Health Tech Startup Docpace Lands Major Partnership with Access Health Louisiana
Docpace, a Metairie-based health technology startup, has secured a significant partnership with Access Health Louisiana, a statewide network of health centers qualified for federal grants. This major deal marks one of the largest customer acquisitions for Docpace to date.
The partnership involves Access Health Louisiana licensing Docpace’s patented software, designed to streamline appointment scheduling and reduce wait times for patients. According to Shelby Sanderford Dabelich, Docpace’s founder, the technology works behind the scenes to optimize scheduling efficiency and ease staff workload. “We’re essentially playing a game of Tetris with various moving parts to make offices more efficient,” Dabelich explained. “We stack appointments – or blocks – on top of each other to fit seamlessly.”
Dabelich elaborated that every patient appointment involves scheduling with multiple healthcare professionals, including front desk staff, nurses, technicians, and doctors. “Our software predicts the time required for each step and the necessary resources,” she said. “We consider factors like exam rooms, nursing staff, and specialized equipment.”
Access Health Louisiana operates community health centers and school-based health centers across 16 parishes, serving over 60,000 patients annually. The organization hopes the partnership will streamline operations, reduce wait times, and improve patient access. “Docpace enables our operations team to view productivity data by clinical location and provider in real-time,” said Chenier Reynolds, Access Health’s vice president, in a statement. “We can now access all necessary data in a single dashboard, allowing for more strategic decision-making.”
A key feature of Docpace’s software is its text messaging system, which notifies patients of the optimal arrival time. “If any changes occur during the day, our software texts patients to keep them informed,” Dabelich said. “This reduces wait times and enhances the overall patient experience.”
Dabelich conceived the idea for Docpace during her undergraduate studies at Southern Methodist University. Her inspiration came from shadowing a professor who was a hospital president and observing the challenges of improving patient satisfaction scores, which are crucial for Medicaid reimbursements. After developing the concept further during her MBA at Tulane University, Dabelich led a team in creating the software.
The journey to this partnership has been a gradual one for Docpace, a company rooted in “deep tech” that requires extensive research and development. “Shelby has been steadily building momentum by solving a complex problem in a challenging industry,” said Jon Atkinson, CEO of The Idea Village startup accelerator, which supported Docpace through a pitch competition in 2020.
Docpace’s software integrates with electronic health records (EHR) systems managed by major health tech companies like Epic and Oracle. Currently, Docpace partners with Athenahealth, which has a significant presence in the outpatient facilities market. By expanding its customer base and integrating with other EHR systems, Dabelich aims to increase Docpace’s market share.
“We’re committed to continued growth and making our solution accessible to as many healthcare practices and groups in the U.S. as possible,” Dabelich stated.
