In response to customer demand for a better way to interact with patients in an increasingly self-service climate, GE Healthcare today introduced Centricity Patient Online 13. Centricity Patient Online is a flexible, scalable, and highly configurable patient portal designed for large healthcare organizations. By extending the provider workflow to the patient's home with a range of easy-to-use self-service tools, Patient Online enhances patient communications, optimizes staff and provider productivity, and can help strengthen the provider's market and competitive position. It helps customers meet Meaningful Use Stage 1 patient and family engagement criteria and prepare them for expected Stage 2 requirements.
“Patient Online enables greater health engagement by giving people access to lab test results, allowing people to know their numbers, and to make appointments and pay health care bills online.”
In fact, during this challenging time in healthcare, GE Healthcare's Centricity Patient Online may be just what the doctor ordered. With Patient Online 13, patients can connect with their healthcare providers through the Web or their mobile device to schedule appointments, pay bills, manage health information, complete pre-visit forms, send secure messages, begin an eVisit and respond to alerts and reminders sent by the practice.
"This release continues to advance Patient Online as one of the leading patient portal products," said Denise Cuddeback, assistant vice president at Carolinas Physician Network, where the implementation of Patient Online's direct scheduling features have reduced the network's no-show rate to 1% for appointments directly scheduled through the portal. "The features in this release include impressive workflow enhancements, improved bi-directional patient communication and patient-directed security controls."
A key focus of healthcare reforms, including Meaningful Use, Patient-Centered Medical Home, and Accountable Care Organizations, is to ensure that individuals and families are engaged as partners in their care. The end goal is improved clinical outcomes, and, ultimately, reduced costs to the system as a whole. A tethered patient portal, such as Patient Online, is a key to the evolution of care.
"Studies have shown that people who are more engaged with their health care may experience better health outcomes," said Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, health economist and analyst who writes with the blog Health Populi. "Patient Online enables greater health engagement by giving people access to lab test results, allowing people to know their numbers, and to make appointments and pay health care bills online."
A result of continual customer collaboration, Patient Online 13 offers the tightest connection of any patient portal with GE's market-leading Centricity Business revenue cycle management solution and interoperability with virtually any standards-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
"Fletcher Allen Health Care's MyHealth Online portal is an incredibly powerful tool," said Chuck Podesta, Chief Information Officer at Fletcher Allen Health Care, where GE's Patient Online has been in use since June 2011. "Patient Online allows for flexible integration and, as a result, we have been able to leverage the administrative, financial, and clinical patient workflows through a single user interface at FAHC. The patient response is incredible and, since it fits right into the existing workflows, our staff loves it, too."
Healthcare organizations today are facing unprecedented fiscal challenges. To balance their budgets, many are now searching for cost-effective and efficient alternatives to budget-busters like postal mail for pre-visit forms, appointment and preventative screening reminders, and large call centers with long hold times, high drop rates, and non-stop telephone tag.
"This product is well positioned for today's medical environment," said Michael Friguletto, vice president and general manager of GE Healthcare IT. "We look forward to helping our customers reduce costs, increase access and enhance the quality of care they're able to provide their patients. When patients demand 24/7 access and interactivity with their providers and their medical records, it's a great time to be in healthcare."
GE Healthcare will demonstrate the capabilities of Centricity Patient Online 13 at the HIMSS conference at the Venetian Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas, booth 2635.
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