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Health insurer Aetna has launched new mobile tools for the iPhone, iPad and Android using NaviNet’s Mobile Connect platform to enable physicians in Florida to receive mobile alerts about a patient’s status and e-prescribe medication.
The goal of the collaboration between Aetna and NaviNet is to provide better communication between doctors and patients and allow for easier access to Aetna health benefits.
Florida is the first state in which Aetna is rolling out the NaviNet mobile tools, but the companies will add other states in the future, according to David Kates, NaviNet’s senior vice president of product management and clinical strategy.
The agreement between Aetna and NaviNet, announced on Aug. 11, will use Aetna’s ActiveHealth Management CareEngine System to allow doctors to access clinical data on patients. Doctors can indicate that they’ve taken action on patient care by providing notifications using the CareEngine.
ActiveHealth allows doctors to analyze clinical and administrative data to decide which messages to send to Aetna patients based on their condition. “NaviNet is the delivery mechanism for those messages in the context of an encounter between a NaviNet Mobile Connect user and that patient,” Kates wrote in an e-mail to eWEEK.
“Access to patient and clinical information is critical for doctors to deliver high-quality, effective care,” Dr. Bob Kropp, regional medical director for Aetna, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re putting integrated information into doctors’ hands when it’s most effective-when the doctor is in the exam room with the patient.”
NaviNet introduced Mobile Connect on June 15. “NaviNet Mobile Connect streamlines the physician office workflow, makes prescribing safe and efficient, and provides valuable information to the provider during the care of their patient,” Kates wrote.
The service allows doctors to prescribe medication, authorize refills, view patients’ medication history and screen for drug interactions. Doctors can also see terms of a patient’s Aetna drug plan, including whether a drug is a formulary and what the copay would be. Physicians can keep track of how well patients are adhering to medication schedules.
“NaviNet Mobile Connect also provides valuable patient safety and cost information related to prescriptions they are writing to inform the provider of the financial impact of their decision to ensure they receive the best quality, most cost-effective care and avoid disruptions or issues that prevent the patient from being able to receive the medication therapy they need,” Kates said.
In Florida, 2,000 doctors are using Mobile Connect to issue prescriptions, according to Kates.
The Aetna service could make prescribing medication more efficient by eliminating faxes and calls between insurers and pharmacies, according to NaviNet. Care alerts are currently delivered through e-mail, phone or fax.
Doctors can log in to Mobile Connect on an Android, iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, Kates said. In addition, using Mobile Connect, doctors can access patient and scheduling data from a practice’s practice-management application and avoid reentering the data multiple times, Kates said.
By viewing scheduling data, physicians in Aetna’s network will be able to notify patients if they’ve missed an exam or test. Doctors can also access medical literature and Aetna insurance claims.