LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 21, 2017) - SADA Systems today announced it has been named a recipient of Microsoft's 2017 Health Innovation Awards, for a pioneering telemedicine project implemented with the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group. The initiative, led by Thomas C. Lee, M.D., Director of The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, delivers remote training for eye surgeons in Armenia in partnership with the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP). The goal is to help reduce rates of infant blindness, which occurs three times as often in Armenia as in the United States and other Western countries.
The awards, announced at the 2017 HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, recognize health organizations and their technology solution partners for using Microsoft devices and services in innovative ways that help engage patients, empower care teams, optimize clinical and operational effectiveness, and transform the care continuum.
SADA Systems guided the selection and deployment of Microsoft's cloud collaboration and communication platform, Skype for Business Online, to help bridge the 7,000-mile gap between Los Angeles and Armenia. Using Skype and Polycom videoconferencing endpoints, Dr. Lee can view the actual surgery in real time and communicate face to face with the surgical team. With AECP, Dr. Lee thus far has remotely trained two surgeons and observed four surgeries in Armenia live from his office in California. The retina scan images and related diagnoses hosted by OneDrive for Business make it possible for doctors to collaborate and reference past surgeries as needed.
"Working with SADA Systems and Microsoft gives me the opportunity to help surgical teams in Armenia without traveling and taking time away from my clinical duties here at home," says Dr. Lee, who also is an associate professor of ophthalmology at the USC Roski Eye Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. "We see the ability to scale this technology from our current capacity in Los Angeles to remote cities in the U.S., as well as other third world countries such as Armenia and neighboring rural regions. I am thrilled that I can provide my expertise to an important cause that is delivering real impact to children's lives."
"Microsoft's cloud-based Skype for Business platform is providing a foundation in which health organization can actually crowdsource surgical training, making world-renowned experts such as Dr. Lee accessible to healthcare providers around the world," says Tony Safoian, president and CEO of SADA Systems. "It's wonderful to be recognized for a project that is working toward eliminating preventable blindness for children, in areas where resources are scarce."
"The health industry is undergoing a seismic shift in which intelligent technologies are helping organizations, communities and individuals improve care by helping them better understand and share information," said Laura Wallace, vice president, Health & Life Sciences, Microsoft. "This year's Microsoft Health Innovation Award recipients are advancing the goals of improved patient engagement and care coordination through their pioneering use of Microsoft devices, platforms and cloud services."
Recipients are highlighted on the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/healthinnovationawards and on the Microsoft in Health blog.
About SADA Systems
SADA Systems, Inc. is a privately-held global leader in providing business and technology consulting services that transform organizations through cloud-based solutions. As a Microsoft National Solutions Provider, SADA Systems has gained global accolades as an exceptional service provider with proven expertise in enterprise consulting, cloud platform migration, custom application development, managed services, user adoption and change management. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 America's Fastest Growing Private Companies for nine years, CRN's MSP Elite 150, Inc.'s 2016 Top 50 Workplaces and the 2015 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles, SADA prides itself on continuous innovation, strong partnerships and exceptional customer service. To learn more, visit: https://sadasystems.com/.
About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group
Children's Hospital Los Angeles Medical Group comprises 596 physicians and 708 practitioners who lead the multidisciplinary clinical team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, a world-renowned pediatric academic medical center located in the heart of Hollywood, Calif. The majority of physicians in the group are also full-time faculty members at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Nearly one-quarter of the group's physicians are recognized as being among the best physicians in America as measured by their peers through lists such as "Best Doctors in America" and "America's Top Doctors." CHLAMG is an academic medical group, meaning that, in addition to providing direct care to patients, physicians teach medical students, residents and fellows and also conduct basic, clinical and translational research to advance pediatric health care.
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Media contact:
Kevin Wolf
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