1 Million Cups preview: President of medical e-records company looks for the fun in growth

Over the past four years as president of Des Moines-based ClinicNote, Lana Fox has found joy in the lessons that come with being an entrepreneur. In fact, she said she considers it the fun part of the job.

“I find huge satisfaction in learning and getting better, and we’ve tried to do that every day,” Fox said. “It’s pretty fun actually.”

Where does she find that fun? Look no further than the company where she works, ClinicNote.

ClinicNote serves as an electronic medical record for speech pathologists and other types of therapists to keep detailed records of their patients. From progress reports, billings, scheduling, detailed notetaking and an accessible patient portal, ClinicNote was designed to streamline the necessary documentation of this line of work.

Fox joined the ClinicNote team in early 2016 and became the president in 2017. As a graduate from Iowa State University with a degree in industrial and product design, Fox believes she was equipped to understand the needs of therapists and come up with a creative system for them to use.

Fox went to a 2017 conference for speech clinic directors to find out if there was a need at the university level for her program up-and-coming professionals. ClinicNote had two university partners going in. Now it’s at 60.

“It’s so cool we get to help the next level of professionals,” Fox said.

And even at the professional level, Fox has seen ClinicNote lift some of the unnecessary stress away from therapists over the past year and a half when mental health resources and medical professionals’ help has been at an unprecedented demand due to the pandemic.

“I think in general having a consistent way to document is always huge to have in the medical field,” Fox said.

There are lessons Fox is hoping to learn every single day, making her a better boss for her team who’s counting on her judgment. Getting the skills from a degree or forming a start-up is one thing, but Fox said there has to be a commitment to growth for entrepreneurs.

“You can’t start a business just to make a quick buck, so you have to be excited about the journey and the lessons learned along the way. That has to be fulfilling — otherwise it would be easy to throw in the towel,” Fox said.

Fox will be interviewed on May 19 by ISA Ventures General Partner Eric Engelmann as part of the 1 Million Cups Founder Fireside series, presented by the New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative. The Gazette is a media sponsor.