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Affinity Medical Group Improves Coordination of Care For Patients

Use of Phytel Service Helps Affinity Turn Clinics Into "Medical Homes"

05 / 22 / 2009

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MENASHA, Wis. - Affinity Medical Group announced today the deployment of an electronic registry and an automated messaging system from Dallas-based Phytel Inc. as part of its plan to transform clinics into "patient-centered medical homes." Affinity is one of a handful of health care systems nationwide that is implementing the medical home concept to help its physicians deliver personalized care to patients.

As part of Phytel’s Proactive Patient Health Management solution, the company will build a registry of patients who require preventive and chronic disease care, using data from Affinity Medical Group’s practice management system and electronic health record. Employing nationally validated, evidence-based guidelines, Phytel’s technology triggers automated communications to patients when they are due for office visits, tests or other services. Patients are asked to call their physician’s office, and when they do, they are told what services they need.

To be recognized as a medical home by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA), a medical practice must use patient tracking and registry functions, preventive-care alerts and care coordination based on evidence-based guidelines, electronic prescribing, test and referral tracking, patient education, performance reporting and improvement, and advanced electronic communications.

Affinity Medical Group recently launched Affinity Medical Homes at the Kaukauna Clinic and the Koehler Street Clinic in Oshkosh, and Dr. Rik Emaus, president of Affinity Medical Group, believes that the use of Phytel’s advanced registry and automated messaging will take the Affinity Medical Home to the next level.

"Phytel’s Proactive Patient Health Management is an extremely important tool to help Affinity providers ensure that patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure are able to successfully manage their illnesses," Dr. Emaus said. "We are now able to provide the personalized care that patients need to stay healthy and keep their health care costs down, because proper maintenance is essential to avoid lengthy hospital stays and prevent diseases from worsening."

Affinity Medical Group will be using Phytel in its 22 clinics throughout Northeastern Wisconsin.

About Phytel
Phytel is the premier company empowering physician-led health improvement. Phytel provides physicians with proven technology to deliver timely, coordinated care to their patients. Phytel’s state-of-the-art registry, which now encompasses 15 million patients nationwide, uses evidence-based chronic and preventive care protocols to identify and notify patients due for service, while tracking compliance and measuring quality and financial results. For more information, please visit www.phytel.com.

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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a Catholic mission-oriented regional health care network, is a partnership of Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. Affinity Health System is the Fox Valley’s third largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and is nationally listed among the top 50 hospitals for quality and efficiency (Thomson Reuters, Modern Healthcare). For eight consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI Health (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation – Affinity ranks no. 29 in the 2009 report. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent among hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It is ranked 31st in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 22 family practice and specialty clinics – including two fully operational Medical Home models – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.