When we engage with a client for service design, one of the things we always do is scan their industry, as well as other industries, for any technology that might be a good fit for their particular solution. Too often, companies are inclined to believe that their problem is so unique that only a custom application will do. But by spending some time on deep research, this “re-purposing” ultimately saves our clients tremendous amounts of time and money. One of the areas we have learned to tap into is the U.S. government. With the right search methods, you can uncover a treasure trove of data, software, and intellectual capital that is available for the asking.

An article in today’s Wall Street Journal shows how software, already funded by the U.S. taxpayers, could be the lynch pin to solve one of the most dysfunctional aspects of the U.S. health care crisis. The potential solution lies in a software system that was designed to manage the medical records for Veteran’s Administration hospitals across the country. The software, dubbed VistA (Veteran’s Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) has been created with several billion dollars of taxpayer funds over the past two decades. The system is now used in over 1,400 VA facilities and the source code is now in the public domain.

According to the paper, “Paperless technologies have revolutionized banking and retailing. But even after a decade-long effort to modernize health care, fewer than 2% of the nation’s 5,000 non-VA hospitals have what could be considered a comparable full-fledged system, according to a recent survey in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hospitals say they haven’t been able to afford the cost of the systems, which range from $20 million to $100 million, and the current economic crisis isn’t helping.”
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A recent New York Times article reveals that Wal-Mart Stores are entering into a new service sector aimed at improving and streamlining patient care. This story is a great example of how products, services and distribution systems can be mashed up in new ways to solve big problems.

President Obama’s administration has proposed using $19 billion in incentives from the stimulus package to help physicians to adopt digital medical recordkeeping. Presently, only about 17 percent of US physicians are using computers to keep patient records – most still use paper.

Nearly three-fourths of physicians work in small practices, where the price of installing and maintaining a full digital medical records system is much too high. Wal-Mart, via it’s Sam’s Club brand, recently announced plans to offer a turnkey solution that involves them partnering with Dell Computers and eClinicalWorks , a software company that specializes in digital medical records software packages.

Under the plan, physicians will put the digital medical records software package in their Sam’s Club shopping cart alongside their giant container of pickles. Once purchased – presumably with help from the stimulus package money – Dell will provide the practice with either a desktop or tablet computer and eClinicalWorks will load, optimize, and maintain the software, as well as provide training. The cost of the package is projected as being $25,000 for the first physician and $10,000 for each additional physician in the practice. This is significantly cheaper than other similar software packages on the market.

If this venture is successful, Wal-Mart and its partners will be directly responsible for enabling physicians nation-wide to keep better, transferable patient records that should have a direct impact on the quality of care for patients.

It’s a big step in a new direction for the world’s largest retailer, but they hope that their experience in moving massive volume at a low price will help physicians and patients step into the 21st century technology world. According to the software vendors who sell the records systems, it’s just not cost effective for them to reach small physician offices in remote areas. This is where Wal-Mart’s massive distribution network comes in. This is a great example of combining what two companies do best in order to create an easy-to-buy solution for the customer.