Charlotte Prong Parkhill, Waterloo Chronicle -

 (May 05, 2010) -

Karos Health celebrated its graduation from the Accelerator Centre last Wednesday. The company, which creates software for use in the field of electronic health systems, is the sixth start-up to graduate from the [Accelerator] centre.

"This is a little like when I moved away from home for the first time, said president Rick Stroobosscher.

During their two years at the Accelerator Centre, they've enjoyed furnished rooms, meals, and occasionally, the keys to the car.

"But even more important are the moms and dads that are here, with loads of advice and experience to share," he said.

Tim Jackson, recently named the new CEO of the Accelerator, said the community can expect to see more graduations in the near future.

He's been on the board of directors since it opened three years ago, and said the typical company needs a two-to three-year cycle in which to maximize their potential through the networking, mentoring, legal, accounting and other services offered at the centre.

Jackson said they are also working with Communitech and the digital media hub at their Kitchener office.

"So there will be one intake process that will help figure out where people should go, without duplicating services," he said.

Many of the companies currently at the Accelerator are local, but the centre is building a reputation and starting to attract attention from across the country and the U. S.

"So one of the things I'm really focused on here is moving people through," Jackson said. "Either because they've maximized their potential and it's time to grow, or they're stagnant. We're not afraid to say to people, 'It's time for you to move on.'"

Karos Health is definitely not stagnant. In the exploding field of electronic health care management, they've seen some new investment recently, and have significant business opportunities in Canada, the U. S. and Europe.

In some ways, the health care industry lags behind many others when it comes to sharing information electronically. Karos is well positioned to expand with the pace of what is expected to be exponential growth.

"We've seen in the last couple of years, federal governments around the world have really take it on as a focus and are investing billions of dollars in it," Stroobosscher said.

Karos headquarters is staying local but about a dozen employees will move from their 500 square foot space at the Accelerator to an office five times larger on Father David Bauer Drive. Stroobosscher said the company's strength lies in collaboration with health care system creators such as Agfa, Dell and Cisco.

"We work with people who make applications, and extend them. I like to say we're plumbers - we connect things together."

Karos software allows doctors in remote northern communities to order tests and receive results from specialists thousands of miles away. In Alberta and Quebec, physicians can get access to a patient's health care information from anywhere in the province.

"What we're really trying to do is connect those sources of information," Stroobosscher said. "For us it's really about building up patient-centric health care, as opposed to institutional-based."

Michel Pawlicz, director of business development, said some of the booming field's greatest challenges lie with the security and privacy of information. But connecting medical systems more appropriately will mean everyone who is allowed to could access the patient's full medical history.

Right now, the history can be scattered, especially for more complex illnesses. Patients can misinterpret or misunderstand the results of their own tests. Physicians can wait weeks for results to be faxed or couriered to their offices.

The interlocking e-health systems are expected to shorten wait times for patients and reduce overhead costs for doctors, hospitals and specialists. But Pawlicz suggests that with more complete records available, these systems could also lead to fewer misdiagnoses, fewer adverse drug reactions and a reduction in side effects.

"This will empower the patient to be more central in his care process," he said.

"It gives the patient the tools to be more proactive."