Technology Start-Up Focuses On Creating Efficiencies In Baltimore Health Care
The Institute of Medicine issued a startling report in September 2012 citing the fact that, in 2009, as much as $750 billion or one-third out of what was a $2.6 trillion health care budget was wasted due to a multitude of system inefficiencies which not only multiplied the cost of care but also created opportunities for further lapses and fraud at other junctures within the system. Since then, while the U.S. remains twice as expensive as health care in other developed countries, according to Consumer Reports, efforts are being made to streamline operations at many levels of care and to increase accountability at all levels.
Dave Lehr, who has a B.S. in Physics/Math from Pennsylvania State University, is the vice president of product and a co-founder at Maven Medical, a venture-backed start-up located in Baltimore's Emerging Technology Center – Haven Campus.
The goal for Maven Medical is to improve health care economics and outcomes by providing doctors with real-time information regarding the costs of tests and lab orders being issued at the point of care. Their product is an enterprise SaaS tool, hosted by Google's HIPAA-compliant cloud platform which integrates with any of the Electronic Health Records vendors.
What inspired you to start Maven Medical with your colleagues?
"I joined the health care technology field to help bring life-saving and cost-reducing information to health care providers. Maven Medical is directly focused on this effort as we provide cost transparency and clinical best-practices to doctors in the form of 'turn by turn reminders' while the physician treats the patient."
How does your educational background relate to your current role?
"As an undergraduate physics student, I was lucky enough to be able to work in the lab with the current department head at Penn State. During that time, I realized what I really liked was solving difficult problems and learning about complex systems. So I used my education to prepare me to think about complex issues and how different forces interact to move the system.This has been incredibly valuable in my current role as health care in America is an incredibly complex beast."
How has your education helped to further your career and contribute to your success?
"Beyond my formal education, I've needed to constantly be educating myself to keep up with a fast changing technology industry. That means technical certifications and a whole lot of experimenting in my spare time."
What is some advice you can offer others looking to go the medical technology field?
"Don't be afraid to shake things up. So many people in the health care IT field are content with the status quo because the challenges are quite daunting. In a system in need of change, there are a lot of ideas that need to be tested. Some will fail; some will succeed. But we need to try them all and see what rises to the top."
Susan Brown originally spent many years in banking/finance before confronting her addictions. She has now been in recovery for 20 years. Her current interests, in which she has several certifications, are metaphysics and the healing arts. She has written for Examiner.com since 2009 and also writes for Om Times.