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Case Studies
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Focus Area:
Product Strategy, User Experience, Application Development, Usability Testing

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC has eight national centers, one of which is the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Within NCCDPHP, the Division of Adolescent & School Health, also known as DASH, promotes the health and well-being of children and adolescents to enable them to become healthy and productive adults. Read more...

Greenway Logo
Greenway

Focus Area:
Rapid Prototyping, User Experience, Usability Testing

Greenway is a healthcare company offering a comprehensive, integrated and interoperable physician infrastructure solution. Greenway software and on-demand services are used in physician practices, hospitals, HIEs, IDNs, RHIOs and IPAs across the country, and increase care quality, enhance patient satisfaction and facilitate adherence to compliance guidelines – all while maximizing profitability and ensuring results for customers. Greenway's single-database integration strategy for electronic health records (EHRs), practice management and interoperability creates simplistic and streamlined workflow benefits. Read more...

Prodigy Biosystems

Focus Area:
Rapid Prototyping, User Experience, Usability Testing

Prodigy Biosystems (Prodigy), is a research company that creates and markets products engineered to modernize techniques for cell and tissue research. Prodigy’s initial product, InQ™, is an advanced instrument that supports long term cell research through powerful environmental controls and 24/7 imaging for growing, monitoring, and measuring cells.Read more...

Quinnian Health
Quinnian Health

Focus Area:
Product Strategy, User Experience, Application Development, Usability Testing

Quinnian Health, enhances corporate resilience by protecting employees and key stakeholders from the health threats posed by infectious disease and bioterrorism through medical countermeasures utilizing telemedicine and antiviral distribution programs. Read more...

Gazoont Logo
Gazoont

Focus Area:
Rapid Prototyping, User Experience, Usability Testing

Gazoont, Inc. is a company that developed and markets the Gazoont Platform - a unique Software-As-A-Service product that streamlines the management and delivery of health care information to patients.  The Gazoont solution enhances the care delivered by healthcare providers by delivering targeted health information to consumers at the point of need. Read more...

CapMed

Focus Area:
Product Strategy, User Experience, Application Development, Usability Testing

CapMed, a division of BioImaging Technologies, Inc. (BITI) was looking to deliver a best-in-class suite of Personal Health Record (PHR) products and further establish itself as a leader in its field. It had a unique set of challenges including the need to integrate with multiple vendors by adhering to a dizzying array of clinical and healthcare standards. Read more...

SharedHealth

Focus Area
Rapid Prototyping, User Experience, Application Design, User Interviews, Focus Groups

SharedHealth is an innovator in the health care information technology industry, Shared Health® partners with physicians, nurses, and other clinicians to positively transform patient care. SH’s smart online clinical decision support tools and the secure exchange of medical information help create efficiencies and improve the quality of patient care while driving down the overall cost.    Read more...

Case Study
SeeMyRadiology.com

Focus Area
Wireframes, Process Flows, Application Design, User Experience, Brand Strategy

SeeMyRadiology.com from Accelarad Corporation enables hospitals, imaging centers, physicians, and patients to securely access and share medical images online. With over 200 million medical images per year securely processed, SeeMyRadiology.com relieves the IT burden (on hospitals and imaging facilities) of secure image sharing, routing, viewing, and archiving; furthermore, the need for CDs or DVDs for medical image sharing is eliminated. Through SeeMyRadiology.com, users can view and collaborate about medical images by sharing them, attaching associated files, and communicating using built in secure messaging.    Read more...

Case Study

Case Study

CDC

Overview

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC has eight national centers, one of which is the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Within NCCDPHP, the Division of Adolescent & School Health, also known as DASH, promotes the health and well-being of children and adolescents to enable them to become healthy and productive adults.

DASH engaged PointClear to help them put their approximately 3000 page website into a new standardized CDC template. DASH presented their project goals as:

  • Migrate the site into the new CDC template
  • Design a revised information architecture designed to meet the needs of end-users
  • Determine a plan for adding new content in the future – where should it go?
  • Help them better understand user audiences, their information needs, and how they seek information on the site
  • Ensure the sustainability of the new design

Engagement

For this engagement, PointClear used a variety of techniques and methods to obtain an informed design. One of main challenges for this project was determining an information architecture. The high volume of information required research with a firm methodological approach which included:

  • Content analysis
  • Baseline usability testing (A)
  • Internal stakeholder interviews
  • Card sorting

The research conducted informed the design activities. A content map was created to illustrate how the information should be organized and how to deliver strategic messages. Paper prototypes using the new template structure were created and presented at a partner conference to get user feedback. This feedback informed the creation of a high fidelity prototype. The updated prototype was used for usability testing (B) and compared to the baseline test. Finally, a style guide was produced for the division to use going forward.

The user experience activities did not happen in a vacuum. PointClear and DASH worked collaboratively to:

  • Conduct internal branch interviews to obtain business goals and determine priorities and structure
  • Recruit users for interviews
  • Design and implement survey (?)
  • Guide and educate DASH development resources for future decision making
  • Rework existing content to be better structured for online reading and scanning

Results

PointClear has helped DASH to rethink web site content from an end-user perspective. DASH now has an information architecture roadmap that includes a content strategy and style guide they can use in developing and implementing new content. DASH continues to embrace the approach that was demonstrated during this process and develop compelling yet intuitive site content for consumption by various user audiences.

Case Study

Trinity Health

Overview
In early June, 2010, PointClear Solutions and Trinity Health conducted what is known as a Rapid Prototyping Process for the Cardiology Diagnostic Page. The Cardiology Diagnostic Page will be rendered as an MPage within the Cerner PowerChart application. Rapid Prototyping is an iterative process of creating quick visual mockups of system designs and iteratively reviewing and validating them with target users and stakeholders.

The process was conducted as a series of sessions, including:
  • Research sessions with target users to gain understanding of their needs and perspectives as input to design decisions for the Cardiology Diagnostic Page.
  • Prototyping sessions with an initial, high-level focus on the best use of screen real estate of the Cardiology Diagnostic Page.
  • Prototype review sessions with target users to validate and refine designs.

The following roles were represented for target users in the sessions:
Cardiologists, Physician Liaisons, Clinical Liaisons, Family Practice Physicians, Emergency Medicine Physicians, Post Critical Care and ICU Physicians, Hospitalists, RNs, and Coronary Critical care staff.

Research Sessions

Design choices should not be arbitrary or based on assumptions; whenever possible they should be based on informed understanding of users. In the Research sessions, interview questions were asked to gauge the specific information needed to make a cardiac disease diagnosis, the context in which the diagnosis is made, and the users’ tendencies, needs, and perspectives. The responses from users were used as input to the design prototypes.

For the Research sessions, a set of questions was prepared beforehand. Questions were designed to solicit input on

  • The user’s mental model of cardiac disease diagnosis, which involved kinds of cardiac disease being diagnosed, pieces of information needed to make a diagnosis, how information is used in making a diagnosis, most important pieces of information, and workflow involving other members of the care team.
  • How users utilize PowerChart in making a cardiac disease diagnosis, including how the application is used, constraints, and areas for improvement
  • How users utilize MUSE and Drager for EKG images, including how these applications are used, constraints, and areas for improvement
  • What users do with the information they gather, including post-diagnosis monitoring of the patient, and any other follow-up.

Findings
Users provided a wealth of information around how they wish to view and manipulate EKG images in order to make comparisons, and emphasized the importance of being able to launch images from the Cardiology Diagnostic Page without having to go to a separate location.

They also expressed the need for consolidating medications and helped us understand the specific labs needed to help make a cardiac diagnosis.

Users helped us understand how to improve the quality measurements component to be more useful, including identifying specific measures and auto-update functionality.

Prototyping & Evaluation
Utilizing the design input from the Research sessions, PointClear and Trinity Health Technical staff drew an initial, high level layout of the Cardiology Diagnostic Page on a whiteboard. This allowed for a fluid discussion and quick refinements and corrections.

The design prototype was utilized for the Prototype Review session with users and as a foundation to delve deeper into the Quality Measurement component later. The purpose of the session was to review and validate the initial, high level design prototype of the Cardiology Diagnostic Page with users, address the outstanding questions from the Prototyping session, and refine the designs.  

Users agreed the amount of information on the prototype was overwhelming, and helped us pare down to the essential components and the specific information to make a cardiology diagnosis. They also helped us to reorder the sequence the components to optimize a cardiology diagnosis.  

Summary
In less than two days, we conducted user research, created high-level designs, evaluated them, and emerged with a prototype that had been developed and tested with input from real users. The development team worked in parallel, so that a working interface was available for actual development. A pilot production version launched for beta users several weeks later.  

Case Study
Overview
Greenway is a healthcare company offering a comprehensive, integrated and interoperable physician infrastructure solution. Greenway software and on-demand services are used in physician practices, hospitals, HIEs, IDNs, RHIOs and IPAs across the country, and increase care quality, enhance patient satisfaction and facilitate adherence to compliance guidelines – all while maximizing profitability and ensuring results for customers. Greenway's single-database integration strategy for electronic health records (EHRs), practice management and interoperability creates simplistic and streamlined workflow benefits.

More than 23,000 healthcare provider customers nationwide, in 30  specialties and subspecialties, use Greenway's integrated EHR at the point-of-care to optimize clinical, financial and administrative processes.

Greenway engaged PointClear to design and deliver a Patient Portal solution.  This important strategic offering allows clinicians who use Greenway products to interact more effectively with their patients.  Important functionality was identified to match closely with Meaningful Use objectives:

Provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information (including diagnostic test results, problem list, medication lists, medication allergies) upon request

Provide clinical summaries for patients for each office visit
Send reminders to patients per patient preference for preventive/ follow up care

Allow patients to complete forms, such as Health History information, and submit that health information to clinicians in a way that can be imported into the patient’s electronic health record

Design the Patient Portal such that patient adoption is maximized, as many meaningful use objectives include specific adoption goals.

Engagement

For this engagement, PointClear introduced Greenway to a Rapid Prototyping process. It is an iterative process to create quick visual representations of user interface and interaction designs and validate them with target users and stakeholders.  After several iterations, the prototypes became more realistic, detailed, and refined.

Target users participate in Design Reviews to identify problem areas and give input into correcting them. Users are also asked to prioritize and rank features as input to Product Roadmaps.

PointClear and Greenway work collaboratively to:
  • Map user goals, needs, constraints, and desires into designs that meet design and usability best practices and standards.

  • Utilize realistic data and examples to ensure design solutions are feasible.
  • Identify and apply consistent design patterns to improve user experience and reduce development and QA time and cost.
  • Determine the long-term vs. short-term feasibility of implementing the designs given technology constraints.
Results
PointClear continues to enable a cultural shift at Greenway—where greater emphasis is being placed on design and user involvement. Greenway continues to embrace design prototyping.  When difficult or unclear design decisions arise, “why don’t we ask our users?” is commonly asked.  At their recent user conference, Greenway’s motto was ‘what is your experience’.

Case Study
Overview
CapMed, a division of BioImaging Technologies, Inc. (BITI) was looking to deliver a best-in-class suite of Personal Health Record (PHR) products and further establish itself as a leader in its field. It had a unique set of challenges including the need to integrate with multiple vendors by adhering to a dizzying array of clinical and healthcare standards.

Engagement

PointClear Solutions was engaged to design and build the PHR solutions, to work with end users and customers to enhance usability, to guide the business with their product strategy, and integrate the PHR with Microsoft’s HealthVault platform. PointClear's partners brought to bear a wealth of experience in Healthcare and Life Sciences information technology to deliver product that is unique, adaptable, and, most importantly, extremely valuable to the users and clients of CapMed.

Project Highlights
  • This engagement spanned over 2 years.
  • The total budget for the project was $2.5 million.
  • The PointClear team size averaged around 10 people, including PointClear’s User Experience team, PointClear Architects, PointClear Software Engineers, PointClear Project Managers, PointClear DBAs, and PointClear QA Engineers. 
  • PointClear recruited and managed engineers and other personnel for CapMed.  These CapMed employees augmented the PointClear team and became responsible for maintaining the application at the end of the engagement.

Results
PointClear was engaged is the earliest stages of the development of the products and served the client even after the product arrived on the market. PointClear's commitment to putting its best and brightest on this long-term relationship resulted in a deep, personal understanding of the needs of the business. By serving CapMed through difficult challenges – as well as its successes – PointClear was uniquely positioned to help this company achieve its vision of giving patients empowering tools to manage their own health.

Case Study

Gazoont Logo

Overview
Gazoont, Inc. developed and markets the Gazoont Platform - a unique Software-As-A-Service product that streamlines the management and delivery of health care information to patients.  The Gazoont solution enhances the care delivered by healthcare providers by delivering targeted health information to consumers at the point of need. By associating actionable, meaningful, relevant information with a patient’s condition, treatment or upcoming or past surgical procedure, healthcare providers strengthen consumer loyalty and differentiate themselves within their market. Whether it’s following physician instructions, complying with a treatment plan, preparing for surgery or simply getting to the surgery center on time, people take action on information when that information is provided to them at the point of need.  

Engagement
The Gazoont platform was initially designed to monitor messages generated by practice management systems, EMRs and ADT systems.  There are obvious challenges associated with this approach.  The primary problem is that while there are messaging and interoperability standards (HL7, CCR, etc), there is no guarantee that each system adheres to such a standard.  This problem is especially prevalent in smaller surgery centers and outpatient clinics.

PointClear has been involved as an advisor to Gazoont since the formation of the company.  Early in the development of the Gazoont software, we encouraged the team to watch the development of Microsoft HealthVault closely, as widespread adoption of the HealthVault platform could ease the integration/interoperability burden significantly.  In the summer of 2009 PointClear was given the go-ahead to build a HealthVault-enable version of Gazoont.

There are two major tasks associated with using Gazoont.  The first task is the finding of content and “packaging” it up for delivery by the platform. This is done via an easy-to-use search interface that is optimized for discovering content – either on the web or within internal content stores.  The second major task is the matching of content packages with recipients (patients) and delivering the content to them.  As it turns out, for this task HealthVault and Gazoont are a perfect fit.  PointClear built a “concept builder” tool that allows for behind-the-scenes building of the XPath filter attribute of the HealthRecordFilter.  This tool allows the user to describe a “concept” such as:
  • men over 40 whose last 4 blood glucose readings were abnormal
  • pregnant women in their 3rd trimester with gestational diabetes
  • Anyone scheduled for knee replacement surgery in the next 30 days
  • Etc…
These concepts are then linked to packages of content created for the specific conditions specified.  Given that the appropriate permissions are granted by the patient, the Gazoont engine, using HealthVault “offline access” mode, periodically queries the patients record, looking for concept matches.  When a match is found, the content is delivered to the patient using the appropriate modality.  Current and planned modalities include:
  • Web
  • Text
  • Voice (Text-to-speech)
  • Other – digital picture frame, smartphone, etc.

Case Study

Quinnian Health Logo
Overview
Quinnian Health enhances corporate resilience by protecting employees and key stakeholders from the health threats posed by infectious disease and bioterrorism through medical countermeasures utilizing telemedicine and antiviral distribution programs.

Quinnian engaged us to assist with user interface design and development for employer solutions for an influenza antiviral distribution program. The solution involved registering users to receive influenza antiviral medications, capturing relevant health information, educating participants on the process, and allowing them to manage their own account as well as that of family members and caregivers. Quinnian realized the importance of ease of use in the registration and account management process, so that employers who purchased the service could expect maximum adoption and utilization from their employees.

Engagement
PointClear worked with Quinnian to identify the goals of both employer clients and the employees they wished to serve. We designed, tested, and developed user interface flows and designs to come up with the simplest, most streamlined approach that still gathered relevant and important information. We designed the influenza antiviral process with the intention of adding other antiviral programs later, so that these programs would benefit from information already gathered.

We also created prototype designs for telemedicine workflow tools, allowing physicians to specify availability, as well as queue and accept consult calls.

Results
PointClear helped Quinnian deliver a product that not only protected the health and well-being of its clients employees, but did so in a way that was simple, intuitive, and encouraged adoption and participation.

Case Study
Overview
Prodigy Biosystems (Prodigy), is a research company that creates and markets products engineered to modernize techniques for cell and tissue research. Prodigy’s initial product, InQ™, is an advanced instrument that supports long term cell research through powerful environmental controls and 24/7 imaging for growing, monitoring, and measuring cells.

Interacting with the InQ™ involves building a complex set of rules and clauses for setting up and running experiments, as well as creating protocols. In order to help users move beyond the “how” and realize the value of InQ™ in their work, Prodigy worked towards a simple and usable user interface, but quickly realized the difficulty of the task at hand.

Engagement
 Understanding that a positive user experience is essential to the adoption of InQ™ in the research environment, Prodigy hired PointClear Solutions to design several key pieces of software, including the primary desktop application for controlling InQ™ devices and the touchscreen UI on the InQ™ hardware.

During this engagement, PointClear worked with Prodigy to determine and prioritize the desired features, designed a desktop application and touchscreen UI for interacting with InQ™ devices, and designed and developed a website to serve as the initial launch site.

PointClear also conducted usability interviews early in the design process for building protocols in the desktop application. Ten graduate students from biology research labs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham were interviewed in 3 smaller groups of 2 – 4 people at a time. Participants were presented with 2 design directions then asked to provide feedback and suggestions in a group discussion setting. 

Results
For the initial launch website, PointClear designed and developed a content management system that allows Prodigy to manage and post company announcements as well as relevant industry news. The custom website runs its own blog engine and displays targeted content to authenticated users based on their roles.

Specific to the InQ™ product, PointClear delivered to Prodigy an intuitive and engaging interaction design for creating protocols, running experiments, and managing InQ™ devices in a desktop application. PointClear then created a complimentary interaction design for the touchscreen UI on the InQ™ hardware. During this process, PointClear also helped Prodigy, who consists of scientists from a chemistry research background, to better understand and provide support for biology researchers. By employing PointClear’s expertise in user experience and interaction design, Prodigy was able to move beyond early stumbling blocks in the design process to quickly implement a powerful intuitive UI for the InQ™ system.

 

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