SEATTLE, March 26 /PRNewswire/ — More than 1,000 leading payors, hospitals and providers are accessing updated clinical decision-support resources with release of the evidence-based Milliman Care Guidelines(R) 12th Edition.
In addition to clinical content changes made for the 12th Edition, Milliman Care Guidelines also has added or improved clinical workflow software, and expanded software integration efforts with 25 Strategic Alliance Partners for 2008. To help clients gain full benefit from the updated clinical guidelines and tools, the company also has enhanced training resources.
Used by seven of the country’s ten largest managed care organizations, the annually updated Care Guidelines product line spans the continuum of care, including behavioral health and management of chronic conditions, all delivered within robust, interactive software. The 12th Edition expands outpatient authorization criteria and evidence summaries; adds new inpatient guidelines and education information, and updates chronic patient education material in English and Spanish.
New Integrations, Improved Software and Access
The Care Guidelines are integrated with nearly 30 care management programs from 25 Strategic Alliance Partners. This year, clients can expect expanded integrated solutions from TriZetto(R), MEDecision(R), SHPS and McKesson. Also coming are integrations with programs from Allscripts, CaseNet(R), Click4Care, Canopy(R), MIDAS+(TM), Gaudette International Corporation, and 3M, among others.
Milliman’s CareWebQI(R) software, now with interactive access to all seven Care Guidelines products, can be locally installed and integrated with other systems to document patient care in electronic health records. Guidelines can now be modified, and variance categories, discharge status and levels of care customized, to fit local resources, practice patterns and protocols.
In addition, handheld access is now available for the Recovery Facility Care and Home Care products, allowing users to access five Care Guidelines products at the patient’s bedside.
Expanded Clinical Coverage
Milliman Care Guidelines clinical editors reviewed more than 100,000 articles, trials and other evidence from sources worldwide during the guideline development process. The 12th Edition includes some 14,000 references in the expanded seven-product Care Guidelines series. Product changes that may significantly increase the Care Guidelines impact on patient outcomes, and usability in a clinical setting, include:
-- Behavioral Health Management -- The Behavioral Health Guidelines include 15 guideline groups, each containing detailed criteria for five levels of care, including admission and discharge. This new product helps to integrate behavioral health with other in-house medical management and avoid inappropriate care and under-diagnosis. -- Expanded Outpatient Authorization Criteria and Tools -- Twenty-one new Ambulatory Care authorization guidelines cover procedures, diagnostic tests, imaging studies and injectables. Imaging criteria now include seven CT angiography guidelines, and 12 new injectable guidelines have been added. -- Access to Outpatient Evidence -- Evidence summaries enhance access to clinical evidence cited in Ambulatory Care criteria. These interpretive synopses of best-practice evidence explain the basis for key authorization guideline statements. -- New Inpatient Guidelines and Education Information -- The Inpatient and Surgical Care product adds a number of new guideline topics, such as shoulder arthroplasty and central venous catheter complications. Enhanced content also helps healthcare providers to develop education and information programs for patients. On-Demand Training and Expanded Access
On-demand training, coming later this year, will give users convenient, interactive, modules to learn basic guideline applications. Expanded training opportunities in 2008 will include advanced training content, monthly web- based sessions for medical directors hosted by our physician editors, and more than 200 scheduled web seminars.
Milliman Care Guidelines
Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, is headquartered in Seattle, and independently develops and licenses evidence-based clinical guidelines and a variety of software options that are used to support the care of more than one in three Americans. Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians, and includes Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care, General Recovery Guidelines, Recovery Facility Care, Home Care, Chronic Care Guidelines and Behavioral Health Guidelines. For more information, visit http://www.careguidelines.com/
Milliman Care Guidelines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, which serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, and union organizations. Founded in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company has 48 offices in principal cities in the United States and worldwide. Milliman employs more than 2,000 people, including a professional staff of more than 900 qualified consultants and actuaries. The firm has consulting practices in employee benefits, healthcare, life insurance/financial services, and property & casualty insurance. For more information, visit http://www.milliman.com/.
Milliman Care Guidelines
CONTACT: Scott Harris, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing ofMilliman Care Guidelines, +1-206-381-8160, Cell, +1-480-203-7268,[email protected]
Web site: http://www.milliman.com/http://www.careguidelines.com/
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