Smarter communication, better health

The winner of the 2010 Cisco $100k Communications Makeover Competition is a health company which uses technology to speed up detection of skin cancers. Selected from over 130 entries, MoleMap (www. molemap.co.nz) will receive $100,000 worth of technology and installation services sponsored by Cisco. Applicants had to describe in 60 words how winning the Cisco Communications Makeover would enhance their business and help it grow. Founded here in 1997, MoleMap now has 20 clinics in this country, 12 in Australia and half a dozen in the US. The MoleMap detection programme uses Total Body Photography (TBP) and digital dermoscopy to document suspected skin cancers, and the images are then sent to dermatologists for study. Early detection is crucial in treating skin cancer, and MoleMap claims a detection rate five times higher than general medical screening. For MoleMap, a unified communications system will help to overcome one of its single biggest problems: the tyranny of distance, as many of its clinics are in remote locations. It's also looking for ways to improve sharing of information. "What we're looking forward to doing is communicating more with our staff so they feel more part of a team, keeping them up to date with new procedures and interesting cases that may come up, so it helps with their continuing education," says Chief Executive Adrian Bowling. "We think there's a possibility we might be able to engage better with our patients, and we're looking forward to seeing if Cisco have any thoughts about that." A unified VoIP solution for MoleMap's clinics, allowing data and video to be sent over a consolidated network, is one priority, and Bowling is enthusiastic about the possibility of communicating with its clinics overseas as well. Videoconferencing also has considerable appeal, allowing nurses at the various clinics to collaborate on a regular basis. Security is another important factor where a consolidated network can make a difference. "Our programme involves a lot of digital imaging, and that data and imagery has to be stored on a central server and then despatched to a dermatologist for diagnosis," Bowling explains. "Then it comes back to an office for reporting and those reports are sent out to the patient. So we're moving quite a lot of data around and it's very sensitive data obviously. We're photographing human beings, so there are privacy issues." "We are really excited for MoleMap with this win," said Cisco Country Manager, Geoff Lawrie. "The Cisco Communications Makeover is all about offering businesses technology-based business solutions to gain productivity and efficiencies to support growth and innovation. MoleMap fits that brief extremely well.