OnICS Limited has successfully launched the latest version of its medical notes product in the US.

OnICS, a tenant at Cardiff Medicentre, developed its original iNOTZ system for use by medical professionals working in the field of radiation and medical oncology. MediWales reports the product, which has enjoyed significant success in the US, uses Digital Linguistics technology, invented by the company’s Chairman Dr James V Watson, as part of the aim to ease administrative pressures on medical professionals. The system works by recording clinical notes on an iPad and instantly assimilating them into a full text record that includes patient history, diagnosis, treatment plan, test results, staging, ICD coding and treatment outcomes.

The latest version of iNOTZ, unveiled recently in San Diego, incorporates Nuance Dragon Medical cloud-based voice recognition which, among other things, enables voice commands to navigate the iNOTZ product.

Chief Operating Officer at OnICS, Dr Nathan Hill, said “Doctors mainly dictate their clinical notes into a Dictaphone and a transcriptionist then listens to the recording and types what is heard. The paperwork then becomes part of the patient’s clinical notes. It’s a very time-consuming process and leads to unstructured data because each physician has their own style of recording clinical data. By making choices through a series of menus on an iPad screen, a narrative is written behind the scenes, with each individual data point stored. This gives consistency and quality control among all doctors.”

Nathan Hill and his development team led by Dr Mark Edwards, launched the first version of iNOTZ in the US in 2013. Take up has been strong among physicians across the country with user hotspots in Washington State, Oklahoma, and California.

Nathan Hill said “Medical professionals in the States have told us that they are impressed by the system’s accuracy and ease of use. They say it’s a game-changer for them and for the administrative structure that supports their work. Doctors have reported that iNOTZ significantly improves their consultation process by allowing them to focus on the patient rather than on taking notes, and iNOTZ delivers for them the detailed audit trail that traditional transcription and supporting processes cannot achieve as efficiently.”

The team at OnICS is confident that the new version of iNOTZ will prove popular in the US, and the company has plans in place for the product to reach a wider market. Over the next three years OnICS plans to expand beyond oncology. The team of medical and technology specialists is also in ongoing talks with various NHS Trusts and consultants, with the aim of iNOTZ becoming the new way of generating and storing medical records across a range of clinical disciplines in the UK.

Nathan Hill said “We know that iNOTZ stands to transform the way in which the medical profession works day-to-day. We also know from data collated on the product’s use in the US that it is a proven way of generating greater efficiency; something that we anticipate will ease the ongoing budgetary constraints and logistical pressures that face our NHS. This is all very timely, given the focus that currently exists on working towards a system of electronic patient records within NHS Wales.”

From their base at the medtech and biotech incubation hub, Cardiff Medicentre, Nathan Hill and his team of PhD level engineering and computer science programmers are in contact with staff at the neighbouring University Hospital of Wales.

Nathan Hill said “Cardiff Medicentre is an ideal location for us. Not only are we next to the hospital and so we enjoy a close connection with day-to-day clinical activity, but we’re in a capital city that is brimming with life sciences talent. We’re proud to have recruited our team directly from Cardiff University, and we’re fortunate that not only is there a real buzz around companies like ours at the moment but also a pool of exceptional potential employees out there.”

Dr Justin John, Business Incubation Officer at Cardiff Medicentre said “OnICS is another example of a great, Welsh business that is set to have a hugely positive influence on the health sector in Wales, in the UK, and all over the world. We’re delighted that the company chose Cardiff Medicentre as its base, and we’re continuing to support the OnICS team along the way.”