UB and Computer Task Group teaming up to track kidney patients

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UB and Computer Task Group teaming up to track kidney patients
By David Robinson
News Business Reporter
October 07, 2009, 2:14 PM /

A new initiative to develop an electronic records system to help manage the treatment of patients in Western New York with kidney disease could create up to 115 new jobs locally, officials said today.

The initiative between UBMD, the University at Buffalo's 450-member physician practice plan, and Buffalo-based information technology firm Computer Task Group, aims to create a software system that will share patient records electronically among the practice and help its doctors identify those who have symptoms that could lead to kidney disease and diabetes.

The $28.9 million project is being partly funded by a $7 million grant from the state Department of Health's HEAL NY initiative, as well as major investments from CTG and UBMD.

"We expect these software tools will improve the health status of Western New Yorkers and yield significant savings in health care," said Dr. David L. Dunn, UB's president for health sciences, in a statement.

Officials said the electronic medical records project is an example of the ways businesses, government and UB researchers can work together through UB's Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, which opened three years ago.

"Only here in Western New York have we seen the kind of collaboration between universities, government officials and public companies that is required to make a project like this work," said James Boldt, CTG's chairman and chief executive officer.

CTG gets more than a quarter of its sales from its health services business and expects the push to develop electronic medical records systems nationwide to be a major source of revenue in the coming years.

More than 1,400 people in Western New York suffer from end-stage kidney disease, which requires costly and time-consuming dialysis treatment, and potentially kidney transplants.

The idea behind the medical records initiative is to more closely track patients who show symptoms of early stages of the disease. Studies have shown that 40 percent of patients with Type 1 diabetes will develop advanced kidney disease within 25 years. But if those patients do a good job controlling their diet and blood sugar levels, the risk of developing end-stage kidney disease drops to less than 10 percent.

The project also has the potential to save significant amounts of money, now spent on more costly treatments. The system, which is expected to be developed over the next three years, could save an estimated $154 million a year in Medicare costs for the state.

Patients suffering from end-stage kidney disease have medical costs that average $65,000 a year, typically borne by private health insurers or the state, before they become eligible for Medicare, said Dr. Russell W. Bessette, UB's associate vice president for health sciences.

drobinson@buffnews.com

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/820604.html