New, innovative health platform connects providers and patients seamlessly
Coordinating care for people with complex, chronic conditions is a difficult process. Historically providers have not been reimbursed or rewarded for care coordination efforts by payers. Starting in 2015, Medicare has paved the way by offering reimbursement for documented care coordination activities.
Thanks to the launch of Oculus Health, an innovative care coordination technology, providers and health systems using the platform will now be able to easily engage patients and other care providers using an individualized care plan, which meets care coordination billing requirements.
“We’re proud to officially launch the platform both on the web and through the iTunes and Google Play app stores,†said Jenicka Hornung, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Oculus Health.
“Our company is unique for its singular focus seeking to simplify and bridge communication across health providers in a transparent, data-driven, and patient centric manner.â€Â
Hornung explained that the Oculus Health platform is purpose-built for chronic care management and coordination and enables remote care monitoring, with the added bonus of risk indicators for patients whose health may deteriorate or be vulnerable to treatment adherence issues.
“We empower users to take control of their health, and provide a complete and detailed health history along with a personalized health itinerary (or care plan), so patients, caregivers, and their providers are all on the same page,†Hornung stressed, before adding,
“We make it very easy for patients to communicate with their care team in a secure HIPAA compliant manner. We also provide 24/7 care concierge services, medication reconciliation and individualized health coaching to ensure users are making progress and following through on their medical care activities. To en-courage better treatment adherence all care plan activities and health goals are incentivized through a highly engaging and proven rewards model. Users are rewarded with points for daily completion of health and wellness activities which can be exchanged for tangible rewards including gift cards and consumer products.â€Â
Hornung went on to point out the challenges consumers have faced in managing and accessing their health information, including historical medical records from various providers and care organizations:
“Oculus Health allows for electronic medical records to be consolidated at one place, at your fingertips alongside current information gleaned from wearable fitness trackers, smart medical devices, and other health and wellness mobile applications.â€Â
“Technology-enabled care coordination is a critical component of value-based billing, but because reimbursements have been continually cut over the past 10 years, many healthcare systems do not have the available staff to put a care coordination program in place,”
Oculus Health offers a “total outsourced” solution to manage care coordination and access new reimbursement without increasing overhead costs in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.
“The Oculus Health platform facilitates timely interactions between patients and their care team with individualized recommendations translated into a comprehensive care plan and notifications to proactively monitor and manage health conditions,†Hornung noted.
“Our core technology includes eventing model, capable of consuming any type of data (structured or unstructured) and converts the data into health profile entities. These health profiles are then linked with highly intuitive data mining, equipped with algorithms for risk stratification and predictive modeling which allows for providers and caregivers to be notified of patient’s increasing health risks.â€Â
Hornung went on,
“Our team is committed and passionate about providing a meaningful change to the existing healthcare IT landscape where the needs and desires of consumers are not being met as patients are now eager to have centralized access to their medical records and engage in their medical care by using technology as they are accustomed to using throughout all other aspects of their daily life. Unlike our competitors, we are a fully integrated platform designed by medical professionals, caregivers, and patients with a proven engagement system. Our business model and modular technology lends itself to a high level of scalability for millions of users.â€Â
As to why anyone should give the new platform a try, Hornung, pointed out,
“Many people are already leading active and healthy lifestyles, so why not get rewarded for engaging in those healthy behaviors? For those who are managing chronic conditions or who may not be in the best health, our incentives and reminders may provide the impetus to get the ball rolling and begin daily participation in health and wellness activities and better treatment adherence.â€Â
She concluded,
“For providers and health organizations, the benefits are clear  they gain access to additional care coordination reimbursement without increasing costs, and also increase patient engagement and satisfaction in a meaningful way.â€Â
The iOS app is available in iTunes. For more information, please visit here.