news.

Thanks to Wes Pallister for the zippy new graphic treatment and excellent site navigation.

Check back often as we will continue to add content and features in the coming weeks and months.

MedShare wins Exhibitor award at OACCAC annual conference and trade show

MedShare was awarded an award for being a top exhibitor at the Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC) annual conference, held in Toronto June 13 and 14. MedShare’s brand new 20’ x 10’ booth generated much interest and traffic at the conference. The booth featured a hands-on interactive demonstration of MedShare solutions, including MedShare HC and the CareLink device.

Conference proceedings and other information can be found at the OACCAC web site – www.oaccac.on.ca