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EVMS Health Services Delivers Personal Health Records

Posted on: Wednesday, 1 November 2006, 18:00 CST

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. and SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- EVMS Health Services is launching a new online service that includes a transportable personal health record for all patients; leading the effort in the Hampton Roads area to empower Americans with their own health records. The new service, called "iHealth," is being delivered in collaboration with U.S. medical societies and other healthcare leaders, and fulfills the President's call for a personal electronic health record for every American. EVMS Health Services is the first healthcare organization in the Hampton Roads area to offer this new patient-centered service.

According to an October, 2005 Manhattan Research study, tens of millions of Americans want a personal health record, while other national surveys confirm that consumers want these services from their own doctors. Personal health records are also seen as a top national priority by HHS, Medicare and Congress, which recently introduced federal legislation called the Personal Health Information Act (HR 6289) authored by Congressman Kennedy. "We see and understand the needs of our patients to be more involved with their care and the care of their families," stated Dr. Richard Bikowski, M.D. "and our new PHR service is in sync with the national agenda to empower consumers with personal health records."

EVMS Health Services and the iHealth suite of services will launch in December 2006, to provide area patients and consumers with a secure online personal health record, and the ability to share this record with their doctors, family members, or in case of emergency. The service also includes automated education programs that are specific to the patient's conditions and medications, patient-physician secure email and same-day FDA medication warnings and recalls. The patient controls access to the information in the iHealthRecord, but is able to integrate with other important sources of information such as the EVMS Health Services physicians' electronic medical records.

"We are thrilled to offer this important new service to our community, particularly for moms, working women and others who juggle the health responsibilities for kids, spouses, aging parents and other loved ones," noted EVMS Health Services CEO, Jim Lind, "For too long, important, emergent medical care has relied upon the patient's memory, incomplete communication and a clipboard. Our patients will be very pleased with this new level of service and we see the iHealthRecord as a critical step forward in improving the care and health of those who live in the Hampton Roads area."

"Enhanced consumer engagement in their health, improved healthcare efficiency and elimination of the medical clipboard as the primary means for exchanging patient information are concepts upon which the government and healthcare industry have focused," added Edward Fotsch, MD, CEO of Medem Inc, the corporation that created iHealth Services on their secure network. "But it takes progressive providers like EVMS Health Services to translate PHR potential into reality to realize real improvements in healthcare cost and quality."

About EVMS Health Services

EVMS Health Services is a not-for-profit physician group that further supports the mission and goals of the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). Over 150 physicians specialize in family and internal medicine, obstetrics, medical and surgical specialties as well as radiation oncology. All physicians are full-time teaching faculty at EVMS. The integration of physicians with EVMS resident physicians and students enhances patient care and provides an academic advantage unique regionally to EVMS Health Services.

About iHealth

iHealth is a suite of online services that engage patients in managing and communicating healthcare information through their own trusted physician. iHealth features a transportable Personal Health Record (PHR), which securely stores personal health information and replaces paper-based clipboard registration in the physician's office. iHealth provides secure provider-patient messaging, automated disease management programs, FDA alerts and other standards-based services for healthcare. iHealth also integrates with other important sources of information including insurance data and physician or hospital electronic medical records to assist patients in keeping their health record current. The consumer is in control of who has access to their iHealthRecord with security oversight provided by the iHealth Alliance.

About Medem, Inc.

Based in San Francisco and incorporated in 1999, Medem was founded by the AMA and several national medical specialty societies to develop and provide secure, online communications services for use by physicians and other healthcare providers with their patients. Together with a broad constituent of industry partners, medical societies, patient advocacy groups and government agencies, Medem is uniquely positioned to transform the healthcare delivery experience for physicians and their patients.

Tens of thousands of physician practices, along with numerous health systems, hospitals, payors and employers, have implemented iHealth to improve consumer engagement, advance disease management, increase efficiency and decrease costs. iHealth provides the connectivity between community and regional stakeholders in healthcare which will fulfill the vision of interoperable health records for all Americans by 2014.

Medem, Inc.

CONTACT: Theresa Hamlin of EVMS Health Services, +1-757-446-0509, orhamlint@hsmail.evms.edu, or Jason Best of iHealthRecord/Medem,+1-415-644-3909, or +1-415-644-3930, or jason.best@medem.com

Web site: http://www.medem.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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