MedicAlert Foundation International: 50 Years of Saving Lives

By Rod Brouhard
Stanislaus Magazine
March/April 2006

Nestled in a quiet old Turlock neighborhood surrounded by tall shade trees, is a local agency with one of the most recognizable brand names in the world. What started with a note carried by a teenager has become MedicAlert Foundation International, a giant non-profit organization with four million members
worldwide.

From Note to the Smithsonian
It all began when 14 year-old Linda Collins cut her finger playing with an air rifle. The physician treating Linda wanted to give her a tetanus shot. In case she was allergic, he first did a scratch test, rubbing a bit of the tetanus antitoxin into her cut to see if she would react. Linda's body did react; she almost died.

Linda's father, also a doctor, was worried that she could have a fatal reaction if she ever received the antitoxin again. He asked Linda to carry a note tied to a bracelet to warn medical personnel about her allergy.

Three years later, Linda went to Stanford University outfitted with a shiny new silver bracelet with an emblem bearing the words "MedicAlert" in red on one side and a list of her allergies on the other. Linda's Stanford classmates liked the idea and requested their own emblems. Linda's parents, Dr. Marion Collins and his wife Chrissie, founded MedicAlert on March 25, 1956. Today, Linda's original bracelet is on display in the Smithsonian, and MedicAlert is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Now Serving 4 Million… and Growing
The first bracelets were created in the Collins' garage. Today, there are over 200 styles of emblems laser-engraved in the Turlock facility and shipped around the world. The emblems can be worn as bracelets or as pendants. Different styles of the bracelets mean even the most fashion conscious preteen will have something to choose from.

MedicAlert does not have a monopoly in the medical jewelry market. Indeed, dozens of companies make and sell medical identification jewelry. But not all medical jewelry serves the same purpose. MedicAlert is the only company that has an emergency hotline for healthcare providers and law enforcement. The hotline provides medical professionals and law enforcement officials to access critical medical information during an emergency, much more information than what is indicated on a bracelet.

Paul Kortschak, President and CEO of the foundation, believes MedicAlert's greatest innovation is this central database of information and the ability to access it around the clock. "We've expanded our horizons in order to embrace healthcare informatics," Kortschak says. "Essentially, we store critical medical information on behalf of four million individuals around the world."

Technology to the Rescue
All the information is stored in MedicAlert's secure database in Turlock. It is this database that provides critical medical information when emergency workers call the 24-Hour MedicAlert Hotline. Ben Schifrin, an emergency physician at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, says MedicAlert's health information service is most helpful for those patients who don't have anyone with them at the hospital. "It's good for the people coming down from Yosemite, who are really from Oklahoma, to have that reliable information service available," says Schifrin, "or for the travelers on I-5."

The database is capable of securely storing scanned copies of legal documents such as advanced directives or living wills. Currently there are 10 states including the State of California that rely on MedicAlert to store do-not-resuscitate (DNR) wishes. Paul Angelo, a paramedic in Modesto, says he often uses MedicAlert to follow patients' advanced directives. "If I find a MedicAlert bracelet that says 'Do Not Resuscitate' then I'm clear on what the patient wishes.” With a call to the emergency number, MedicAlert can fax the document wherever it's needed.

Kortschak took the lead at MedicAlert Foundation less than two years ago. Under his leadership, MedicAlert is responding to a national push toward more accessible medical records. He and his team envision MedicAlert members having access to all their test results, drug and allergy lists, doctor appointments and hospital visits any time they need them – not just during emergencies. He believes MedicAlert's existing emergency database has laid the groundwork for this more comprehensive medical record. "We really were one of the pioneers of electronic health records about 30 years ago and what we've done over the last year and a half was to expand that," he says. "We decided to leverage what we do well, and that's storing this critical medical information and expanding it so that individuals could use our database as a means to track and store their lifetime medical history."

According to Kortschak, MedicAlert is upgrading its ability to handle the new types of information that will enhance the comprehensive nature of medical records. "We are midway in the development of a whole new database architecture with a focus on identity and access management. This is going to leap frog us into the next generation of emerging technologies that will provide the necessary support for years to come."  The new database, dubbed MARS (MedicAlert Repository Service), will be capable of managing an array of complex medical information. It will also be able to receive information updates directly from caregivers, something the existing database can not do.

In fact, updating information in their MedicAlert files is the responsibility of individual members, a potential concern for caregivers if the information is not current. Kortschak cautions members to be diligent, and to make sure caregivers keep current information that MedicAlert provides. Emergency personnel are given the date of the last revision whenever they access the service.

E-HealthKEY – the Next Step
The new database is important for all the new products MedicAlert is launching. One of the products already on the market is the E-HealthKEY, a small USB-enabled storage device designed to allow access to medical records. Members can use the E-HealthKEY to efficiently manage their medical information. While the E-HealthKEY is a great wellness tool, it does have the capability to launch a member's critical
information in case of an emergency.

Ramesh Srinivasan, Vice President of Marketing at MedicAlert, says that while the E-HealthKEY can be useful in emergencies, it is designed "for individuals to proactively take control of their information." Srinivasan uses the example of members wanting to keep track of multiple doctor visits or medications so they are able to show trends and even graph the information on charts. He says it then "becomes more of
a wellness tool."

With the E-HealthKEY and other products, MedicAlert is targeting a population that doesn't necessarily have chronic medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease or allergies. Even the most physically fit are potential members. "Many runners use our dog tag," Kortschak says, "they just put it around their neck and take off and they're covered. If something was to happen to them, if they don't have any identification, then no one knows who they are."

Many parents use the MedicAlert emblem for their children simply for identification reasons. Children wearing the emblems can get help while maintaining their privacy. Kortschak points out "The MedicAlert
bracelet has a unique member number on it with our 24-Hour hotline number so if a child wanders off, there's a way of being able to identify who that child is while preserving privacy." He added "MedicAlert is your ehealth trustee, preserving your privacy while protecting your life."

MedicAlert has introduced new products and services in place both for wellness as well as emergencies. One such service, called the Health Enhancement System (HES), provides remote tele-health monitoring with a machine to take vital signs at home and transmit the information to the central station at MedicAlert. The HES Monitor supports health status monitoring seven days a week allowing pre-emptive care to be delivered by alerting the patient or their caregiver to even small changes in health and may help prevent unnecessary and disruptive ER visits and hospitalizations. Another service that MedicAlert recently announced is to provide subscriber-specific medical information during 9-1-1 calls. This specialized data will supplement the traditional location and telephone number information currently delivered with 9-1-1 calls. This service will provide first responders with vital medical information earlier in the response cycle, enabling them to better prepare for and deliver critical services when someone makes a 9-1-1 call.

All of these programs help MedicAlert enhance its robust information repository service making it an indispensable service to members and their families. Srinivasan desires members to look at MedicAlert's
services as a one-stop shop for healthcare information needs. "Our secure repository of personal health record information will always be there regardless of a member changing their physician, or health plan, or moving to another city or country. It is our hope that this is a partnership for life."

Celebrating 50 Years of Service
To celebrate its longevity, MedicAlert is commemorating its 50th anniversary on Saturday, March 25, with an open house. The event is free to the public and MedicAlert will open a time capsule created 25 years ago.

For its entire 50 years, MedicAlert has been in Turlock. The organization has 145 employees making emblems, maintaining the database and manning the emergency call center. They get about 500 emergency calls every month. They have a presence in nine countries and the ability to provide emergency information interpreted into 130 languages.

MedicAlert and Turlock go hand-in-hand. There are even road signs directing traffic to the organization's offices. Kortschak sees it as a natural symbiosis. "Turlock is our home. We've been here now for 50 years. It's a great community. It's always been supportive of MedicAlert, and our intent is that this will always remain the headquarters of MedicAlert."