NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Safety Net Connect (SNC), a leading provider of innovative healthcare technology solutions, is pleased to announce Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) has expanded their contract for the landmark multi-county eConsult initiative that has significantly increased timely access to specialty care for Southern California residents. In addition, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) – a longtime healthcare system partner in the initiative – has contracted with SNC directly. With this agreement, ARMC is expanding their utilization of the eConsult platform, as well as the SNC eReferral management system (or “eCRM”) to more efficiently manage referrals from community providers to the ARMC system.
“With physician shortages in our region among the highest in the country, coordinating specialty care for our Members can be challenging,” said Susie White, IEHP Chief Operations Officer. “Our collaboration to expand eConsult in our two counties helps us to eliminate traditional barriers between Primary Care Providers and Specialists, ensuring an organized and streamlined process for Members to receive care, when they need it. eConsult is really one of the great tools we have that allow us to continue to provide quality and care and services for our Members.”
Initially launched in March, 2018 using SNC’s Converge eConsult platform, the multi-county program has experienced a rapid rate of adoption and expansion. In partnership with local healthcare systems ARMC and Riverside University Health System (RUHS), 85 sites and more than 600 providers are now using the Converge platform with over 38 specialties and 5,000 eConsults completed every month. In addition to speeding timely access to specialty care, using the Converge eConsult platform reduces the number of unnecessary specialty visits – which in turn, increases the capacity of specialists to engage with more patients in need of intensive or complex care.
“We were excited to be one of the pilot providers, and now a direct partner, of this innovative program,” shared ARMC Associate Hospital Administrator, Staci McClane. “The eConsult system delivers on everything we want from a technology: increasing access, reducing disparities, improving care and delivering better outcomes.”
About IEHP
IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, is a top 10 largest Medicaid health plan and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. With a network of more than 6,400 providers and more than 2,000 employees, IEHP serves more than 1.2 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plan (Medicare-Medicaid Plan). Through a dynamic partnership with providers and community, award-winning service and innovative products, IEHP is fully committed to advocating for our members and providing them with quality, accessible and wellness-based health care services. For more information, visit www.iehp.org.
About Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center is a 456-bed university-affiliated teaching hospital licensed by the State of California Department of Public Health, operated by the County of San Bernardino, and governed by the Board of Supervisors. It is ARMC’s mission, in an environment of learning and innovation, to serve our diverse community with high-quality compassionate care. The hospital, located on a 70-acre campus in Colton, California, operates the Edward G. Hirschman burn center, a level II trauma center, primary stroke center, a behavioral health center, and five primary care centers. ARMC also provides more than 40 outpatient specialty care services. ARMC is helping to achieve the Countywide Vision by addressing the community’s wellness and educational needs. ARMC is the primary teaching hospital for the California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM). The University welcomed its first class of students in 2018. The School of Medicine is an allopathic (M.D.) school, and is the first new, privately funded, not-for-profit medical school to earn accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) since 1949. For more information on CUSM visit www.cusm.org. For more information about ARMC visit www.arrowheadmedcenter.org. Follow ARMC on Twitter at @ArrowheadRMC for important announcements and updates, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arrowheadregional.
About Safety Net Connect
Since 2009, Safety Net Connect (SNC) has been a leading creator of healthcare technology that makes it easier for providers and institutions to increase access to care, streamline care coordination, promote evidence-based practices, and improve quality. With a mission to improve health equity, SNC has helped public and private healthcare organizations across the nation successfully reach over 5 million low-income, underserved individuals with affordable, effective patient-centered care. For more information, please visit www.safetynetconnect.com
