American Data Network

For a small company, American Data Network sure gets a lot done.

For starters, it processes over 100 gigabytes of data every month for its clients in the health care industry. ADN then feeds that clinical and financial data to its clients through its suite of Web-based applications, allowing them to better manage health care costs, meet demands for public accountability and disclosure and improve physician practice patterns.

CEO Cole Williamson said he sees his company as visionary, considering that other organizations have just begun to mine health care data. For instance, Wal-Mart was one of a coalition of businesses that announced in December they will begin to develop a health care database for their employees.

“I know that there are some initiatives now — government and private — that are attempting to share quality data. Actually, there has been a core group that has been doing it in Arkansas for quite some time,” Williamson said.

ADN was founded as Arkansas Data Network in 1994 as a collaborative effort between a group of Arkansas hospitals and Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield. In 2001, the company changed its name to American Data Network to reflect the continuing expansion of its product offerings and client base.

As a testament to its level of customer satisfaction, ADN has retained all but two of its founding members, and all of its new clients have come by way of referral. Currently, ADN has 28 clients, including 25 regional acute-care hospitals in Arkansas, Louisiana, California and Texas. The other three clients are Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield and two health care consulting firms in New York.

ADN has also increased its revenue by 25 percent in three years.

Williamson said that one factor driving his company’s growth is its emphasis on the quality of its staff. The company spends approximately 10 percent of its budget on education and professional development.

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