Entrepreneurship Grant Award

Avocare

In January 2007, Avocare was awarded an entrepreneurship grant for $100,000 to be matched with $650,000. Founded in 2004, Avocare initially focused on the development, manufacture and rollout of the Automated Medication Dispenser™ (AMD) system. AMDs are essentially vending machines for prescription medications. A doctor electronically writes the patient’s prescription. The patient then goes to an AMD, which could be located in the doctor’s office, a pharmacy or hospital, and enters a personal identification number as well as a credit card and/or insurance card for payment. The AMD system, which incorporates multiple safety checks, is a robust design featuring medical record systems integration, electronic prescriptions, touch screen interaction, automated delivery and inventory management.  

Avocare’s founder, Dr. Lonnie Draper, was hit with the idea for the AMD system while working the night shift as an emergency room physician. A single mother with two sick children came into the hospital late one night. When Dr. Draper handed her a prescription, the mother wondered aloud how she would find the time and energy to get to the drug store to have the prescription filled. Being compassionate and technical-minded, Dr. Draper set about finding a solution to this common problem. The result was the foundation of Avocare and the development of the AMD system.

Through a successful but limited rollout, it was determined that widespread implementation of the AMD system would benefit from waiting for several near-future regulations at the state and federal level to be passed. However, the intellectual property and experience Avocare has gained will set the company up for success when the change takes place.

In the meantime, Avocare will focus on marketing software for Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs). Avocare is the software vendor for the Big Bend RHIO, the most successful RHIO in Florida, and has contributed significantly to the RHIO including donating countless hours of in-kind programming. The use of Avocare’s software and expertise in more than half a dozen Florida markets, including Tampa, Sarasota, Palm Beach and Jacksonville, has established Avocare as the state’s most successful vendor in this sector of health information exchange.

Avocare’s system is web-based and can be used by medical professionals as well as by patients. The comprehensive system includes payment and insurance information, clinical information for physician use and referral records. Most doctors still use a fax machine for referrals and records are often discarded or lost. Patients can control what information a doctor will have access to, however, emergency room physicians have “break the glass” access for use in emergencies.

While big technology companies like IBM and Microsoft are looking into medical informatics at the state and federal levels, Avocare is establishing itself as the leader in Florida’s local and regional markets.

“Avocare has carved out a niche. We’re community-based with the benefit of having been designed by a physician who really understands the needs of medical professionals,” said Avocare Vice President of Finance Bill Jacobus.

Avocare already has clients outside of Northwest Florida and will draw even more revenues into the region with the current expansion of its sales force. Avocare will expand to other states once business throughout Florida is well-established. Since the product is web-based, support staff is not required on-site.

The WIRED grant funds were primarily used for hiring, training and retaining programmers and software engineers.