CarePartners Plus announced the launch of a new technology that empowers patients to better manage their health and interact more effectively with their physicians. Wellby is a new interactive healthcare management solution for use in physician offices, hospitals, work sites and retail pharmacies to collect and exchange feedback from patients at the point of care.
Designed to support healthcare providers in their transition to new models of patient-focused care, Wellby helps document the effectiveness of services delivered to every patient at every visit. The data and analytics collected provide insight into a provider's communication with the patient, compliance with standards of care, a patient's understanding of the goals of their care plan, and overall patient satisfaction. Wellby then generates the documentation required to help support reimbursements for patient-centered medical home and accountable care offerings.
Economically, Wellby offers a strong business case to hospitals and health systems that strive to deliver the highest and most efficient quality outcomes. Wellby provides a full range of managed tools that capture, document and integrate information across communities of providers without requiring capital expenditures or creating additional work for caregivers.
Built on intuitive IBM (NYSE: IBM) kiosks, the same familiar technology found in airports, hotels and self-service kiosks in retail environments, the friendly, easy-to-use system helps patients enhance their communication with their physician and provides direct feedback on the care they received. For healthcare providers, it provides an effective tool to reduce workload by collecting relevant data and to help close gaps in care.
"Wellby instantaneously engages my patients immediately following their treatment," says Dr. Kim Kuhar, Internal Medicine Independent Practice, Patient Centered Medical Home Certified, Silverdale, PA. "This allows me to look at health, health goals and health outcomes from my patient's perspective. I like that I don't wait longer than a minute to learn what I need to know to be more proficient. Wellby does the leg work and my patients and I reap the benefits. I highly recommend Wellby." Dr. Kuhar is affiliated with Grand View Hospital.
For the first time, Wellby provides an automated way to capture real-time, in-depth data about the provider-patient interaction from the patient's point of view. This data can serve as a rich foundation for health analytics to improve care, provide immediate feedback based on important information such as whether the patient understands how to take their medication, and make it possible to intercede in real time and provide more patient education in the event a patient doesn't have all the information they need to achieve smarter health.
"Primary care physicians are increasingly focused on providing more patient-centered care and ensuring patients with chronic illness such as asthma or diabetes are getting the care they need and taking a role in managing their own care," says Dr. Paul Grundy, director of healthcare transformation, IBM. "By creating meaningful interactions with patients, and through the continuous reporting and analysis of data on the effectiveness of care, Wellby provides an effective tool to teach patients important skills and support physicians in their mission to keep patients well."
In October of 2011, Wellby was awarded URAC's Gold Award for Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection and Health Information Decision Support.
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- IBM Healthcare's Profile