H.I.S.

tory by Vince
Ciotti

Episode # 48:

MedTake
Part 2
2011 H.I.S. Professionals, LLC

 This 3 of the earliest PC/micro systems that first placed HIS devices at the patients bedside: NCRs PNUT (Portable Nursing Unit Terminal), circa 1982 CliniComs CliniCare, launched by Peter - Gombrich in 1984 Well, check out Patient Technology Incs 1970s Survalent this actual collection and 1980s MedTake of how nurses captured So why such interest to put devices right at data back then: - Scribbles on med the patients bedside? wrappers, paper towels, anything they could stuff in the pockets of their

So Why Bedside Terminals? series of HIS-tory episodes covers

- Those scraps of paper were pulled pulled out and used to inspire these un-retouched handwritten scribbles that comprised Nurses Notes. - Pretty similar to the problem the IOM saw when they reviewed the paper nightmare physicians go through to order meds in a paper system: illegible scribbles on source documents (med orders) transcribed onto equally illegible MARs.

Meanwhile, Back at the Nurse Station

MedTakes New Owner

So who was the NJ firm who bought MedTake from PTI? Per their 1986 Prospectus:
Formed in 1971 as Claims Processing Co. for OP billing Grew their products to a full suite of financial systems Running on DEC VAXes, the hot box in the mid-80s mini mania. Later re-Named Micro

The Men Behind the Name

As usual in HIS, there were a number of littleknown HIS-tory heroes behind the scenes who did the heavy lifting and deserve the credit: Ron Gliates Doug Haas
Some bum well talk more about later VP Product Manager, Ron was another McAuto alumnus, and one of the best CSR reps in HIS-tory: clients loved him, and he worked long, hard hours to keep them happy. Sr. VP of Delopment, Doug led the hardware team that pulled the QWERTY keys off the keyboards, and software team that wrote the code to automate nursing.

Jim Pesce
Who we first met many episodes ago when he worked for GEs MediNet, then as the Northeast Regional CSR manager at McAuto. Jim was Health Micros CEO running the financial system division that met the payroll.

Sal Caravetta
Founder and Chairman of the Board one of the classiest guys in HIS: smart & wellspoken, sadly passed away all too soon.

 Two who nursing staff as early adopters deserve credit for many improvements to the system: Palisades General Hospital right on the NJ banks of the Hudson, 202 beds, managed by HCA at the time, 108 devices on Northwestern Medical all their floors, Center in frozen St. 1985 pilot. Albans, VT, where the warm summer season lasts almost the entire month of June! 98 beds, also HCA-managed, 33 units on their 3 nurse stations.

Daring MedTake Pilot Sites daring hospitals served as pilot sites

Typical Sales Challenge

It was actually PTI who found and sold Northwestern in Vermont. Heres the great story from JoAnn Karl, RN, one of PTIs veterans: Back in those pre-HIMSS days, the annual IT conference was AHAs annual national where PTI By convention, the week, bought a booth. the end of JoAnn and her team (wo)manned the booth for thoroughly depressed at days, of not a single decent demo or lead the lack withprospects, among the hundreds of they shared a cab to the booths. airport with a nice gentleman, who turned out to be the CEO of Northwest! With a hour captive

 I was the mid-80s, and Shellys wealth of market analyses (his 3000 data base was the precursor to HIMSS Analytics) made me acutely aware of the hot market opportunity for a PC-based product, and working with I knew Jim Pesce from Shelly on Peter Gombrich on his CliniCom our McAuto days, and bedside idea hadhow primed! Jim had watched me we penetrated the mainframe market at HIS Inc. in nearby Brooklyn in the early 80s. Jim was looking for someone to head up MedTake sales and

So How Did I Get Involved? working for Sheldon Dorenfest in