Our Thoughts

Why Tech Companies & the Healthcare Industry CAN Go Hand-in-Hand

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Thaves admin

 

Like most tech companies, Continyou Care was founded with the idea that it would solve an issue that currently exists in the world by revolutionizing current processes via a new technology.

 

We identified a niche area where we felt we could truly make an impact for the better while also maintaining a successful for-profit business model. However, the industry we service is somewhat taboo in the tech space due to the red tape that often blocks or slows down innovative companies. The healthcare industry tends to be viewed from a skeptical and negative perspective by a majority of the innovators within the tech industry – an issue that is covered by this Fast Company article. The article points out that the healthcare industry is not an area for fast and prosperous growth – two factors that tech innovators often use to measure their success. The same can be said for the reverse, as the article points out, the health care sector has been apprehensive in the past about new tech companies getting involved in their domain due to its complexity. And this is fair enough when you take a look at the tech startups that have shot to success over the recent years, it’s almost astonishing to comprehend how quickly they would have had to build their company and processes in order to keep up with their own success. And in an industry like healthcare, where the consumers at the end of the day are real life people, often with debilitating illnesses, you can’t have companies just jump on the bandwagon for the ride to a quick profit – you need companies that actually care in order for the ‘care’ part of the healthcare industry to remain stable.

At Continyou Care, we like to believe that this is exactly the type of principle that our product and company is founded on.

The Continyou Care platform is fully intended to help revolutionize the way long-term care homes function with the end goal of providing better care for those living in them. Our tech product targets the meal ordering system – a process that has been archaic in most homes for quite some time. By integrating technology into this process residents are able to custom order their meals via the Continyou Care app on a tablet that staff bring around during the day, ensuring that all dietary needs are met. The technology also simplifies how orders make their way into the kitchen – chefs are then able to use the information they receive well in advance to ensure that the meal is cooked to order and also on time so residents are not left waiting. It might seem relatively simple when it’s broken down like this, but this is just one of many niche issues within the healthcare industry that can be improved by technology yet are often overlooked due to the negative association with slow growth and slow profit. While the growth of Continyou Care might not be exponential immediately, and the industry we’re working in is complex – every long-term care home is different from the next – we truly believe that the growth and success to be achieved in the long term will be worth it if the quality of life for residents in these homes is improved.

 

At the end of the Fast Company article, fellow healthcare entrepreneur David Vivero is quoted saying, “Start with empathy, and a desire to get it right for each individual user.” We could not agree more and encourage all aspiring tech innovators in this industry to follow the same guideline – at the end of the day, the financial success may not be as quick and the growth may not be ‘hyper’, but the long term result will be impactful for the better, for both your company and those you are trying to help.