I just joined and have been taking a look at some of the posts and everyone seems to be so friendly and willing to help...

I am looking into starting a business for medical records on USB flash drives. Our target demographic are seniors, their caretakers and the chronically ill.

I need to find a way to lock the drive so that no one can add a virus to it, but the files are still visible without a password. I am working on that...

I am also thinking about approaching some of the ALF's and senior care facilities in the area to see if they would be interested in getting one for all their residents...

I have so many ideas going through my head, that I'm confusing myself...I was also thinking it might be possible to get a contract with the county to provide the drive for their medicaid patients?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...obviously, I am going to need some start up financing as well and am not sure where to start with that...

THanks,
Deb

Hi Deb -

I'm not exactly clear as to why someone would want to put all of their medical files on a USB flash drive... and have people see them without a password... that's not exactly information you would want going around...

You can look at your state government website - generally states will provide start up funding for new businesses. Also, you can check with your Small Business Administration office. Finally, banks will generally provide financing as well.

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I'm not sure this is a good idea. With the latest craze of protectionism being about preventing people from having access to your personal info, having it all, readily available to read on a flash drive doesn't strike me as safe.

You might want to rethink how you'd store the info... Perhaps a secure server accessible by anyone by telephone and the patient wears a bracelet or pendant like Medicalert? (Does Medicalert offer such a service already?)

Keep thinking, I'm sure there's something to the idea, it just needs to be reworked.

T

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

I hear what you both are saying...and this is one of the things I've been working on in my own mind...

Medicalert actually offers the same service I am looking at providing as an addendum to their other services. There is also at least one other company that provides this as well.

Keep in mind, the flash drive won't have a ton of personal information on it (for identity theft reasons, obviously)...What it will have is any allergies, chronic medical conditions and current medications, as well as doctor lists and a brief medical history.

The customer will either attach the drive to their key chain (I can see that might be a problem with people losing their keys) or wear it on a lanyard around their neck.

I still have a ways to go with this...and I know there are other options available that are more secure...I'm just going to keep researching ; ))

Thanks so much for your input though...I do appreciate it

I think using the central database server is the way to go.

If Medicalert and this other company already offer the service, but it has flaws, perhaps talking to them will help you figure out how to fill the slot so that you can piggyback on their services?

T

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

Or... since there are companies that market this product/service to seniors, what about developing and marketing a similar product or service for the rest of us?

I'd love to have in my own posession a complete medical history on myself. I would want it password protected, but could/would be willing to share it with the doctor when I visited. I've moved around a lot in my adult life and it's always been a pain to get a new doctor up to speed where I'm comfortable that the new doctor really has my history. I'd be more comfortable if I was in posession of it and knew exactly what was getting passed on.

That said, I imagine there would be concern with individuals modifiying their own medical history, so there should be protection against that, too.



-Adeena Mignogna
Author of "Cute Little Store: between the entrepreneurial dream and business reality"
http://cutelittlestore.net