OREANDA-NEWS. October 23, 2012. TRICARE Management Activity, a component of the Military Health System (MHS), has awarded Four Points Technology a multi-year contract to facilitate the expanded rollout of RelayHealth’s Medical Home Support Package. RelayHealth will continue to support the Military Health System’s patient engagement strategy by providing interoperable secure messaging to TRICARE beneficiaries worldwide, reported the press-centre of McKesson Corporation.

Four Points Technology is dedicated to providing IT products and professional services to the Federal government. Four Points offers solutions that support a wide variety of business initiatives specifically suited for Government organizations.

As the nation moves toward a more patient-centric model of care, the military health system has led the way. Primary care teams within military treatment facilities have been implementing a patient-centered medical home model since 2009. The goal is to enhance patient care by better engaging patients in their own care, improving patient access to care, and maintaining continuity for the patient with their provider and care team, while also striving to reduce costs.

“RelayHealth is making communication between patients and providers exactly as it should be for the Department of Defense – more accessible and convenient,” said Rear Admiral (Retired) Richard Jeffries, MD. “Interoperable secure messaging in the patient-centered medical home setting is critical to providing outstanding patient and family-centered care. This is something that my family and I have experienced first-hand because our physician and healthcare team at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was part of the initial demonstration project. As former Commander of the Navy’s flagship medical center, I was responsible for the initial combining of Walter Reed with the Navy’s National Naval Medical Center. I’m acutely aware that this is a victory for our patients and all Americans as it allows world-class healthcare and further innovations in care. I am confident this implementation will create many more needed advances for our healthcare systems and will be a cornerstone for our framework in patient-provider communications.”

Four Points Technology and RelayHealth have been proud to support the military health system’s transformation to a more patient-centric model of care since it was first piloted at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. Since that time, military treatment facilities across the Army, Navy and Air Force have implemented RelayHealth. The system now supports more than 15,000 providers and clinical staff who are connected to more than 250,000 military health beneficiaries at more than 90 military treatment facilities worldwide. This patient-centered medical home model of care has helped enhance the patient experience with military care providers and care teams while reducing unnecessary clinic and expensive emergency room visits and improving performance on key clinical measures. RelayHealth also gives patients the ability to view, download and manage their personal health data.

“The population of beneficiaries served by TRICARE is one of the nation’s largest and most diverse,” said David Gilchrist, retired Navy Chief and Chief Executive Officer, Four Points Technology. “We are honored to serve the men and women of our nation’s military and their families, and we look forward to the continued success of the military health system’s medical home model.”                                    
                      
“The healthcare industry is undergoing significant changes and the Military Health System is leading the way,” said Jeff Felton, President, RelayHealth. “We’re pleased to be a part of this transformation. The Military Health System is unique, but civilian providers can gain insight into some of these best practices to transform their own organizations while we, as nation, move to a healthcare system focused on health and healthy outcomes.”

RelayHealth is a key component of the military health system’s patient engagement strategy, which includes improved access to the provider and care team as well as improved access to healthcare data. RelayHealth facilitates the exchange of healthcare information and provides patients access to their personal health data in support of the Blue Button® initiative, championed by the Department of Veterans Affairs and key government thought leaders as an important way to expand patient access to health data.

About RelayHealth
RelayHealth, McKesson’s connectivity business, enables the secure exchange of clinical, financial and administrative information between patients, providers, payers, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and government agencies. RelayHealth processes nearly 16 billion healthcare transactions annually by integrating the delivery of high-quality care and improving the financial outcomes for its customers. For more information, call 888.743.8735, or visit our Web site at www.RelayHealth.com. Follow us on Twitter (@RelayHealth) or visit the RelayHealth Facebook page.

About Four Points Technology
Four Points Technology, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), is dedicated to providing IT products and professional services to the Federal government. Four Points offers solutions that support a wide variety of business initiatives specifically suited for Government organizations.