By Gwen Green (gagreen@ualr.edu)
Aug. 17, 200
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A Carlisle start-up software company could play a big part in overhauling the nation's healthcare system and medical records.
Unityware, Inc. (www.Unityware.com) provides a unique new way for the healthcare industry to extend the capabilities of their existing software systems and easily share information between medical institutions. The company doesn't make packaged applications or systems - it makes existing ones work better.
Brian Stack is the entrepreneur behind Unityware, Inc. Unityware's technology, nine years in development, is built on Stack's earlier patents. The technology is operational and has been successfully tested at a local hospital.
Unityware's emergence coincides with national attention on healthcare and calls for electronic health records. In January, President Barack Obama declared all health records will go digital by 2014. To increase the adoption of health information technology, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides nearly $20 billion in incentives for physicians and hospitals that demonstrate "meaningful use" of electronic health records.
"Few U.S. doctors or hospitals - perhaps 17 percent and 10 percent, respectively - have even basic EHRs, and there are significant barriers to their adoption and use," wrote Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for Health Information Technology, in the April 9 New England Journal of Medicine. CNNMoney.com estimated only about 8 percent of hospitals have functioning electronic records systems.
"The average medical provider in a hospital has to log onto and access an average of six systems, frequently to deal with the same information," said Stack, Unityware's CEO. "Unityware's technology allows previously incompatible healthcare software applications to work together while still allowing modification or improvement to each of the software applications."
Unityware is the first "business in residence" at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development through a partnership of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the UALR College of Business and the company.
"The role of the College of Business is to promote economic development, stimulate entrepreneurial ideas and foster innovation and creativity, and this obligation transcends traditional academics and the classroom," said Dr. Anthony Chelte, UALR College of Business dean. "Unityware is innovative, creative, timely, technology-intensive and enhances business productivity and efficiency. Best of all, it is a start-up that has the potential to add real value to our business mix in Little Rock, our region and our state."
Stack and his wife Cynthia moved to Arkansas four years ago to be near Cynthia's recently widowed mother. They rented a local storefront for the company server and workspace for Brian. After purchasing a home in Carlisle, they moved the business operation out of the storefront and into their home. Now, the company has progressed to needing office and meeting space outside of the Stacks' house. The servers will remain in the house, but ongoing operations including sales, marketing, training and customer meetings will move to the Reynolds Center.
"Unityware had traditionally operated as a virtual laboratory using the Internet as our offices," said Brian. "But we need a better way to physically present the company now that we are commercializing our technology. Space in the house isn't conducive to sales, operations or business growth efforts. Our people feel more confident and more professional having an official Little Rock address over a house."
Stack lived in Florida, the Netherlands and New England before moving to Arkansas but says Carlisle is the first place he's lived that felt like his hometown. Having previously launched companies in other states, he lauds ASBTDC and others in the state for the guidance, advice and mentoring they have given his fledgling company, calling Arkansas the "best-kept secret in high-tech start-ups."
"Arkansas sets itself apart, having implemented very effective resources to create a new high-tech company. I have learned more and received better support than any point in my 30 years in the industry and 25 years of experience building and running tech companies.
"Who would have believed that you have to move to Arkansas to start a high-technology company?" commented Stack.
The life of an entrepreneur is not for everyone, but now on his third company, Stack seems to thrive on the lifestyle. "An entrepreneur lives a dream, investing energy, focus and leadership to translate the idea into the real. I live my dream on a day-to-day basis and make things happen that others have said could not be done," he said. "There is no greater high than achieving the realization of a dream."
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