Phytel Introduces Web-Based Patient Self-Management Tools to Extend Its Population Health Solutions

Partners with Emmi Solutions as a Crucial Step in Physician Prescribed Patient Education Services

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phytel, the leader in empowering physician-led health improvement has partnered with Emmi Solutions, the market leader in interactive patient engagement programs, to deliver reliable and integrated patient self-management services. At the direction of physicians, Phytel will notify patients who have chronic conditions and who are preparing for or recovering from surgical procedures about specific web-based, multimedia educational programs that empower patients to take a more active role in their care.

“Phytel and Emmi Solutions complement each other beautifully, delivering a new standard in patient-centered care”

"In order to truly improve health outcomes, patients need to be part of the care team and have more seamless access to information about their health care," said Steve Schelhammer, CEO of Phytel. "This functionality is a critical component of Phytel, enabling physicians to connect to their patients more efficiently outside the four walls of the clinic. Information prescriptions written by the physician and delivered by Phytel can help patients better manage their own conditions, improving the quality of care and enhancing patient safety."

Phytel will integrate over one hundred Emmi^® multimedia programs that cover a wide range of procedures, from colonoscopies to joint replacements, as well as self-management of chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma. Emmi Solutions creates its own content with the help of skilled medical illustrators and writers along with leading medical experts who use the latest evidence-based medicine protocols.

About half a million patients per year view Emmi programs. Among the leading healthcare organizations that rely on them are Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, NorthShore University Health System, Stanford Hospitals & Clinics and the Billings Clinic.

Phytel combines an electronic registry based on nationally recognized clinical guidelines with an automated messaging system that alerts patients when it is time for them to visit their physician for follow-up or preventive care. By putting in a standing order for Emmi programs, physicians can use Phytel to send information prescriptions to patients who would benefit from viewing this educational content. In the case of a chronic disease like diabetes, the protocol for information therapy is integrated with the other diabetes protocols within the Phytel registry. The protocol engine triggers tailored messages to the patient to watch the appropriate Emmi program by a certain date. In addition, patients scheduled for procedures are reminded to watch the prescribed program before their operation. Emmi Solutions verifies that patients have viewed the programs in their entirety, and this information will be fully integrated into the Phytel registry and used to assist in the informed consent process.

In addition, the new Phytel offering can help physician practices qualify for the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognition as medical homes. Under the medical home model, practices are expected to provide enhanced electronic communications with patients, as well as web-based self-management education, and to document their efforts in these areas. Physicians who combine Phytel’s outreach capabilities with Emmi Solutions’ content and documentation capabilities are ideally positioned to meet these requirements.

“Phytel and Emmi Solutions complement each other beautifully, delivering a new standard in patient-centered care,” said Ronald Rooth, Chief Executive Officer for Emmi Solutions. “One of the major things we’ve learned is the importance of integration and automation. Our programs are already integrated with electronic health records, but automating the information prescription takes the process to the next level. Our advanced integration with Phytel will eliminate the guesswork and takes the workload off the physician and staff so they can spend quality time with their patients.”

Patients are clearly ready for the kind of physician directed care and self-management education that Phytel will now provide. According to a recent report by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, thirty-seven percent of surveyed consumers said that they are interested in using online tools that could help assess, monitor and manage their health.

About Emmi Solutions – Emmi Solutions, LLC, is the creator of technology-based communication solutions and producer of award-winning Emmi programs. Healthcare organizations nationwide use Emmi to engage patients and positively impact the patient experience across the continuum of care. Whether it’s helping people prepare for a procedure or manage a chronic disease, every detail of the Emmi platform is designed with a single goal in mind: to improve the patient experience. For more information, please visit www.emmisolutions.com

About Phytel – Phytel is the premier company empowering physician-led health improvement. Phytel provides physicians with proven technology to deliver timely, coordinated care to their patients. Phytel’s state-of-the-art registry, which now encompasses 15 million patients nationwide, uses evidence-based chronic and preventive care protocols to identify and notify patients due for service, while tracking compliance and measuring quality and financial results. For more information, please visit www.phytel.com