Aug 21 2009
MEDSEEK, the leading provider of healthcare enterprise portal connectivity solutions, announced today that Adena Health System is expanding the capabilities of its existing MEDSEEK-powered eHealth ecoSystem to include additional services that will allow it to remain competitive in a rapidly changing healthcare market. The additional eHealth functionality will meet the increasing demands of today’s consumers, further enhance patient satisfaction and solve complex patient referral problems for its community physicians, ultimately improving the delivery and reducing the cost of care.
Adena Health System, an innovative, community-centered two-hospital system in Chillicothe, Ohio, first partnered with MEDSEEK in 2008 to implement clinical and patient portals for its “Year of the Physician” initiative. The successful project delivered an eHealth ecoSystem for Adena that has improved clinical decision making, physician convenience and the patient experience. “Partnering with MEDSEEK to develop and enhance our website portals has been an important relationship that supports our promise to be at the forefront of medicine," says Marcus Bost, Chief Information Officer at Adena Health System. "Through our efforts with MEDSEEK, we have the opportunity to provide the latest and greatest website technical advancements possible to our patients and the community."
Adena is improving the patient experience by bringing cost transparency to its patient portal. Patients will soon be able to view their estimated out-of-pocket expenses for medical tests or procedures, prior to services being rendered. MEDSEEK’s eCost Estimator solution communicates seamlessly with the patient’s insurance provider to determine contracted payment amount, any deductible the patient may need to meet and any applicable co-pay, providing the patient with the estimated out-of-pocket cost securely and conveniently through the patient portal.
The health system is also working with MEDSEEK to improve the delivery and cost of care by automating the referral process for physicians. The added functionality automates the labor-intensive and costly process by which physicians today refer patients to Adena for services or procedures. The existing manual, open-ended referral process can compromise patient care, providing no assurance that appropriate follow-up care will take place or occur in a reasonable time frame. The new automated system will make it fast and simple for clinicians or their staff to electronically route all the required patient information to the appropriate provider and will also allow for real-time appointment scheduling.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to improving physician satisfaction, Adena Health System is implementing technology that makes it easy for community physicians to treat patients at our facilities,” remarked Bost. “MEDSEEK’s solutions will allow us to enhance our current eHealth capabilities, physician relations, and further enrich patient loyalty and satisfaction.”
Peter Kuhn, MEDSEEK’s CEO, explained, “Adena is a great example of how to successfully create value and loyalty with physicians and patients. Adena has embraced our solutions and implemented an eHealth ecoSystem that has improved workflow for its physicians; enhanced physicians’ ability to provide quality care; and empowered patients with convenient access to medical data, the ability to pay bills online, consult with practitioners, and more."
Kuhn continued, “This is how we enable eHealth: We bring proven technologies and professional services together in meaningful ways to engage all stakeholders in healthcare and enhance the user experience.”
www.adena.org
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