A group of former Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) physicians and sonographers have come together to give cardiologists additional resources to interpret echocardiograms. The group formed EchoMetrics (Rochester, Minnesota) about a year ago and reported on Monday that it was poised to offer services with a quick turn around to help hospitals and healthcare facilities become more efficient.
EchoMetrics said that it specifically provides knowledge-based multi-variable echocardiography interpretations and reports, which are more closely aligned to a cause and effect interpretation suitable to risk "prediction, quantification and management."
"We're able to provide our services remotely," Marian Larson, VP of sales and business development for the company, told Medical Device Daily. "If someone in India sent us an echocardiogram we would be able to process it. [The company's] goal is to bring this kind of quality everywhere whether it's a remote rural area or it's a busy hospital."
According to EchoMetrics, often times cardiologists become bogged down and are unable to have a quick turnaround on interpreting the reports.
"It frees up their time when they use our services," Larson told MDD. "A cardiologist might take their echocardiograms home at night because they're unable to look at them during the day because of the high value of patients. What we do frees the cardiologists up so that they can have this extra time to devote to patients."
"It also enables [cardiologists] to expand their services," Larson said.
Typically interpretations can be returned to the cardiologist in about eight hours.
To enable the data transfer, the company is asking for broadband Internet access through high-speed DSL/ADSL, cable, or a T1 Line. The company said that DICOM image format is preferred, but not required. Digital transfer is preferred for fast turn-around. However the company said that videotapes and other means would be accepted on an individual basis.
EchoMetrics said it could adapt to a client's technology and that it provides easy, secure HIPAA compliant web-based image transfer.
James Seward, MD, former director of the Mayo Clinic echocardiography laboratory, leads the team of Mayo-trained advanced clinical sonographers and physicians to offer echocardiogram interpretations at less than $50 per interpretation.
The price point, according to Larson, was based on fair market value in addition to looking for ways to give users of this product an affordable means of attaining an analysis.
The company, she said, wanted to make the analysis available to everyone and the price point allows the company to do just that.
Echocardiograms have recently gained a spur of media attention – the diagnostic tool is being considered for use in the NFL. Chicago Bears defensive linemen Gaines Adams died of a cardiac arrest and an autopsy showed he suffered from an enlarged heart. Cardiologists are saying that had Adams had an echocardiogram, it would have detected his enlarged heart earlier.
If the recent spotlight could push echocardiograms into an arena where the diagnostic tool could have increased attention and physicians increase the number of these screenings, then EchoMetrics could certainly benefit with some expansion of its own.
At present time, the company has seven employees and a growing client list.
"I think what we're doing is giving a very high quality alternative for cardiologists," Larson told MDD. "We're also giving them a product at a reduced cost."
Omar Ford, 404-262-5546;