NaviNet acquires Prematics

Seeking to expand its suite of clinical solutions for unified patient information management, NaviNet, the biggest healthcare communications network in the country, announced in December its acquisition of McLean, Va.-based Prematics, a provider of mobile care management solutions.
The acquisition comes just months after the two firms announced a partnership to provide health plan data at the point of care. Even then, a merger "was in the back of our minds," said NaviNet CEO Brad Waugh. "And as we started to understand how deep the integration was going to have to be between the Prematics solution and the NaviNet solution, and with the interest level of our current customer base, it just made sense."
The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, allows NaviNet to extend its value to physicians using handheld devices. Prematics' mobile clinical messaging and e-prescribing solutions will be integrated with NaviNet Insurer Connect, a multi-payer portal, and NaviNet EMR and NaviNet PM.
The integration of mobile healthcare messaging with payer and provider office solutions and business processes will give doctors single-source access to real-time patient data at the point of care.
"The problem has always been getting the eyeball of a doctor," said Waugh. "It's one thing to have the administrator at the front desk get an alert, but you just don't get the power you do when you can physically place it in the hand of a doctor."
With the average doctor only able to spend 7.5 minutes per patient, that's a small window. But NaviNet and Prematics saw an opening.
"What's the thing that the average doctor is using, from an IT perspective, all the time?" asked Waugh.
"One of the products they use most frequently is e-prescription tools," he said. By connecting NaviNet with smartphones and iPads, "not only will we increase the number of transactions that take place between doctors and the insurance companies we work with, but most importantly we'll put more information into the hand of the doc so those 7.5 minutes become even more valuable to the patient."
The combined NaviNet and Prematics solution benefits stakeholders across the industry, company executives say. Physicians will have key patient information where and when they need it, in a way that aligns with clinical and business priorities. Patients can be informed about drug interaction and price information. And with doctors able to submit real-time authorizations and view benefits information to determine financial responsibility, payers can realize lower costs.
"Pre-authorizations are one of the most expensive transactions between doctors and insurers," said Waugh. "Having that capability in the hand of the doctor will reduce the number of phone calls. He can now do the pre-auth directly, rather than via phone or having it sent out to an administrator. You cut down not only on the expensive phone calls but on the replication of information."
"Prematics partnered with NaviNet earlier this year, recognizing our companies' tremendous synergies and the value for physicians in bringing to market an integrated solution for mobile care management," said Kevin Hutchinson, Prematics' president and CEO. "NaviNet's relationships with leading national, commercial and Blue plans and its dominant footprint in the physician practice market will bring the benefits of mobile clinical messaging and e-prescribing to an even larger audience, improving care and saving costs for even more physicians, health plans and patients across the country."
Prematics' mobile clinical messaging and e-prescribing capabilities will be available to physicians and clinicians in the nationwide NaviNet Network through direct purchase from NaviNet and from health plans that choose to sponsor the technology.
In 2011, the mobile care management solutions will be integrated with NaviNet Insurer Connect, as well as NaviNet EMR and NaviNet PM, which were announced in October.
Thomas J. Handler, MD, research director at Gartner, emphasized the importance of UPIM. "Integrating EMR and PM features and workflows with health plan communications is a unified approach to patient information management that will enable improved quality and more efficient delivery of care," he said. "Provider offices having easy and fast access to more patient data will also offer the patient a much better medical experience, as it will reduce redundant questions and paperwork, and can even avoid unnecessary treatments."