Allows for Confirmed Follow-Up Appointments
BROOKFIELD, WI. – September 21, 2010 — My Health Direct has signed an agreement with the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange (WHIE), effective as of July 1, 2010, which will allow Milwaukee area individuals who have used hospital emergency departments to access primary care follow-up appointments in the community.
The contract will benefit Milwaukee area residents who are in need of follow-up appointments post-emergency care. The primary goals of this agreement are to reduce emergency department overcrowding, reduce inappropriate use of hospital emergency departments and to promote primary medical homes. The My Health Direct solution connects individuals with appointments that are timely and close to home. “We are very excited to be part of the WHIE’s highly successful deployment here in Milwaukee,” says My Health Direct CEO Jay Mason. “Helping direct patients to the right clinical location at the right time is what our company is all about. Through this relationship with the WHIE, we will make a significant impact on improving access to care and clinical outcomes.”
Joy Tapper, Executive Director of Milwaukee Healthcare Partnership, noted, “The My Health Direct scheduling solution allows Milwaukee health systems to schedule same-day or next-day appointments for emergency department patients who would benefit from a follow-up primary care visit. The scheduling system plays an important role in our community-wide initiative to connect patients with medical homes, improve health outcomes and reduce avoidable ED visits and associated expenses.”
Among the participating hospitals are: Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, Aurora St. Luke’s South Shore, Aurora West Allis Medical Center, Froedtert & Community Health, Inc., Columbia St. Mary’s, Wheaton Franciscan – St. Joseph, and Wheaton Franciscan – St. Francis. All but the Wheaton hospitals have been using MHD for the last few years.
“Communities all around the country are looking at new ways to work together to improve health outcomes. Milwaukee can serve as an excellent example through the work of the WHIE,” states Mason.
My Health Direct, Inc. was founded in 2006 with the mission of transforming the health care delivery system by seamlessly connecting providers and consumers of health care appointments in a community-wide, competitive, web-based marketplace. Today, My Health Direct is a healthcare information technology company that offers a comprehensive, community oriented solution for real-time searching, comparing and scheduling of health care services. My Health Direct’s web-based platform engages all stakeholders in a community and creates interoperability of systems across multiple platforms to allow for coordinated access to care as a solution to the fragmented approach that would otherwise exist.
For more information and interviews contact:
Christine Brenneman
Executive Assistant
262.787.3430
cbrenneman@myhealthdirect.com
www.myhealthdirect.com
###
