by Charles Litton, UNeMed

OMAHA, Neb. (November 17, 2015)—Officials today formally announced a new partnership that could lead to more productive deals for software-based biomedical innovations developed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine.

H4 Technology, an Omaha-based software and analytics firm, entered a joint licensing agreement with Nebraska Medicine and UNeMed, the technology transfer arm of UNMC, to further develop a data-based management program for preventing and treating pressure ulcers—commonly known as bed sores. If the pressure ulcer application, called the Nebraska Matrix, progresses as expected, then H4 and UNeMed will likely expand the partnership to include similar UNMC inventions, officials said.

“I’m excited for the partnership with UNeMed because they are the perfect partner to further our mission to transform healthcare through technology,” H4 Technology president, Chris Henkenius, said. “We’re anxious to get started, and further this relationship for years to come.”

Henkenius first became aware of UNeMed during the 2015 Big Omaha convention—a massive annual networking event that brings together a wide swath of the regional entrepreneurship community. Kody Schrader, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation with the Greater Omaha Chamber Commerce, introduced Henkenius to UNeMed president and CEO Michael Dixon.

“Kody pulled me aside and said, ‘Here’s some guys you should know,'” Dixon said. “Without Kody and Big Omaha, this technology and license probably never happens. I was enthusiastic from the start because H4 does exactly what we need.”

H4 Technology focuses on healthcare applications that are powered by advanced data integration, data storage and analytics. For the bed sore application, or Nebraska Matrix, H4 will use a protected algorithm formulated by UNMC associate professor Janet Cuddigan, R.N., PhD, to integrate healthcare data services with known best practices for treating and preventing pressure ulcers.

The result is a personalized care program for each individual patient based on their risk level for developing painful bed sores—which can lead to dangerous infections, longer hospital stays and increased costs.

But more than that, the base programming behind Nebraska Matrix has the potential to serve as a template for a number of different applications, said Chief Marketing Officer and H4 Technology co-owner, Craig Christenson.

“What we really like about the technology is its potential as a template for other hospital acquired conditions,” he said. “Analyzing outcomes to a specific care coordination plan is big for hospitals in monitoring, managing and reducing the risk of numerous conditions.”

Getting the Nebraska Matrix running will open the door to further development of other UNMC healthcare data applications that could include: Building a platform for managing and minimizing hospital acquired infections, and setting up another program that streamlines the process of coordinating emergency procedures when a patient’s heart stops beating.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to work with these products,” Christenson said, “because the need is there.”

“If we can do the analytics behind the programs, then we can improve outcomes,” he added.

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About UNeMed:

UNeMed Corporation is the technology transfer and commercialization office (TTO) for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. UNeMed serves all UNMC researchers, faculty and staff who develop new biomedical technology and inventions, and strives to help bring those innovations to the marketplace.

About H4 Technology:

H4 Technology, a Nebraska based, consulting and application development company with over 15 years of providing technology solutions for the healthcare field. H4 Technology’s roots are in Health Information Exchange, Accountable Care Organization, and product development. They have also helped implement nine statewide and three regional HIEs, as well as numerous ACOs, HIOs, and hospital systems.