For some time, Dr. Munro and Dr. de la Roza had observed the anxious expressions of family members on returning to the waiting room at the end of the surgery, and their sense of relief on learning that all had gone well. They started texting updates to nervous families throughout their child’s surgery.  At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do.  Little did they know that they would be transforming medical communication and opening a window into the operating room.

At the end of the surgeries, families were overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for a simple picture of their loved one or a short text explaining what was happening during the surgery.  Families repeatedly told them that it was as if they “never left their loved one’s side”, and had never felt “so at ease” while awaiting the outcome.  Following extensive research, Dr. Munro and Dr. de la Roza soon realized that a text update approximately every thirty minutes could impact the waiting room experience like nothing before.  The addition of pictures and videos from the operating room only served to enhance that experience.

As they updated more families during surgeries, the surgeons themselves began to take notice and became more involved.  Dr. William DeCampli, a pediatric cardiac surgeon and the co-director of The Heart Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, began updating families with a short video at the end of the surgery to let them know “your little one did great and I will be out to see you shortly.”  The impact of this type of medical communication was tremendous.

Dr. Munro and Dr. de la Roza started conceptualizing and refining their solution with the help of Patrick de la Roza to become an easy to use, HIPPA compliant software platform that they would call “Electronic Access to Surgical Events” or EASE.  The EASE system was developed, the apps were created, and on March 4, 2013 EASE Applications, a company dedicate