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Spectra Health introduces mobile app to improve efficiency in health care communications
App offers a spectrum of communication
CANFIELD
Ashley McClusky and Nicholas Halfhill, who both graduated from Canfield High School in 2007, are returning to their roots with the launch of their mobile application.
“We’re super excited to be back here,” Halfhill said. “There’s really a lot of good health care in the [Mahoning] Valley.”
Spectra Health offers a secure two-way communication tool among doctors, patients and family members, which McClusky and Halfhill said is the first one to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
“This week is our soft launch,” McClusky said.
Patients and their families would have timely access through the app for health data such as treatment plans and coordination of milestones throughout the treatment. It also provides easier communication among families, McClusky said.
“This tool is not a new process for doctors,” but increases efficiency, Halfhill said.
The app also would help with patients going through the steps of care moving from one specialist to another, he said.
Spectra Health has a partnership with Blue Sky Therapy, 510 W. Main St., where Halfhill’s mother, Renee, is the president and CEO.
“Our therapists are excited for the opportunity to use the Spectra care application and what it may offer our patients, their family members and our facilities we serve,” said Valerie Greco, clinical- services manager for Blue Sky.
Canfield High School was where McClusky and Halfhill met. McClusky went on to receive her communication degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She worked in public relations for companies such as Salesforce Inc. and in marketing for Mercy Health Systems.
Halfhill graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in advertising and worked as a mobile- marketing strategist for Ford Motor Co. in Detroit.
The two both moved to San Francisco three years ago where they reconnected as they worked on different technology projects.
In June, the two co-founded Spectra Health along with Stephen Cave and Ian Lollar, both from Southern California. The next eight months focused on building the infrastructure of the app’s platform.
The conception for Spectra came from Halfhill’s own personal experiences of having difficulty in communication when he was miles away from a sick family member.
“I wanted to build a tool that I would use,” he said.
The two plan to expand the app to Blue Sky’s other locations throughout the state.
They also see the opportunity for the app to be used for other kinds of care such as pregnancies.
“We’re in a really good position,” he said.