UMass Memorial Health Care, a four-hospital health care system in Central Massachusetts, is partnering with PatientPing to provide data sharing services to it providers in an effort to improve care coordination.
Boston-based PatientPing is a Google Ventures-backed health IT company that provides healthcare providers real-time notifications, or “pings,” when their patients receive care elsewhere.
The partnership with UMASS Memorial “represents a massive step forward in achieving higher quality care through better patient care coordination in a state whose efforts thus far have been challenged by competitive barriers,” according to a PatientPing press release.
"The relationship between PatientPing and UMass Memorial showcases our stance as an innovator that adopts technology that we know will improve care coordination efforts for both our patients and our caregivers," Eric Dickson, M.D., UMass Memorial Health Care president and CEO said in a prepared statement. "This is an exciting time in health care, and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of the conversation in Massachusetts."
Upon joining PatientPing, providers receive "pings," or real-time notifications, whenever their patients receive care at a wide range of facilities in Massachusetts and beyond. At the facility where patients are getting care, providers receive care instructions that include contact information for others on the patient's care team as well as patient visit histories.
"UMass Memorial has demonstrated outstanding leadership and commitment to improving quality of patient care by removing the data silos between itself and other health care providers that serve its patients," Jay Desai, co-founder and CEO, PatientPing, said in a statement. "This represents a key turning point in health data-sharing conversation. We are starting to see once-competitive providers let down their walls so they can work together on shared patients. Massachusetts patients will benefit tremendously through this improved care coordination. For example, we'll avoid duplicative procedures and ensure that patients receive timely follow-up care when they are discharged from the hospital."
According to the company’s press release, early data shows that a significant number of patients who receive care at UMass Memorial member hospitals also receive care from providers scattered throughout New England. Since the partnership began, over 200 New England provider organizations, stretching from Vermont to Connecticut, have cared for over 3,000 patients who have also visited UMass Memorial member hospitals.
PatientPing's nationwide community includes more than 15,000 providers and has a presence in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire.
