AllOne Health, one of several vendors offering tools for the display and transmission of personal health records via mobile phone, has added more than 42,000 potential users to its network through two recent partnerships.
The news is the latest to place the cell phone at the center of the health information technology platform. Proponents of mobile healthcare technology are preparing to meet later this month in Boston to advance that cause.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-based AllOne Health has signed deals with the Significa Insurance Group and Erin Group Administrators to expand the reach of AllOne Mobile, the company’s wireless application that manages personal health information. Significa Insurance is a national health insurance company that offers fully insured health programs to small employers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Arizona. Erin Group Administrators is a third-party administrator specializing in group medical, dental, vision, disability and Section 125 employee benefit plans.
Launched in April 2008 to members of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, AllOne Mobile will soon be available to users in Arizona, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia through the two new deals.
AllOne Health’s applications are secured by the Diversinet Corporation, a Toronto-based provider of mobile application platforms.
"With the launch of AllOne Mobile to Significa and EGA, benefits administrators can better communicate with members and engage them in a more proactive approach to personal health and well-being," said Stuart Segal, AllOne Health’s senior vice president of integrated health services, in a press release. “Insurers want more effective interaction with healthcare providers and members to help improve member health and reduce costs."
Through AllOne Mobile, users will be able to view and send insurance coverage information, track prescription drugs, access health tips to better manage chronic conditions and transmit health information such as family health histories or allergy information to physicians and school nurses.
"Small and mid-size employers appreciate our flexible product design, personalized service and wellness tools typically enjoyed by larger employers," said Lucille Connors, president of Significa and EGA. "By offering AllOne Mobile to our members within a suite of health benefit options, we'll be able to provide convenient and reliable pharmacy claims data, help members better manage health care costs, and keep our business competitive."
The two deals are the latest in a flurry of activity for AllOne Health. The company is currently participating in a U.S. military pilot telehealth outreach program in which as many as 10,000 injured service members will be using AllOne Mobile to track their healthcare with case managers and other military personnel. In addition, the company’s applications will soon be connected to Microsoft’s HealthVault platform.
AllOne's news comes as proponents for mobile device based health information technology prepare to meet later this month in Boston.
mHealth Initiative, Inc., a newly formed, Boston-based not-for-profit organization, released a plan this week calling for cost control and improved healthcare through mobile devices. The group will host a spring seminar on March 31 in Boston.
"Under this plan, healthcare will be more convenient and effective for patients, more efficient for providers, and less costly for all,” said C. Peter Waegemann, executive director of the mHealth Initiative. He emphasized “the need of healthcare to catch up with cell phone and other mDevice use in order to improve patient-provider communications and enhance care."
The company's plan calls for new technology to reduce the number of patient visits with doctors, new communication-based disease management program, PHRs stored on cell phones, a reduction in emergency room visits through better communication and a reduction in administrative costs through communication by e-mail and texting.
mHealth Initiative is led by Waegemann and Claude Tessier, the group’s president, both of whom left the Boston-based Medical Records Institute last month following MRI’s 25th annual Towards the Electronic Patient Record (TEPR+) show and conference in Palm Springs, Calif. At the time, Waegemann decried the lack of progress made by U.S. physicians in adopting electronic medical records and said the future of healthcare lies in mobile technology.
Neither Waegemann nor MRI have confirmed rumors that the TEPR show is done.
Photo by JonJon2k8 obtained under Creative Commons license.
