Verizon Wireless Teams Up With Greenville Software Firm to Cut Cord For Therapists

GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 19 (PRNewswire) -- For years, anyone going on a ride with a Heritage Healthcare therapist knew better than to ride "shotgun." More often than not, the passenger seat was fully occupied by blank forms and medical records.

Not anymore. Thanks to Verizon Wireless' extensive network and wireless data capabilities, Heritage Healthcare's team of traveling occupational, speech and physical therapists have freed up their passenger seats for more traditional uses.

Heritage Healthcare, of Greenville, provides therapist on a contract basis to long-term care facilities in North and South Carolina.

"Healthcare is a very paper-driven industry and that creates a series of problems when you are traveling all day," said Paul Shaw, president of Heritage Healthcare. "We wanted a solution that would make our therapists lives easier and free them up to spend more time with patients."

Shaw called on interdirected, a Greenville-based technology firm, to develop a software package to reduce the paper weight and streamline the process.

interdirected created an Internet-based program that allows therapists to move through the forms quickly by entering key data on a secure Internet site. That data is updated in real-time on Heritage Healthcare's backend system. The system then creates the multitude of forms automatically.

"Developing the software was only half the battle," said Tom Woodson, vice-president of sales for interdirected. "We needed a wireless network that would allow the therapist to be truly mobile. We looked at almost every wireless provider in the market and nobody offered the breadth of digital coverage that Verizon Wireless did."

With its extensive network in place, Verizon Wireless began searching for the best combination of hand-held technology for the project.

"We tested a variety of wireless hardware over and over again to find the best solution," said Bobby Wilson, a data support manager for Verizon Wireless. "We needed a system powerful enough to transfer the employee and patient information to the Internet site. The information, though, is not stored in the wireless hardware, so we were able to work with smaller, hand- held equipment."

The multi-layered solution allows therapists to enter information on a Handspring Visor Pro and then connect to the wireless network through a Kyocera 2135 digital phone.

"The system has been very quickly and genuinely accepted by our workforce because they see that it truly frees them up to take care of people," said Shaw. "Just as important is that this system offers us market differentiation from our competitors because very few other healthcare companies our size are investing in these kinds of technologies."

Early indications are that the new wireless solution reduces the amount of time therapist spend on paper work by about 5-10 percent and ensures that customer information is updated immediately.

Currently more than half of Heritage Healthcare's therapists are using the new system, and the company wants to equip all 150 of its therapist within two months. In addition, Shaw said, Verizon's broad digital network will allow the company to move forward with its plan to expand services beyond the Carolinas.

About Heritage Healthcare
Heritage Healthcare, based in Greenville S.C., is a leading provider of contract rehabilitation services to the long-term care marketplace in the Southeast. For more information on Heritage Healthcare, visit us on the web at http://www.heritage-healthcare.com.

About interdirected
interdirected, Inc. is a software development firm based in Greenville, S.C., specializing in creating personalized applications designed to operate within existing system implementations. The company provides traditional and wireless applications within the Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Financial Services markets. Find more information on the Web at http://www.interdirected.com. 

For more information: http://www.interdirected.com

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory:  This is a good implementation of healthcare application in a therapeutic setting. We like the solution because it does update the patient information in real-time and it is more comprehensive than simple capture of data. There is a strong business case with quoted 5-10% saving in administrative time.