ActiveHealth Management Announces Its Collaboration with CareSpark and Membership in the CareSpark RHIO Consortium
NEW YORK-Sept. 15, 2006-ActiveHealth's CareEngine® System to Serve as the Clinical Decision Support Technology for the CareSpark RHIO Initiative, Helping to Improve Care and Lower Costs
ActiveHealth Management (ActiveHealth®), a clinically-based, technologically-driven health management services company, today announced its collaboration with CareSpark and membership in the CareSpark RHIO Consortium. CareSpark is a regional health information organization (RHIO) dedicated to improving the quality of care and lowering health care costs in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. ActiveHealth will provide clinical decision support services to CareSpark from its patented CareEngine System starting in 2007.
CareEngine clinical decision support services will help CareSpark meet its mission of improved population health outcomes and financial savings. ActiveHealth's unique technology will enable CareSpark to aggregate disparate data sources and, for the first time, provide physicians in the community with evidence-based clinical alerts to help them and their patients make better care decisions. As a member of the CareSpark RHIO Consortium, ActiveHealth joins other local, regional, national and international organizations dedicated to furthering the exchange of health information between providers, payors, and other health care organizations in order to improve outcomes and quality of care across the region.
"What attracted CareSpark to ActiveHealth was their extensive data integration capabilities and clinical expertise," said CareSpark Executive Director Liesa Jenkins. "With ActiveHealth on board, we are confident that we can enhance the capabilities of providers and patients to make better-informed decisions, thereby improving outcomes and reducing unnecessary costs."
The development of RHIOs throughout the U.S. is a critical part of the Department of Health and Human Services goal to implement a national information network and create electronic health records for all Americans by 2014. CareSpark is one of twelve communities where demonstration prototypes for the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) are being developed.
ActiveHealth's proprietary technology platform, the CareEngine System, continuously compiles medical, pharmacy, laboratory and other data for enrolled individuals, then compares this information against established standards of care, such as those found in highly respected medical journals. The CareEngine issues patient-specific clinical alerts, called Care Considerations, upon discovery of an opportunity to improve care, avoid a gap in care or prevent a medical error. Care Considerations are sent to the treating physician and include specific references to medical literature. The CareEngine has been proven to significantly improve clinical outcomes, reduce medical errors and lower health care costs
"ActiveHealth shares the vision of RHIOs. We have demonstrated the value of data exchange for more than eight years, combining claims data from disparate payors, PBMs and labs into one system to drive better health decisions," said Lonny Reisman, MD, CEO of ActiveHealth. "It seemed natural for ActiveHealth to partner with CareSpark and put our existing technology and clinical intelligence to use in collaboration with the physicians and payors who have initiated this data-rich environment. We hope this serves as a model for other RHIOs and large scale health information exchange (HIE) initiatives."
ActiveHealth's technology has been proven to reduce hospitalizations and medical errors in a peer reviewed study published in the American Journal of Managed Care. The result of the study showed that paid claims were $8.07 less per member per month across the study population.
About CareSpark
CareSpark is a nonprofit organization established in 2005 after a comprehensive strategic planning process to develop and implement a collaborative system for health improvements in a 17-county region of northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. Working in partnership with local healthcare providers, employers, health insurers and government leaders, CareSpark has achieved visibility at state and national levels, sharing best practices for community-wide planning and collaboration.
About ActiveHealth Management
ActiveHealth Management is a technology-driven health management and data analytics company engaged by leading health plans, employers and government payors to help improve care for those most in need, prevent medical errors and reduce medical costs. Over 13 million patients nationwide have benefited from programs powered by ActiveHealth's patented CareEngine® System. ActiveHealth offers CareEngine Clinical Decision Support, Informed Care Management and customized programs, complemented by a full range of care management services, including case identification, case management and utilization management. The company's HDMS - Health Data Management Solutions - business provides data analytics and consulting services for payors, providers, and suppliers nationwide. Founded in 1998, ActiveHealth Management is headquartered in New York City with offices in Cleveland, Chicago, and Chantilly, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.activehealth.net.
Contacts
ActiveHealth Management
Oonagh Holt, 212-590-2623
oholt@activehealth.net
www.activehealth.net
or
CareSpark
Liesa Jenkins, 423-963-4208
ljenkins@carespark.com
www.carespark.com
