SystemsOne's proprietary equipment MSI (Medical Systems Integrator) is a medical technology breakthrough. In the photo: Dave Foster - Photo by: Nichole Arthur

“I thought if I stood on the shoulders of geniuses, maybe I would look smart too.”  Those very modest words portray the humble, yet self assured, spirit of an entrepreneur who is now on the leading edge of his fourth start-up medical technology company. Thomas Arthur made the comments while working as a Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology (EP) Lab Tech in Anchorage, Alaska. They came as he considered the physicians he worked with as being genius in how they understood the electrical workings of the human heart and body. Yet, the real genius may be how Arthur had a vision of how he could revolutionize how the EP Lab and medical technology.

“Literally, I was watching fourteen monitors and controlling five keyboards during an EP procedure. It was complex and mission critical work. And, I had a vision on making it work better for the EP team and safer for the patient undergoing a procedure,” a smiling Arthur said.

For an entrepreneur who always dreamed of building things, what happened next was leading edge medical technology. “I combined all the monitors into one high definition, large screen display. Five keyboards were replaced with one. I could control all the images from one location which meant more efficiency, better imagery, and a better outcome for the patient.” Physicians immediately realized the importance of combining multiple systems into one. Thomas Arthur was now in the launch phase of SystemsOne, LLC.

“I’m not ego-centric,” says Thomas Arthur, CEO, SystemsOne, LLC.  “I am a hard worker who never looks back but is constantly looking forward for the next challenge, the next problem to solve or the next puzzle,” he adds. The journey from EP Tech to CEO of a company that has recently moved from Alaska to Stuart, Florida and has already garnered Governor Charlie Crist’s Business Diversification Award in the Entrepreneurship category is no small feat. However, it’s a journey Arthur has travelled several times before.

“I grew up in Orlando, graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Cardiopulmonary Sciences.  I think I worked for every major hospital in the greater Orlando area.”  That hard work ethic led Arthur to employment in an adult echo-cardio lab.

“One day they made the mistake of letting me enter billing for the work I had done that day. I quickly realized I should be doing business on my own.” That realization was the start of Clinical Diagnostic Systems.

Clinical Diagnostic Systems provided mobile echo-cardio imaging services to physicians throughout Florida. “It was a very popular and much needed service,” said Arthur. It was during this phase of his career that the budding entrepreneur also brought the first color flow Doppler imaging to Central Florida. “It was just another way for me to use existing technology to stay ahead of the curve.”

Meet the SystemsOne team (left to right) Tom Arthur, CEO/Founder; Nichole Arthur, Marketing Director; Dan Weber, Chief Operating Officer; Dave Foster, Chief Technical Officer; Joey Giuffria, EVP of Sales - Photo by: Sam Yates

Using existing technology to remain on the forefront of medicine drew Arthur into a unique opportunity. While conferring with a physician partner over dialysis graft patient, Arthur realized the many similarities between monitoring and measuring blood flow and doing the same for dialysis patients using ultrasound. “It was new then but today Doppler flow testing for dialysis patients is a worldwide practice,” said Arthur. A new company, Open Access, was formed.  After six years of steady growth nationwide and an expansion into balloon angioplasty for dialysis patients, Arthur’s company was purchased by Total Renal Care.

Like a restless spirit, Arthur soon found himself starting yet his third company. “Based on my experience with balloon angioplasty, I thought why not go directly to the nephrologists who could use interventional nephrology to help their patients in an outpatient procedure. I worked with a nephrology group in Alabama to set up a lab and taught the nephrologists how to locate a problem and solve it using existing technology.”

Arthur, who readily admits he grossed $50,000 to set up the lab smiles when he notes medical giant Baxter Healthcare “got wind” of the business he had established and offered to purchase his company for $1.5 million.  “I just couldn’t turn them down,” he laughs.

This is where Arthur’s story takes a twist that has led him to SystemsOne, LLC and Stuart, Florida. “I had never seen mountains so I decided to visit Alaska. I was so taken with what I found that I decided to stay. Because I had a background as an EP Lab Tech, I took a job at the hospital in Anchorage.” And, the rest, as they say, is fast becoming history.

“I felt it was just not possible to grow and expand the company from headquarters a in Alaska. Plus, I had family in Florida so it was logical to be here in Florida from a business and personal standpoint,” said Arthur.

SystemsOne’s original product, Medical Systems Integrator, allows multiple data and video images to be controlled with one keyboard and displayed on one very large, ultra high definition flat screen monitor.  The prestigious Cleveland Clinic was SystemsOne’s first customer.  “They are constantly seeking the very best in new technologies. They are very impressed with what we have been able to do.î

In 2006, SystemsOne created the Medical Systems Integrator (MSI), an innovative of viewing unlimited images and data inputs into one medical screen display.  Complex and multiple resources are integrated into one large, 56′ Ultra High Definition, 8 meg monitor computer screen. SystemsShare MED allows all video content shared. For examples: physician to technician, physician to physician, hospital to hospital etc. Information and data can be shared via secure intranet or internet depending on the individual client’s requirements.  And, since each system is custom-designed for each and every client, there are no rigid requirements that limit the size and scope of information sharing. SystemsShare MED is currently installed at Hospital Corporation of America’s flagship hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

“There are other systems on the market that are in the four hundred to six hundred thousand dollar price range that can not compare to our product based on its substantially lower cost and higher product deliverables. And, since we don’t manufacture our equipment, we use off the shelf technology, we are not married to any one piece of equipment. As new technology is developed, we are able to quickly adapt that technology to our customer’s needs,” said Arthur.

A 30' UltraHD Touch Pad and MSI 56' UltraHD Monitor give physicians and technicians more accurate control of procedures. In the photo Dave Foster - Photo by: Nichole Arthur

SystemsShare MED hardware can be installed in operating rooms, labs, bedside (for teaching hospitals) or other locations depending on the requirements of the client.

For facilities with regional or national operations (such as Hospital Corporation of America) and independent research facilities, SystemsShared MED is the perfect way to close long distances with immediate shared information. SystemsShare MED allows for the transmission of video content in either UltraHD or High Definition via secure internet connections at a fraction of the cost of other systems currently on the market today.

“Just imagine a person who is travelling in a foreign country. They become ill or have an existing medical problem become critical. With our SystemsShare MED capabilities, a participating hospital anywhere in the world can have instant access to the patient’s visual record. Seeing the information, the images and data, is much safer for the patient,” said Arthur.

Thanks to a recent affiliation with California based Jupiter Systems, SystemsShare Med can input and output an unlimited number of video sources at a time. “Jupiter Systems has, for a long time, wanted to get into the medical field. Our affiliation allows them to do just that while supplying our customers with new technologies,” noted Arthur.

Jupiter Systems is the leading global supplier of display wall processors.  Jupiter’s best-of-breed products are designed for continuous, 24×7 operation and are used in network operation centers, NASA, electric power control rooms, boardrooms, intelligent traffic systems, 911 dispatch centers, financial centers, security centers, and military operations control centers in over 6,000 installations around the world.

SystemsShare MED partners may also engage in live broadcasts that can be shared with SystemsShare EDU (for education) participating universities and colleges as an active recruiting tool and shared learning experience.

“We are in discussions with a number of colleges and universities who want to provide state-of-the-art, real time or near real time learning opportunities to their students.  We are talking about operations and procedures that can be encrypted, the patient’s information protected, and students given the ability to learn from some of the top physicians in the world,” added Arthur.

While hospitals, labs, and universities are current markets, Arthur sees the military and Department of Defense a promising future market. “Within five to ten years down the road, or less, we may see soldiers in the field being given robotic treatment by experts directly from Walter Reed Medical Center.î

Systems One LLC received the Governor's 2009 Business Diversification Award; from the State of Florida. (left to right) Dan Weber, Nichole Arthur, Governor Charlie Crist.

Performing procedures via robotic surgery is not as far fetched as it may sound. SystemsOne is currently involved in a pilot project with a major Fortune 500 company that almost does just that. “We can’t reveal any details but this is a very exciting opportunity to do something that has never been done anywhere in the world until now. We hope to be able to make an announcement during the first quarter of 2010,” said Arthur.

From a technology standpoint, SystemsOne is limited only by the speed of light. You can look for the term medical tele-presence to become a household word if Arthur’s look into the future is correct.  Right now, video content transmission is limited by the latency rate of the transmission itself. That is, when a procedure is being performed or directed by an expert from the west coast, it takes the signal .65 seconds to travel to Florida. While that micro-second delay may not be critical in all operations or procedures, it is for heart surgery, for example.  We are looking forward to the development of technology that will help take medical tele-presence to the next level.”

One of Arthur’s visionary concepts is the use of virtual 3-D imagery. “Today, we can see three dimensional images only on a flat, two dimensional screen. In the future, the image will be an actual three dimensional hologram that you can see, walk around, tilt and manipulate.î

Arthur is not alone in his vision for SystemsOne and advances in medical technologies. His company is comprised of leading experts in the fields of medicine, broadcast technology, and telecommunications. “We are dealing with mission critical information in all aspects of our client’s business. It’s important that we have the leading edge talent to stay on the forefront of what our customers need and want.î

Part of the commitment to staying on the leading edge of technology is the SystemsOne approach to customer service. “We believe in customer service and build technology into our hardware and software programs that allows us to monitor how customers are using SystemsOne technology. If we detect that a customer is experiencing a problem we are able to correct the problem right then and there without hesitation. That is the mark of world-class customer service.î

What is Arthur’s vision for SystemsOne in the next year? “I can confidently say we will triple in size by the end of 2010. And, we will continue to grow after that. Five years from now, I may be retired to the beach in the Bahamas. However, the young entrepreneurs we have on line, and the new ones who will come on board, will continue to take SystemsOne to new levels of achievement. Reaching out to solve that next problem or find a solution to the latest puzzle—that’s what we are all about.”

For more information about SytemsOne LLC, visit their website at www.SystemsOneLLC.com