Mass General, Brigham’s to offer telehealth to Fortune 500 companies
BOSTON - An agreement between Center for Connected Health and health management firm CHS Health Services will enable medical specialists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital to offer telehealth services to Fortune 500 companies nationwide.
Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, will work with CHS, which provides onsite health solutions, to bring specialty care from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, using health IT to help patients access appropriate providers in the Partners HealthCare network. Beyond improved care, the collaboration is hoped to result in reduced overall employer healthcare costs.
The partnership brings a tele-specialty component to CHS' employee health services, giving its Fortune 1000 clients and their workforces broader access to healthcare, beyond services provided in their onsite health centers, company officials say.
With the Center for Connected Health's telemedicine capabilities, CHS will be able to provide its patients with quick and convenient specialist consultations through the Partners Online Specialty Consultations (POSC) system. POSC is a Web-based application that enables consumers and their physicians to have "anytime, anywhere" access to the knowledge base of more than 4,000 specialists located at Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals.
CHS anticipates the partnership to begin with some of its Fortune 500 clients, particularly those with employees in remote office locations who don't have in-person access to the onsite health center.
"Our partnership with the Center for Connected Health will provide our patients with greater access to medical specialty resources," said Stuart Clark, president of CHS. "We are pleased to collaborate with the prestigious Center for Connected Health and anticipate the benefits to include improved patient behavior, improved patient compliance, earlier diagnosis and intervention, all from one of the most reputable organizations in healthcare - Partners."
The Center for Connected Health has made innovations in many areas in recent years, offering technology-enabled access to specialist care including remote home monitoring and between-visit care with programs in heart failure, hypertension, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
"We are committed to improving the quality and accessibility of specialized healthcare and expert second opinions via our Partners Online Specialty Consultation services, and support the strides made by CHS in setting the standard for onsite care," said Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, founder and director at the Center for Connected Health. "Our partnership will give more patients access to leading medical specialists in the Partners network, to address a range of health conditions, provide expert second opinions and ultimately, improve clinical outcomes."
