Inside innovation: xerox unveils research projects aimed at making
healthcare less of a pain
Washington--(business wire)--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. “a huge amount of healthcare work happens in the back office, before and after the patient encounter. it’s not always flashy but it’s very important,” said markus fromherz, chief innovation officer, healthcare, xerox. “our research projects focus on solving the problems healthcare organizations face today and in the future – making it easier for caregivers, insurance companies and government organizations to access, share and apply information – ultimately improving healthcare interactions and patient outcomes.” today at tedmed 2012, xerox pulled back the curtain on some of the healthcare-related research occurring in its labs around the world: 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 automatisÉe et de dÉtection des infections) project, xerox technology can analyze information in patient records – such as symptoms, drugs and types of bacteria found – and 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. about xerox with sales approaching $23 billion, xerox (nyse: xrx) is the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management. its technology, expertise and services enable workplaces – from small businesses to large global enterprises – to simplify the way work gets done so they operate more effectively and focus more on what matters most: their real business. headquartered in norwalk, conn., xerox offers business process outsourcing and it outsourcing services, including data processing, healthcare solutions, hr benefits management, finance support, transportation solutions, and customer relationship management services for commercial and government organizations worldwide. the company also provides extensive leading-edge document technology, services, software and genuine xerox supplies for graphic communication and office printing environments of any size. the 140,000 people of xerox serve clients in more than 160 countries. for more information, visit http://www.xerox.com, http://news.xerox.com or http://www.realbusiness.com. for investor information, visit http://www.xerox.com/investor. note: to receive rss news feeds, visit http://news.xerox.com/pr/xerox/rss.aspx. for open commentary, industry perspectives and views visit http://twitter.com/xeroxcorp, http://realbusinessatxerox.blogs.xerox.com, http://www.facebook.com/xeroxcorp, http://www.youtube.com/xeroxcorp. xerox®, xerox and design® are trademarks of xerox in the united states and/or other countries. prices, features, specifications, capabilities, appearance and availability of xerox products and services are subject to change without notice. photos/multimedia gallery available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50232312&lang=en
