Anesthesia Business Consultants and Shareable Ink launch F1RSTAnesthesiaRecord

Oct 9 2009

Anesthesia Business Consultants, LLC (ABC) and Shareable Ink® Corporation today announce the general availability of F1RSTAnesthesiaRecord™ (Powered by Shareable Ink). FAR allows anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and anesthesiologists assistants to create an electronic patient record by completing familiar forms using “digital” pens.

FAR delivers the benefits of electronic medical records to anesthesiologists and CRNAs without changing their workflows. Anesthesia providers handwrite on paper forms that are nearly identical to their current anesthesia records, using a digital ballpoint pen that records their keystrokes. In short, providers chart everything pertaining to the anesthesia care provided to a patient on a paper anesthesia record, just as they have always done.

But now, when they bring the patient to the recovery unit, anesthesia providers can wirelessly synchronize their pens by docking their pens into cradles, and all the information is immediately and securely transmitted to remote servers hosted by Shareable Ink.

Within seconds, handwritten text (print or cursive) or marks are converted to ASCII (human and machine readable) text and discrete data. The case information can be reviewed and electronically transferred to F1RSTAnesthesia, ABC’s proprietary practice management software system. In addition, providers can be immediately notified of incomplete or erroneous anesthesia records, such as missing anesthesia end times, via text message or email.

FAR was invented by Vernon Huang, MD, using the Shareable Ink technology. Dr. Huang is a practicing anesthesiologist and an ABC client. After seeing a demonstration, ABC quickly appreciated the potential of a simple record-keeping system that literally requires no training of anesthesia providers and yet could generate digitized records that increase the speed and accuracy of payment claims submitted to health insurers.

Under the partnership agreement, Shareable Ink receives exclusive rights to integrate with F1RSTAnesthesia. In addition, ABC will be the sole anesthesia billing and practice management company to resell or independently license the Shareable Ink technology.

This partnership and product launch represents the second major enhancement to ABC’s service offerings in the past two years. In 2008, ABC obtained rights to offer the Quantum Clinical Navigation System™ both in conjunction with F1RSTAnesthesia and as a stand-alone product. Quantum is the most comprehensive, most highly tested and proven continuous quality feedback loop system in the market today.

“I am extremely pleased to offer FAR to existing and new clients,” says ABC President and CEO, Tony Mira. “By combining the familiarity of paper with the benefits of computerization, FAR is an elegant implementation of information technology that will surely replace traditional pen-and-paper systems.”

“ABC’s F1RSTAnesthesiaRecord is an excellent demonstration of the Shareable Ink approach,” says Stephen S. Hau, President and CEO of Shareable Ink. “By partnering with ABC, the industry’s market share leader, we have greatly extended our reach into the anesthesia market.”