MedicAlert® to Offer Electronic Health Record Services to Horizon HealthCare Insurance Company of New York
TURLOCK, CA (July 28, 2005) – MedicAlert®/PRNewswire/ MedicAlert Foundation and Horizon Healthcare Insurance Company of New York (Horizon Healthcare) today announced a strategic partnership to make MedicAlert Electronic Health Record services available to Horizon Healthcare's health plan members.
Horizon Healthcare members who sign up for the service will now be able to store and manage their electronic health records with MedicAlert®. Upon signing up, each Horizon Healthcare member will be assigned a unique I.D. linked to their electronic health record safely stored in the secure MedicAlert® repository. Records can include current medical conditions, allergies, medication dosages, emergency and physician contacts, medical devices, health insurance, and advance directives. A major benefit for Horizon Healthcare members will be the ability to securely access their health records online, or by contacting the MedicAlert® 24-Hour Member Contact Center.
In an emergency, first responders are able to contact the MedicAlert® 24-Hour Emergency Response Center, where registered nurses relay key medical facts from the member's Electronic Health Record. Instant access to critical medical information helps emergency responders and physicians provide faster and safer treatment, save costs, and more importantly prevent potential medical errors.
"Horizon Healthcare is committed to using new technologies to improve the quality of health care our members receive," said Dr. Minalkumar Patel, President and COO of Horizon Healthcare. "Working with MedicAlert®, our members and their physicians will be able to safely, effectively, and efficiently manage important health information to improve the quality of care they receive."
"The partnership with Horizon Healthcare is an exciting time for us and is a demonstration of our continued commitment to patient safety, and confidentiality," said Paul Kortschak, President and CEO of MedicAlert Foundation. "Stay tuned for future enhancements to our products as we look to further innovate with Horizon Healthcare."
About MedicAlert®
The MedicAlert Foundation is a nonprofit healthcare informatics organization dedicated to providing services to our members that protect and save lives. MedicAlert® services are built around a repository of health information that enables members to manage their personal health records while maintaining security, privacy and confidentiality. As the trusted third party custodian of comprehensive personal health information, the MedicAlert® repository can connect to and provide critical medical information between patients, providers, payers, and first responders 24 hours a day anywhere in the world. The premium we place on patient confidentiality has earned the trust of 4 million members and the healthcare community worldwide.
MedicAlert® is committed to providing technology-based solutions and is an active member and a leader in developing interoperability standards with all the major Healthcare IT standards organizations. The MedicAlert® repository uses web service interfaces to support standard Electronic Health Records (EHRs), including electronic drug prescriptions and for patient record interoperability. These activities will ensure the rapid development and deployment of standards to improve the quality of care, lower healthcare costs while increasing patient safety.
MedicAlert® is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1956 with a mission to protect and save lives, is headquartered in the United States and has international affiliates in nine countries. Additional information about MedicAlert® is available at http://www.medicalert.org/.
About Horizon Healthcare Insurance Company of New York
Horizon Healthcare Insurance Company of New York is a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Jersey based Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc., one of the region's largest health insurers providing coverage to more than 3.1 million members. More information on Horizon Healthcare Insurance Company of New York can be found on its Web site http://www.horizon-healthcare.com/.
The MedicAlert Foundation
CONTACT: Ramesh Srinivasan of MedicAlert Foundation, +1-209-669-2407, or rsrinivasan@medicalert.org
Web site: http://www.horizon-healthcare.com/
Web site: http://www.medicalert.org/
Source: PRNewswire
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