Chronic Disease Management with SPINN
White Pine Systems, LLC, offers a unique solution that meets the emerging need for improved communication between health care providers and their patients and families. This goes to the core of President Obama's health information technology funding initiatives. We have combined SPINNphr (www.SPINNphr.com), our interoperable Personal Health Record system built on the Microsoft HealthVault, with AviTracks (www.avicenna-medical.com), an established clinical decision support tool developed at the University of Michigan Hospital, to create an integrated outpatient communication system to improve outcomes and reduce cost. If you already have an installed chronic disease management clinical support tool, we can link to it instead.
When discussing chronic disease management and PHRs, the conversation always comes back to the question of the unique ROI for our customers/partners (principally healthcare providers). The underlying market condition is the present focus on engaging the patient to improve care in the management of chronic medical conditions. As one example, Medicare no longer pays for hospital re-admittance within 30 days of discharge. Essentially, Medicare is saying that if you can't stabilize a patient so he/she can stay out of the hospital for at least 30 days, they are not paying you again to get it right. This is having a monumental impact on the hospital community. It forces hospitals and physicians to remain far more actively engaged with the patient and the patient's family after discharge. While some level of interaction with patients has always been present, these new rules force hospitals to play a much bigger role for patients not only in transition from in-patient to out-patient, but in an on-going program to manage chronic medical conditions.
This is a pretty new approach but the value proposition is becoming increasingly clear, especially for hospitals: Figure out how to cost effectively improve communication with patients once they are discharged or absorb a considerable loss for re-admitting the patient. In the end, it is the same set of value propositions we see in all technology sales:
- Reduce operating cost, primarily by reducing the number of staff nurses or nurse navigators needed to monitor and communicate with patients and their families by increasing efficiency;
- Lower the risk of costly re-admission by identifying patients that are showing signs of problems and interceding earlier, before the condition requires hospitalization; and
- Increase revenue, by improving customer satisfaction--giving new value to patients and their families through better communication and improved technologies.
While the federal government is still a few months away from finalizing the criteria for funding under the recent ARRA and HITECH legislation, (for example the definition of "meaningful use" for electronic medical records), one thing is clear: engaging the patient and his or her family will be key. SPINNphr is ideally positioned to participate in this funding opportunity.
We have written several short papers that are receiving considerable attention. The first presents an ROI framework for Outpatient Management of Congestive Heart Failure. This is one of those papers where everyone challenges one assumption or another, but the end conclusion is about the same: Improving communication with patients is key to improving healthcare and reducing costs. Request CHF ROI white paper.
The next paper is the actual CHF Pilot Overview. This has led to discussions with hospitals that are leaders for near-term pilots involving congestive heart failure and anticoagulation therapy. Request CHF white paper.
Our most recent white paper deals with an emerging opportunity involving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This comes from an introduction by a Fortune 100 company to one of the nation’s largest hospitals. They had read our CHF paper and asked if we could extend that to cover oncology, not just in the treatment but even earlier--at the diagnosis phase, all centered on the notion of a nurse navigator to coordinate care. The early response at this hospital has been tremendous. Request Oncology white paper.
The reality of integrating Chronic Disease Management at the Care Unit level with personal health records to better manage outpatient recovery and ongoing health is now a reality. White Pine Systems has experience and focus on many conditions, including CHF, Diabetes, Oncology, problem Pregnancy and Obesity. Please contact us for further information!