Henry Ford Chooses ECIN's Utilization Management Module To Anchor Integrated Case Management Platform

Latest Prestigious Hospital to Follow the Trend of "Single-Screen Case Management"

Chicago, IL - Detroit, Michigan's Henry Ford Hospital will incorporate ECIN's automated Utilization Management tool into its integrated case management solution, making them the latest nationally prominent hospital to leverage ECIN's admission through discharge case management platform.

ECIN's Utilization Management Module creates a more effective denial management program by capturing and organizing patient data and then guiding case managers through the process of securing payer authorization with a minimal amount of phone calls and faxes. Integrated into ECIN's industry-defining ExtendedCare Professional™ system that automates the post-acute care referral process, case managers at Henry Ford Hospital will be able to work from a single screen to coordinate patient care and utilization management.

Henry Ford Hospital is a 903-bed tertiary care hospital, education and research complex that is regularly listed in a series of national "top hospital" lists, including the US News & World Report hospital honor roll and Consumers Digest "50 Exceptional Hospitals". Henry Ford Bi-County, also part of the Henry Ford Health System, has been an ECIN Utilization Management customer since November, 2005.

"This new system aligns extremely well with our goal of providing seamless care for our patients," said Denise Allar, Vice President, Patient Care Management. "This tool allows our case managers to spend more time at the bedside, and enhances efficiency by providing data exchange that is accurate, legible and efficient."

Hospital case management's patient-centric approach places one person or department in charge of coordinating all phases of care, from admission through discharge. Coordinating often fragmented health services while also optimizing the cost effective utilization of facilities and resources has proven to enhance revenue capture, patient satisfaction and care Quality.

ECIN's Web-based ExtendedCare Professional with the Utilization Management module allows case managers to work with real-time data from a single, customizable work screen from any PC in the hospital. Feature benefits include:

• Reviews: Designed by clinicians, ECIN UM system guides case managers through clinical reviews, including alerts and tasking options that allow more reviews to be performed before payer decisions are made.
• Automated Payer Communication: ECIN –captured clinical and patient data is electronically sent to appropriate payers, eliminating the productivity-draining phone calls and faxes to payers.
• Denial Management: Automated and auditable interaction with payers enables precise, proactive and thoroughly-documented care delivery at every step along the care continuum.
• Reporting: ECIN UM allows the case management department to generate reports that more strategically measure and drive process improvement programs. Hospitals can choose from a series of pre-determined reports and customize report-generation unique to its facility.

"We are proud to deepen our relationship with the Henry Ford Hospital to help them fulfill their goal of seamless, patient-centric care," said ECIN CEO Jeff Surges. "One of the most productivity-sapping ‘seams' that case managers face is switching between several applications per patient, thus ECIN developed an integrated case management solution that allows case managers to track and manage their work from a single screen -- from admission through discharge."

SOURCE: Extended Care Information Network, Inc. ("ECIN")