Next IT Adds Thomas Morrow, M.D., as First Chief Medical Officer
Spokane, Wash. (PRWEB) May 07, 2014 -- Next IT, developer of Alme, the world's most trusted virtual assistant platform, today announced that Thomas J. Morrow, M.D., has joined the company as its first ever Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Morrow previously served on its medical advisory board and comes to Next IT from Genentech, Inc., where he worked as a Physician Executive for the biotech pioneer.
The decision to name a Chief Medical Officer comes as a result of growing demand for Next IT’s virtual assistant technology among the healthcare industry. The company’s Alme for Healthcare platform, debuted last fall, powers patient-facing virtual assistants for healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies and insurers.
“We’re building technology that has the power to revolutionize healthcare over the next twenty to thirty years,” said Next IT founder and CEO Fred Brown. “We need someone with the vision and experience to work with our healthcare partners on solutions that look to the future while taking into account today’s regulatory environment.”
In his role as Next IT’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Morrow will advocate for outcome-improving innovations in patient care and adherence and will bring new perspectives to the medical industry for best utilizing Next IT’s proprietary virtual health assistant technology.
Dr. Morrow brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, including 14 years of clinical practice and 10 years as an NCQA Surveyor. He was the founding medical director of 5 HMOs and served as the medical director for the Health Enhancement division of Matria (later purchased by Alere), one of the nation’s largest disease-management companies.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Morrow has focused much of his work on emerging technologies in healthcare and their role in a managed-care environment. He is a prolific writer and speaker, authoring over 150 published articles and participating in hundreds of conference presentations and panels. His favorite work has become the longest-running medical technology column in the United States, Tomorrow’s Medicine, which is published in Managed Care and is now in its 11th year.
“Virtual health assistants are the only strategic technology that have the potential to bring about patient behavior change on a large scale and dramatically improve how care is delivered and monitored around the world,” said Dr. Morrow. “At a time when our healthcare system is buckling under rising costs and doctor shortages, this technology is a proven way to bridge the gap to a sustainable future. I’m excited to be a part of such a visionary team and help our healthcare partners lead the way in innovation and patient care.”
Next IT’s Alme for Healthcare is a cross-channel virtual-assistant platform engineered specifically for the nuances of patient interactions. Able to integrate with both mobile and web applications, these assistants offer humanlike care and support for both patients and insurance-plan members, 24/7.
This increased level of interaction offered by Alme for Healthcare virtual assistants improves health-plan adherence and boosts patient morale, all while keeping costs under control. And, because Alme for Healthcare can link securely with a patient’s records in real time, it offers doctors and caregivers greater insight into the daily needs of their patients.
For more information about Alme for Healthcare, see: http://www.nextit.com/healthcare/
About Next IT
Founded in 2002, Next IT has been at the forefront of virtual assistant technology for over a decade. Alme, Next IT’s flagship product, is the world’s most trusted virtual assistant platform. Customer experience leaders including Aetna, Alaska Airlines, Amtrak, Charter Communications, Symplmed Pharmaceuticals and the U.S. Army all rely on Alme to provide their customers with remarkable experiences every day.
In 2013 Next IT launched Alme for Healthcare, a revolutionary new platform that delivers advanced virtual assistant capabilities to healthcare-specific environments across mobile, web and chat interfaces.
Next IT is proudly based in Spokane, Washington. For more information, please visit: http://www.NextIT.com
Ted Muething, Jones-Dilworth, Inc., +1 512-537-5407, [email protected]
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