MEET OUR CODE_N CONTEST FINALISTS 2018: IT-Labs from Germany
This startup contributes a solution to a pressing societal challenge! As the healthcare system is overstrained in many countries, it is still a field where processes are predominantly managed with pen and paper – our CODE_n CONTEST finalist IT-Labs offers the perfect solution to switch to the digital age with their innovative software Alberta. The intelligent management platform is ideal for all providers of treatment for chronically ill patients. It connects all employees in the medical services field and makes processes more efficient and straightforward in order to increase patients’ quality of life. The team around CEO Güven Karakuzu is throwing its hat into the ring for the field of “Machine Intelligence” – meet them at the new.New Festival 2018 – and learn more about their healthtech solution in this interview!
Lisa: Hi Güven, what is IT-Labs all about? What are you trying to solve?
Güven: We are developing an intelligent therapy management platform for all providers involved with the chronically ill. Our software is designed to interconnect all employees in the field of medical services, doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and services more closely. This will make processes more efficient so that ultimately it will be easier to improve the quality of life of patients. With our innovative software, we improve healthcare by suggesting care staff for homecare companies and the right products for each patient’s medical condition. As a result, no patient is overlooked in the stress of everyday life and the level of stress experienced by staff is reduced to a minimum.
Lisa: How did you come up with the idea?
Güven: The field service employees of homecare companies still predominantly manage processes with pen and paper. More modern employees use PDF documents. Regardless of the identified need, orders arrive with the required products, are delivered, and patients or nurses are instructed on how to use them. Employees of the service providers, mostly licensed nurses, rarely have internet access when they are on field assignments in Germany. This is because broadband coverage is still poor, especially in rural areas. Also buildings offer no (or poor) connection in clinics and nursing homes. Because sales representatives are not connected to their companies’ ERP systems, processes have to be carried out twice (first on paper, then by transferring information to a system in the office). The problem faced by managers of these companies is that their employees can currently use any product they want – regardless of economy or best possible care for the patient.
Lisa: What are you trying to solve?
Güven: Our solution is a total novelty in the German healthcare market. It networks everyone involved in the healthcare process resulting in an overarching, integrated solution for the entire care process, based on scientific standards.
In addition, the platform offers interoperability between various verticals and parties in the care process, providing a solution that is in no way isolated. The platform offers the following innovation services:
- A responsive web application (desktop, tablet, and smartphone)
- Functionality without internet connection (through synchronization)
- Automatic identification of product needs through evidence-based algorithms
- Digital interconnectivity across the board: hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, service providers
- Data analysis (big data)
- Interfaces with all common ERP systems and billing centers
- Pattern recognition in the medical supply chain (machine learning)
Lisa: How do you contribute to disruption in your field? Since GDPR is a huge deal in 2018, how do you guarantee transparency and security of sensitive patient data?
Güven: Medical supply stores and pharmacies want to increase productivity in outpatient care and reduce stress among staff. This solution fixes oversupply, undersupply, and incorrect provision of products without requiring much training or time investment. It thus optimizes profitability. Captured data is transferred to existing ERP solutions so that core systems can stay in place. Management receive a detailed overview of financials. Homecare companies need software that makes processes as efficient as possible and increases their profitability. Ideally, this software will facilitate end-to-end processing without needing to tap into other systems. This can accelerate coordination between external and internal sales staff, because software shows everyone the current status. As a result, the effectiveness of each individual employee improves. Companies directly involved in manufacturing also want a solution that simplifies administrative processes. At the same time, product selection should focus solely on the manufacturers’ ranges and offer the same process support described above. Despite this, data from external systems still needs to flow into the ERP systems used by manufacturers.
Lisa: Thank you for the interview, Güven!
Meet IT-Labs at the new.New Festival 2018 this fall, in Stuttgart!
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