Who Says You Can’t Have It All Part 1: Connectivity Not Just Another Connection

Mike Nunez

This week was not just another week, well if you live in the Nunez household or with me around, every week is not just another week.  Something new is always lurking.  From a business approach, this week it is the Laboratory Pathology Informatics Conference.  This conference is a gathering of over 1000 healthcare professionals learning about different industry standards like technology, testing methods and ways to improve patient outcomes.  What a wonderful place to be and our company, ANX, allowing us to attend such an event.  This conference is one of several held throughout the year and is one of the last important conferences of the year.  The healthcare professionals attending consists of pathologists, medical technologists, laboratory directors, outreach managers, laboratory departmental managers, IT directors and managers and of course vendors to help support the pass of knowledge of what is important to the these individuals.

As I sit on the ride back to Lubbock, Texas and reminisce on how the conference turned out, it made me wonder what one single outcome ANX tried to deliver and get across to those healthcare professionals.   I wondered what brought these individuals to these exhibits and conferences and incur the cost and expenses that are associated to those attending.  As we spoke with these individuals, it became apparent as to why they were here.  All had one common theme, how to provide information to the physicians better, faster and cheaper to help treat the patient.  It is amazing that all of these individuals had the same problems and the same focus.  This common theme was a problem in which these professionals were seeking help.  WOW!!!!!!!!!  What an opportunity to be able to “CONNECT” to these clients. 

“CONNECT”, that is a powerful word. 

We all have to, in some form or fashion, connect with others and pass important information to others.

As I normally do, I like to tie things to personal stories that help drive home the importance of our topic.  This story is about golfing, such a wonderful and brutal game.  I am sure that there are many golfers out there that are reading this blog and will certainly understand the dilemma that I encountered.  About 9 years ago, I started to play golf.  My son, who is an avid golfer and at the time 16 years old, tried to get me involved with golf.  I kept telling him that golfing was not for me and that I could not see people wondering around hitting this little ball and chasing it (yes those that are not golfers – I know what you are saying or thinking – “I totally agree Mike”).  Well my son continued to ask me
over and over and as a good dad, I caved, yes caved and gave into this
obsession.  So we went golfing; he had borrowed a set of clubs for me to use – don’t ask me about the number of balls I used (lost) – I lost count past 10.   We just had a blast playing – in fact my son could not stop laughing the entire day – I think he was laughing at me not with me – at least that is what he says, but I don’t believe that, he was having way to much fun that day to be laughing with me.  Well needless to say, I definitely needed help.  I must say I was HOOKED.  Well when we got done that day, we went directly from the course to the golf shop and yes I bought the most expensive set of clubs for me (you see I was determined to beat my son at his own game that he got me into and let me be the one laughing) – yes I got all of the other stuff, shoes, balls (lots of balls) etc., etc., etc.  What would you expect – those that are golfers truly understand and those that are not saying what an expense (that’s what my wife said).  Oh well!!!!!  She’s a wonderful woman.  Well as time went on, to no avail, those clubs that I bought did not help me and yes my son was still laughing at me. Over the years I have had the privilege of being able to travel millions of miles to do business, now surpassing 8 million to be exact.  This goes without saying that associated to this traveling is the number of nights spent in hotels both of which have stories on their own but that will be for another time. 

One sleepless night, very late, I turned on the good ole companion – yes the TV. 

Well, being late at night, as many of us would do, and flipping through the channels, I ran up on one of these golf infomercials.    What caught my eye and all I heard was  – “hit the balls longer and further and straighter” – those that are golfers stop laughing at me and those that are not stop saying I told you so.  Well as the person was saying this, the telephone number showed on the screen and I quickly jumped out of bed and dialed that number. The person on the other end answered and asked if I was interested in the set of clubs that were guaranteed to make me hit them straighter and longer.  I said absolutely, I wanted those clubs and then she asked if I wanted the irons to go with it, “I said absolutely”, then she asked if I wanted the balls that go along with it and are guaranteed to travel further than any other ball.  Of course, “I said absolutely, yes, yes , yes, yes, give it all to me” but not only that I had them ship it back home for next day delivery.  All I could think is, "SON, you have met your match."  We wont say how much I spent, again those that are golfers will know, those that are not are saying “what a waste”. 

I finally got home and guess what was on the porch, my wife had not seen them yet, yippee, had time to explain – I quickly unpacked them and put them into my bag, yes including the balls.  I quickly waited in anticipation for my son to get home from school to let him know that we are going golfing today.  When he came home, I said, “Son, we are going golfing”.  We got to the first hole and my son noticed the new clubs.

He asked, "When did you get these?", and after I told him the story, all he could do was to shake his head.  I then asked, "Why are you shaking your head?”, and his response was, "Dad, you don’t need any new equipment, you need lessons.”

I thought to myself, what does this teenager know that I don’t? Dad always knows best, so I taunted, “We’ll see.”  Unfortunately, he was right and even made me take lessons.  Let’s just say I am still trying today to beat my son – oh well maybe I will take up something else I can beat him in. 

What I learned from this experience was not that I could not beat my son or that we laughed with each other, but that we “CONNECTED” with each other.  We bonded and it brought us together so that we rely on each other.  This bonding or “CONNECTION”  is a moment that will never be replaced even though he laughs at me during golf.  Kids, what do they know.

Just like in the story, “CONNECTION / CONNECTIVITY” is a bond that can not be broken and we rely on a secure ground work that must never be broken.  ANX, provides those connectivity solutions; in our own backyard we have that super power bonding CONNECTIVITY, that super power SECURITY, and that super power COMPLIANCE.  ANX’s flagship solutions, MedNX and PositivePRO provides a unique relationship that delivers a single outbound connection from your existing system to multiple delivery end points such as to faxes, remote printers, portals and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems, ultimately driving your business to succeed in delivering critical healthcare information to physicians faster, easier and cheaper than anyone in the industry.  MedNX, along with PositivePRO, bonds the hospitals to their physician based ensuring a continuous, secure data delivery connection.  No other delivery system in the industry combines all delivery methods into a single source method ultimately reducing your telecommunication costs, reducing hardware costs, reducing software costs, and allowing your hospital laboratory to re-focus their personnel on their main core laboratory business need, which is the patient, providing better patient care, and complete continuum of care from the hospital, to the physician and finally to the patient.  Our CONNECTIVITY solution, MedNX and PositivePRO, is your solution, your bond that can never be broken and allowing you to focus on what your laboratory does best, which is providing the most accurate and updated information possible.  Such a powerful word, CONNECTION; so spread the word, ANX’s bond, ANX’s connection can never be broken.  Let us show you why.

I look forward to other blogging and making fun at myself.

Until next time – “HIT’EM long and straight”.