Posted on Tue, Jul 13, 2010
July 14th – 16th in Chicago IL
Baltimore, MD: Ankota looks forward to exhibiting solutions that improve the quality and efficiency of the delivery of home care at the NAHC 16th Annual Financial Management Conference and Exposition (HHFMA meeting). The meeting will be held from Julty 14th through the 16th at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers in Chicago IL.
While the mainstay educational topics of accounting, collections, and cost reporting are still prevalent at the conference, there is a growing interest among financial managers on how to improve the efficiency of care delivery, and Ankota is excited to share our solutions. Some of the improvements that agencies can make with the assistance of Ankota’s technology are as follows:
- Reduce the time that caregivers spend on scheduling, determining where to go, and driving, allowing more time with patients.
- Coordinate episodes of care so that all services are provided and billed, and no equipment is left behind
- Communicate proactively with Family Members to improve relationships and cut down on “phone tag”
- Track care delivery for paraprofessionals via telephony and smart phone applications to reduce paperwork while increasing compliance and reporting
Ankota made its public debut at the NAHC 15th Annual Financial Managers Conference in Boston last July and has since grown rapidly. “This is a celebration of our 1st birthday,” explained Ankota CEO Will Hicklen, “We’re so pleased with the welcome we’ve received by the home care community and look forward to helping the industry thrive. Our focus on improving the quality and efficiency of care delivery continues to make us unique among software providers, but as the word spreads, so does the value we deliver."
Please visit Ankota at booth 908.
About NAHC
NAHC is the nation's largest trade association representing the interests and concerns of home care agencies, hospices, home care aide organizations, and medical equipment suppliers. Simply put, NAHC is the one organization dedicated to making home care and hospice providers lives easier.
About Ankota
Ankota is a leading service provider of innovative, technology-based software for home care management. The company is a pioneer of next generation SaaS solutions for Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM), Private Duty, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), Physical Therapy and Home Infusion markets. Ankota is committed to improving the quality and efficiency of health care outside the hospital setting.
Ankota's suite of solutions includes: "delivery model" optimization - automating complex scheduling requirements; telephony and web-based tracking of patient visits and health status; paperless trails for supervision and audits; billing systems integration; and accurate, real-time reporting. Ankota's Family Connect, a secure web-based tool, ensures patient families are always one click away from knowing their relative's health and well-being.
Founded in 2008, Ankota, Inc. is based in Baltimore, Maryland with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Minneapolis. For more information please go to http://www.ankota.com/.
Posted on Wed, May 26, 2010
Family Connect Provides Secured Information for Home Care Patients
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND (May 26, 2010) - Ankota, Inc., a Healthcare SaaS company, has launched Family Connect, an innovative software product that enables healthcare professionals and homecare agencies to provide real-time information to family members about their loved ones' health and well-being. Taking as little as 3 minutes a week per patient, an agency can provide critical information directly to families - monitoring data such as activity level, state of mental health, daily routines, exercise, overall energy, eating habits and week-to-week changes. Secured updates are sent via e-mail or text, to all authorized family members at once, whether they live close-by or across the country. Family Connect includes the Quick Connect feature for instant, urgent family updates at any time.
Link to Family Connect Page
According to Will Hicklen, Ankota CEO and co-founder, Family Connect offers families much needed peace of mind. "When patients receive at-home care, it is often challenging for family members to track the progress of their loved one in a meaningful way. What Family Connect really does is help relieve the anxiety and pressure from family members. They are receiving information about their loved one which can help them make more informed healthcare decisions," said Hicklen.
Key features of Family Connect - it is instant and simultaneous. It is challenging for healthcare professionals to keep family members abreast of health updates on their loved ones when schedules demand visits to other patients and tasks requiring immediate attention. Family Connect affords home healthcare professionals the ability to reach out to multiple family members in real-time alleviating missed phone calls. In addition, healthcare professionals are able to view feedback or questions posed by family members and reply to them right away.
Added Hicklen, "We are the first healthcare IT company to offer this vital service to our homecare clients and we know Family Connect will make a difference in the services they provide to patients and families."
About Ankota: Ankota is a leading service provider of innovative, technology-based software for home care management. The company is a pioneer of next generation SaaS solutions for Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM), Private Duty, Durable Medical Equipment (DME), and Home Infusion markets. Ankota is committed to improving the quality and efficiency of health care outside the hospital setting.
Ankota's suite of solutions includes: "delivery model" optimization - automating complex scheduling requirements; telephony and web-based tracking of patient visits and health status; paperless trails for supervision and audits; billing systems integration; and accurate, real-time reporting. Ankota's Family Connect, a secure web-based tool, ensures patient families are always one click away from knowing their relative's health and well-being.
Founded in 2008, Ankota, Inc. is based in Baltimore, Maryland with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Minneapolis. For more information please go to http://www.ankota.com/.
Posted on Wed, May 05, 2010
Ankota's rapid rise and relentless focus on ROI for its customers is recognized in SmartCEO Magazine's Annual Circle of Excellence Awards
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - "We are thrilled to be named the HOT STARTUP by SmartCEO Magazine," said company CEO and co-founder, Will Hicklen. "SmartCEO follows the most dynamic companies in the Mid-Atlantic region-this is an exciting recognition that we are growing a successful company that addresses immediate needs for home healthcare companies," said Hicklen. SmartCEO's Circle of Excellence Awards event will be held on May 12, 2010 at the Intercontinental Harbor Court Hotel in Baltimore from 6:00-9:00p.m. Several customers and leaders in the healthcare community will join Ankota in the celebration.
"The secret to Ankota's early success is its relentless focus on immediate ROI for its clients-something the struggling healthcare industry can embrace," writes Jeanine Clingenpeel in the May 2010 feature story. Ankota's technology is usually self-funding in the first quarter of use. Customers typically see immediate reductions in certain operating expenses, increase their capacity with existing staff, and accelerate billing by days or even weeks.
"Circle of Excellence winners are not only selected and honored for their accomplishments, but for demonstrating success in applying unique leadership attributes that significantly benefits their business and the community," said Craig Burris, Publisher at SmartCEO Magazine. "We are honored to recognize Will Hicklen as one of Greater Baltimore's standout leaders." The full article is available online http://www.smartceo.com/content/digitalba0510
Hicklen credits the company's early success to an all-star leadership team that includes Dr. Hunter Young, a physician at Johns Hopkins and the company's Chief Medical Officer, Ken Accardi, Chief Technology Officer and veteran CIO from GE Healthcare, and Marc Ottinger, formerly of Anderson Consulting, who is COO. Ankota is Hicklen's fourth software startup, the last, iLumin, was successfully sold to Computer Associates.
The idea for Ankota came to Will while helping his wife, Sandy, during her three year battle with cancer. Hicklen's frustrations over coordinating her care illuminated an inefficient system with tremendous opportunity to improve care planning and execution.
His 20+ years experience with supply chain technologies and business performance management gave him a unique perspective. "There are great people in healthcare who are very committed to what they do, but they are saddled with a system that forces them to spend time doing unproductive things. This is incredibly inefficient and costly to the system." Adding, "These are problems that we have solved in other industries."
About Ankota: Ankota is the pioneering company in the field of Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM), focused on improving the quality and efficiency of health care outside of the hospital. HDM is a process-centric, technology-enabled approach to managing the "delivery model," automating complex scheduling requirements and optimizing scarce resources such as people, time, equipment, and supplies.
Customers include Home Health Care, Private Duty, Home Infusion, Respiratory Therapy, Home Medical Equipment (HME/DME) providers, and more.
Founded in 2008 and launched in 2009, Ankota, Inc. is based in Baltimore, Maryland with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis. For more information please go to http://ankota.com
Posted on Fri, Apr 02, 2010
The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (http://www.masstlc.org/) will feature Ankota CTO Ken Accardi as the keynote speaker at their April 13th Healthcare Committee meeting, sponsored by IBM, Partners Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and UK Trade and Investment. Ken's presentation is entitled Introducing the Silver Tsunami: Healthcare Technologies to Support the Elderly.
Here is Mass TLC's summary of the event:
With a record number of Americans living deep into their 80s and 90s, and the 75 million baby boomers starting to reach age 65 at a rate of 8,000 per day, health care for elderly Americans is becoming a major focus in healthcare technology. MassTLC members are welcome to join Ken Accardi, CTO of Ankota as he provides an introduction to the elder care landscape, including technologies for home safety, tele-health, improved care delivery, and more.
Ken's presentation will be followed by a planning meeting to discuss future MassTLC events including an upcoming program in May entitled "Using Technology to Improve Care while Right-sizing Costs, via Better Analytics", featuring representatives from Boston area health plans.
Ken's presentation will draw from Ankota's experience with home care, private duty care and emerging care delivery models such as geriatric care management, and will also pull from the works of Laurie Orlov, an elder care expert whose website is http://www.ageinplacetech.com/.
This event is intended for MassTLC members only and specifically for the healthcare cluster leadership team, however Ken is able to extend a small number of invitations (email ken at ken.accardi@ankota.com for more details).
About MassTLC:
Formed by the powerful combination of Mass Software Council and New England Business and Technology Association, Inc., the 
organization is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and promoting the success of companies that develop and deploy technology across industry sectors. The Mass Technology Leadership Council accomplishes its mission by conducting educational programs and hosting signature events, facilitating networking between industry executives and potential partners, investors, and c ustomers, sponsoring research on the industry, engaging in activities to enhance the quality and quantity of the next generation of technology professionals, advocating in favor of technology policies that promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and recognizing industry-leading companies and people.
About Ankota:
Ankota is the pioneering company in the field of Healthcare Delivery Management, providing software to improve the quality and efficiency of care delivered outside the hospital and doctor's office. Ankota's software is used by Home Health Care Agencies, Private Duty Non-Medical Home Care Providers and other specialized disciplines of care including Home Infusion Therapy, Physical Therapy, Respiratory Therapy, and Delivery of Home Medical Equipment. Learn more at www.ankota.com or contact Ankota.
Posted on Wed, Feb 10, 2010
BALTIMORE, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.2 million people are employed in the Private Duty Home Care market and it is expected to add more than 400,000 jobs over the next ten years. Ankota HDM for Private Duty was introduced last month at the 5th Annual Private Duty Home Care Leadership Summit and Expo in Phoenix.
"The Private Duty market is technology-starved, and there is a tremendous opportunity to help companies to better plan and schedule services while improving their profitability and accountability," said Ankota CEO and co-founder Will Hicklen. Suitable for both full and part time staff, with simple or complex needs, Ankota's Private Duty offer includes:
- Comprehensive Care Planning
- Scheduling and Resource Optimization
- Telephony & Mobile Resource Tracking
- Real-time escalation of Care Concerns
- Work Tracking & Reporting
- A Virtual Logbook for Distant Family Members
- Billing
"Every company we talk to is concerned about their ability to grow profitability, and we can help that immediately," says Hicklen.
About Ankota: Ankota is the pioneering company in the field of Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM), focused on improving the quality and efficiency of health care outside of the hospital. HDM is a process-centric, technology-enabled approach to managing the "delivery model," automating complex scheduling requirements and optimizing scarce resources such as people, time, equipment, and supplies.
Ankota's Private Duty offering adds to the company's suite of healthcare technology solutions, serving Home Health, Medical Equipment (HME/DME), Respiratory Therapy (RT), Infusion, and Private Duty. HDM solutions are integrated, scalable for small to large businesses, and available via subscription.
Founded in 2008, Ankota, Inc. is based in Baltimore, Maryland with offices in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Minneapolis. For more information please go to http://ankota.com/
Posted on Wed, Jan 06, 2010
Baltimore, MD: Ankota CEO was recently interviewed by host John Palmer on Retirement Living TV (RLTV). In the interview, Will talks about specific problems solved by Ankota, such as reducing the driving mileage and paperwork in home care agencies. Will also shares how personal experiences with the care of his wife and mother led to the creation of Ankota.
"RLTV is a great resource producing outstanding content," exclaimed Hicklen, "we're pleased to have had a chance to share our message on their network."
About RLTV
Retirement Living TV (RLTV) is the only cable network dedicated to serving adults 50+ by providing information and entertainment relevant to their needs and lifestyles. RLTV's Emmy award-winning programming focuses on everything from healthcare, finance, travel, lifestyle, comedy, and drama. Visit RLTV online at http://www.rl.tv/
About Ankota
Ankota is the pioneering company in the field of Healthcare Delivery Management (HDM). Ankota provides Home Care Software Solutions delivered via the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model that improves efficiency and compliance within Home Healthcare Operations. All Ankota solutions are designed with inputs from the home care community with the goal to provide better patient care in a provider-friendly manner. For more information, please visit www.ankota.com.