For Julie Thomas, it has always been about the process. With more than 23 years of experience dealing with health care billing processes, Thomas knows what it takes to ensure patients and doctors have access to updated records of medical treatment.

But in the health care industry, that’s a task easier said than done.

“A lot of it is left on the patient,” Thomas said of the type of medical treatment people receive and are expected to remember when visiting multiple physicians. “There is very little to no interfacing between the physicians, which can impact patient care.”

A few years ago, Thomas recognized an opportunity. And with the federal Affordable Care Act looming, she realized it was time to act.

With the help of a local investor and the technical stylings of co-founders Brad Hinley and Kevin Taylor, DocsInk was established in 2011.

“It’s a play on words,” Thomas, CEO and co-founder of Wrightsville Beach-based DocsInk, said of her firm’s name. “Our platforms are syncing and linking doctors with applications that allow them to communicate better with each other and their patients.”  

Thomas said DocsInk is a secure, paperless, mobile billing solution and communication tool designed for medical professionals that can be used in a variety of patient care settings such as hospitals, ambulatory facilities, skilled nursing facilities and outpatient offices.

“Our applications allows multiple interfacing,” Thomas said. “Our vision is to connect all the providers in a simple, cost-effective way, while we address the revenue and workflow needs of the providers.” 

Another service that’s become popular with new clients is the firm’s integrated telehealth video component, which allows physicians to record discharge instructions to the patient remotely. It also allows medical providers to connect with patients through video and secure text messaging.

“It’s absolutely revolutionary,” Thomas said. “The fact that our platforms are allowing and giving physicians this type of access to medical care is exciting.”

Thomas said such connectivity allows the sharing of pertinent patient information, which improves the coordination and transition of care between providers and facilities.

“Everybody is connected,” she said. “The patient is no longer on the hook for remembering what type of care they received and who they received it from. All that information is now in sync with the platform … The patient’s job is to get well and be healthy; the rest of the job is on us.”

Thomas said her firm is working with a number of local health providers, including Southport-based Dosher Memorial Hospital, which has expressed interest in the integrated telehealth video component. She added there are also letters of intent in place with a four major medical groups in Florida, Texas and Mississippi.

“The company is really beginning to grow,” Thomas said. “Our goal is to be in every city in every state.”