Press Releases

Patients at St. John Health Connect with Physicians Online

McKesson's RelayHealth Service Enables Patients to Efficiently Manage Their Healthcare Online

Warren, MI , December 13, 2006  — Patients of Dr. Braswell Deen don't have to visit his office as often — instead, they can choose to visit him online. This fall, Deighton Family Practice, part of St. John Health, began offering patients direct online access to their physician and staff through RelayHealth, a secure, Web-enabled, healthcare communication service from McKesson that connects physicians with their patients, other providers and payors to create an online healthcare community. Patients of participating physicians can go to www.mydeightondoc.com and communicate with their physician, receive clinical care advice and management, schedule appointments, request lab results or medication renewals, and update their personal health records.

Patients who want to consult directly with their physician for non-urgent clinical care can use a webVisit® secure, online consultation, which guides them through an easy, interactive clinical interview to gather key data about their symptoms. Currently the RelayHealth service enables 150 types of webVisit consultations, including treatment for known allergies, diabetes and other chronic conditions.

Once a patient completes the webVisit interview, his or her information is relayed to the physician, who can then provide advice or answer questions electronically, reducing back-and-forth communication. Patients can access their sent and received messages at any time for easy, online reference, and physician practices can document the webVisit in the patient's chart to ensure complete recordkeeping. A growing number of health plans recognize the value of reimbursing physicians for online medical evaluations, and the corresponding American Medical Association's CPT code demonstrates industry endorsement of webVisits.

"The questions are the same as those you would answer in person," said patient Tonia Dimbo of Southfield, Michigan. "Dr. Deen responded to my concerns a few hours after I entered my information online. He even included a prescription with his response. I sent my prescription to the pharmacy with a click of the mouse and was amazed to find that it was ready for pickup the same afternoon. Everything was done in a matter of hours."

Patients visiting the Deighton Family Practice office can save even more time by completing a pre-visit questionnaire about their symptoms and personal and family medical history. The information becomes part of their secure RelayHealth Personal Health Record (PHR), which is accessible by patients, authorized staff and physicians. "Our patients can access their healthcare information from anywhere using an Internet connection, and they can print records that include medications, allergies, immunizations and other health information at any time, from any location said Dr. Deen. "What's more, they can share their information with other doctors, which leads to more efficient and better care."

Patients across the country have voiced a strong desire to manage their healthcare online. According to a September 2006 survey conducted by Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive of more than 2,600 adults, 74% would like to communicate directly with their doctor online, and 77% would like reminders via e-mail from their doctor when they are due for medical care. The majority of survey respondents would select a physician based on whether he or she uses communications technology in their practice.

"Online care provides a good opportunity to strengthen the doctor-patient relationship," said Dr. Deen. "Patients can take their time to thoughtfully answer questions at their own pace, and our communications and healthcare information are automatically documented. Having that data at my fingertips helps me deliver follow-up care that's convenient and cost effective."

By tailoring communications to specific groups of patients based on healthcare needs such as diabetes or new mothers, Deighton Family Practice can deliver preventive care reminders urging patients to adhere to treatments, or requesting them to take diagnostic tests. "Our goal is to improve clinical outcomes, as well as patient access to care and satisfaction with our service,"said Dr. Deen.

Deighton Family Practice is one of the clinics within St. John Health that is planning to implement e-Care, a custom version of the Cerner PowerChart® EHR. Because McKesson's RelayHealth service interoperates with Cerner, clinical messages can be charted easily in the patient's EHR, and physicians can access the RelayHealth service directly from their EHR.

"St. John Health is demonstrating its commitment to keep the consumer at the center of the delivery of care, and we are honored to be working with this excellent organization," said Giovanni Colella, M.D., president and general manager of Consumer Solutions, McKesson Provider Technologies.

"As the industry places greater focus on the role that consumers play in managing their healthcare experiences, it's important to provide them with convenient tools such as the webVisit."

About St. John Health

St. John Health is the largest provider of inpatient care in Southeast Michigan and one of the largest employers in metro Detroit. St. John Health provides comprehensive prevention, primary care and advanced treatment programs with more than 125 medical centers, and nine hospitals spanning five counties.

About McKesson
McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK), currently ranked 16th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. Over the course of its 174-year history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare, and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information: http://www.mckesson.com.