What is Lifecom's product?

Lifecom's product is an integrated software system designed to make life easier for busy clinicians. It combines patient interviewing, intermediate care provider support, clinical decision-analysis, documentation, disease tracking and management, billing support and record keeping all in one easy to use bedside application that can be electronically updated.

For what level of practitioner is the software designed?

Lifecom's software is designed to be used by Clerical Staff, Medical Assistants, Registered Nurses, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians as a means to both perform their clinical duties but also to facilitate communication amongst team members, and optimal handoff of responsibilities from one level to another.

How does Lifecom’s system differ from other Decision Support Systems (DCS)?

Lifecom believes that the whole purpose of the medical record should be to support medical decision-making. Unlike every other DCS system, Lifecom's decision support system is built into the very fabric of the system - it is working all the time. Every new piece of clinical data, every observation by any practitioner, every item in the patient's Lifecom system's historical record, is automatically and independently assessed by a unique (patents pending) form of artificial intelligence that continuously shares its assessments with its user. The system generates questions, recommendations and reminders that help ensure that all relevant avenues of inquiry are pursued. The Lifecom Diagnostic Engine does not require that an assessment begin at any particular point, does not require all data requests to be answered in order to render recommendations and permits data entry in any and all sequences.

The relevance of information in a patient's medical record may change with the passage of time. Can Lifecom's Diagnostic Engine take that into account?

Yes. Every time it performs an assessment on new data Lifecom's Diagnostic Engine will review its historical record and determine the relevance of each item independently with respect to each and every diagnosis in its differential diagnosis.

What are the hardware requirements?

Existing PC’s can be used, but Tablet PC’s are recommended. A local server with Internet connectivity is used to store records and download software and knowledge updates. Wireless communication is used between the server and the PC’s but the system is not dependent upon the wireless connections at the bedside.

Why use a tablet PC?

Lifecom's system is designed to be useful at the bedside so portability is key. Second, the rich graphic interface exploits the benefits of the larger screen size possible with the tablet PC.

So what if my wireless network goes down while using the tablet PC?

No problem. Each tablet has a completely independent copy of the application which will run with or without the wireless network. Once the network is restored, the system will update the network.

Who is using the system now?

The system is in primary care clinical trials in collaboration with Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland Oregon and the State of Oregon.

Is this an EMR or EHR?

This confuses a lot of people. Lifecom's system stores clinical data so obviously it shares some features common to EMR/EHR's. But the differences put Lifecom's system into an entirely new category. EMR/EHR systems are designed to store or manage clinical data whereas Lifecom's system was designed to process and analyze clinical data to support and enhance practitioner problem solving and coordination of care. Lifecom's system stores a dynamic patient record mostly for one simple reason – it may be needed for optimal clinical decision-making now or at some future time.

Can I store medical records on this system?

Yes. Not only can you store a medical record but in future patient encounters the Diagnostic Engine will review and utilize every piece of it in all of its recommendations.

How many man years will I need to learn how to use the blasted thing?

Good news! Our founder is a technical Luddite and physician who claims that the last really intuitive interface he used was an Etch-A-Sketch. Lifecom's interface has received raves for its intuitive interface design. The Lifecom system is designed to work right out of the box with as little as 1 hour of instruction. But please don't try to delete erroneous data by shaking it...

May I see a demonstration?

Absolutely. On line demonstrations of the core technology can be provided to anyone with access to an Internet browser. Persons interested in a demonstration should please contact Lifecom at 503-288-2393.

Can this integrate with other systems?

Yes. Lifecom anticipates providing interfaces to a variety of other systems and should be able to interface and coordinate with existing EMR/EHR systems.

How is medical content managed?

System knowledge comes from well-respected refereed journals and textbooks followed by a rigorous review editorial process that is viewable by the user.

How can I trust the system’s recommendations?

The system’s prompts are transparent to the user. The user has the ability to interrogate the Diagnostic Engine about each and every recommendation. The original source information is easily reviewed and follows a rigorous editorial process that is open to any user. System performance is continuously monitored for accuracy and the raw results and administrative improvement efforts will be open to examination via a public website.

Won't this system increase medical liability?

We believe it will have the opposite effect. Documentation issues of decision-making rationale and patient communication constitute the principle liability risk for physicians. Lifecom's decision-analysis systems provide a means to document in detail the intermediate decision-making and rationale associated with a case that is almost completely lacking with our current 'after the fact' medical record keeping practices. In addition, the system provides widely available medical knowledge and associated references to which a physician is already held accountable irrespective of their individual currency with the published medical literature. Decision-analysis technology provides a means to record and preserve a more complete accounting of medical encounters than do our current practices. This technology should increase revenue, decrease liability and provide fertile ground for later review, education and diagnostic improvements.

Doesn't using this system slow down patient interviews?

No. Just the opposite is true. Real world experiences demonstrate visit lengths that are equal to or shorter than paper charting.

Will additional documentation be required?

No. A user may elect to add free text to any record as desired but the automatically generated reports are designed to support both clinical and administrative / billing requirements.

Won't all this added documentation place additional burdens on a physician's day?

No. The founder of Lifecom goes off on a tirade about the administrative burden of medical practice at least every other day. So we're kind of sensitive to the issue... In his opinion, Lifecom's system harkens back to a kinder gentler time when the medical record was a true clinical diary to be shared and discussed with the patient or trusted colleagues. Most of the documentation is provided by associated care team members in real time or generated by the computer system itself. The physician can review a detailed assessment without the need to repeat any but the most critical elements of the assessment and concentrate their time and effort on the most important or critical details. At the end of the assessment, the computer generates a narrative record of the case that is pre-formatted for billing.

Won't these computer systems erode patient confidence in physicians?

Studies on healthcare consumer expectations and the immense volume of public Internet traffic related to medical information already demonstrate that patients have no expectation that their physician would know everything. In our experience consumers tend to be encouraged by physicians who willingly supplement their fund of knowledge.

Is this cookbook medicine?

A common misconception about standardized care practices is that many incorrectly think of them as a ceiling rather than a floor or safety net. Standardized practices don't prevent a skilled clinician from using their superior experience and knowledge. They merely raise the overall bar of care by eliminating practices proven to be less than ideal. Care standards are there to give practitioners check lists and procedures that serve as safety cross checks that reduce known risks. Such standards also support the use of the system within a team of practitioners of varied levels of training. These standards support greater confidence in the data collected by supporting team members, ensure that all relevant data is collected, and speed the handoff from one level of practitioner to another.

This all sounds too good to be true...

Yes it does. We've yet to have a single person who has actually seen the system in action walk away unimpressed. Don't take our word for it - come see it yourself.