Image from Pixabay via mcmurryjulie
Danville, Pa., Aug. 16, 2018: US based healthcare services organisation Geisinger and biopharma company Merck have announced the launch of two Web-based workflow solutions to help improve health outcomes.
The first one was ‘Family Caregiver Application’ helps two-way communications and coordination of care for patients and their caregivers, said a press statement. The other workflow solution, the ‘MedTrue’ application, which integrates different medication data sources to assist with medication reconciliation and adherence, resulting in a patient- and healthcare team-verified medication list.
The applications – which were developed through an ongoing collaboration between Geisinger and Merck – are embedded directly within the electronic medical record (EMR) and in the healthcare provider’s workflow for optimal use of clinical and patient-reported data during patient appointments. The applications are also accessible to patients and the Family Caregiver Application is accessible to family caregivers. Both workflow solutions can be used from the convenience of the home.
The applications will use SMART on FHIR (Substitutable Medical Applications, Reusable Technologies / Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) technology, an open, standards-based platform for utilizing data from disparate EMRs, so both products can be used in healthcare systems anywhere, said the statement.
Background and Features of the Apps
The Family Caregiver Application features include:
- Calendar that integrates medical and personal appointments and helps coordinate medical care (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, etc.).
- Patient-managed medication scheduler based on daily activities.
- Allows patients to express preferences, values, and items/activities that are important to patients beyond the treatment of their disease.
- Provides information on health care team members, including roles and contact numbers.
- Journal-like feature to write notes and enable a narrative driven dialogue during the healthcare encounter.
The application was developed and piloted in one of the most complex therapeutic areas – oncology – and is designed to be translated to other therapeutic areas to enhance coordination of family caregiving activities among medical and caregiving teams.