Connected Care
Fall 2021Ā “„ĢżBy Nicole DudenhoeferĀ ā17
When Laura (Diaz)Ā Freeland ā08 gave birthĀ to her twin daughters 17Ā weeks early in December 2019, sheĀ didnāt know she would soon rely onĀ an app to stay connected to herĀ children over the next several difficultĀ months. The first time she saw herĀ firstborn was through the VoceraĀ Ease app, which provides secure text,Ā photo and video updates to patientsāĀ families and friends. Over a very longĀ NICU stay ā 135 days for VivienneĢż²¹²Ō»å 224 days for Margot ā sheĀ learned just how much comfortĀ Ease could provide.
āI [was physically unable] to bringĀ myself to visit the NICU right away,Ā so for the first two weeks everythingĀ I knew about my daughters, I learnedĀ through Ease,ā Freeland wrote in aĀ Vocera blog post. āThey had aboutĀ 12 surgeries between them. ThroughĀ Ease, we got real-time messages andĀ photos before, during and after theĀ procedure at the discretion of theĀ medical team. ā¦ Itās the most peaceĀ of mind parents will ever have whileĀ their children are hospitalized.ā
Launched in 2013, the concept forĀ Ease came from a former hospitalĀ administrator and three doctorsĀ at Orlando Health Arnold PalmerĀ Hospital for Children. During theĀ early stages, Ā鶹Ō““ alum MatthewĀ Kanagy ā08 ā14MBA served as chiefĀ operating officer and managed theĀ technical development for Ease. InĀ August 2020, the app was acquired byĀ Vocera Communications, a healthcareĀ tech giant, and now Kanagy serves as the vice president for the Vocera EaseĀ business unit.
āBefore Ease, I felt like thereĀ was a gap where new technology,Ā new ideas and new products neededĀ to be introduced to healthcare to doĀ things like create more transparencyĀ of care,ā Kanagy says. āI saw Ease asĀ a really great solution that providesĀ that needed transparency andĀ improves communication in theĀ hospital space.ā
With patient care as the topĀ priority, Ease was developed toĀ seamlessly fit into nursesā workflow.Ā Ease messages are distributed to eachĀ patientās group of family and friendsĀ by using the same method nurses useĀ to administer medication: scanningĀ medical bracelets.
To make sure patient informationĀ remains private, each Ease messageĀ self-deletes within 60 secondsĀ after the recipient views it. KanagyĀ developed this security featureĢż²¹²Ō»å other solutions to ensure EaseĀ maintains HIPAA compliance āĀ one of the biggest challenges ofĀ developing healthcare technology.Ā He credits his studies in digital mediaĢż²¹²Ō»å business at Ā鶹Ō““, along withĀ industry experience, for giving himĀ the skills needed to make the appĀ a success.
āThe digital media program at Ā鶹Ō““Ā was very well rounded and gave meĀ an idea of all the things required toĀ understand the digital marketplace,āĀ Kanagy says. āWhen I got my masterāsĀ degree years later, it taught me aĀ lot of the foundational elements ofĀ running a business and also how toĀ go into a boardroom, present an ideaĢż²¹²Ō»å effectively communicate withĀ leadership.ā
During the pandemic, Ease servedĀ an even greater purpose as visitorsĀ were not allowed in most hospitalsĀ across the nation ā where hundredsĀ of thousands of people were isolatedĀ with COVID-19. Last year, 742,000Ā messages were sent through EaseĀ to 260,000 patientsā family andĀ friends across all area codes in theĀ United States.
While historically used in surgicalĀ units, the app also became moreĀ in demand in intensive care unitsĢż²¹²Ō»å on medical floors ā using videoĢż²¹²Ō»å photo features to bring patientsĀ closer to their loved ones during aĀ critical time.
āWe had some hospitals usingĀ Ease to update families so theyĀ would have the opportunity toĀ see videos and photos of their lovedĀ ones who sometimes were in anĀ end-of-life stage because of COVID,āĀ Kanagy says. āAnd to me, makingĀ this connection when visitationĀ wasnāt permitted felt like a sacredĀ thing. Being able to help theseĀ families see their loved ones wasĀ very meaningful.ā
Since Ease was acquired byĀ Vocera, the appās reach has grownĀ to even more hospitals, and itsĀ Orlando team has doubled inĀ number, Kanagy says. With nearlyĀ 8,500 reviews across applicationĀ stores, he says theyāre continuingĀ to evolve Ease.
āI always really appreciateĀ hearing patient and family storiesĀ because it helps drive us,ā KanagyĀ says. āOur focus is on the end user,Ā so one of the things I most enjoy isĀ looking at the product each day andĀ saying, āWhat can we do to makeĀ this a better experience for theĀ patient and family?ā ā
WHO
Matthew Kanagy ā08 ā14MBA
THE PITCH
An app that provides text, photo andĀ video updates about a patientās careĀ to their family and friends, while maintaining HIPAA requirements
THE INSPIRATION
Staff at Orlando Health Arnold PalmerĀ Hospital for Children recognized howĀ nervous some patientās parents areĀ during long surgeries.
BACKERS
Vocera Communications, a leader inĀ clinical communication and workflowĀ solutions
WHERE YOU CAN FIND IT
App Store and Google Play