For decades, the healthcare system has struggled with the simple yet critical idea of interoperability—how to get patient data from one hospital or provider to another in a way that is fast, secure, and reliable. It’s a problem that has left many families facing unnecessary risks during emergencies and routine care alike. For one man, this problem became painfully personal. And instead of walking away from the system that failed him, he stepped in to fix it.
Robert Higgs didn’t start out in healthcare. His roots are deep in engineering. He trained as a mechanical engineer and gained hands-on experience in chemical and petrochemical process controls, working across twenty-six countries and founding multiple companies along the way. By all accounts, he had done enough. In 2004, after decades of building and running engineering firms, most notably CSI Industries, Inc., Mr. Higgs stepped away from the corporate world. He sold his company, its forty patents, and turned to a new chapter: environmental education through a nonprofit he started, followed by a television show on FOX Sports called Whitetails Forever. But life has a way of rewriting even the best-planned scripts.
In 2007, during what was supposed to be a routine hospital stay, his wife Carole spent 27 days in the ICU. The experience was devastating, not only because of her critical condition but because of what Higgs witnessed: system failures, missing data, and a dangerous lack of communication between care teams. It changed everything. What began as a painful personal moment turned into a professional mission.
By 2008, Mr. Higgs had launched ICUcare LLC, now known as ISeeYouCare, Inc., a company dedicated to reshaping digital health. With the same engineering precision that had defined his earlier career, he turned his attention to healthcare technology. Alongside ISeeYouCare, he also founded Global Care International to co-develop and bring eHealth solutions to the global stage. Over the years, he secured nine patents in digital health, including a groundbreaking Smart Health Card Data Management system that solved the long-standing issue of medical data interoperability in North America.
What started as one man’s promise to his wife has now touched millions, reshaping how clinical data moves and saving lives in the process.
Leading with Vision, Building with Precision
At Global Care Intl., Mr. Higgs wears many hats, but none more central than the role of architect, both of strategy and of solutions. As President and CEO, he oversees the full spectrum of the company’s operations, from guiding its long-term vision to making sure every product meets the high standards he’s known for. But to Higgs, the real work happens in the space where vision meets execution.
He’s not the type of leader who stays parked behind a desk. Much of Global Care’s innovation, whether in digital health platforms or in groundbreaking medical devices, has his fingerprints on it. Higgs leads product development directly, driving the company’s digital health technology from idea to market.
“I don’t struggle with balancing vision and operations,” he says. “When your solution solves a problem that no one else has truly cracked, like interoperability, the market doesn’t ask if it will work. The question becomes when and how big.”
That clarity of purpose allows Higgs to move quickly and decisively. His approach is rooted in decades of engineering discipline, where every problem has a system, and every system can be improved. Whether he’s shaping strategy or refining software, he keeps one thing constant: solving real problems with measurable results.
A Digital Toolbox Designed to Bridge the Gaps
When Mr. Higgs founded ICUCare LLC. and Global Care International, his goal wasn’t just to create software. He wanted to fix what was broken in healthcare—especially the disconnect between patients, providers, and their records.
At the core of his solution is the Smart Health Benefits Card, a patented system that gives patients full control of their medical data. It’s portable, secure, and works across systems—a rare combination in today’s fragmented healthcare landscape.
Surrounding it is a lineup of tools that make digital care feel seamless. My Records Now is a personal EMR built for cloud and mobile use. ICMyDoctor brings structure to telehealth visits. For hospitals, there’s a Virtual EHR for both in-patient and ambulatory care, and a client-server version for larger setups.
Mobile tools like Check Vitals Now and platforms for precision medicine round out the suite. “We built what the system needed,” Higgs says. And in doing so, he’s making connected care a practical reality.
Making Systems Speak the Same Language
Interoperability has become a buzzword in healthcare. However, for Robert Higgs, it’s not a slogan. It’s a technical challenge that needs solving. And he’s done just that by building a system that connects platforms at their foundation: the database.
At the center of this system is a proprietary digital interface engine, developed by Global Care International. It acts as a universal translator, allowing all of their platforms to process medical data from different systems, even if they speak in completely different formats. Whether it’s C-CDA, CCD, CRR, or XML, the engine reads, understands, and organizes it in real time.
For markets with unique infrastructure, Global Care offers both cloud-based and client-based versions of the engine. These can be mapped directly to any other system at the database level, enabling smooth push-and-pull data exchanges without relying on third-party integrations.
And when it comes to security, there’s no gray area. All data, whether moving or stored, is encrypted. No shortcuts, no exceptions. Just clean, secure, and efficient communication between systems that were never designed to work together.
Breaking Myths, One Design Choice at a Time
Mr. Higgs has heard the same concerns about telehealth for years, and he understands where they come from. “Most providers believe telemedicine is limited,” he says. “They think it lacks access to a patient’s full history, so all they get are symptoms, not context.”
That kind of thinking, Higgs believes, is what holds digital care back.
To challenge it, he built a platform that does the exact opposite. Global Care International and ISeeYouCare bring a patient’s entire longitudinal medical record to the provider’s screen, whether the visit is virtual or in person. It’s not just a snapshot; it’s a full medical timeline that allows physicians to see both the result and the likely cause.
The second big misconception is that digital health requires tech-savvy users. Mr. Higgs made sure it doesn’t. “We designed every interface so that a fifth grader or an eighty-five-year-old could use it,” he says.
Built-in help buttons guide users step by step—before they even need to ask for help. For Higgs, smart design means fewer barriers and better care.
Progress Over Perfection
Mr. Higgs doesn’t define success by a headline or a single milestone. For him, success is more of a moving target—a checkpoint rather than a destination. “It’s a snapshot,” he says, “not the whole story. What matters more is whether we’re getting closer to the goal, and what needs to change to keep moving forward.”
Inside Global Care International and ISeeYouCare, that thinking shapes how teams operate. Success isn’t just about hitting numbers; it’s about knowing where you stand, adjusting when needed, and keeping the momentum alive.
Still, numbers matter. Mr. Higgs tracks performance through a mix of data points—sales figures, user engagement, global outreach, revenue, and cost of goods and services. These aren’t just financial metrics; they’re part of the feedback loop that guides product development and helps shape global strategy.
Each department reviews its own progress regularly, making room for small course corrections. For Higgs, that’s where real success lives—in the steady, thoughtful push toward better outcomes.
Breakthroughs That Save Lives
When you ask Higgs about the biggest moments in his career, he won’t start with a business deal or an award. He’ll start with a letter.
In 2013, the Nigerian Ministry of Health wrote to thank him. His company’s telemedicine system—eDoc Telehealth/EHR—had been deployed in Nasarawa State, connecting rural health centers with a larger tertiary hospital in Keffi. That connection, powered by digital tools and real-time data, saved the lives of 122 children who wouldn’t have otherwise received care. For Higgs, that letter wasn’t just a milestone. It was a reminder of why he started.
Of course, the path to that moment included its own share of breakthroughs. His first patented technology, which found applications in over a dozen industries across 26 countries, laid the foundation for the inventor he would become. Later, the Smart Health Benefit & Identity Card solved one of healthcare’s most complex challenges—interoperability. It now holds patents in seven countries. But for Higgs, nothing compares to saving a life, especially when it’s a child.
Pushing Against Resistance
For most of his career, Mr. Higgs worked in industries where innovation was welcomed, even expected. But when he turned his attention to the U.S. healthcare system, he hit a wall. “The biggest challenges I’ve faced have come in the last seventeen years,” he says. “And almost all of them stem from one thing: resistance to change.”
It wasn’t about the quality of the technology. His platforms made care safer, faster, and more connected. The problem was that better care sometimes meant lower revenue for those already profiting from the system. That kind of change—while good for patients—often came at a cost many weren’t willing to accept.
Instead of backing down, Higgs took a different path. He expanded internationally, focusing on federal and state-managed healthcare systems that measure success not by profit margins, but by outcomes, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In those settings, his technology wasn’t seen as a threat—it was welcomed as a solution. It’s a strategy that’s allowed him to keep building, even when the doors at home stayed closed.
A Final Mission with Global Impact
After decades of innovation, Mr. Higgs is preparing for what he calls his “final mission”—but it’s anything but small. Through Global Care International, he’s launching a philanthropic digital health initiative aimed at transforming care across the Americas and Africa.
At the heart of the plan is a bold offer:Mr. Higgs is gifting the company’s entire digital health ecosystem to interested countries under a perpetual, royalty-free license. In return, all he asks is a symbolic, one-time contribution of $1 per citizen. The idea isn’t about profit. It’s about legacy. “This is about building something that lasts,” Higgs says.
The initiative also includes 12 months of hands-on training and knowledge transfer, ensuring local health systems can adopt and run the technology independently. Once implemented, the platform will give countries a real-time, nationwide health data system—one that can generate non-identified population-level insights at the click of a button. For Mr. Higgs, it’s a way to close out his career by opening new doors for millions.
Balance Rooted in Love and the Outdoors
For Mr. Higgs, work-life balance isn’t something you schedule; it’s something you build over time, with the right person by your side. “I’ve been married to the woman of my dreams for fifty-four years,” he says. “Her understanding and support have made the long hours and sacrifices not just possible, but meaningful.”
Outside of the boardroom and the lab, Higgs finds his peace in nature. He’s been an outdoorsman for over five decades, with the rare opportunity to hunt and fish across three continents. Those experiences haven’t just been recreational; they’ve opened his eyes to remote parts of the world and to the realities of the people living there.
But more than anything, the outdoors has offered him space, space to reflect, pray, and recharge. “It’s where I’ve found relief from the pressure,” he says. In the stillness of the woods or by a quiet stream, Higgs doesn’t just escape from work. He reconnects with purpose.
Principles That Stand the Test of Time
Robert Higgs doesn’t believe in shortcuts, not in leadership, not in life. His approach has always been shaped by a clear set of values, refined through decades of hard work and lived experience.
“Passion will take you further than anything else,” he says. “If you know why you’re doing something, you’ll find the strength to keep going, even when it’s hard.”
That belief runs deep in everything he builds. Whether it’s pioneering a new technology or launching a global health initiative, Higgs leads with conviction. And he encourages others to do the same—regardless of where they come from or what obstacles stand in their way. “Never let anyone, not even your parents or your teachers, stop you from chasing your life’s work,” he says.
As a leader, he keeps it simple. “Don’t ask anyone to do what you wouldn’t do yourself.” It’s a principle that’s earned him trust, loyalty, and respect—and one that continues to guide him, even now.
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