Aetna released a new mobile service this week that allows doctors in Aetna’s Florida network to prescribe medication electronically via smartphone or tablet and receive care recommendations for their patients. The service is supported by NaviNet Mobile Connect and is free to Aetna subscribers.
NaviNet Mobile Connect subscribers will now receive "Care Considerations" alerts via email, phone and fax from a partner company called ActiveHealth Management. ActiveHealth Management’s system, called CareEngine, analyzes clinical data from patients and compares it to best practice guidelines. Doctors can view safety issues such as incompatible medications, view missed appointments, and simplify prescription orders.
“Access to patient and clinical information is critical for doctors to deliver high-quality, effective care. That’s why we’re putting integrated information into doctors’ hands when it’s most effective – when the doctor is in the exam room with the patient,” stated Bob Kropp, M.D., regional medical director for Aetna, in a press release.
Aetna launched an SMS service for diabetes management in May, and collaborated with Intel last year on a study examining remote monitoring of chronic heart failure patients.
Read the full press release after the jump.
Doctors participating in Aetna’s Florida network have two new tools in their virtual black bags: alerts to opportunities to improve care and e-prescribing services through a smartphone or tablet.
“Access to patient and clinical information is critical for doctors to deliver high-quality, effective care. That’s why we’re putting integrated information into doctors’ hands when it’s most effective – when the doctor is in the exam room with the patient”
The mobile alerts and e-prescribing services, supported by NaviNet Mobile Connect, are available at no cost to doctors participating in Aetna’s network.
Mobile technology is changing the way doctors deliver care. According to a 2010 study by Manhattan Research, by 2012, 81 percent of doctors will have adopted smartphones, and about half of this group will use their devices to support everyday administrative tasks in addition to coordinating patient care.
The new services enable doctors to access medical literature and clinical and patient information from Aetna’s claims while the doctors are with their patients. As a result, the quality and safety of care improves because doctors can:
Identify safety issues, such as medications that should not be taken at the same time
Talk with their patients about any missed test or checkups
Talk with their patients about care management programs that could help improve their health and help them understand how to enroll
Simplify and speed prescription orders, making it easier for members to pick up prescriptions immediately following their appointment, which helps ensure patients take the medications
“Access to patient and clinical information is critical for doctors to deliver high-quality, effective care. That’s why we’re putting integrated information into doctors’ hands when it’s most effective – when the doctor is in the exam room with the patient,” said Bob Kropp, M.D., regional medical director for Aetna.
How it works
ActiveHealth Management’s CareEngine® System reviews the available clinical data on patients and compares it to evidence-based guidelines. Doctors in Aetna’s Florida network who subscribe to NaviNet Mobile Connect will now receive Care Considerations, or alerts to opportunities to improve care, on their mobile device. The alerts currently are delivered by email, phone and fax. Doctors can discuss the alert during the patient visit and instantly notify the CareEngine that an action has been taken to close the gap in care.
The e-prescribing service not only speeds prescription orders, but also provides information about medications and patients’ health plan benefits. The integrated information helps doctors and patients have more effective discussions about treatment plans.
Aetna offers a variety of tools and capabilities that help health care professionals work more easily with Aetna and to care for their patients. Aetna’s full suite of provider solutions, including mobile-enabled information, helps doctors make immediate, more informed health care decisions.
About Aetna
Aetna (NYSE:AET) is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.5 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.
