Sigma Health Pro
The AI Revolution in Healthcare

The continuous technology influx has transformed the healthcare industry. From improved communication to EMR and telemedicine, this sector is now able to deal with longstanding inefficiencies. Sigma Health Pro, a patient-centric data platform, marks the new era of the healthcare innovation, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to redefine patient-centric care. Driven by the philosophy that healthcare extends beyond mere treatment to the empowerment of lives, the platform focuses on different aspects, including documentation, clinical decision-making, billing, and logistical coordination.

“Sigma Health Pro is integrated with workflow systems, aimed at addressing the exorbitant cost associated with its initial stages of care,” says Haroon Iqbal, CEO of Sigma Health Pro. “Imagine a consumer in a remote area searching for the nearest healthcare provider. Instead of the consumer having to seek out services, providers can proactively offer their services. This approach is facilitated by our AI-driven platform, which personalizes the matchmaking process between patients and service providers based on individual needs.”

The Epiphanic Moment

The concept of Sigma Health Pro was inspired during Iqbal’s MBA program, which was attended by numerous medical professionals. Discussions often revolved around the challenge of reducing healthcare costs, with many innovative ideas being shared. A problem highlighted was the significant number of people, over a million in the U.S. alone, living without adequate dental care due to the high costs associated with dental procedures like implants. It was during these conversations that Iqbal's innovative instincts were sparked, motivating him to seek a solution, and the result was Sigma Health Pro.

We've Already Submitted Proposals to Multiple States, Including California and Michigan, with Responses Expected by June. The State Of Virginia has also Shown Interest in our Platform

Sigma Health Pro is all set to address problems like this. Through AI, Sigma Health Pro can analyze patient histories and preferences to tailor personalized treatment options, streamlining decision-making and reducing unnecessary visits. Furthermore, the platform could match patients with suitable providers based on factors like cost, desired services, their condition, and location, enhancing accessibility and choice. This approach simultaneously improves patient outcomes and benefits healthcare providers by increasing revenue potential. Even if a modest percentage of millions of underserved individuals are given the option to access dental care, it can open new revenue streams. More importantly, by facilitating early intervention through pre-screening, Sigma Health Pro mitigates the need for costly emergency services, ultimately reducing overall healthcare expenditures.

“The U.S. healthcare industry is ready for transformation, and we want to become the agent of change by shattering years of bottlenecks,” says Iqbal.

“Cutting-edge,” in the True Sense of the Term

Unlike traditional monolithic applications that cover all aspects of healthcare management, Sigma Health Pro works on a SaaS model, allowing for a modular approach to implementation. Organizations can select and purchase specific modules as needed, starting with essentials like scheduling and expanding as required.

Take the scheduling module as an example. It has been designed to handle scheduling and orchestrate the entire patient workflow—from registration to the actual visitation process.

During their interactions with patients, nurses can input observations, and doctors can manage each visit. With this module, SOAP notes corresponding to patient visits are captured accurately while facilitating prescription management and enhancing communication between healthcare providers.

Another key area of focus of the Sigma Health Pro platform is documentation. A significant portion of a doctor's time is spent on tasks like creating documents, taking notes, and summarizing patient encounters. The platform, utilizing AI, automates this task. It can listen to doctorpatient conversations and generate comprehensive summaries using the ChatGPT extension.

The platform also assists in decisionmaking by leveraging historical data to provide recommendations tailored to the ongoing conversation. This paves the way for more efficient treatment and diagnosis, allowing doctors to focus on delivering quality care rather than combing through notes.

Billing optimization is another area where the Sigma Health Pro excels. Automatically extracting billing codes from the notes generated maximizes insurance reimbursements. Accurate billing codes minimize inquiries from insurance agencies, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks and improving revenue generation. The strategy revolves around shortening the receivable cycle from the typical six months to just 30 days. This streamlined approach significantly enhances throughput and accelerates revenue cycles for healthcare practices.

One of the key advantages of Sigma Health Pro is its seamless interoperability with existing systems. Whether it's exchanging data between scheduling and patient databases or integrating with other healthcare tools, the platform ensures smooth operation without disrupting established workflows.

Iqbal and his team are also striving to enhance diagnostics by leveraging AI. The goal is to develop algorithms capable of interpreting images and generating reports akin to those produced by radiologists. While this project has still not come to fruition, it underscores the commitment to innovation and continual improvement within the healthcare industry.

From Tech to Regulations—Everything has been Taken Care of

Iqbal understands that managing people’s health information is like walking on a tightrope; a single mistake can ruin everything. This is why, from the very ground up, he has focused on designing the Sigma Health Pro platform, keeping the stringent regulations in mind. The technology platform is built using ASP.NET, and it is hosted in one of the most secure cloud platforms, Azure, known for data encryption, threat detection and prevention, compliance reporting, and auditing, to name a few. However, the platform’s code is not specific to Azure; if the need arises, it can be hosted on other cloud platforms as well. The focus on security has already made the company HIPAA-compliant, and it is en route to receiving FedRAMP authorization.

Currently, Iqbal, along with his team, is in the process of integrating Immunization Information Systems (IIS) within the Sigma Health Pro platform. This is important given that every state, including Michigan, Virginia, and New York, currently maintains some form of an IIS registry. The goal is to receive patients' immunization data from hospitals and service providers. Upon receiving these files, the state government updates the immunization records for each patient in the system. This is particularly important for children, as schools often require access to this data during enrollment to ensure proper immunization.

However, the challenge lies in the lack of cohesion between the registration systems and any patient data platform. This became especially evident during the trying times of the pandemic, exposing scalability and data interoperability issues within these systems.

To address this issue, the CDC has introduced the latest 4.1 specification, which every IIS needs to adopt. The immunization module is currently being introduced to the Sigma Health Pro platform to facilitate seamless access to immunization records. This will be beneficial for individuals and healthcare providers. While the former will be able to easily view their immunization status during their visit to a healthcare facility, the latter will be equipped with the opportunity to provide proactive suggestions for upcoming vaccinations based on CDC specifications. Simultaneously, Sigma Health Pro platform will ensure accessibility for parents, schools, pediatricians, and other service providers, eliminating the need for individuals to obtain physical documents from state agencies for proof of immunization.

“Utilizing AI, we're tackling the challenge of deduplication, particularly crucial for infants whose information may be incomplete or inconsistently recorded. With babies, information might come in with missing first or last names, posing a significant challenge for accurate record-keeping,” says Iqbal. “We've already submitted proposals to multiple states, including California and Michigan, with responses expected by June. The state of Virginia has also shown interest in our platform. There are, however, some states that are hesitant to issue RFPs due to their reliance on existing vendors, despite their lack of full compliance with CDC specifications.”

The extensive adoption of AI is bringing a gust of fresh air to the healthcare industry, and Sigma Health Pro is at the forefront. Inspired by Iqbal's vision of seamless, efficient care for all, Sigma Health Pro goes beyond being a solution. It's a catalyst, pushing the industry toward a brighter, more inclusive future.

At Sigma Health Pro, we understand the challenges and complexities healthcare organizations face in today's rapidly evolving landscape. That's why we've developed a suite of services tailored to meet your unique needs and drive better outcomes for your organization.

Our services include:
Electronic Health Records (EHR/EMR)
Claim processing from insurances through clearinghouses
Data analytics
Health risk adjustments
HEDIS - Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set
Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
Clinical documentation improvements
Meaningful certifications
Lab integration
Third-party EHR integrations such as EPIC and Cerner
FHIR/HL7/EDIs
Wellness solutions
Mental and behavioral health services
Home health solutions including Electronic Visit Verification (EVV)