NaviNet's Mobile Connect allows for real-time communication among doctors, health plans and pharmacies on patients' prescription coverage and adherence to medication schedules.
NaviNet, a Web-based provider
of real-time health messaging systems, has launched a new mobile
platform called Mobile Connect for PBMs (Pharmacy Benefit Managers) to
allow companies such as CVS Caremark and Medco to communicate vital
pharmaceutical information to doctors and retail and mail-order
pharmacies.
It allows doctors to check on a patient's insurance plan during an office visit to see which
drugs may be suitable according to the patient's plan. Doctors can then obtain
the necessary prior authorizations from the PBM and send e-prescriptions to pharmacies.
Doctors will be able to use Mobile Connect to receive clinical
alerts on how well patients are adhering to their medication schedules
based on refill data from the drug insurance plan. This information
will help
them make better decisions on care, according to NaviNet.
Announced on June 15, Mobile Connect works with NaviNet Insurer's
Connect Web-based multipayer portal to allow a practice's staff to
communicate with health insurers electronically regarding medication or
prior
authorization. Previously this work was done on paper or by telephone,
Scott
Rybak, NaviNet's vice president of business development and partner
strategy,
told eWEEK.
With doctors and staff completing prior medication authorizations
electronically, physicians will save time in their workflow and avoid
later interruptions. Physicians can start on the process in
Mobile Connect on their mobile device, and the office staff can
complete it in
the Web-based desktop version.
The communications platform eliminates a lot of the mailing, faxing
and calling that occurs among health plans, providers and patients. The
communications can be done online automatically.
This potential efficiency enhancement can also improve patient
satisfaction by limiting their time at the pharmacy and on the phone
with insurance company call centers, according to Rybak. In addition,
the drug plan information in Mobile Connect will allow physicians to
help patients keep drug costs down.
"The importance of the PBM in managing the health cost for the plan is pretty high," Dr. Michael Ross, NaviNet's chief medical
officer, told eWEEK.
Prior authorizations are part of the routine of electronic
e-prescribing, of which physician adoption has increased by 80 percent,
Ross
noted. During this process, patients can find out about copay amounts
and
medication coverage before heading to the pharmacy.
This discussion of which
medication will work both financially and clinically for the patient should
happen in the doctor's office rather than the pharmacy, Ross said.
By e-prescribing automatically, practices can save up to $15,700 per
year per physician on operating costs, according to NaviNet.
In addition to e-prescribing, Mobile Connect allows users to access
a patient's medication history as well as perform medication screenings
for interactions and allergies.
Mobile Connect is available on the Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Windows devices.
When NaviNet
acquired Prematics, a mobile health management company, in December, it was
able to leverage Prematics' payer relationships with companies such as Aetna, Blue Cross and Humana, Rybak said.
The acquisition also brought the NaviNet platform further onto
mobile devices. "We really needed a way to take that information off
of the desktop and into the exam room," Ross said.
Brian T. Horowitz is a freelance technology and health writer as well as a copy editor. Brian has worked on the tech beat since 1996 and covered health care IT and rugged mobile computing for eWEEK since 2010. He has contributed to more than 20 publications, including Computer Shopper, Fast Company, FOXNews.com, More, NYSE Magazine, Parents, ScientificAmerican.com, USA Weekend and Womansday.com, as well as other consumer and trade publications. Brian holds a B.A. from Hofstra University in New York.
Email
Print
