60 seconds with… Mike Seel

We want you to get the chance to meet the talented and passionate group of people behind the scenes, which is why we’ve launched this employee Q&A series.

First up, it’s Mike Seel, our solutions lead.

1. What does a typical day in your role look like?

I should start by saying that my role is extremely varied. I manage all of our presales encounters with prospective customers as well as any procurements that we are engaged with. I also lead on a number of internal projects to help push our business forward.

My diary tends to be pretty well organised, and I can have any number of product demos or discovery workshops lined up with prospects. These might involve face-to-face meetings too — I love using my travel time on the train to get through my inbox.

If we're engaged in any current procurements, my focus will primarily be on delivering the best possible content for those. Two days are never the same for me and that's one of the reasons it's so satisfying to work here!

2. Tell us about one of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on:

It's cliché, but I tend to really enjoy the projects where we can make a large and tangible difference.

Some of our customers have extremely complex physical and digital landscapes that they are working within the confines of, and I find it extremely satisfying to dive into the detail of those types of projects and uncover the real benefits that having MediViewer can bring.

I recently worked with a Trust that had seven hospitals spanning a large physical geography, where part of the Trust was digital and part physical. The physical paper processes were unsustainable and the Trust needed to make a change. I was able to use my experience in both these areas to create an extremely compelling benefits model that I knew would bring real and measurable benefits to the Trust. At the end of the day, that's the reason we're here, to help the NHS.

3. How is Mizaic helping to revolutionise the healthcare industry?

The healthcare industry in the UK is going through a slow and difficult digital revolution.

With the current challenges around budgets and resourcing, processes that contain paper are simply no longer sustainable. The challenge that the healthcare industry faces is that digitising paper can often lead to replicating the same inefficient processes, just in a digital setting. Bill Gates once said "...automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency".

Mizaic doesn’t just sell MediViewer, we deliver the required transformation of processes needed to make sure that MediViewer is both adopted and improves the efficiency of the end user processes, so that we're not amplifying years of inefficient paper-based operations.

Our goal is to improve the life of clinical and clerical staff using our system.

4. What’s your favourite feature of MediViewer and why?

When I give product demonstrations, the one feature we have that delivers a true gasp in the room, is our free text search capability. It really allows me to explain the power of having a clinical document management system with a few clicks.

Essentially, the feature allows a user to search for a keyword or phrase across decades of old paper documents, and then presents and highlights those words within the document.

It's the equivalent of having a metal detector when trying to find a needle in a haystack. The ability to find a drug that was prescribed to a patient 15 years ago in a matter of seconds never fails to wow during a demo.

5. If you could be Secretary of State for Health for a day, what policies would you implement?

I'd want to try and put more resources into prevention, rather than reaction. I'd be keen to implement improvements to how we interact with the NHS — removing barriers to accessing healthcare, such as making it easier to book in with GPs and outpatient appointments in hospitals.

The biggest change I'd make is promising to deliver a way for any clinician in the country to access my patient record, regardless of where the record originated. For me, solving that challenge would bring the greatest benefit to UK healthcare.

6. What’s one EDMS myth you hear that you want to debunk?

The one myth I hear over and over is that if a healthcare provider purchases a large electronic patient record (EPR), they don't need to digitise their paper records and therefore they don't need an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).

We've seen numerous examples of this, where customers have decided to ignore the paper problem they have in the hope that inputting structured data into their EPR over a number of years will negate the need to deliver an EDMS programme.

We've witnessed this approach have some quite dire consequences, and we have found that the truth is, an EDMS is a perfect companion to an EPR solution.

The ability to access a patient's medical history, digitally, alongside their current pathway in the EPR, is a pivotal part of the process and shouldn't be underestimated.

7. What’s the one HealthTech acronym you find yourself explaining the most — and what does it stand for?

I get asked all the time to conceptually describe what an EPR is and where MediViewer fits in.

EPR stands for an Electronic Patient Record, which is quite a broad term, but simply, it is a digital replacement for paper within a hospital. It allows healthcare organisations to manage a patient. It can include appointments, bed management, and results etc.

Often EPR isn't a single system but instead is a collection of different systems in what's referred to as a ‘Best of Breed EPR’. An EDMS managing a patient's history, digitally, will often be included within this to form part of the EPR, giving clinicians access to everything they need to deliver quality care.

8. What’s the best piece of career advice you have been given?

An old boss of mine once said, "you can work hard without talent, but you can't have talent without hard work". It's a saying that really keeps me motivated.

Ultimately, you can learn skills and pick up experience as you progress in your career, but mindset is everything and nothing quite pushes you forward like hard work.

9. If one of your colleagues could win an award (work or ‘fun’) who would it be and why?

Jamie Hall, our commercial lead, would win the award for having the most interesting backdrop on Teams.

He's always got cool artwork up and also the occasional lightsaber in the background. It's a great way to break the ice with new customers and always makes me chuckle.

10. If you could only have three apps on a smartphone, which would you pick?

I'd want something to listen to, read, and watch.

Therefore, I'd have a podcast app — as I listen to at least five a week, varying in nature from sports to tech and comedy to coaching. My second choice would be The Athletic, The Times, or the BBC — great for news and insights. And finally, I’d pick YouTube — it's one of my most-used apps and is a great viewing platform that can be all things to all people, it’s great for learning, too!

To find out more about the Mizaic story, or get in touch about how we can help with your EDMS project, please contact us by emailing hello@mizaic.com or calling 0203 790 7901.