Nearly two years ago, Casetabs started working with five surgery centers on a surgical coordination app, aimed at making the process more efficient for centers. Gavin Fabian, Casetabs' founder and CEO, designed the app knowing healthcare was trending toward the outpatient setting.
"The surgery center space is growing with more and more procedures going to the ASC environment," Mr. Fabian says. "Surgery centers can make quicker decisions on new products and services that improve efficiencies."
Since it partnered with five centers in 2014, Casetabs has expanded to nearly 20 surgery centers and recently raised a series A financing to support the company's growth. With the financing, Casetabs hopes to bring on centers more quickly, allowing them to save time and improve satisfaction amongst physicians while providing optimal patient care.
Mr. Fabian created the app after spending time in surgery centers, where he would observe and collect feedback on the spine implants he was designing. During his time at centers, he noted a lack of coordination between surgical team members, which impacted the patient's care.
"I remember being in surgeries where the right instrument wasn't there or the anesthesiologist didn't know the right case time so the case was canceled," Mr. Fabian says. "I have seen surgeons, an hour into their case, realize a particular product they need is not in the room."
Mr. Fabian and his team conducted case studies to assess the app's impact. Prior to implementing the technology, surgery centers had nearly 25 touch points which included calls, texts, emails and updating the white board. Casetabs reduced the number of touch points to only five.
To improve coordination amongst staff members, Casetabs uses cloud-based technology so every part of the surgical team is on the same page. Often, different people will use different mediums such as texting, writing messages on a white board or email to articulate information. With Casetabs, all the information is on one platform which ensures everyone is getting the correct information regarding procedure time, implants used, length of procedure, etc.
Casetabs filmed the product in action at one of the busiest ASCs in the United States, El Mirador Surgery Center in Palm Springs, Calif. The two-minute video can be viewed here.
Last month, Casetabs launched functionality where ASCs can coordinate with physician offices. Through the application, surgery centers can coordinate with different vendor representatives and the app's next steps entail bringing the patient into the mix.
"We want to be able to coordinate the entire surgery and give patients access to their cases, including empowering them to share the case and real-time updates with their family and friends," Mr. Fabian says. "Patient outcomes and patient satisfaction scores are driving healthcare reimbursement and Casetabs can have a big impact on improving the patient experience."
More healthcare news:
A conflict of interest? Mylan executive under fire for 400% EpiPen price hike
Who is Donald Trump's gastroenterologist, Dr. Harold Bornstein?: 5 things to know
Humana departs from Utah individual marketplace, leaving 3 carriers to operate in the state — 5 things to know