Press Releases
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield In Colorado Launches RelayHealth Service With Physician Health Partners
Secure Online Doctor-Patient Communication Program is first of its kind in Colorado; RelayHealth Program now in Five Leading Health Plans across Four States
Denver, CO and Emeryville, CA, March 02, 2004 — RelayHealth Corporation, the nation's premier provider of online doctor-patient communication services, today announced an agreement with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Colorado, a division of leading healthcare benefits company Anthem, Inc. (NYSE: ATH), to offer secure, online doctor-patient communication via the RelayHealth Service between its PPO and HMO members and their doctors associated with Physician Health Partners (PHP), a Denver-based primary care and specialty physician group.
RelayHealth offers Anthem members the safety and convenience of accessing their own doctors online for non-urgent matters. The HIPAA-ready RelayHealth communication service reduces hassles commonly associated with the telephone, and mitigates security risks inherent in traditional e-mail. By clinically structuring the interaction and offering built-in clinical workflow tools, RelayHealth saves time for patients and practices alike, boosting productivity and enabling better patient service.
In addition to using webVisits to get their doctors' help in managing chronic conditions and non-urgent symptoms, Anthem members may communicate with their doctors' offices via RelayHealth to take care of routine matters including appointment requests, prescription renewals, lab results, and simple messages.
With this agreement, Anthem becomes the first health plan in Colorado to support doctor-patient webVisits and the fifth Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate to introduce the RelayHealth webVisit benefit.
"At Anthem, we continuously look for innovative health programs that promote wellness and proactive care management, while improving the efficiency of care delivery," said Robert London, MD, Vice President of Health Care Management for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Colorado. "We believe online doctor-patient communication through the RelayHealth service helps fortify this pledge to our members and their physicians. By encouraging this type of secure, non-urgent communication using the RelayHealth channel, we hope to help our members and their doctors stay better connected around the management of non-urgent and chronic conditions—conditions that can prove catastrophic and costly if not effectively managed."
The Anthem program follows the October 2003 rollout of RelayHealth online services by Denver-based Physician Health Partners (PHP). A primary care and specialty physician-owned company, PHP physicians use RelayHealth to conduct webVisits, prescribe medications and authorize prescription refills, and to schedule appointments online.
The RelayHealth service is proving popular with our patients as a growing number of our practices begin offering the service" adds Jay Want, MD, chief executive officer of Physician Health Partners in Denver. "We are delighted to see Anthem join us in this innovative initiative to improve quality, care and service for our patients."
"We're honored to be working with leaders in healthcare quality and innovation like our clients at Anthem and PHP. The RelayHealth webVisit is now recognized as a reimbursed benefit by leading health plans in a growing number of states," said Giovanni Colella, MD, president, and chief executive officer of RelayHealth. "These early successes, combined with the recent AMA approval of a CPT code for online medical consultations, help pave the way for fundamental improvement in the efficiency and convenience of non-urgent healthcare communication and chronic care management."
In December 2003 the American Medical Association approved a reimbursement code, or CPT code, for online medical communications between doctors and patients that meet specific criteria, such as the webVisit. The code, which becomes effective July 1 of 2004, ensures submitted webVisit claims will be HIPAA-compliant—as HIPAA regulations mandate assignment of approved CPT codes—and underscores the growing acceptance of the Internet as a delivery vehicle for non-urgent care.
In fact, more than half of physicians surveyed preferred the RelayHealth webVisit to an in-office visit for non-urgent medical issues, as reported in an independent study conducted by university-based researchers at Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley. The study also found physician satisfaction ratings exceeded 90% among regular RelayHealth users; 95% of patients who received next-business-day replies gave RelayHealth a high rating for quality and convenience. In the independent analysis of healthcare claims, RelayHealth reduced office-visit claim costs by $1.92 per member per month, compared to a matched control group.
About Anthem
The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies provide health care benefits to more than 11.8 million people. Anthem's mission is to improve the health of the people it serves. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a subsidiary of Anthem, Inc. (NYSE: ATH); both are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Anthem is the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Colorado, Nevada, Maine and Virginia, excluding the immediate suburbs of Washington, D.C. More information about Anthem is available at www.anthem.com.
About Physician Health Partners
Physician Health Partners (PHP) is a health care risk-management company founded on the belief that physicians have the responsibility and the power to drive quality outcomes and more cost-efficient health care for their patients. As an integrated team of physicians and health care professionals, PHP administers systems and programs designed to support patient care throughout the health care continuum -- from preventive care to acute care. "The patient- physician relationship is the heart and soul of what we do. Given that connection, the PCP can treat, guide and facilitate care. We cut through system complexities and confusion and that means the right care can happen at the right place at the right time. And that's what we're all about," explains Kevin Fitzgerald, MD, Physician Health Partners Vice President of Medical Management and Broomfield Family Practice physician. For information, please go to www.phpmcs.com.
About RelayHealth Corporation
RelayHealth is the premier provider of secure online healthcare communication services linking patients, healthcare professionals, payors, and pharmacies. RelayHealth's Internet-based, doctor-patient communication platform connects doctors and their patients efficiently, affordably, and securely. Tuned for both the small and large group practice environment, 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 reimbursement. More secure and efficient than telephone or e-mail, RelayHealth combines HIPAA-ready secure messaging and eScript end-to-end electronic prescribing for the most seamless, comprehensive, and powerful communication platform available to healthcare professionals and their patients. For information, visit www.relayhealth.com.
