Kardia Health Systems showcased its echo lab management solution, which streamlines all echo workflow processes – from patient scheduling through assignment of responsible healthcare personnel to logical template-guided entry of echo study information, at the 2008 American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions.
Kardia also announced its partnership with Dell, which will enable to use the Dell infrastructure and services to deliver the web-based system.
Originally developed by echocardiography professionals at Mayo Clinic, the Kardia echocardiography information management system reduces or eliminates data entry, manages the scheduling of patients, lab personnel and equipment and automatically generates reports.
“We are the exclusive license-holder of the Mayo Clinic’s clinical software tools; and what we chose to accept from that license is all the cardiology tools,” Wayne Schellhammer, executive vice president for Kardia, told Cardiovascular Business News. As a result of that partnership, Mayo partially owns Kardia.
Mayo has been refining the echo system for the past 15 years, but Kardia has streamlined it away from Mayo’s specific needs, so it can be compatible with any practice, according to Schelhammer.
“We use the web to connect imaging and evidence-base reporting, so you can access that technology anywhere at anytime. We give the richest database [of Mayo Clinic’s] to every cardiologist that wants it, and they set it up in the style in which they deliver cardiology. There is not a standard template,” Schelhammer said.
As a result, he said that any practice or department can tailor the solutions to their needs.
The echocardiography system is a guided-impression tool. “You get a diagnostic outcome at the end,” Schelhammer noted. The system also allows a practice to allocate resources, personnel, equipment and rooms.
“For example, if you use the scheduling component, it will allow you determine how many stenographers you need,” according to Schelhammer.
Dell has designed a system to run the Kardia solution and will manage the implementation of the technology, selecting servers, storage and desktop computers based on the size of the cardiology practice. A Dell PowerEdge 1900 or 2900 will be deployed for smaller practices that do not have a data center or IT staff, while larger practices would run on Dell PowerEdge 1950 III and PowerEdge 2950 III with storage on PowerVault MD 3000s. The system will include image review stations running on an OptiPlex 755.
Dell has also agreed to provide help desk and maintenance support services for all technology.