PHRplus puts YOU in control of your personal health information
Thu, 07/07/2016 - 9:32am
admin
By:
Kari Sundberg, Eagle Editor
Kyle Anderson was working in a hospital down in Phoenix, Arizona, when the thought of his new business venture first popped into his mind. “It was 2013 at that time and we’d have a lot of snow birds come into the emergency department. It was a huge labor process for us to get their medical records from their home state; some also can’t remember certain medical conditions or medications. These patients would be in there for hours longer than they needed to while we’d run the necessary tests to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together,” Kyle said. “There is this problem with people not being able to exchange their info and get access to it. It’s so complicated and convoluted; I just took everything I was interested in and came up with an idea,” he added.
In 2014, Kyle incorporated his interests – medical, technology, business – and explored all the necessary avenues needed to pursue this new business endeavor. His idea turned into a product called PHRplus, and it’s set to launch later this summer!
PHRplus is an acronym for Personal Health Record. It’s a software that stores a patient’s medical information and can be linked to electronic devices such as Fitbits, iHealth, BMI readers and weight scales, to name a few. In the area of sharing and storing patient’s health records, medical facilities don’t necessarily excel in that aspect; this software will fix that, helping patients get their medical information to the necessary places. “It’s one place for all of your health and medical information, and it’s available for you to share with anyone on your care team,” explained Kyle.
The way the smart card will work is an EMT or doctor will scan the cards barcode, there will be a website with a PIN number, and all of the patient’s medical information will be right there.
Graduating from Grygla High School in 2005, Kyle is the son of Lyle and Joni Anderson. He attended college at UND, University of Minnesota Crookston and also NDSU, where he graduated with a degree in Applied Economics, focusing on agriculture, also having took premed science classes. In 2010, he started his first business in Grygla with his brother-in-law, Andy Oslund, called Pioneer Seed. In addition to that, he was also working with his dad on their farm.
Always having an interest in the medical field, Kyle started taking premed classes in 2011, trying to improve his application for medical school. He made the decision to leave Pioneer Seed and the farm and that decision led him to Phoenix. Kyle’s wife, Meagen, had gotten into PA school so that’s when the family made their move to Arizona. The couple has two daughters, Mya (13) and Eva (12).
Currently based out of Phoenix, Kyle created his new company by enlisting the help of other professionals. He met Mark Conner and Michael O’Connor through his attorney, who was advising him on the new business. Conner has been in the business of Healthcare IT for 30 years; O’Connor has a background in developing large scale technology products as a Principal Group Program Manager for Microsoft. The team also welcomed Matt Anderson, a doctor who recently came on board as their Chief Medical Officer. “Dr. Anderson’s responsibilities include coaching and providing recommendations that are relevant to a specific patient’s conditions,” says Kyle. The doctor currently works at HonorHealth in the Phoenix area, which is the healthcare system PHRplus will be partnering with. “We’re looking to partner with them, along with other hospitals in the valley, and grow from there,” states Kyle.
Trying to start a pilot program with large health systems, the group is also looking at partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield, with the hopes of getting the software incorporated into patients’ insurance cards so medical records, along with insurance info, can easily be scanned and accessed all in one place.
Also some exciting news for the modernistic company, PHRplus was recently named as one of the top 50 in the Interface Health Challenge! The challenge is to find the best digital health startups, world-wide. PHRplus entered the competition and was selected as one of the top 50. Judges are currently voting to select the top 10, which each of those 10 winners would get to go to Vancouver and present at a conference. All of the winners get cash prizes, media and PR, but the top winner gets $40,000 and really great connections to put towards their new startups. (Good luck to PHRplus and we’ll keep you updated on that!)
As previously mentioned, the PHRplus smart card isn’t out to market quite yet, but anyone can sign up for early access at www.phrplus.com. The product will be released later this summer through a Kickstarter campaign, which Kyle explains as a launching point for starter companies. At the point of release, any can buy the product online or get it from their health insurance provider. Interested persons can sign up now online for early perks, including two months free premium software.
Of his new endeavor, Kyle says, “The real benefit to most people is that you never have to worry that you or your loved one can’t communicate your information to a doctor. You’re reducing the risk for medical errors and also improving the care that you’re receiving. It’s empowering patients to be on the same page.”