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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

#MEDICAL: "LiveKey Simplifies Health Care Hassles"

Xerox Research claims to have mitigated the hassle of healthcare programs with its LiveKey system that cuts through the red tape that seems to present an obstacle course to getting proper medical treatment. The cloud-based system reduces costs up to 30 percent while slashing typical 14 day waits to realtime. R. Colin Johnson


Here is what Xerox says about LiveKey: 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 (NYSE: XRX) researchers are on a mission to tear down these obstacles and simplify healthcare.

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 percent. Currently available in the U.S., LiveKey can be used to instantly process documents within any industry.

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 Automatis̩e et de D̩tection des Infections) project, Xerox technology can analyze information in patient records Рsuch as symptoms, drugs and types of bacteria found Рand 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.
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