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Ravenna company My LifePlan launches scan system that stores vital information for patients who are unable to speak
By Cheryl Powell
Beacon Journal
Published on Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
A Ravenna company wants to put everyone's medical history and dying wishes right at their fingertips when they're too sick or injured to speak.
My LifePlan Inc. is launching a new system that lets customers store their health information and desires for life-sustaining treatments on a secure Web site.
Paramedics and other participating medical providers then can identify the person and access the vital information in seconds through a fingerprint scan.
My LifePlan recently provided free wireless computers and fingerprint scanners to fire departments in Ravenna, Aurora and Bainbridge, which are testing the system.
The company is recruiting several thousand residents in those communities to sign up for the service, which typically costs between $20 and $29 annually.
Reduced rates ranging from $5 to $10 per year will be available to some senior citizens and clients of participating social service agencies.
The ultimate goal is to serve patients and EMS programs in communities nationwide, said Ruth Skocic, company founder and chief executive officer.
''In the event you can't speak on your own behalf, your finger is put on a reader and pulls up your information instantly,'' Skocic said. ''It's all about saving lives.''
Skocic got the idea several years ago while working as a nursing home social services director. In that role, she met patients with dementia who couldn't express their health care wishes.
At the same time, the debate about whether to remove a feeding tube for a brain-damaged woman in Florida was
making headlines.
Skocic thought, ''There has to be a better way.''
She developed the biometric identification system and applied for national and international patents, which are pending.
She also secured the financial backing of several national private equity firms, which helped provide the $1 million needed to launch the company.
The venture coincides with efforts locally and nationwide to provide better access to patients' information during emergencies.
The federal government, for example, in November awarded $11.3 million to the Northeast Ohio Regional Information Organization to connect 19 rural Northeast Ohio hospitals to a high-speed broadband network.
About 600 miles of fiber-optic cable already connect urban hospitals in 22 Northeast Ohio counties. Once the lines are in use, hospitals will be able to share patient information to help with diagnosis and treatment.
Other past initiatives have included patient identification bracelets for epileptics and diabetics, ID cards and programs to keep health information handy in a medicine bottle or on refrigerators, said John Becknell, publisher of Best Practices in Emergency Services, a monthly publication.
But the fingerprint-based computer system is a novel idea that has potential, he said.
''What makes this concept interesting is that no equipment, paraphernalia or any kind of item has to be carried with the patient,'' he said. ''No matter where they find the patient or what condition, usually the fingerprint as a kind of unique identifier is reliable, providing the fingerprint is intact.''
Though My LifePlan uses fingerprints to access patient information, the system can use iris prints, DNA and other identifiers as the technology develops, Chief Information Officer Bo Kalinyak said.
Ultimately, Becknell said, the system needs to attract a large number of patients to make it worth the time and investment for EMS systems to use it.
''It's an interesting idea,'' he said. ''The question now is really, will it find traction? How simple and easy is it for the pre-hospital providers to use, and will enough people sign up to make the database actually deep enough to encourage use? Endeavors in the past have suffered by not having enough of the public to sign up.''
Ravenna Fire Department Lt. Chris Singleton is among the EMS personnel trying out the system and giving My LifePlan advice on ways to tweak the system so it's more user-friendly for busy firefighters.
If enough community members sign up, he said, the system could help EMS quickly identify patients and any pre-existing conditions or allergies that could complicate their care.
''It's a great idea,'' he said.
To participate in My LifePlan, enrollees fill out an advance directive packet, which tells doctors the type of care they would like if they become unable to make medical decisions.
They can indicate, for example, whether they would want a feeding tube, cardiac resuscitation or a ventilator if death is imminent.
Clients also provide a list of health problems and medications, as well as contacts for friends and family.
Power-of-attorney documents that give someone else the ability to make medical decisions for patients can also be scanned into the system and kept on record.
After the test phase, other health-care providers will be able to purchase the system for prices ranging from less than $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the equipment selected.
''My biggest achievement,'' Skocic said, ''will be the first life we save.''
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com.
A Ravenna company wants to put everyone's medical history and dying wishes right at their fingertips when they're too sick or injured to speak.
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