KC tech startup partners with Children’s Mercy to help diagnose, manage care

Kansas City-based Engage Mobile Solutions developed a mobile app assisting pediatricians at Children’s Mercy Hospital, treating children facing acute illnesses and injuries.

The tech firm created “CMPeDS: Pediatric Decision Support” to provide healthcare professionals with evidence-based guidelines to manage patients who are facing acute illnesses such as infections, or children who are experiencing acute injuries, burns, or other illnesses.

“Children’s Mercy is one of the most innovative pediatric hospitals in the world,” Engage Mobile president Matthew Barksdale said. “It is humbling and inspiring to be on such a brilliant team that is focused on making the lives of children better.”

The app’s tools include checklists assessing patients’ risk of severe illness, step-by- step guides, decision trees and treatment algorithms derived from expert opinions. Available on iOS and Android devices, the app also provides visual aids offering users an estimation of risk for severe illness based on different clinical scenarios.

Dr. Russell J. McCulloh, an infectious diseases physician at Children’s Mercy, will present the app at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting Tuesday in San Francisco, which is expected to draw 7,500 attendees. Dr. McCulloh will share results from the first several months of the app’s deployment, including its impact on patient care and user demographics.

“We’ve had more than 6,000 users download the application,” Dr. McCulloh said in a release. “They’re not just downloading it but they’re using it and really engaging with the application.”

Founded in 2010, Engage Mobile provides software development and cloud services to healthcare and animal health firms. Barksdale said the firm transitioned to focus exclusively on health in 2016.

“Healthcare is an incredibly complex industry and the stakes are very high — life and death in some cases,” Barksdale said. “Our focus on the health industry allows Engage Mobile to quickly understand and positively impact our clients and their businesses.”