"We at FormFast understand that today’s market place is populated by customers who are more demanding, less forgiving, and who appreciate warmth and attention to detail."
   - Ed Korba

This is what Ed Korba, vice president of marketing at FormFast, is known for. A clear-eyed and no-nonsense approach. Ed joined FormFast in 1995, and he’s been working to raise the bar on customer service ever since.

Ed’s insights are the result of years of hard work. He spent more than a decade at Standard Register and Jet Form Corporation before joining the FormFast team. Since then, he has continued his strong customer service approach by spending some 40-45 weeks each year on the road…observing facilities and listening to customers’ stories first hand.

And after all the miles and all he has heard, Ed’s focus is clear: "The one message I want to get out is that FormFast is EASY. Our software is easy to use. It allows you to get your job done in less time, and it lets you do the work your way. We don’t take a cookie cutter approach. We listen to what our customers need, and we respond." This message of EASY is so core to Ed Korba’s life philosophy that he had his Missouri license plate personalized: "EASY."

But while Ed’s approach to customer service hasn’t changed, the landscape of the market place has. He explains, "Years ago, the approach to forms was printer specific, using a cartridge SIMM or DIMM. But FormFast evolved to a higher level. Our people wrote a host based program that could reside in the Meditech mainframe." What this means is that the FormFast software was now written in the language of the Meditech host.

This new software helped hospitals transition from the old plastic card patient identification systems. Then came more changes. Adds Ed, "FormFast then tackled the Microsoft Platform for Healthcare HCIS Systems."

FormFast rode this revolution by building software that allows remote processing. This means that instead of relying solely on their brand of HCIS, users can take data from any system into the FormFast software, merge their data with an overlay, then produce eforms with workflow across their entire enterprise. The most recent change centers around FormFast Site. This remote-access process is web based, and allows for flexibility of information access and retrieval that was only a dream a few years ago. Adds Korba, "We evolved because our customers told us what they wanted and needed. And we evolved this company into the most complete electronic forms and systems company in the marketplace today."

During this evolution, a number of competitors were also offering solutions that capitalized on the current technology. But Ed takes exception to this "me, too" claim. "We have about half a dozen competitors, but we are the only one with printer based, host based, remote based and web based platforms. Other companies have to contract these services or they only specialize in one. "

Since joining FormFast, Korba has been involved in sales as well as marketing. "The two functions go hand in hand," he says, "because in sales, you’re educating your customers. Marketing promotes while selling fulfills solutions. "

He attributes the success of FormFast to a vision. "We knew there was a better way; and we were five years ahead of everyone else in the industry in making it happen." And, according to Korba, quality is at the heart of FormFast’s success. "We stick with a standard when we design. We understand the sheer number of forms in the healthcare environment and we have proven solutions to help our customers."

And, of course, he’s quick to stress that one of the greatest advantages to FormFast’s software is that it’s easy. "We made it easy to create forms. Our competitors tried to force their customers to learn their systems. At FormFast, we are easy to use, and we work to accommodate what our customers need."

Another strength of FormFast products, says Korba, is that they are modularized. "We can easily and quickly produce customization to meet a client’s special needs. Our logo shows many hands reaching for the same thing: A common way of communicating. Nothing has ever been truer. Our clients all have different methods that come from different needs. FormFast can meet their different needs."

Korba summarizes his philosophy: "The strongest bond to a customer is to meet their needs. My job, as I see it, is to make these peoples’ jobs easier. Whether that staff person is an IT professional, an RN, or an Access Manager—I have to help them succeed. I’ve gone to bustling hospitals that have three people on their entire IT staff. FormFast is like a new hire. My view is this: Find out exactly what people need. Help them succeed and you will become successful too."

When asked how he sees healthcare changing in the coming years, Ed summarizes the changes with one word: merger. "I think there will be fewer hospitals, and more systems. As hospitals consolidate, the technology will also consolidate. Healthcare has been ten years behind on technology. Businesses are always updating their systems and technology. Hospitals have not historically done this, because the focus has always been on the patient and the technology for that patient directly. But hospitals are going to have to adopt a different perspective toward this support technology if they’re going to succeed."

He continues, "Hospitals in general grasp technology slowly. FormFast brings technology to our customers faster, refining their processes, saving them time. We distill information. We know technology in healthcare moves slowly, so we bring very effective technology to that hospital."

Ed’s enthusiasm for FormFast—and its positive impact on the healthcare marketplace—come through loud and clear. "I feel like I’m benefiting society," he says. "Whether we’re talking wrist bands, so the right patient gets the right procedure, or conserving paper and ink, I am helping make a difference."

Ed’s wife, three children , four cats and a dog think he makes a difference to them, too.