All posts by Mindfire Solutions

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Impact of NLP on Healthcare Industry

Healthcare IT, Thoughts,

Natural language processing (NLP), along with machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, and image recognition, are all branches of artificial intelligence (AI). The goal of NLP software is to build computer systems that will accept input in the form of spoken or written language and will provide spoken or written output i.e. communicate as if the computer system were a human.

Thanks to devices and applications like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and Cortana, much of the world’s population has at least a passing familiarity with NLP. It is being used today to perform a wide range of tasks across many industries. Until recently though, healthcare organizations have lagged behind others in capturing the benefits NLP delivers. However, it’s beginning to catch up.

Here are several use cases for NLP in healthcare that are already enhancing the field. Each of these will contribute to the larger digital transformation of healthcare as technology continues to advance.

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Medical Coding and Billing

NLP streamlines the way medical coders extract diagnostic, procedural and other clinical information. Rather than a coder reading documents and converting them to alphanumeric codes, NLP reads them and submits the codes to the coder for verification. This allows the human coder to work on documents that NLP cannot process accurately, and reduces the overall expense of coding medical information. In the end, more accurate and thorough coding results in more accurate and timely billing.

Virtual Nursing Assistants

The rise of virtual nursing assistants capable of communicating with patients using NLP is underway. Regular communication between patients and the nursing bot extends care beyond the walls of the clinic room without burdening existing resources. Adherence to the patient’s care plan can be monitored, and triggers can notify providers of issues that need human attention. Patients can receive round-the-clock access to support and answers, including help with medication. Researchers in this field estimate virtual nursing assistants will reduce U.S. healthcare costs $20 billion by 2026.

Robot-Assisted Surgery

Some surgical robots use AI to apply information obtained from prior surgeries to the current case, leading to progressively better outcomes. Beyond the many well-known advantages, robotic surgery delivers, adding an NLP component allows surgeons to query the system and to direct its actions verbally.

Reducing “EHR Burnout”

Recent studies have indicated that healthcare providers spend nearly half of each day updating electronic health records and doing other administrative work, which is a matter of concern. It leaves them with very less time to perform their core functions of examining and discussing clinical, diagnostic and treatment information with patients in a face-to-face environment.

Entering and managing patient information is a major contributor to physician burnout. More than half of physicians surveyed in a Physician’s Foundation 2018 study, reported entering data into the EHR reduces their efficiency and detracts them from their interaction with patients. Systems that use NLP allow physicians to enter notes into the EHR by speaking to it. This saves time versus having to type. Besides, it also allows patients to amend or correct what the doctor is entering into the EHR.

Other Important Use Cases

While improving the clinical value of EHRs and reducing physician burnout is one of the most pressing challenges among healthcare organizations, NLP is contributing to the digital transformation of healthcare in several other ways. For example, NLP is helpful in

While improving the clinical value of EHRs and reducing physician burnout is one of the most pressing challenges among healthcare organizations, NLP is contributing to the digital transformation of healthcare in several other ways. For example, NLP is helpful in

  • Comforting patients who become confused and anxious because they do not understand the data being presented to them through a portal website. For instance, NLP can explain the meaning of abbreviations and medical terminology. Rather than leaving the patient to worry or call the physician to explain the report, NLP can educate and possibly also calm the patient.
  • Offering summarized updates of key ideas, concepts, and conclusions contained in large volumes of clinical notes, journal articles and other narrative texts gives practitioners quick access to volumes of information that would otherwise require a lot of time to read through.
  • Easy extraction of data from free-form text and insertion into fixed-field data files, such as the structured fields in an EHR.
  • Handling a physician’s free-form spoken or text query, which is especially useful for queries that require gathering and organizing data from multiple sources.
  • NLP and other AI components can also accelerate the movement away from fee-for-service models and toward value-based healthcare by organizing unstructured health data derived from EHRs and other sources. Much of that “hidden” big data can shed light on health outcomes for entire populations of patients, which has been impractical until recently.

 

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If you have any queries in this field, talk to Mindfire Solutions. For over 20+ years now, we have been the preferred Software Development Partner of over 1000+ Small and Medium-sized enterprises across the globe.

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Overcoming pain points in offshoring software development

Overcoming the Critical Offshoring Pain Points in Software Development

IT Outsourcing, Thoughts, , ,

It is imperative for businesses today to leverage the effectiveness of software in order to get ahead in the market. This is not limited to the enterprise software pieces they use as part of their day to day operations, but it also relates to the proprietary pieces they offer to their users, clients, and partners.

But developing proprietary software is a serious undertaking, and one which might be beyond the reach of the average small or medium-sized business – in terms of cost effectiveness and also the general skill and expertise needed to truly deliver. So what is the answer for SMEs in the market?

Offshoring software development represents a viable solution. This concept in software design refers to hiring a third party team in a different country to handle the development process. This approach to development brings with it immense benefits, as well as significant challenges. So what are the key pain points, and how can businesses navigate through them. Let us look at the critical ones :

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Difficulties Commonly Associated with Offshoring Software Development?

Breakdown in communication between teams

Offshoring means a team operating in a different country or territory – which in turn means potential time zone clashes and a heavy reliance on digital communication tools. There is also the very critical factor of cultural differences existing between the in-house and outsourced teams, leading to communication breakdowns.

Quality not guaranteed

This is a familiar source of anxiety for any businesses working with an outsourced team – How to ascertain the quality of the outcome? There is no guarantee here, but, if the services of a company are hired purely on the basis of low rates, there is a strong likelihood of low quality turning out to be the byproduct. No good service comes cheap.

Sensitive data risk

We are in the beginning of the digital era. Data has already started making the business world go round. This makes outsourcing something of a minefield. On one hand, the team needs the requisite data to do the job and to do it well, while on the other, the companies outsourcing are always going to be nervous about how much access to sensitive data would they be giving away. The risk of data breach, either accidental or malicious, is always high and the ensuing penalty could be significantly detrimental.

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Overcoming the Pain Points

Deployment of digital communication tools

Outsourced teams – both on and offshore – are introducing businesses to a whole new world of flexibility and agility. This is being supported by a wealth of different communication tools which allow collaboration and communication between teams across the globe in real time. With so many high-quality software tools and platforms available, communication breakdowns can be completely eliminated.

Progress reports and regular project appraisals

When a contract is drawn up with an offshore team, regular appraisals and reports have to be included in it to keep a tap on work progress. The result will be a process which is far more streamlined, one unlikely to get hung up or face too many unexpected pitfalls. It enables both the teams to stay on course and make required modifications whenever it is deemed necessary.

Temper cost reduction with a quality-oriented focus

Reducing costs and achieving better resource management are certainly two important and obvious factors for a company when it comes to outsourcing their software development work. What should also be given equal importance is the quality of work. Everything fails otherwise. Clarity is required on two fronts here. Firstly, knowing the impact the quality of the outsourced work will have on the end result. Secondly, having established evaluation criteria to identify the right partner to engage with.

Develop an in-house data security plan, Extend it to outsourced teams

A business should first understand that it is not immune to data breaches from within, and thus, should begin by drafting a high-level data security plan that covers all potential vulnerabilities.With the required processes in place the approach can then be extended to include the offshore partner. Providing them with a copy of one’s data security policy, and ensuring that the same is ratified and agreed upon before the final contract is signed would clearly underline the importance the company puts on the matter.

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If you have any queries in this field, talk to Mindfire Solutions. For over 19+ years now, we have been the preferred Software Development Partner of over 1000+ Small and Medium-sized enterprises across the globe.

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Distributed IT Team

Overcoming the Obstacles of Running Geographically Distributed IT Teams

Thoughts, , , , , ,

What it means to operate an IT team has evolved in recent years. Today’s teams are more efficient, flexible, and streamlined than the ones of the past, and much of this is because of a constant desire amongst people in business to enhance their capabilities and to harness the power of the latest technologies. Earlier, it was a given that the key players in a team would have to operate together in one building, or in close proximity. But this way of doing business had its drawbacks, which became evident over the years. There wasn’t room for personal flexibility for one. Also, sticking to this approach had a financial bearing as well.

Over time, technology opened up possibilities to revolutionize the way teams could function, and IT industry was amongst the frontrunners to seize the opportunity. From using video conferencing and Skype to deploying apps like Slack or GoToMeeting/GoToWebinar, teams can leverage technology to have virtual meetings anywhere – which essentially means that the members can work from anywhere too! However, there are challenges of operating a geographically dispersed team. Let’s examine what they are, the impact, and how seasoned business leaders overcome them and manage to get the most out of their teams.

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Perceived power imbalance

According to an article in HBR if more team members are consolidated in one location or they are in the locations that are geographically close to that of the team leader, then there’s a perception that these people have more power or access to power. This can lead to a feeling of isolation for the other team members or for that matter a feeling of complacency amongst the ones closer. Either way, it negatively affects the overall team morale. Since it is not possible to change the geographic locations of members, team leaders can implement creative strategies to diffuse false perceptions. For e.g., a team leader may need to give particular “power” assignments to those who are farther away from the headquarters or who are working in smaller groups.

Cultural insensitivity

Global teams will naturally contain people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Most people will not know everything there is to know about every other team member’s culture. This can lead to some awkward situations, to say the least. It could even lead to some people responding in culturally insensitive ways. One of the ways to nip in the bud is to raise the topic up in common meetings and suggesting that more often than not these problems are due to errors of judgment, ignorance and not malice. That they can be addressed by increasing one’s awareness of other’s cultures.

Language barriers

Usually, the prominent language in IT global teams is English. However, this is unlikely to be the native tongue for many of the team members. Those whose native language is English are likely to have an advantage in meetings with their peers. The less fluent speakers may feel shy about speaking up even if their ideas are good. Leaders can help overcome this impediment by setting forth guiding principles for discussions. An e.g. could be to suggest that the more fluent speakers slow down their speech and refrain from using difficult phrases. In addition, they might limit the amount of time they are given to talk and urge the less fluent speakers to speak more.

Lack of proper technology

The technology for high-level collaboration and remote communication is out there in the market. It is just that many businesses do not use them correctly. For any organization, there has to be some research done to correctly identify the optimal technological solutions they need to operate efficiently. There are multiple products options available in the market for each type of functions that facilitate collaboration for geographically dispersed teams. Getting the right ones is the key and can make the difference between building synergy and causing disruption.

Lack of good leadership

Diversified teams must have exemplary leadership at the helm. Without it, the teams will quickly fall apart. Besides having the required technical expertise the person in charge of leading such teams must have a global mindset, possess high emotional intelligence, and know the art of mending fissures when they appear.

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Conclusion

In a connected world, as businesses look to the future, geographically dispersed IT teams is a reality that has to be dealt with. For companies with a global outlook, not only is this approach a practical step forward but also one which can be harnessed to their advantage. The key is to recognize that the obstacles that exist are perpetual in nature and have to be dealt with on an ongoing basis.

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If you have any queries in this field, talk to Mindfire Solutions. For over 19+ years now, we have been the preferred Software Development Partner of over 1000+ Small and Medium-sized enterprises across the globe.

 

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Software Development Partner for SMEs

The Importance of a Software Development Partner for SMEs?

Enterprise Application Development, IT Outsourcing, Organizations and Leadership, Small and Medium Businesses, Software Engineering, Software Industry, Thoughts,

Small and medium enterprises that been highly successful are found to have at least two things in common – relentless focus on the fundamentals of their businesses and the uncanny knack of identifying and riding on a market/technological wave. There is also another common thread that connects them all, one witnessing an exponentially rise in its relevance– ‘Information Technology’ as an enabler. Not surprisingly, the one question that gets discussed in any SME nowadays is: “How do we meet our software development needs?”

Developing software in-house is definitely an option. But it can only be pursued by trading off against investing the resources in the core business activities. The alternative course lies in outsourcing all the work to a partner who has the required expertise. Software development is a specialized field. It requires focused and continuous effort to build capabilities to deliver, and upgrade to avoid the risk of oblivion. Thus, a reliable software development partner is priceless. Here’s why

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Quality vis-a-vis Tenure?

The length of time a software partner has been in operation indicates how well it can adapt to the shifting demands of the industry and its clientele. A longish tenure essentially means that their investment in software engineering processes and related measures are robust and that the company can ascertain the benefits of expertise and flexibility in their engagement. Their deliverables, thus, are expected to be of a certain distinct level.

Technical Knowledge

It being its core area of work, a capable partner can provide quick access to technical skillsets with both depth and breadth of expertise. Building such capabilities in-house requires a continuous expenditure of time and money. The same if accessed through a partner relives an SME of a lot of headache. Infact, the services of multiple outsourcing providers can also be availed if the needs are varied, thus enabling the SMEs to be nimble-footed in responding to market opportunities.

Expense

The overall cost of establishing and maintaining a software team is quite high. It involves cost attached to hardware, software and most importantly acquiring and retaining relevant talent. Outsourcing offers the privilege of flexibility, for ramping up and down of resources, and of getting access to the exact type of technological expertise to handle exact needs and fluctuations in work generation.

Domain Knowledge

Seasoned developers with a track history of successful project execution in a certain domain can recommend the best of the industry practices while offering solutions. Domain knowledge translates to better and faster identifications of gaps, precision in technological solutions and identifying opportunities for improvisation.

Crisis Management

The true test of the character of a software partner arises during instances of crises. Software companies, which have served multiple clients over many years, end up facing multiple types & instances of crises during the tenure. The experience equips them to respond to such situations better in the future. The more diverse the experience of the partner the better the response expected.

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If the benefits of outsourcing to a partner seem businesswise prudent, then caution needs to be exercised in its execution. Just identifying a player is not good enough for the purpose. One runs the risk of being limited by the capabilities of the services provider in the long run. It needs to be ascertained that the partner is doing enough to keep pace with the rapids changes in the field of Information Technology. Besides that, exploring various models of engagement is also an important aspect of any partnership.

How much an SME truly gains out a partnership with a software development company is directly proportional to these factors mentioned above.

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If you have any queries in this field, talk to Mindfire Solutions. For over 19+ years now, we have been the preferred Software Development Partner of over 1000+ Small and Medium-sized enterprises across the globe.

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Best PHP Development Tools for Developers in 2018

Application Development ToolsMindfire Solutions

10 Best PHP Development Tools for Developers in 2018Unlike other programming languages, PHP was designed with features to simplify web application development. In addition to being a mature web programming language, PHP has been evolving consistently. The new language features provided by PHP 7 enables programmers to improve performance of web applications without increasing memory consumption. The developers can further accelerate custom website and web application development by leveraging a number of full-stack and lightweight PHP web frameworks like Laravel, CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Zend, Yii and Slim. Likewise, they can take advantage of a number of robust PHP development tools to write web applications rapidly according to varied business requirements. They can even use these PHP development tools to extend various web frameworks. Continue reading Best PHP Development Tools for Developers in 2018 →

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10 Best Ruby Web Frameworks in 2018

Ruby on RailsMindfire Solutions

10 Best Ruby Web Frameworks in 2018In addition to being a general purpose programming language, Ruby supports object-oriented, functional, and imperative programming paradigms. The programming language further focuses on simplicity and productivity. Its expressive syntax rules enable programmers to build web applications by writing natural-to-read code. Many developers even opt for Ruby to create prototypes without putting extra time and effort.
. Continue reading 10 Best Ruby Web Frameworks in 2018 →

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Mobile Wallets: Safety vs Convenience

eCommerce, Mindfire Solutions

Mobile Wallets: Safety vs ConvenienceAccording to recent study from Juniper Research, “Nearly 2.1 billion consumers worldwide will use a mobile wallet to make a payment or send money in 2019, up by nearly 30% on the 1.6 billion recorded at the end of 2017.” Within a short span of time, mobile wallets have emerged as a popular alternative to debit and credit cards. Also, the mobile wallets have emerged as the most preferred eCommerce payment tool in many countries. Consumers nowadays use mobile wallets on a regular basis for both online and offline transactions. Continue reading Mobile Wallets: Safety vs Convenience →

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Java vs PHP for Enterprise Application Development

Custom Application Development, Enterprise Application Development, Java Developers, Programming Languages Comparison

Java vs PHP for Enterprise Application DevelopmentLike consumer applications, enterprise applications also need to deliver optimal user experience. But enterprise applications are developed with the aim to make employees productive and processes efficient. Hence, enterprises want to develop the custom software applications in the best programming language. The programmers have option to write enterprise software applications in a number of programming languages including Java and PHP.  Java is a general purpose programming language, whereas PHP is used widely as a server-side scripting language. Java is a compiled programming language, whereas PHP is an interpreted programming language. Continue reading Java vs PHP for Enterprise Application Development →

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Selenium vs Appium : Which Tool is Best Suited for Software Testing?

Automation Testing Tools, Selenium, , Mindfire Solutions

Selenium vs Appium

Quality Assurance (QA) testing is a crucial part of any software development process. It ensures that the software application seamlessly performs the expected tasks, and meets the requirements set forth by the stakeholders.

Testing software manually is a tedious and time-consuming process. The process leaves a lot of room for human error, which can harm the software’s performance. That’s why about 73% of organizations are looking to adopt automated testing.

Automation tools like Appium and Selenium offer a more efficient approach to software testing by providing automated test scripts that can be reused for future projects. In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of both tools and discuss the best use case conditions for both Selenium vs Appium.

Comparing Two Widely Used Test Automation Tools: Selenium vs Appium

Appium

Appium is an open-source test automation tool used for mobile application testing. The tool is a mobile-based testing framework that encompasses the philosophy of “write once, run anywhere.” This means that the same tests written for one platform will also run on another. Appium supports test automation for both Android and iOS applications, allowing testers to use their preferred programming language to write tests.

The Appium architecture is built on a client-server model, with the server code written in node.js. Appium Clients are written for each platform (Android, iOS), and send out HTTP requests to the Appium server through the JSON Wire protocol. The server then responds with code that can be understood by the application under test. This allows for cross-platform testing.

The Appium server is responsible for interpreting the instructions from the client libraries and translating them into commands that can be understood by the device under test. It also acts as a proxy between the client and the device, ensuring that all of the necessary commands are sent properly to the device.

Appium also has an Inspector feature, allowing testers to take a deep dive into their applications and view elements inside of their apps. This provides testers with crucial information when debugging issues related to UI tests, such as element locators or XPath selectors which allow testers to interact with elements in an application more accurately.

Benefits of Appium

  • It is a versatile and powerful tool that tests all types of applications, web, native, and hybrid across multiple platforms.
  • Appium allows testers to reuse code snippets between projects, reducing development time and costs associated with writing complex tests from scratch.
  • Doesn’t require the recompilation of applications.
  • Appium does not require any coding knowledge for its operation.

Weaknesses of Appium

  • The scripts written in Appium have to be maintained, as they can break.
  • The debugging process can be time-consuming when tests fail due to a network latency issue or any other issue related to the test environment.
  • Doesn’t support parallel testing.

Selenium

Selenium is another open-source automated testing framework. It is primarily used as an automation tool for web applications. The tool supports popular browsers and every operating a system like Windows, Linux or MACOS, etc.

Contrary to Appium, Selenium is not a single tool but a tool suite, consisting of four components: Selenium IDE, Selenium RC, Selenium WebDriver, and Selenium Grid. Each piece caters to the different QA testing needs of an organization.

Selenium IDE enables testers to record and playback test scripts while they browse the application. It is best suited for small projects where complex logic isn’t needed. Selenium RC acts as an HTTP proxy and allows developers to automate UI tests for any web application. Lastly, Selenium WebDriver is used for writing more sophisticated tests, with support for various programming languages like Java, Python, Ruby, etc.

Benefits of Selenium

  • Selenium makes it possible to run parallel tests on different machines or browsers simultaneously.
  • Allows integration of third-party plug-ins such as SauceLabs.
  • The debugging process is quite straightforward when compared to Appium.
  • The scripting process can be done quickly and easily as it supports a wide range of programming languages.
  • Selenium has a bigger community than Appium that actively contributes to the tool and documentation.

Weaknesses of Selenium

  • Selenium cannot automate mobile applications.
  • The setup and configuration of Selenium is a time-consuming task.
  • Selenium doesn’t provide end-to-end testing solutions and heavily relies on external libraries.

Suitability of Tools

  • Appium

It is best suited for organizations whose software experience extends beyond web-based applications. The tool is designed to test any kind of application. IT firms use this tool to automate tests on mobile devices and to write tests that can run on Android and iOS platforms. Software companies are also utilizing Appium for testing complex gaming applications and IoT devices that have several moving parts and interactions.

  • Selenium 

Organizations whose primary focus is web application automation should prefer Selenium over Appium as the tool suite can be used to automate all types of tests for browser-based software. Furthermore, companies looking to run parallel automated tests on different machines or browsers simultaneously can opt for Selenium. IT firms leverage this tool for testing complex websites like eCommerce and eLearning platforms which can have hundreds of pages and different user flows.

Related Case Study – AUTOMATED TESTING OF AN IOS HEALTHCARE MONITORING APPLICATION By Mindfire Solutions

Conclusion

Appium and Selenium are two of the most popular automated testing frameworks for software. Both tools are open sources and allow organizations to save time and cut-down costs involved in QA testing.

The decision of which tool to use between Selenium vs Appium depends on the specific requirements of the project. Appium is best suited for organizations looking to test mobile applications and IoT devices. On the other hand, companies with a primary focus on web automation should opt for Selenium as it supports all types of tests for browser-based software.

If you are looking to leverage Appium or Selenium for testing your software, Mindfire Solutions can assist you in the process. Our highly-skilled QA engineers can define the most effective test cases that ensure the software delivers a seamless experience for its users.

Contact Mindfire Solutions to know more about us.

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Migrating Flash to HTML5

Custom Migration Services, HTML5,

Migrating Flash to HTML5In 2015, YouTube replaced Adobe Flash Player with HTML5 as its default web video player. Facebook also announced its plan to switch from Flash to HTML5 for all its web video interfaces.  With large online video sharing platforms moving migrating from Flash to HTML5, many analysts considered Flash was on a ventilator. In 2017, Adobe announced its plan to stop supporting and updating Flash Player after 2020. Major web browsers will stop supporting Flash Player in phases. Continue reading Migrating Flash to HTML5 →

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