Press Releases
PATIENT WEBVISIT® DEBUTS; CONNECTICUT DOCTORS PILOT WIN-WIN TECHNOLOGY
Healinx™ Patient-Physician Communication Service First to Provide Convenient, Secure, Patient E-visits While Enhancing Physician Workflow Flexibility and Creating New Mechanism for Physician Reimbursement
Hartford, CT, May 8, 2001 -- ConnectiCare, Inc. a Connecticut corporation that offers healthcare benefits to eligible individuals enrolled in ConnectiCare's healthcare plans, and ProHealth Physicians, the largest group practice of primary care physicians in Connecticut, will begin to pilot the new Healinx webVisit™ technology. The webVisit™ is a non-urgent, structured clinical consultation between a patient and his or her established physician, with the goal of improving patient care and satisfaction, enhancing the doctor-patient relationship, and making healthcare more accessible to patients.
Crowded patient waiting rooms may become a sign of the past as electronic communications offer physicians and their patients a new way to quickly, confidentially, and effectively resolve routine or minor health issues through use of the webVisit™. Until now, doctors needed to physically "see" their patients to diagnose the common cold or issue a prescription, often resulting in inconvenient, long office waits for patients and overbooked schedules for physicians.
The new technology will be able to link more than 36,000 members of ConnectiCare and upward of 160 doctors and their staff in ProHealth's network through Healinx™'s webVisit™ feature. California-based Healinx Corporation, creator of the webVisit™, is the leading provider of secure Web-based, doctor-patient communication.
The webVisit™ technology moves far beyond e-mail to replace an office visit or phone consultation for routine follow-up, preventive and some non-urgent care. With all the benefits of e-mail, the webVisit™ also adds features unavailable to e-mail users: security, clinically structured questions, workflow flexibility, and a mechanism for physician reimbursement. The webVisit™ begins with the patient logging on to the service through either the ProHealth Physicians website [www.prohealthmd.com] or through Healinx's site [www.relayhealth.com]. Patients then describe their symptoms using an interactive interview that transforms the patient's communication of symptoms and problems into a complete, concise narrative for the doctor.
"Our goal is to maximize convenience and quality of care for patients and providers," said Giovanni Colella, MD, president and chief executive officer of Healinx. "Through this strategic partnership, an additional 25,000 physicians and their patients will have access to the Healinx service."
"Our patients are our first priority, and tools like the webVisit help us to leverage our Internet strategy to maximize convenience and quality of patient care," said Jim Cox-Chapman, MD, chief medical officer of ProHealth. "The Healinx™ service also allows doctors to reduce administrative costs and streamline office efficiency by providing online prescribing and prescription renewals, as well as online appointment request capabilities," Cox-Chapman added.
Physician Reimbursement
As one of the first health plans in the country to pilot this system, ConnectiCare will reimburse
ProHealth for each webVisitT conducted by a ProHealth physician for eligible ConnectiCare
members. ConnectiCare members will be charged a modest co-payment for each webVisitT.
"Reimbursement is a unique and important feature of our service, which makes online communication more feasible and convenient for traditional healthcare providers," said Giovanni Colella, MD, president and chief executive officer of Healinx. "The webVisitT provides an additional channel for communication and clinical care and supplies a mechanism for physician reimbursement for the time spent with patients online," Colella added.
To evaluate the benefits of the Healinx service, including the webVisitT, in terms of patient satisfaction and efficiency gains, ConnectiCare, ProHealth and Healinx will jointly conduct the pilot program that will run for approximately one year beginning in May 2001.
"The Healinx webVisit™ is aligned with our goals to boost patient satisfaction and increase access to care," said Paul Bluestein, chief medical officer, ConnectiCare, Inc. "We will be evaluating patient and doctor satisfaction with the webVisit™ to determine the value of online doctor-patient communication services. This new medical communications platform is the cutting edge of millenium medicine and ConnectiCare is proud to be among the leaders in introducing it," Bluestein added.
ConnectiCare, Inc.
ConnectiCare is a Connecticut corporation that offers health plans serving approximately 260,000
members in Connecticut and western Massachusetts either directly or through its affiliate,
ConnectiCare of Massachusetts, Inc. ConnectiCare has been recognized as one of the highest
rated health plans by Newsweek, U.S. News and World Reports, J.D. Powers, and received accreditation
with excellence by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). For more information
visit www.connecticare.com.
ProHealth Physicians
ProHealth is an organization of over 80 primary care practices in Connecticut treating over
300,000 patients each year. ProHealth is actively pursuing ways in which the Internet can
improve the health of its patients and the lives of its approximately 160 physicians. ProHealth
strives to use new technologies to improve both the quality and convenience of care to its
patients, as well as to reduce administrative costs. For more information visit www.prohealthmd.com.
About Healinx
Healinx Corporation is the premier provider of Web-based, doctor-patient communication services.
The Healinx system enables secure, clinically structured, and auditable communications between
doctors and patients. Healinx earned this position by using state-of-the-art technology,
strategic relationships, and a unique understanding of the needs of doctors and consumers.
Healinx helps doctors address their need to recoup income while providing efficient, secure
online services to their patients. At the same time, Healinx offers patients convenience
and access -- the convenience of communicating directly with their physicians at anytime
from anyplace. By streamlining the doctor-patient relationship, Healinx enables payers to
improve member satisfaction and retention and reduce their exposure to rising healthcare
costs. For information, visit www.relayhealth.com.
