Inventing Tomorrow Today
Fortune Magazine selects MDPad as one of five companies “who weren’t just talking about what the future might be like but were actually inventing it.”
 

MDPad Solves Critical Problems Raised in Institute of Medicine Study

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ November 30, 1999 The large number of unnecessary deaths caused by medical errors will be significantly reduced through an innovative technology under development by a new company, according to the founder of MDPad. Dr. Pankaj Merchia, a physician with additional training in biomedical engineering and computer science, has created a hand-held tool for physicians to write error-free prescriptions.
Yesterday, an expert panel of the Institute o f Medicine released a study indicating that 98,000 Americans die each year as the result of medical errors. The study reported that medication errors were the largest single cause of these deaths.

"Patients have a right to the best care a physician can provide," said Dr. Merchia. "We are developing a new technology for physicians to increase the safety and efficacy of their patients' care. There is a need for products and services that will help to eliminate the all too common occurrence of medication errors and MDPad will eliminate these errors and save lives," said Dr. Merchia.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for physicians to maintain effective continuing medical education and patient care due to a variety of time constraints. Cutting-edge advances in science and technology today have enabled a great deal of progress in the healthcare industry. Physicians are often overwhelmed by the multitude of new advances accessible to them. Many of the new tools that are available to improve patient care and ensure safety are not utilized due to lack of time or availability of necessary training.

MDPad is an innovative hand-held device that serves as an easy-to-use electronic prescription pad offering real-time medical education focused on the individual patient visit. MDPad was founded by a group of physicians at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. MDPad is currently testing its new technologies with a national panel of expert physicians and will be available to physicians free-of-charge in the first quarter of next year.