Firm focuses on health records going digital

By Bill Hendrick

As chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Business Computer Applications, Albert Woodard foresees a day when all medical records are digitized, easily transferrable and secure.

You know why. Your doctor has your records, but if you’re out of town or need to see a physician on a weekend or go to a hospital, odds are you’ll be forced to fill in reams of forms before you’ll even get close to a stethoscope.

Last year, according to Woodard, the nation’s 80 million baby boomers began landing on Medicare rolls — 7,000 of them a day. He cites a study by the RAND Health Information Technology Project that says the U.S. health care system is one of the most inefficient enterprises because most records are still stored on paper. And that makes it tough to coordinate care, reduce medical errors and measure quality treatment on a routine basis.

Q: I’m tired of filling out forms listing my family history, what my parents have or had, medicines I take, and so on. When is this system going to get better?

A: It’s going to take a while. The industry is extremely segmented, and a lot is antiquated. We need a paradigm shift to move from paper to computer documentation. We have to get doctors all using computers to document their patients’ records. So it’s going to be a while before you can go to a doctor in Memphis who’ll be able to instantly call up your medical file, and that’s a shame.

Q: How many doctors use electronic records?

A: About 25 percent, and less than half of hospitals. The first step is to get everyone using computerized records so systems can talk to each other. A doctor in another city could have your records in a matter of minutes, and that’s what we need.

Q: Is the use of electronic records growing?

A: To some degree. Hospitals, private practices and government agencies are increasingly turning to electronic medical records or, as they are sometimes called, electronic health records. We will see more marriages between computers and health care with hospitals and clinics as information technology begins to move from the billing departments and other back office functions into the examining room.

Q: Please tell me about your firm.

A: We were founded in 1977. We focus mostly on doctor offices, large clinics and health departments, corrections departments and hospitals. We provide software, hardware and support services to these health care providers to help them more efficiently manage their businesses, eliminate paper and deliver quality health care to patients. Our products allow doctors and patients to make appointments, store patient information, bill insurance companies, manage patient charts or medical records electronically and provide information needed to better manage doctor offices, clinics and hospitals.

Q: How many clients do you have?

A: We serve 300 health care sites and 5,000 doctors. But the vast majority of doctor offices still do not utilize electronic medical records systems. Even hospitals have a ways to go. It is estimated that 50 percent of hospitals use these systems and less than 25 percent of doctor’s offices. So there are huge opportunities to help provide better health care at lower costs, saving lives and preventing injuries and creating jobs.

Q: How are you paid for your services?

A: Our customers see nearly 2 million patient visits each year. Our products help doctors and nurses schedule appointments for their patients, order blood, urine and other tests, write prescriptions and refills, order X-rays, identify problems and abnormalities, look at past problems, keep track of treatment plans, and collect money. Normally the cost of these systems can range from $100 per month to $500 per month for each doctor, depending on which products they use.

Q: What is your annual revenue?

A: BCA is privately held, but with that said, we normally operate between $15 million and $20 million a year. We don’t have plans to go public, but that might change in the future as we search for capital to support our research-and-development plans, and growth opportunities.

Q: How long will it be before my doctor’s records will be available if I go to a doctor in, say, Philadelphia?

A: Good question. If your doctor doesn’t have an electronic medical records system, this could be cumbersome, taking a lot of time and paper.

Q: Give me an example.

A: At the University of Texas medical branch in Galveston, where the university has utilized BCA electronic medical records for years, patient information is available upon request and, with the approval of the patient, almost immediately. In electronic format, no paper is necessary. Also, patient information kept by BCA can be accessed securely any time, by the patients, using the Internet with password protection much like bank accounts.

MEET ALBERT WOODARD

Job: CEO, president and chairman, Atlanta-based Business Computer Applications Inc.

Age: 61

Home: Buckhead

Family: Single

Education: University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, bachelor’s, engineering science; Georgia State, MBA

Reading: “W.E.B. Du Bois” by Tonya Bolden; “In My Time” by Dick Cheney

Life event: School desegregation in the South

Favorite quotes: “The most important thing in life is your health, then your education” — My father

“Don’t worry, you can do whatever you want to do. You have the talent” — My mother