Helping to cater to one of the heath care industry’s fastest growing EDS and Ozark, Mo.-based HealthMEDX, Inc. today announced an agreement through which both companies will market to the extended-care industry, a Web-based IT solution that integrate clinical and financial applications for skilled nursing, assisted living, and home care workers.
The solution will target larger organizations with multi-site, multi-care settings, and incorporates HealthMEDX’ eWorkflow and WebCARE products. EDS will provide application hosting and implementation of all IT services.
“The extended-care market is a fragmented one today, but with strong growth potential,” says Dr. Charles Saunders, president of EDS’ Health Care Global Industry Group.
“The solutions currently being used are very narrow. Until now, there has not been an integrated, next-generation solution for enterprise clients,” he adds.
The extended-care market is the fastest-growing segment of the health care industry, which represents about 14 percent of the country’s total GNP.
According to statistics from the Congressional Budget Office, long-term health care — excluding home health services and voluntary services — represents approximately $90 billion of the $1.2 trillion spent annually on health care in the United States, and home health services expenditures were estimated to be $36 billion in 1999.
“The country’s aging population means that an increasing number of Americans will be cared for in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities,” says Jim Atteberry, Ph.D., president, HealthMEDX.
“Our products will help those facilities to file claims and claims-related forms faster and more accurately, and reduce turnaround for accounts receivables. They also will assist the clinical staff to be more productive by providing faster access to patient information. The products are HIPAA-ready to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.”
