Health Care Startup Finds Success Despite Public Sector Obstacles

Joe Van Brussel | Huffington Post | October 2, 2012

...At Axial, Rohde and her team have developed software and mobile apps for doctors, patients, hospitals, nurses, physical therapists and all the parties involved in the 'circle of care' to ensure that a patient's information is available and accessible to anyone who needs it. The company is part of the 'transition of care' category, which aims to provide a fluid offering of a patient's history to everyone involved in the process of medical treatment. "We make sure you have your information where it needs to be, when it needs to be there," Rohde said.

After spending many years in the banking industry and a four-year stint in the technology sector as Red Hat's executive vice president of operations, Rohde decided to start Axial when a personal encounter with industry shortcomings pushed her to create a solution.

"While I was working for Red Hat, I got very sick," Rohde recalled. "I ultimately had to go to 10 doctors to be diagnosed. Going from doctor to doctor, I could not believe I had to start over each time. No one actually talks to each other … I became convinced that if I had had all the information, I probably would have been able to figure it out faster."

Patient education is a large part of Axial's mission, and the idea taps into thinking Rohde considers critical. "Your health is your own responsibility, not your doctor's," she said. "There is a big tendency in healthcare that doctors feel patients won't understand or do what they need to. I don't believe that. If they are told in language that makes sense to them, they'll do it."...