February 21, 2007
Health One Alliance Teams with HealthMeans to Provide Connectivity with Smart Cards in Georgia
March 20, 2006
HealthMeans and STHS Partner to Launch Smart Card Solutions for Connecting Rural Healthcare Communities in New RHIO
September 8, 2005
**SPECIAL BULLETIN** HMI Offers Smart Card Solutions at No Charge for Hospitals Treating Katrina Victims – Capturing Pertinent Medical Data that May be Lost Forever
September 2, 2005
Danbury Health System Launches Smart Card Project, Allowing Patients to Carry Own Medical Information on a Smart Card
August 23, 2005
HealthMeans Partners with Brazos Valley Physicians to Enhance Patient Services and Physician Productivity through the Community
August 15, 2005
Healthshare/ THA Endorses HMI as Exclusive Smart Card Vendor for Texas and Oklahoma Hospitals
June 1, 2005
HealthMeans, Inc. Opens Satellite Office in Tennessee
May, 2005
Irving Company Selected as Co-Chair of International Committee to Improve Healthcare Efforts with Smart Cards
 
 
 
 

Health One Alliance Teams with HealthMeans to Provide Connectivity with Smart Cards in Georgia

February 21, 2007 – IRVING, TX – HMI recently partnered with Health One Alliance,
LLC for a smart card project with a goal to eventually connect the entire northwest
Georgia healthcare community. From the payor side it will include Smart Cards, Kiosks,
Patient Web Portal, Real-time eligibility and demographic verification, Employer
Enrollment Services and much more. For the physicians and hospitals, it will include
rapid paperless check-in with automated eligibility and demographic verification without
user intervention, private patient portal for online registration and payment tracking and
tied to our patented smart card for the personal and health system health record.

It may be the first and only project of its kind in the US and will eventually include many
health system facilities in northern Georgia. Jeff Myers, the CEO of Health One Alliance,
said "The goal of this is to bring efficiency and better information to physician office staff,
to clinicians, members and employers."

The eNvision Smart Card means patients will no longer be required to fill out clipboard
forms on every visit to their physician or the main hospital facility. Additionally, the
likelihood of their receiving an inaccurate bill should be drastically reduced by utilizing
HMI’s eNvision smart card system. According to recent studies of insurance industry
statistics, the majority of services denied by insurance companies are due to clerical
errors made at the time of registration for a clinical service. HealthMeans’ smart card
system will make it easier for patients to interact with the health care system on all levels.

About Heallth One Alliance, LLC – Heallth One Alliance is a regional PPO network based in
Calhoun, Georgia.

About HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI) - A Texas corporation since 2002, HMI is a pioneer in the use
off smart card technology in healthcare. HMI offers state-off-the art technology and innovative
solutions for automating hospitals, physician networks, insurance companies, pharmacies,
laboratories and other healthcare organizations. The HMI staffs members and technicians are some
off the most seasoned in the healthcare industry. HMI offers Software Solutions, Support &
Maintenance Services, Training Options, Custom Programming and Community Marketing Services.

Back to top

 
 

HealthMeans and STHS Partner to Launch Smart Card Solutions for Connecting Rural Healthcare Communities in New RHIO

Companies to Combine Rural Healthcare Expertise and Technology of HealthMeans' Smart Card ASP Applications and Interoperability Capabilities for STHS RHIO to improve patient access, quality care and cost efficiencies among providers in the middle Gulf Coast Region of Community-Based Healthcare Delivery System

March 20, 2006 – IRVING, TX - Southeast Texas Hospital System is an organization consisting of 8 hospitals with associated referring physicians, clinics and other rural health facilities that is committed to improving patient access, quality of care and cost efficiencies among the healthcare providers in the middle Gulf Coast region. This will be the first step towards building a virtually integrated Regional Health Information Organization and is specifically designed to deploy a set of clinically integrated pathways that provide a structured process for identifying and defining quality care, as well as providing a step-by-step guide to measurable positive outcomes.

Shannon Calhoun, Executive Director for Southeast Texas Hospital System, has been working on the project for several years acquiring the appropriate grants and private funding to achieve the overall goals for the health system. Ms. Calhoun states “The goal of this project is to use the data gathered and shared by utilizing the secure HealthMeans (HMI) eNvision Smart Card solutions throughout STHS' facilities as the basis for empirical data. This will allow for the development of a baseline of measurable quality which will ultimately lead to pathways for measurable improved outcomes.” It is essential that the providers can work collectively in order to share the volume of health information effectively and uniformly. The Smart Card and the standards supported by HealthMeans provide those components. STHS has engineered the initiatives to build the infrastructure components and HealthMeans supplies the technology so that the collaboration can be deployed region-wide and eventually nationwide.

Vicki Judd, Director of Marketing for HMI said “The STHS Project scope includes installation of our kiosk patient registration and check-in software, distribution of Smart Cards to patients in the region, on-line registration at each participating facility accessed from a central data center located in Austin, Texas. The project will also include our private patient personal health record and registration web portal for access by physicians practices in the STHS network. The project will be expanded to include 12 rural hospitals that will have access to the smart card data center utilized by STHS. The network will be running live at 6 facilities by the end of August 2006. This is the first live RHIO completely relying on smart card technology as the RHIO backbone. It will be the 2nd largest live healthcare smart card project in the country to date.”

Both organizations are looking forward to setting the standard by which all other national interoperability efforts may one day be judged. “Our goal as a company has always been to positively impact healthcare for all stakeholders involved. Patients, Physicians, Providers and Payers are all working toward the same goals but until now never had the ability to communicate together across one common, secure platform that was extremely cost effective,” said Dan Witte, CEO of HMI. “Our approach is to keep it simple and leverage technology that has already been proven worldwide and simplify the approach to the RHIO and NHIN instead of complicating it.”

Michael Leavitt, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Dr. David Brailer, M.D. PhD, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, have highlighted the importance of interoperability as a "fundamental requirement for the health care system to derive the societal benefits promised by the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs)". Dr. Brailer stated, "Without interoperability, EHR adoption will further strengthen the information silos that exist in today's paper-based medical files, resulting in even greater proprietary control over health information." HealthMeans believes they have developed a standards based “Rosetta Stone” that all EHR and HIS vendors may use to promote true interoperability. HMI is establishing regional “communities” of patients, physicians, IDNs, hospitals, and health plans connected through their patent-pending eNvision™ Suite of solutions including: Smart Cards, Registration Solutions including electronic orders, electronic consent forms, pre-admission module, Patient Access and Kiosk Solutions, which include the patient web portal and co-pay collection options at the time of check-in.

Organizations that are members of an HMI sponsored community have simple, secure access to healthcare and medical record information for all participants within that community, improving the efficiency of day-to-day administrative and communications tasks. This empowers physicians, hospitals, health plans and other healthcare service providers with secure and HIPAA compliant access to current vital patient health information at all participating locations, allowing them to provide enhanced quality of care while saving the organization both time and money through efficiency. 

About Southeast Texas Hospital System (STHS) - Southeast Texas Health System (STHS) is an eleven-year-old non-profit but taxable entity that is owned and operated by nine hospitals along the Gulf Coast between Corpus and Houston. Among the nine are six rural hospitals, one children's hospital and two urban hospitals. Also included in the group are seven hospital-owned rural health clinics and numerous ancillary providers, such as home health agencies and nursing homes. This organization has some sort of ownership in facilities, physician clinics, and ancillary providers in a 10 county region. Member institutions, regardless of size, equally own the entity. The goal is to integrate health care locally and regionally for purposes of responding to the growth of managed care in a way that preserves local control and maintains the independence of the member institutions.

About HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI) - A Texas corporation since 2002, HMI is a pioneer in the use of smart card technology in healthcare. HMI offers state-of-the art technology and innovative solutions for automating hospitals, physician networks, insurance companies, pharmacies, laboratories and other healthcare organizations. The HMI staff members and technicians are some of the most seasoned in the healthcare industry. HMI offers Software Solutions, Support & Maintenance Services, Training Options, Custom Programming and Community Marketing Services.

Back to top

 
 

**SPECIAL BULLETIN** HMI Offers Smart Card Solutions at No Charge for Hospitals Treating Katrina Victims – Capturing Pertinent Medical Data that May be Lost Forever


September 8, 2005 – DALLAS, TX – HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI), a premier provider of smart card technology for healthcare, is desperately trying to get the word out to hospital and healthcare providers about the services they are willing to provide. HMI is donating software free of charge to hospital and urgent care facilities treating surviving victims of hurricane Katrina. In addition to providing their eNvision Rapid Registration software to these hospital facilities, HMI is also offering their smart cards to assist victims in communicating potentially life saving medical data to healthcare providers. HMI is also offering the hand-held devices that read and write updated patient medical information at no charge to clinicians providing care to hurricane victims, a valuable tool for working on site in shelters and the like.

The eNvision Smart Card provides storm survivors with a health summary record, permanently burned to the card from a brief information sheet completed by the patient. Many storm victims have lost the ability to access pertinent health data, including medications, prescriptions, treatment documents and other crucial information needed as they seek treatment. The information they provide is easily documented and securely stored on the smart card, carried in the patient's pocket, so it can be accessed by a participating facility at any time. It is sometimes difficult for any patient to recall an extensive medical, drug and treatment history, and is even harder for Katrina storm victims to be expected to remember this data given current circumstances. By capturing data quickly and in an organized method, the patients needing critical care will be treated more timely and accurately in an orderly manner. eNvision Smart Cards can store valuable information, including:

Prescriptions and Medications
Insurance and Benefits Information
Emergency Contact Information
Past Surgical and Treatment History
Immunization Information
Allergies and Drug Interactions
Physician Contact Information
Self Check-In Process – Reduced Wait Times
Current Health Summary Information Carried by Patients at All Times
Accurate/ Current Patient Demographics
Rapid Registration at Participating Healthcare Facilities

By offering healthcare facilities the ability to read these cards in their emergency rooms, Katrina patients seeking treatment can simply provide the eNvision smart card and the health summary and demographics provided is readily available with the swipe of the card. Today on a local newscast, HMI responded to a request from a local physician providing care to New Orleans survivors. The physician on the Thursday, September 8, 2005 KDFW Fox 4 newscast they were desperately in need of electronic organization of medical information for people who need treatment such as chemotherapy but have no record of their recent treatment. HMI's solution can provide some organization to the extensive efforts of these physicians and offer a little peace of mind for the crisis patients.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FREE ELECTRONIC MEDICAL DATA SERVICES FOR PHYSICIANS AND HOSPITALS PROVIDING MEDICAL CARE TO KATRINA VICTIMS, PLEASE CONTACT HEALTHMEANS IMMEDIATELY AT 866-488-6633.

Back to top

 
 

Danbury Health System Launches Smart Card Project, Allowing Patients to Carry Own Medical Information on a Smart Card


September 2, 2005 – DALLAS, TX – Danbury Health System, Danbury , CT , signed a 3-year contract with HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI) of Irving , Texas , to implement a system wide smart card initiative allowing a patient's key health and demographic information to be stored on a smart chip and carried by the patient. HMI's eNvision Rapid Registration smart card solution will enhance the facility's patient care process, expedite quicker retrieval of important medical information and significantly reduce billing errors.

HMI's eNvision Smart Card addresses the desire of a growing number of patients who are demanding access to their medical records as well as their concerns about privacy and security of their personal data. HealthMeans has a patent-pending process built around using the smart card for healthcare involving sophisticated role-based and pin code security measures that make it virtually impossible for strangers or unauthorized personnel to retrieve a patient's medical information.

The Danbury Health System is made up of several affiliates. Danbury Hospital , the largest facility, is a 371-bed, not-for-profit, community teaching hospital serving approximately 360,000 residents of western Connecticut and southeastern New York . The hospital has 10 clinical departments and a medical staff of more than 500 physicians. Danbury Hospital is the largest employer in the area with close to 3000 employees and 67 resident physicians. Danbury will implement the smart cards initially in 2 or 3 of their heavy-traffic clinics, providing the cards to the patients at the time of service. Future plans include equipping the emergency room, all critical care clinics and even paramedics with card readers and the ability to rapidly access potentially life-saving information about a patient, including allergies, medications, and chronic medical conditions. Initially the cards will be issued for repeat patients at the bariatric and renal clinics to streamline their office visits. Simultaneously, the emergency department at Danbury Hospital will utilize the cards at the point of care for the same patients.

The eNvision Smart Card means patients will no longer be required to fill out clipboard forms on every visit to their physician or the main hospital facility. Additionally, the likelihood of their receiving an inaccurate bill should be drastically reduced by utilizing HMI's eNvision smart card system. According to recent studies of insurance industry statistics, the majority of services denied by insurance companies are due to clerical errors made at the time of registration for a clinical service. HealthMeans' smart card system will make it easier for patients to interact with the health care system on all levels.

The technology provided by HMI will result in Danbury being able to enhance the level of health care services they provide, offering better management of limited resources and improving outcomes for their patients, while empowering patients to be more active in their medical treatment. “ Danbury is the perfect candidate for the HMI eNvision Smart Card program. We love working with facilities that already have the vision and understand the importance of putting their patients first, assisting patient's in their efforts to take control of their medical care. Danbury positions themselves to be in the center of a truly connected healthcare community, understanding the many benefits of using the latest cutting-edge technology to enhance the quality of care they provide” states Vicki Judd, Director of Marketing for HealthMeans, Inc.

Each Danbury clinic will have card readers for staff to access and update patient information during the patient visit. A kiosk at the hospital will allow patients to privately view their medical information using the HMI eNvision Rapid Registration software, which will interface to the hospital's Siemens HIS system at the time the card is presented containing the data loaded at the physician office. Upon each visit, the patient's demographic, insurance or basic medical information (allergies, treatments, surgeries, immunizations, etc.) will be updated on the card.

The implementation at the clinics and main hospital facility are just the beginning of a system-wide initiation for Danbury Health System. After the initial installation, Danbury has plans to further expand the smart card capability, allowing patients the opportunity to update their own data on the card with a secure web site and potentially use the cards at participating pharmacies and other area businesses that might opt to co-sponsor Danbury 's healthcare initiative.

The centerpiece of the Danbury initiative is to achieve strategic goals of operational excellence, patient satisfaction, and growth in the coming years. The organization plans to use the HMI eNvision smart card solutions to store patient health data and serve as the vehicle for identity verification, record access permission, as well as enabling integrated and comprehensive care.

About Danbury Health Systems – Comprised of several affiliates, the largest of which is Danbury Hospital , a 371-bed not-for-profit community teaching hospital serving approximately 360,000 residents of western Connecticut and southeastern New York . Its specialized facilities include a Level II Trauma Center and the J. Benton Egee, MD, Emergency Department, The Praxair Cancer Center, a Family Birth Center and Level II neonatal intensive care unit, the Western Connecticut Cardiac Center, Jack and Richard Lawrence Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and the Marcus Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, the Nelson Gelfman, M.D., Dialysis Unit, the Duracell Center for Ambulatory Surgery, an accredited sleep disorders center, advanced radiologic and oncology care via two linear accelerators, MRI, CAT, PET Scan and interventional radiology, Main Street Physical Rehabilitation Center, a pediatric pulmonary/asthma management program and the Seifert & Ford Family Community Health Center.

About HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI) - A Texas corporation since 2002, HMI is a pioneer in the use of smart card technology in healthcare. HMI offers state-of-the art technology and innovative solutions for automating hospitals, physician networks, insurance companies, pharmacies, laboratories and other healthcare organizations. The HMI staff members and technicians are some of the most seasoned in the healthcare industry. HMI offers Software Solutions, Support & Maintenance Services, Training Options, Custom Programming and Community Marketing Services.

Back to top

 

 

HealthMeans Partners with Brazos Valley Physicians to Enhance Patient Services and Physician Productivity through the Community


August 23, 2005 DALLAS , TX Nolan Shipman, MD is helping to bring continuity to the healthcare community in Bryan , Texas by streamlining processes while at the same time offering patients the opportunity to take some of the healthcare process in their own hands. Dr. Shipman has been utilizing state-of-the-art technology in his practice for years. Currently, he is implementing HMI eNvision smart card technology solutions in order to simplify his inter-office processes and provide higher quality, more efficient care to his patients. The combined eNvision suite of products offer the following benefits to physicians, their staff and the patients:

Self Check-In Process for Patients
Current Health Summary Information Carried by Patients at All Times
Accurate/ Current Patient Demographics
Real-time Eligibility Verification
EMR Options for Physicians
Rapid Registration at Participating Healthcare Facilities

When a patient enters the practice of Nolan Shipman, MD, they are given the ability to go through a self check-in process with a touch screen kiosk unit in the lobby. If they have already been issued an HMI eNvision smart card, they are provided the capability to verify current demographic data, and benefit and eligibility verification is handled with the simple swipe of the card. The patient then enters the chief reason for the visit and is ready for treatment. Following their visit with Dr. Shipman, any new pertinent health data is burned to their smart card at check out and the patient walks out of the office with an updated health summary and the peace of mind that many patients appreciate. Dr. Shipman, in conjunction with HealthMeans is actively working to educate patients and other healthcare providers about this new streamlined form of patient care. With other members of the Brazos Valley Physician Organization previewing this technology, as well as surrounding hospitals and clinics, patients and clinicians can be assured that accurate and current health data is being provided at every point of care within their community.

Nolan Shipman is no stranger to smart card technology. Earlier this year he testified in front of the Texas State Senate on behalf of the Texas Medical Association in support of Senate Bill 1149, sponsored by Senator Chris Harris. The bill requires health plans to make certain patient-specific information available to providers in real-time, either telephonically or electronically. Through use of smart card technology and services at his practice, patient demographics, benefits information and pertinent health data from patient medical records are all contained on a smart card issued to each patient. The TMA is actively working to help practices solve the growing problem of obtaining prompt and appropriate payment through the Payment Equity Initiative. The use of smart cards by physician practices can enhance this process significantly.

In order for a smart card program to be successful, regardless of the information contained on the microprocessor chip or for what reason the facility or organization implemented such a program, it has no value if it's never carried or presented by a patient. HMI, in conjunction with physicians like Dr. Shipman, are committed to provide the tools necessary to ensure the cards are a valuable asset to the patients in the community, as well as other healthcare providers.

HMI's “community” concept is what sets us apart from other smart card companies. Most smart card companies are focused solely on technology and fail to emphasize the importance of smart cards to consumers within a healthcare community. We allow our healthcare organizations to become the center of their community by offering them the tools to recruit other supporting businesses and affiliates as a part of their smart card value-added service for their patients. By offering sponsorship opportunities to key participants within a community, the card becomes more than just a portable health record, it becomes a true loyalty card.

Back to top

 

 

Healthshare/ THA Endorses HMI as Exclusive Smart Card Vendor for Texas and Oklahoma Hospitals


August 15, 2005 DALLAS , TX HealthShare/ THA, Austin , Texas , recently announced HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI) as their endorsement for smart card services and solutions to all participating hospital members in Texas as well as Oklahoma .

The Texas Hospital Association (THA) supports Texas hospitals in delivering superior, cost-effective health care. A not-for-profit association, THA serves more than 430 hospitals and health systems through legislative advocacy, education, networking opportunities, and operational support. Healthshare, a wholly owned subsidiary of THA, operates a service network for hospitals and health care organizations by which it markets a system for the purchase of various products and services. THA has been supporting Texas hospitals and health systems for over 75 years.

HealthShare/THA supports THA members by providing products, programs and services that help Texas hospitals reduce costs and improve operational performance. Through a strict due diligence process, HealthShare/THA endorses companies with only the highest quality and service standards. As an added benefit, THA members enjoy discounts on many programs and services offered.

HealthMeans was chosen by HealthShare to establish a co-marketing relationship to actively promote and sell the eNvision Smart Card Solution and HMI's other services. Through this relationship, HealthShare/ THA commits to promote HMI as the HS/ THA approved firm for healthcare facilities seeking smart card solutions. HealthShare/ THA enhances HMI's marketing arm by offering marketing expertise and to facilitate awareness and provide opportunities for HMI representatives to participate in educational forums and meetings.

HMI is very excited about the relationship with HealthShare/ THA and the opportunity to reach more healthcare facilities in Texas and Oklahoma . HMI currently provides smart card solutions to hospitals and other health facilities across the US , with key implementations in Texas . “As a Texas company, we are honored to have been chosen by the THA as an exclusive vendor. Our smart card solutions play an important part in enhancing patient care to hospitals. This relationship will help us spread the word to even more facilities that understand the benefits of using cutting-edge technology to support safer patient care while reducing the overall costs associated with the delivery of that care,” stated Vicki Judd, Director of Marketing/ Operations for HMI.

Back to top


 

HealthMeans, Inc. Opens Satellite Office in Tennessee


DALLAS, TX – June 1, 2005
- HealthMeans, Inc. (HMI), a pioneer in smart card technology for healthcare, announced today that they are expanding their operation into the central US by opening a satellite office in Knoxville, TN.

HMI is currently implementing smart card software and solutions nationally and opening the remote facility in Tennessee is the first step in their plan to regionalize the sales and services operations across the US. Tony Mary is the Regional Sales Manager overseeing operations in the Tennessee satellite office. Tony has over 10 years experience is the hospital software market and has been marketing smart card solutions for the past year. Tony has worked on national accounts with Tenet Healthcare, HCA, Catholic Health Partners, Bon Secour and Catholic Health Initiatives. Since opening the Tennessee office, HMI has acquired accounts in Akron, OH and Indianapolis, IN that will begin implementation of HMI’s eNvision smart card services and solutions.

HMI is excited about the expansion and they expect to open more satellite sales offices by year end in strategic areas of the country to accommodate growth. “We are presently working with so many healthcare organizations that are seeing the benefits of the smart card – both for their patients and the ROI recognized by their facilities. We are happy about the recent growth we’ve been experiencing and feel like the addition of the Tennessee office will help us take the business to the next level” stated Dan Witte, President/ CEO, HealthMeans, Inc. In addition to their corporate facility in Irving, Texas, HMI is currently operating through their reseller channel in the Florida and California markets, and are considering staffing another office in the Chicago area.

Back to top

 

 

Irving Company Selected as Co-Chair of International Committee to Improve Healthcare Efforts with Smart Cards


DALLAS, TX – May, 2005
-HealthMeans' Vice President of Business Development, Frank Avignone was recently appointed co-chair of the healthcare council for the Smart Card Alliance.

The Smart Card Alliance organized the formation of a new council to promote the wider use of smart card technology within healthcare. The council brings together nine organizations that are involved in smart-card developments to work together on possible solutions for smart cards in the healthcare vector. There are a myriad of uses for smart cards in the health industry including insurance and benefit eligibility and identity verification which provide added security and can potentially eliminate claims fraud.

In August 2005, Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance reported to HealthCare IT News that the group will seek alliances with other organizations to encourage cross industry cooperation to develop standards and educational materials. “There have been improvements in managing health records and delivery information more broadly. Smart cards then can become the tip of the spear,” stated Vanderhoof. Smart cards can also fit into initiatives such as the continuity of care record (CCR) as a vehicle to share patient's data.

HealthMeans is privileged to be part of the council and its' leadership in the movement toward standardizing the use of smart cards in healthcare. “Education is the first step in the healthcare initiative. Smart cards can provide many of the solutions healthcare providers are seeking today in their efforts to provide better care and standardize data collection,” reported Dan Witte, HealthMeans CEO.

HealthMeans is presently installing their smart card solutions in healthcare facilities, including hospitals, physician groups and health plans, across the country. Smart cards are playing a large role in the unification of medical data and patient care and will continue to gain momentum as consumers and providers are educated to their benefits.

Back to top

 

Copyright © 2003 - 2006 Healthmeans.com. All rights reserved.