Healthcare Interchange, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri
Highlights:
A personal internet communicator system that provides clinical data to physicians at the point of care.
Background:
Founded in 1991, Healthcare Interchange, Inc. is a joint venture involving two major Missouri health insurers and two managed health care companies. Since its inception, Healthcare Interchange's mission has been to provide effective solutions to a growing problem: the large amount of paperwork associated with health care administration and its mounting costs.
As part of the nation's first shared health data networks, Healthcare Interchange is a vital link between providers, managed care companies and major insurance carriers. The company is setting the standards for easier ways of conducting healthcare business by using innovative network solutions. Healthcare Interchange's customers are area hospitals, physicians and managed care organizations across the nation.
In August 1995, Healthcare Interchange teamed up with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of the Rochester Area (BCBSRA) in New York to develop the Physician Intelligent Communicator -- a wireless, hand-held, personal internet communicator (PIC) system -- that would enable physicians to access clinical data at the point of care.
The technology will provide physicians with: immediate, in-the-hand, access to medical references, including ICD9 codes and CPT codes; pharmaceutical formularies and drug interactions; and e-mail capabilities. The product is currently in testing.
Application:
Two-way communication services will be provided by the Ardis Wireless Network using the Magic Cap-based Envoy Personal Communicator from Motorola. By eliminating wires, the Physician Intelligent Communicator gives physicians unlimited access to immediate medical information and can be used almost anywhere: at home, across town, or in another city.
The initial applications being developed will allow a physician to fill out a prescription using a formulary, send the prescription to be validated against several drug interaction applications, and forward the prescription to a mail order company.
Features being developed for future releases include a complete suite of medical treatment transactions designed to streamline the requirements for treating patients in a managed care environment. Additional functionality such as patient insurance eligibility and referral, outpatient and inpatient inquiry authorization, and complete real-time, third-party authorization are all planned for future releases.
"We believe the Physician Intelligent Communicator has tremendous potential to provide real-time management of medical costs and outcomes, all accessed with a device which can be carried in the physician's pocket," said John Romer, president of Healthcare Interchange.
Benefits:
- Makes the physician's practice more efficient and convenient, by providing them with access to medical information anytime, anywhere.
- Eliminates duplicate testing, saving the physician both money and time.
For more information:
Dan Kruessel
Healthcare Interchange, Inc.
(314) 632-6024