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Occupational Health Research (OHR) has been a pioneering force in occupational health for
over two decades. OHR provides SYSTOC® and StolaSystem® information systems, training, and technical support to a
nationwide occupational medicine network of over 800 clinics and
hospitals.
Origins
In 1977, Benjamin MacArthur and members of the Redington Memorial Association, a charitable
healthcare trust serving rural Maine, decided to support attempts to improve the treatment of injured workers in
hopes that the runaway growth in workers' compensation premiums for local businesses could be controlled. To
direct the project, they recruited William Newkirk, MD, who the previous year had won a research award from the
American College of Surgeons for his work on using mathematical models to predict medical outcomes. Dr. Newkirk
and the Redington Association decided to bet that the recently invented micro-computer (later to be renamed the
"personal computer") would be critical in solving the workers' compensation cost crisis. Over the next three
years, Dr. Newkirk wrote SYSTOC®, the first commercially successful occupational health software for personal
computers.
SYSTOC® entered clinical trial use at one Maine hospital in 1982. In 1983, the development group contracted with
business and labor leaders to evaluate SYSTOC® and recommend improvements. Given the positive response of these
groups, several other Maine hospitals requested installation of the system. By the end of 1985, ten Maine
hospitals were using SYSTOC® to manage their occupational medicine programs.
In 1985, the network hospitals, the Redington Memorial Association, and Dr. Newkirk determined that the most
cost-effective way to continue technical development was to form a core organization that all the network members
could rely on for technical development and training. They incorporated Occupational Health Research (OHR) and
recruited Michael Keller, president of Downeast Digital, Inc., to become Vice President (later, President) and
Director of Software Development. The OHR network has been
expanding ever since.
In 1988, the American Hospital Association (AHA), aware of hospitals' rapidly increasing interest in
occupational medicine, contracted with Dr. Newkirk and OHR to produce the first textbook for hospital
occupational medicine program design and management. Occupational Health Services: A Guide to Program Planning
and Management was published in 1989 and became the AHA's top selling text.
OHR Milestones
By 1990, the network had expanded to 23 states. OHR added SYSTOC Link to allow employers
and insurers to connect electronically with occupational health programs. OHR also developed computer-aided
instruction to help network physicians prepare for the occupational medicine specialty board examination. By
1991, over 100 locations used SYSTOC and OHR began to set up large multi-site occupational health networks.
 In
1992, the AHA contracted for a second book, which was published in 1993, titled
Occupational Health Services:
Practical Strategies for Improving Quality and Controlling Costs. This textbook was as successful as the
first.
By 1995, SYSTOC® was in use at over 250 locations in 40 states. OHR introduced SYSTOC Online to allow electronic,
encrypted medical record transfer.
In 1996, the network provided care to over 100,000 employers in 42 states. Ohio hospitals asked OHR to develop a
provider-owned, workers' compensation managed care organization (MCO). The MCO, the Ohio Employee Health Partnership, is now the seventh largest workers' compensation
MCO in Ohio serving over 8400 employers. It is believed to be the first managed care organization built on an
Internet-based information system. The system provides case managers throughout the state with real time quality
measures and the ability to case manage through encrypted Internet transmissions.
In 1998, OHR moved to its new
state-of-the-art research center in Skowhegan, Maine.
In 1999, SYSTOC® 7 was released. The
SYSTOC® Healthcare Network™ (SHN) was formed to give
occupational healthcare providers group purchasing power.
In 2000, OHR developed a comprehensive, interactive, computer-based training CD for SYSTOC®.
SHN began offering discounted drug testing services to its members, with Internet-based
data transfer between the laboratory and SYSTOC. WebSYSTOC™
made its debut, enabling clinics to access their SYSTOC®
installation from the Internet. Comprehensive Policies and
Procedures, Environment of Care and Disaster Drill guides were
developed to help facilities become compliant with JCAHO standards
and prepare for accreditation.
In 2002, OHR acquired The Stolas Group, developers of
the widely-used StolaSystem® software. OHR opened its third
training center. The new center, located in Fresno, California,
joined those in Columbus, Ohio, and Skowhegan, Maine.
By 2003, OHR's network had
grown to over 750 hospitals, occupational health clinics, and employee
health programs.
In 2004, OHR released SYSTOC®
7.2, the most significant software advance in the company's
history. This software provides a robust electronic medical records
system fully integrated with database, billing, and communications
functions.
 Expansion continued in
2006 with the construction of an annex adjacent to the corporate
headquarters in Skowhegan, Maine.
In 2007, OHR
added an innovative rehabilitation services module to SYSTOC.
SYSTOC Rehab provides facilities that offer physical therapy,
occupational therapy, and speech therapy a powerful tool in
evaluating and treating rehab patients.
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