The firm was Delaware’s first woman-owned business in the medical release of information field when CEO and founder Diane Ferry launched the venture in 2001.
Star-Trac, the company’s proprietary software for processing the release of medical records, was the first in the nation to meet 2014 federal certification requirements for privacy and security.
Later this year, Star-Med will roll out what company officials say will be the first software package designed to make the process of requesting medical records easier and more efficient, while also moving its headquarters to a new location in the First State.
Yet Ferry said the only first she cares about is making sure patients remain the first priority at Star-Med.
“Everything we do is about helping patients get their medical records accurately, securely and in a timely manner,” said Ferry, who worked as executive for multiple health care facilities before starting the company. “I’m passionate about that and every person who comes to work here has to embrace that culture.”
While Star-Med’s staff may be dedicated to individuals, its business is focused on medical records.
Ferry said it’s an area of health care that most people don’t think about until they need those records, such as when they’ve changed doctors, are seeking a second opinion or need to file a legal claim.
“Most people don’t understand that a hospital or physician’s office owns that information and they only have a right to access it,” she said. “Even the people who work in a hospital’s medical records office or the staff at a physician’s office may not know all the laws, policies and procedures that are required for releasing health information.”
More than 200 doctor’s offices in five states have contracted Star-Med to provide release of information services because of the company’s high-level of expertise and commitment to customer service, she said.
When someone requests medical records from one of Star-Med’s partners, the form they fill out is entered into the company’s Star-Trac system. After the record has been pulled, an actual person goes over every page – whether it be paper or electronic – to make sure it only includes permitted material before a record is released, a process that typically takes 24 to 48 hours.
“Other companies use software called optical character recognition, but there are nuances that only a human eye can see – including sensitive information – that a computer won’t detect,” said Lisa Ferrante, Star-Med’s vice president of business development. “And I can tell you we’ve never had a single breach in 14 years.”
During normal business hours, patients who have requested medical records also can call Star-Med and speak directly to a customer service representative.
“We don’t have an automated answering system,” Ferry said. “It’s very important to me that when a patient or a health care facility calls, they get a live person who can answer their questions.”
Late last year, Nemours became one of Star-Med’s newest clients. Ferry’s husband, Tom, served as chief executive officer Nemours’s Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children for 29 years until 2011.
But William Britton, the hospital’s associate administrator for finance, said it was the company’s experience, close proximity and ability to meet the needs of the entire health care system that set it apart from two other bidders on the contract.
“We’re always looking for ways to manage costs and improve the services we provide to patients and families, and in this case, we thought we could partner with someone and do both” he said. “Star-Med distinguished itself in terms of the technical aspects of its work flow and its ability to integrate its system with others systems we use for electronic records.”
