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Software application aims to eliminate human error in chemotherapy dosing

By Bittina Larson, HONIonline.com Assistant Editor (Jan. 11, 2008) — As the saying goes, “everyone makes mistakes.” To err is human, but when it comes to medicine, accuracy is vital.

This is especially true when dealing with agents as strong as chemotherapy.

Doctors may be infamous for loopy scrawling and uncrossed ‘t’s, but even the slightest miscalculation or illegible word can mean life or death in the oncology world. In reference to the latter, an overdose of chemotherapy at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute led to the tragic and equally publicized 1994 death of Boston Globe health reporter Betsy Lehman. A now infamous event in the oncology world, Lehman’s accidental death sparked a new movement in patient safety.

IntelliDose, a software application that works in harmony with other electronic health systems, was launched by IntrinsiQ in 2000 to make chemotherapy dosage painstakingly accurate based on patient’s lab test results.

Bill Wisotzkey, general manager of IntelliDose, and Andrew Scott, product manager spoke with HONIonline about their product, which, although launched eight years ago, continues to gain market popularity.

“The oncologists’ focus on safety is one of the prime drivers [for positive energy surrounding EMR technology in the oncology world.] They’re asking ‘how does this safely manage chemo?’,” Scott said.

Although oncology-specific electronic medical record software i s just a small subset of the greater ‘world’ of EMRs and hospital information systems, they fill a much needed niche.

“What sets this sector apart is the focus on chemotherapy administration.” Wisotzkey told HONIonline. “We built our system starting with [chemo] dosing first and then mirrored the rest of the software around other things you’d see in an oncology practice.”

IntelliDose lays claim to pioneering the marketplace. “We were the first [of our kind] on the market,” Wistozkey said. And IntelliDose works to fit the needs of a wide range of practices.

“We currently have 700 oncologists under license with us,” Wistozkey said, “at about 150 discrete sites.”

Out of the practices served, the number of physicians per site varies anywhere from one to 50, with an average of five to six oncologists per location.

Although IntelliDose does have a co-marketing partnership with GE’s EMR software for pricing, demos, and marketing, it is capable for use with any of the other mainstream systems.

“With other vendors [besides GE] we are able to move data back and forth using HL7 technology,” Wistozkey told HONIonline. “The compatibility with other vendors is business driven for us. If a customer comes with a specific need [to fit the software system they already have], we’ll address it.”

Not only is IntelliDose concerned with maximizing patient safety, they want to maximize reimbursements as well. IntelliDose’s sister system, IntelliCharge automatically captures costs for reimbursements, which makes it next to impossible to miss or miscalculate charges.

“Chemotherapy is an intricate and very costly drug to administer. One missed dose charge can cost a practice $5,000 to $6,000,” Wistozkey said.

IntelliDose claims a split focus. In the words of Scott, “safety and efficiency, where efficiency comes in, and costs go out.”

Where do they fit in the big picture? “There’s a renewed approach to technology,” according to Wistozkey, “ASCO is pushing to help practices implement electronic systems, [and EMRs] are certainly on CMS’ radar screen.”