'Breakthrough' product has a solid track record

An entrepreneur thinks he's found a way to reduceliability risk for doctors.
THE VINDICATOR
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- A young downtown company has caught the eye of state officials who promote new technologies being developed in Ohio.
Now, Saleationships wants to grab the attention of medical providers who are worried about their medical liability insurance premiums.
The future of the year-old company depends on it.
Its signature product, ODT3 Plus, is an Internet-based system that allows doctors to track the diagnostic tests they've ordered for patients. With an electronic record of what tests have been ordered and when they are to be returned, doctors can reduce their risk of being sued, said Scott Catania, company founder.
Officials at the Ohio Department of Development were so impressed with the product that they have named Saleationships as a winner of one of its annual Emerging Technology Awards. Eleven small businesses are being honored for their having innovative products or services that can be used commercially.
The judges thought Saleationships has a "breakthrough" product, said Pat Valente, deputy director of the department's technology division.
"Their upside is significant," he said.
Right product, right time
Catania, 38, of Damascus, thinks he has the right product at the right time. Doctors are concerned about rising medical malpractice insurance premiums, and his product aims to convince insurers that doctors are taking steps to reduce their liability.
His marketing slogan -- "How big is your crack?" -- is designed to make doctors think about how many of their patients are "falling through the crack" by not getting proper follow-up care.
"It's a huge area in most medical practices that's overlooked," Catania said.
He said many medical practices tell patients they will hear from the office only if their tests uncover a medical condition that needs attention. In other words, no news is good news.
Sometimes, however, mistakes lead to patients not being informed of bad news, and they can go for years unaware that they have a serious medical condition, Catania said. This creates legal liability issues for doctors, he said.
Also, many patients don't go for the tests ordered by doctors, and the doctor doesn't learn about that until the patient shows up later with a more serious problem, Catania said.
How it works
With ODT3 Plus, the order for a test is recorded electronically with the expected date the test results are to be returned. When office staff logs on to the system, it provides a list of tests that are due back that day as well as those that are late.
Also, the system also can send test referrals electronically to another medical provider. Catania said the electronic hookup reduces the chance of errors that can come with phone calls and faxes.
Catania said a prime selling point of the system is the cost. Because it is Internet-based, users can log onto a secure site without buying special computer hardware or software. Instead, they pay a monthly subscription fee.
He said the idea for the product came when he was talking to a doctor who didn't want to buy the computer programs that are available for managing a practice. The doctor asked why wasn't there an inexpensive way just to track tests.
Development
With his marketing background, Catania began working on such a product, first at home and now as a tenant in the Youngstown Business Incubator.
The state-funded incubator, which accepted Saleationships as a tenant two weeks ago, helps young technology companies by providing free rent and other services. Catania said he's excited about having access to high-end communications capabilities, meeting rooms and trade-show equipment.
Right now, he's marketing his product by meeting with people in the medical field.
Catania is comfortable with that because he had been sales manager for a company that develops practice management software, marketing representative for a health-insurance company, director of operations for a medical transportation company and a hospital corpsman in the Navy.
To handle the technical side of the business, he has two programmers who work for him. He also has one other employee and an agreement with another incubator company to provide customer support as Saleationships grows.
shilling@vindy.com