The time a patient’s family waits during a surgical procedure can be an excruciating experience.
And the more serious the surgery, the greater the anxiety can be for those loved ones who patiently wait to receive an update from the surgical team.
Fast Pathway Inc, a Medtech startup from Tampa Florida, has created a new version of its application called Doc-ORTM, which enhances communications between the surgical team and family members.
Doc-ORTM takes the silence out of the waiting game for people with family and friends in the operating room. Now, the agony of not knowing has been replaced with real time updates via iOS and Android smartphones, and delivered around the world in seconds.
The feature works by inputting a provided passcode which allows the user access to a secure channel that is updated with text messages, images, and even video, all delivered through secure 256-bit encrypted channels with full HIPAA compliance.
“Now medical facilities can offer customized, real-time messages with information for those waiting on news from the operating room. Not only does this increase efficiency, but it also drives up patient satisfaction rates while offering more comprehensive patient care,” explained Eric Carter, CEO at Fast Pathway Inc, the software development team behind the app.
Doc-ORTM is easily deployed, easy for the staff to use and easy for the family to get timely updates,” says Carter. “It hasn’t been an easy process to get there because of the legalities and we also didn’t want to create more work for the busy surgical team. So we have preset messages that are already scripted out so all a Surgeon has to do is hit send.”
In today’s world, communication has become a priority for many – and medical facilities using Fast Pathway’s Doc-ORTM have a significant advantage over those which don’t. Doc-ORTM streamlines a vital channel of communication to friends and family who are eager to hear the latest updates while allowing physicians and surgeons to focus on delivering exceptional patient care and a successful outcome.
The app’s smart design offers an intuitive, user-friendly experience that can be customized easily – staff can also track and audit the progress of a procedure through an analytics module, as well as create consent forms, access permissions, and more for complete control of information shared with third parties.
Doc-ORTM works alongside the app’s standard features, which leverage the power of technology to streamline the typical waiting room at medical facilities for appointments. The app increases patient satisfaction with enhanced communication and notifications, while also relieving pressure on already-busy front desk staff.
When Fast Pathways was testing Doc-ORTM, it was such a hit that patients and their families were asking to use it again, according to Carter. “That is exactly what happened with our product in the development and pilot phases with real patients in real surgeries,” says Carter. “We had a tremendous impact on the patient’s experience to the point that family members were relieved and thanked us for allowing them to use our product and we had requests, from patients facing a second surgery, to use it again.”
For more information about the Doc Clocker app and its innovative DOC-OrTM feature, please visit http://www.docclocker.com.
Fast Pathway officials have spent the past few years tweaking Doc-ORTM to make it more friendly for the end users and for the surgical team.
Doc-ORTM became an even more integral communications tool for those in the healthcare industry this past year due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Since family members can’t visit their loved ones stricken with the disease and after some hospital banned hospital visitations altogether, Doc-ORTM permits people to stay connected electronically.
Ultimately, that is why our company will be successful – because people are passionate about this product and pushing for it, and we’re really excited about their support for Doc-ORTM and the positive impact it will have on communications throughout the entire healthcare system.
The need for this product became magnified to me on a personal level when my father had health issues that required him to have open heart surgery – a procedure that lasted 8.5 hours. As a family member whose father was undergoing a high-risk procedure, there was a fountain of emotions because this was my loved one.
When my dad’s surgeon said this will take 4.5 hours but that he might have to make game-time decisions once he’s in there, the anxiety really began to build. The doctor said he would keep us informed, but when you are sitting in a waiting room and three hours have passed by, your desire to know what is going on increases exponentially.
Doc-ORTM eliminates this type of scenario – which was too real to me and for anyone whose family member undergoes surgery. When you stay in communication with family members, even when they are as simple as, “hey, we’re still working and everything is going as expected,” that’s very reassuring to them.
Fast Pathway is ready to move from a minimally viable product to one that is easily deployed and is user-friendly for both staff and family members.
After our first operation with Doc-ORTM, the family was so grateful for the communications tool that I called my dad and said, ‘my job is done.’ Knowing that family members find comfort in our product has made this long and tenuous journey worth the trip. For more information about Doc-ORTM please visit fastpathway.com
