Press Releases
HMO PATIENTS CAN CONTACT THEIR DOCTORS ELECTRONICALLY AS BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA EXPANDS
ONLINE COMMUNICATION SERVICES
New contract with RelayHealth Offers Secure Doctor-Patient Online Communication to Major Medical Groups and IPAs
Emeryville, CA, October 29, 2003 — To help its members get answers to their medical questions more quickly, Blue Shield of California is extending its physician-patient online communications' services to a segment of its HMO members and their providers. Effective immediately, thousands of Blue Shield of California HMO members will have the opportunity to conduct online communications with their Blue Shield of California HMO providers who have enrolled in the program. Some of the new participating groups include Northern California-based Hill Physicians Medical Group and University of California Davis Health System. This program, the largest of its kind and the first to target HMO populations, is made available through RelayHealth, a clinical online communication service provider that gives providers and their patients an opportunity to communicate securely over the Internet.
This expansion of the RelayHealth program to additional Blue Shield network providers and members comes as market demand grows for solutions that improve cost-efficiencies and convenience in healthcare delivery, while protecting patient privacy - as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
"Blue Shield is committed to investing in technology that improves patient care," commented David Joyner, senior vice president of network management. "RelayHealth facilitates cost-effective, convenient communication between physicians and our members in a very safe and secure environment."
RelayHealth enables consumers to communicate with their physicians through secure Internet connections for appointments, medical refills, lab results and other routine communications as well as non-urgent medical consultations (webVisits®). Doctors may prescribe medications online for their patients through RelayHealth eScripts and receive automatic eligibility checking, copayment collection, and claims submission for webVisits conducted with participating health plan members.
According to Steve McDermott, chief executive officer at Hill Physicians Medical Group, the RelayHealth program through Blue Shield reflects the medical group's commitment to improving service through electronic innovation. "We're very excited to be introducing a technology that will improve the member and physician experience, reduce the cost of care, and maximize efficiencies for everyone involved."
Hill Physicians joins providers from other medical groups and IPAs in California, including UC Davis Health System, that are committed to investing in technology that benefits physicians and improves members' experience. UC Davis Health System has been engaged with RelayHealth since its initial pilot program in 2001 with positive results from patients and medical practices. As reported in the May/June 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, patients in the pilot program reported high levels of satisfaction, while physicians were pleased with improved doctor-patient communications.
"Our entire primary care network now uses the Web messaging service to streamline patient-physician communication," says Tom Tintsman, MD, UC Davis Health System associate director for clinical information systems. "It supports our mission of improving patient access, care and safety through deployment of innovative technologies."
Consumer responseNumerous national surveys have recently indicated that most consumers with Internet access are anxious to communicate online with their doctors - and a growing number would switch health plans or physicians for online access.
San Francisco-based mechanical engineer Sam Truslow, a patient who has used RelayHealth to communicate with his physician for more than a year, says RelayHealth has improved his relationship with his doctor.
"Now I don't have to wait weeks for an appointment, then wait hours in the waiting room," Truslow says. "In a few minutes, from my home, I can send a question to my doctor about managing my back pain, adjusting my prescription dosage or requesting a refill - and get an answer quickly."
An independent study conducted by university-based researchers at Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley in 2002 found that physician satisfaction ratings exceeded 90% among regular RelayHealth users; more than half of physicians surveyed preferred the webVisit to an in-office visit for non-urgent medical issues; and more than 70 percent of patients gave RelayHealth a high rating for convenience and ease. The webVisit study also found that RelayHealth reduced office-visit claim costs by $1.92 per member per month.
"RelayHealth has given me a valuable alternative communication channel that helps me provide responsive care to my patients," says Dr. Jack Jue, a UC Davis Health System provider. "Now I can deliver better care, while saving time."
About Blue Shield of California
Founded in 1939, Blue Shield of California is one of the state's leading healthcare companies.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the not-for-profit corporation has more than 2.7 million
members, 4,200 employees and more than 20 office locations throughout California. For more
information on Blue Shield, visit the company's Web site at www.mylifepath.com
About RelayHealth Corporation
RelayHealth is the leading provider of secure online healthcare communication services linking
patients, healthcare professionals, payors, and pharmacies. The RelayHealth® service
improves and streamlines healthcare delivery and access through modular features like the
webVisit® clinical consultation which tackle complex issues unique to healthcare,
including clinical structure, practice workflow, and payor reimbursement. More secure and
efficient than telephone or e-mail, RelayHealth combines HIPAA-ready messaging and eScript end-to-end
electronic prescribing for to offer a seamless, comprehensive messaging platform available
to healthcare professionals and their patients. For information, visit www.relayhealth.com
