NEW YORK – When a physician meets with a patient, he/she expects to have all the latest information on hand, from the patient’s own personal health record to the latest information on standard medical procedures. Anything less could result in unnecessary and expensive tests or treatments, avoidable hospitalizations or even medical errors.
Today’s technology-intensive healthcare system allows physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers to have all that information at their fingertips – if it’s stored correctly and easily accessible. With that in mind, ActiveHealth Management has launched the second generation of its CareEngine System, real-time clinical decision support for healthcare providers.
“In today’s fragmented healthcare system, patient data is scattered among physicians, hospitals, lab companies and pharmacies. This fragmentation is at the heart of escalating health care costs, medical errors and avoidable hospitalizations,” said Lonny Reisman, MD, the company’s CEO. Clinical decision support “involves information exchange and analysis at the point-of-care,” putting all the information at the physician’s disposal during the patient’s visit.
Jeff Nadler, ActiveHealth’s chief technology officer, says the company is entering exciting territory in building a new platform for CareEngine, which was launched in 1998. He says the technology will integrate easily with personal health records and electronic medical records, as well as Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) and National Health Information Networks (NHINs).
“We absolutely are ready for real-time messaging and real-time clinical support,” he said.
According to a company press release, CareEngine continuously compiles medical, pharmacy, laboratory and other data for enrolled individuals, then compares that data to established standards of care, such as those found in respected medical guidelines. When it discovers an opportunity to improve care, avoid a gap in care or prevent a medical error, it issues a patient-specific clinical alert called a Care Consideration. That message is sent to both the patient and the physician.
Company officials say CareEngine’s clinical decision support will allow physicians to cut down on waste – wasted time and resources.
“This innovation squarely positions us for future growth and builds upon the goal of ActiveHealth – to lower costs to our clients by improving the quality of care members receive,” said Reisman.