care coordination Archives - Equicare Health

Equicare Health enters its fourth year as one of BC’s Fastest Growing Companies

November 1, 2018

Vancouver, CANADA – Nov 1, 2018 – Equicare Health, the leading provider of oncology care coordination and patient navigation solutions, is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as the 59^th fastest growing company on the list of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies by Business in Vancouver (BIV) for British Columbia.

“We would like to thank Business in Vancouver for this award for a fourth year. This recognition is a constant encouragement for our team at Equicare who continues to innovate and find new solutions in delivering cutting-edge solutions in oncology care coordination,” says Len Grenier, CEO at Equicare Health.

Equicare Health was previously recognized in the 2013, 2015 and 2017 BIV Top 100 list.

About Equicare Health
Equicare Health is the industry’s leading provider of comprehensive care coordination solutions. Equicare’s flagship solution EQUICARE CS™ (ECS) is a Multi-facility web-based software tool that facilitates patient engagement including patient-reported outcomes, patient navigation, survivorship care and a number of other clinical tools, i.e. MDT, Clinical trials, a suite of educational material, etc.. In additional to the clinical toolset, Equicare also offers an administrative suite of worklists and reports for managing adherence to accreditation standards including Meaningful Use, Commission on Cancer (CoC), NAPBC, QOPI, OCM, etc… ECS enables cancer centers to influence clinical outcomes for patients, optimize revenue streams, and increase operational efficiency. www.equicarehealth.com

For more information, please contact:

Celina Lam
Marketing Communications Specialist
celina.lam@equicarehealth.com
604-398-2956

Exploration of Non-systemic Cancer Treatment Modalities

October 31, 2018

Globally, 18.1 million new cases of cancer and 9.6 million cancer-related deaths have been estimated for 2018 [1]. With the number of people worldwide diagnosed with cancer rapidly growing, there is much effort in aiming to curtail cancer progression. All sectors of the cancer community, from research to care, are actively working towards meeting this goal through discovery of novel interventions and their application in cancer care settings.

The type and stage of cancer, along with the needs and wants of cancer patients inform the trajectory of care. Some patients may have to go through a combination of treatments, and interact with more than one oncologist, in order to destroy or manage the tumor cancer cells. As mentioned in our last article, there are three main branches of oncology that consist of systemic and non-systemic cancer therapy regimens. Medical oncology treatment measures fall under systemic treatments, where substances travel through the bloodstream in order to reach and affect cells all over the body. Surgical and radiation oncology involve non-systemic therapies, where surgical and radiation oncologists lead the healthcare team through the informing, planning, and administration phases of care. We will continue by exploring the fields of surgical and radiation oncology.

Within cancer therapies, surgery was the primal treatment method where innovative surgeons pushed boundaries to find a cure. Typically the cancers amenable to surgical treatment are called solid organ cancers, for instance, cancers involving the mouth, intestinal system, breast, brain and bone. In nearly all of these cases, a surgical oncologist performs surgery to obtain a diagnosis or get rid of the tumor mass. This therapy can be used alone, or in combination with other treatment methods. To this day, surgery remains a promising cancer therapy modality as new technologies have supported more precision in surgical care. Some of the latest advances which have been incorporated into practice are:

1) Organ preservation surgery – This form of treatment is performed in combination with radiation and/or chemotherapy to shrink tumors. This method allows for a less mutilating but equally effective operation. A usage of this method has been for rectal cancers. In the past, a colostomy was needed for patients with rectal cancers that resulted in a complete removal of the colon and the placement of a permanent bag to drain intestinal content. Now, oncologists are able to shrink tumors with radiation or chemotherapy, leading to a majority of patients having a normal intestinal passageway.

2) Laparoscopic surgery – Cancer surgery used to regularly involve open large incisions. However, numerous studies have shown that surgery using laparoscopic techniques is equally as effective, has similar cure rates, is less painful and has a quicker recovery period when compared to open surgery [2]. Laparoscopic surgery is a specialized technique that uses several 0.5 – 1 cm incisions, called a “port”, to insert specialized instruments and a camera to allow the surgeon to perform the

same operations as traditional surgery but with smaller incisions. Laparoscopic surgery is routinely offered for cancers of the esophagus, stomach, large intestine and for gynecologic cancers (uterus and cervix).

3) Robotic surgery – This novel technology assists oncology surgeons through a computer interface to perform meticulous surgeries, particularly for abdominal and chest cancers. Through a small incision, the surgeon performs the surgery by sitting at a console that controls the robotic instrument inside the patient. The surgeon has complete control over the robot. The advantage of this robotic technology is that it allows surgeons to reach the narrowest of spaces to clear the tumor, resulting in better visibility and preservation of nerves and critical structures. In addition, less blood is lost by the patient and their recovery time is reduced, when compared to laparoscopy an open surgery. As a newer from of minimally invasive surgery, its costs, limited availability, and need for specialized training are current barriers.

Radiation therapy is an important mode of therapy and treatment, where approximately 50% of cancer patients receive radiation therapy in their cancer care continuum and contributes to 40% of all therapeutic treatments for cancer. The main goal of radiation therapy is to kill cancer cells through targeted radiation beams. It aims to reduce the number of healthy cells that are lost during treatment, when compared to systemic therapies, by only targeting the areas of the body affected by cancer. High-energy radiation damages the genetic material of cells, which causes cell death. Unfortunately, the radiation still affects the healthy cells surrounding cancer cells, but the healthy cells have the ability to heal themselves at a faster rate following treatment and retain normal functioning.

The birth of radiation therapy took place in 1898, when Marie Curie discovered radium as a source of radiations [3]. Through the years, radiation therapy has evolved. Ongoing advances in techniques and in understanding the biology of cancer cell responses to radiation have led to increased survival and reduced treatment side effects for cancer patients.

Currently, there are two ways of delivering radiation to the cancer site:

1) External beam radiation is delivered from outside the body by aiming high-energy rays, such as photons, protons or particle radiation, to the tumor site. This method is currently the most common approach in the clinical setting.

2) Internal radiation or brachytherapy [4] is delivered from inside the body by a radioactive implant, sometimes called a seed or capsule. This form of delivery allows a higher dose of radiation in a smaller area that might be feasible with external radiation treatment.

It is technological advances, such as new imaging modalities, more powerful computers, and new delivery systems, that have helped advanced the goal of radiotherapy [5].

Some of these advances include:

3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) is an imaging technique that allows accurate localization of the tumor and critical normal organ structures. 3DCRT allows for optimal beam placement and shielding.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy that uses computer-controlled linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation doses to a malignant tumor or specific areas within the tumor. IMRT allows radiation oncologists to deliver radiation dosages that conform more precisely to the three-dimensional shape of the tumor by controlling the intensity of the radiation beam.

Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) uses X-rays and scans to identify the size, shape, and position of the cancer as well as the surrounding tissues and bones. This advancement is beneficial when treatment margins become tighter and more conformal as a positional error would lead to inadvertent radiation of normal healthy organs. IGRT eliminates this unintended consequence as it obtains accurate information through pre-radiotherapy imaging.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delivers very high individual doses of radiation from many different positions around the patient’s body, while meeting at the tumor. In turn, the tumor receives a high dose of radiation and the tissues surrounding it receive a low dose. SBRT has shown excellent results in the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer in patients unfit for surgery. Other tumors include in the prostate, head and neck, hepatic, renal, spinal and pancreatic.

Proton beam therapy, also called proton therapy, uses a machine that speeds up protons. These high-speed protons create high energy that gives the targeted radiation dose in the tumor. Proton therapy is becoming more prevalent as it is the most advanced form of radiation available [5]. This method of treatment eliminates exit radiation, so radiation oncologists are able to increase dosage to more powerfully and precisely target tumors. Clinical studies have shown that proton therapy has proven to be a cost-effective treatment for pediatric brain tumor patients [6].

Without a doubt, it is an exciting time for oncology. Rapid progress in this field continues to be boosted by technological advances. While mentioned, and more, treatments methods have already transformed cancer care, the growing understanding of the biology of cancer will take therapy to an entirely new level in the coming decades. The hope is for these tools to address the complexity of cancer – the combination of patient-specific characteristics that drive the development of each person’s disease, response to therapy and long-term toxicities. We look forward to tracking and learning more about these advances, and the dynamic interplay between the three pillars of oncology: medical oncology, surgical oncology, and radiation oncology.

Written by Dorri Mahdaviani , who holds a Masters of Public Health (MPH) from the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her academic and professional interests include the areas of chronic illnesses, health care systems and childhood health and development.

Equicare Health: Bridging Gaps and Enhancing Networks of Cancer Care

July 11, 2018

A comprehensive cancer care system encompasses the entire spectrum of care – from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. At the secondary prevention stage, screening is utilized to detect potential cases. At diagnosis, the presence or absence of cancer is confirmed, and the patient is directed to the best course of treatment. Survivorship commences at diagnosis and continues onto long-term survival.

Early detection through cancer screening is paramount to the control and management of cancer cases. Each cancer type has a different screening procedure, making it imperative to understand the different modalities. The differences range in the administration of procedure to its specificity, sensitivity, and unintended consequences.

Once screening procedures are available and accepted, patient engagement initiatives play an important role in helping health professionals attract patients and better tailor treatment plans to specific tumor characteristics. As individuals move through the cancer care continuum – from screening to the stages of care – clear communication and access to education tools improve patient engagement.

Currently, digital technologies are utilized to enhance engagement with patients, physicians, and allied healthcare professionals by ensuring that accurate information is gathered and transferred throughout the health system in an efficient manner. For instance, patient reported outcomes (PROs) and questionnaires allow self-reporting of symptoms that provide invaluable information for timely risk management and assessing the overall effectiveness of cancer interventions. These tools have proven that enhanced communication and a well-coordinated system is not only advantageous for the patient, but also the medical team, and healthcare system.

Equicare Health – a leading provider of comprehensive care coordination solutions – aims to assist patients and the medical team through the cancer care continuum. The key is a platform that bridges the gaps and seamlessly connects health professional team members to each other and their patients. For patients, through the patient portal, they can connect with their care team and engage in their healthcare journey. The portal facilitates patient activation and engagement. Once patients receive an invitation letter to sign up, they will be welcomed to Equicare Health’s portal. There, the dashboard guides patients to access resources such as health information, test results, educational material, and appointment schedule. Regular visits to the portal will help patients and their caregivers keep up-to-date on the progress of their treatment and maintain contact with their care team.

The healthcare team enhances patient activation by selecting the appropriate resources available within Equicare CS (ECS). For instance, a physician and/or allied healthcare professional can assign questionnaires to a patient based on the disease site and topic of concern (i.e. depression screening, sleep disorders screening, and/or distress screening). In addition, care teams can assign relevant education covering topics from pre-treatment to survivorship care to assist patients in their own care management. By doing so, patients become actively involved in their own health, and conversations between the care team and the patient are facilitated.

In addition to the care team guiding patients and processing referrals to specialists and health services, they can efficiently coordinate tasks within the care team through Equicare CS. The platform assists with navigation referrals and consults to medical services (i.e. imaging, surgery, radiation oncology), and support services (i.e. counseling, pain management, nutrition, and hospice care). This results in streamlined communication within and between departments and services, making it easier to support patients and enhance the care they need within the many facets of a healthcare team. Once ECS is adequately utilized, patient navigation reports and provider productivity reports can be generated to evaluate quality of care provided to support goals and compliance standards.

The key functionalities of navigation platforms and informatics tools described include the ability to:

1) Do distress management for CoC accreditation

2) Track navigation activity to support the navigator role to administrator

3) Standardize documentation throughout departments

4) Provide timely information to patients

5) Communicate to the entire cancer care team through the platform

Care becomes more difficult during survivorship, as patients are often lost to follow-up or unaware of the heightened health risks that arise post-treatment. This disconnect with the health system proves to be a challenge in managing patients’ medical and psychosocial concerns. Hence, electronic communication tools are imperative to maintaining contact both during and after active care: within the healthcare team and between the team and the patient.

Each step of cancer care is complex and multimodal. There is a need to create a chronic care model to improve clinical outcomes for patients as well as to maximize the operational efficiency for cancer centers. To date, Equicare Health has served over 250,000 oncology patients and 300 cancer centres who continue to utilize the diverse tools that ECS has to offer. With ECS, care coordination and center specific goals are supported through the Service Team and Workflow Specialist at Equicare, who connect with cancer centers and healthcare professionals to assist them in reaching their goals (i.e. number of PROs filled, meeting accreditation standards, and/or enhancing patient engagement). ECS supports patients and healthcare professionals through the care continuum. With its efficient communication tools, tailored educational content, and patient reported outcomes, ECS gathers information, data and education into a comprehensive platform that empowers healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers in the healthcare journey.

Infographics and Design by Ann Wong, who holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. She is an author of over 10 SCI publications, having taught at UBC and the Peking University Health Science Center (PUHSC) in Beijing

Automating workflows to improve care coordination

June 18, 2018

Better care coordination has been the subject of healthcare reform and new payment models over the past 10 years, but true coordination across the continuum is still hindered by a range of barriers. The underlying issue: Team-based care is only effective when the entire team — care providers, clinicians and patients — are on the same page.

Survivorship: Transitioning in a New Way of Life

April 20, 2018

Diagnostics, workup, and treatment may be complete, but the journey across the cancer care continuum will continue through survivorship management. There are currently over 15 million cancer survivors, and that is to increase to 20.3 million (a 31% increase) by 2026 in the United States alone [1]. In contrast, statistics from about 50 years ago was a count of 3 million survivors in 1971. This dramatic increase is primarily attributed to an aging population, earlier detection, and advanced treatment [2].

The concept of cancer survivorship is not new; it has been over 30 years since Dr. Fitzhugh Mullan described survivorship as a unique phase of cancer care and introduced the idea of “seasons of survivorship. [3]” Since then, this concept has evolved and continues to create some controversy with regards to its exact onset and duration [4]. These can generally be categorized into three categories:

Phase 1 – acute survival – time from diagnosis to completion of initial treatment
Phase 2 – extended survival – time from completion of treatment to remission, with careful observations of outcomes from treatments
Phase 3 – long-term survival

Our focus and attention will be on the period following final treatment and prior to the development of cancer recurrence – long-term survival. Historically, this stage has not been a focus of the care continuum and has several areas of concern, including a less frequent check-in with healthcare providers. Once primary treatment is completed, many patients are often lost to follow-up; are unaware of the heightened health-risks and are ill prepared to manage their medical and psychosocial concerns.

Part of the difficulty with this phase is that it is unique not only for each cancer, but also its various types. For instance, the 5-year survival for breast cancers diagnosed during 2010-2014 is 90.2% in the United States. Its hazard of reoccurrence is highest during the first 5 years at approximately 10%, with the estrogen receptor positive disease maintaining a significant recurrence rate beyond 5 years [5]. For prostate cancers in the United States, the 5-year survival is nearly a 100% [6], with a wide recurrence of 30% – 90% [7]. The high variety of survival rates along with the range of cancer reoccurrence informs the need for tailored surveillance programs.

Follow-up care concerns have become more pertinent in recent years as the new generation of cancer survivors are living longer due to improved access to effective screening, diagnosis, and treatment initiatives. Consequently, the health care delivery system is looking at solutions to efficiently and effectively navigate the long-term and late effects of cancer care as well as other chronic conditions, while taking into account the demands for patient-centered quality of care across the cancer care continuum.

The transition from active treatment to post-treatment care is a critical period for maintaining and enhancing long-term individual and population health. Evidence-based strategies need to be implemented across health systems to ensure that optimal health outcomes are met. Quality of care during survivorship is dependent on essential components of care, as well as ease of access to comprehensive and coordinated care.

Cancer survivorship encompasses:

Prevention through screening of new and recurrent cancers
Surveillance of cancer recurrence
Monitoring of medical and psychosocial late-effects, incorporating interventions for intended and unintended consequences of cancer treatment
Coordination of care between health professionals to ensure that all the health needs of survivors are met

In order to deliver optimal cancer survivorship care, fundamental changes are needed to ensure that all survivors receive care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, patient-centred, and equitable. Leading health care systems foster and embrace the creation of an infrastructure to support evidence-based practices. In a world that is complex and continuously enhancing, leading health care systems utilize information technology to better assist health care professionals and patients with cancer care navigation.

Patient Reported Toxicities

April 6, 2018

In a given year, over 1.5 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the United States alone [1]. Their journey on the cancer care continuum starts with screening and continues through survivorship, getting matched with the most appropriate form of care. Radiation, chemo, or hormonal therapy as well as surgery, all have side-effects that are experienced first-hand by the patient and impact their families.

Currently, traditional biomedical outcome measures, such as survival and disease-free survival rates, are widely used to track the effectiveness of cancer treatment interventions [2]. Symptomatic toxicities are often underreported when collected by healthcare professionals [3]. In a chemo radiation cancer study, comparing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with hospital charts of acute symptoms, the patients reported diarrhea and inflammation approximately 20% more often than clinicians [4]. Patients generally report symptoms earlier and more frequently than clinicians. They are also able and willing to self-report their own adverse symptoms, even when severely ill. [5]

In one clinical trial, it was concluded that physician reporting is neither sensitive or specific in detecting common chemotherapy adverse effects [6]. To enhance current assessment measures, novel approaches to evaluating symptomatic toxicities associated with cancer treatments (e.g. headaches, nausea, vomiting) need to be incorporated into the health tracking systems. The aim is to better capture the rate of toxicity of interventions at a personalized level.

Direct patient reporting through electronic platforms offers a mechanism that will enhance the efficiency and precision of current approaches. Accurate knowledge of the potential harms and risks of cancer treatment modalities is important to decision makers including patients, researchers, health professionals, and regulatory authorities. Patient reported toxicities help guide healthcare professionals in real time in an effort to reduce treatment-related side effects. Patients are also better able to identify baseline symptoms related to pre-existing conditions, and misinterpretation or transformation of information is avoided. Undoubtedly, they will receive more accurate information based on their own reporting and previous experiences of their peers, and will be more at ease about the care provided. Tools developed that enable the translation of side effects, from the patient perspective, would allow tremendous improvements in risk-benefit analyses.

A systematic collection of patient-reported outcomes has been proven to be a valid, reliable, and sustainable approach in obtaining symptomatic toxicities. E-platforms have the ability to positively complement clinician toxicity reports. The widespread adoption of patient-reported outcome toxicity monitoring in oncology care is on the rise. Companies including Equicare Health try to address the need through comprehensive patient-reported outcome questionnaires. They aim to address the previously dominant challenges pertaining data collection logistics, validated analytical approaches, and resource utilization.

Equicare Health releases latest version of their product, Equicare CS 4.8

April 4, 2018

Vancouver, CANADA – April 4, 2018 – Equicare Health, the leading provider of oncology care coordination and patient navigation solutions, officially releases the latest version of their product, Equicare CS (ECS) 4.8.

“Version 4.8 has been certified for MIPS ACI 2015 Edition and supports integration with Elekta’s Mosaiq 2.6 and Varian’s ARIA 15.5. We’ve also introduced new tools for managing Tumor Board meetings, as well as a complete refresh of our Oncology Patient Education Library,” says Malcolm Wright, VP of Product Management at Equicare Health.

ECS 4.8 includes a new Case Finding feature, as well as charting improvements that make it easier for providers to organize patient assessment and encounter notes.

For more information on the new release, please contact Equicare to learn more.

About Equicare Health
Equicare Health is the industry’s leading provider of comprehensive care coordination solutions. Equicare’s flagship solution EQUICARE CS™ (ECS) is a Multi-facility web-based software tool that facilitates patient engagement including patient reported outcomes, patient navigation, survivorship care and a number of other clinical tools, i.e. MDT, Clinical trials, a suite of educational material, etc.. In additional to the clinical toolset, Equicare offers an administrative suite of worklists and reports for managing adherence to accreditation standards including Meaningful Use, Commission on Cancer (CoC), NAPBC, QOPI, OCM, etc… ECS enables cancer centers to influence clinical outcomes for patients, optimize revenue streams, and increase operational efficiency. www.equicarehealth.com

For more information, please contact:
Celina Lam
Marketing Communications Specialist
celina.alisa.lam@gmail.com
604-398-2956

Patient engagement and empowerment tools enhance cancer care process

March 13, 2018

According to a recent survey, approximately 90% of patients with chronic illnesses need assistance with disease management, and 70% need healthcare providers to supply them with more educational resources [1]. However, the tools that have traditionally been in place do not provide the optimal level of assistance and communication to meet the needs of patients.

In essence, to improve health outcomes, patients and caregivers need to have access to tools that provide prognosis and procedural education, allowing for effective communication with the cancer care team. When patients are informed, they are able to express the urgency of their needs to better navigate through their care continuum.

In oncology, controlling and treating cancer ranges across a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Treatment measures can be effective in stopping tumor progression, managing pain, and extending life. These may be accompanied with unintentional side effects, ranging from short-term and transient to long-term and persistent that can arise years after the first treatment.

Patient portals containing electronic personal health records linked to health systems, patient reported outcomes, and patient-centered education are currently recognized as promising tools to enhance health outcomes. Studies show that patient engagement throughout diagnostic, workup, and treatment, improves patient-provider relationships, enhances patient safety, and empowers patients and their caregivers [2].

Portals allow health professionals the ability to efficiently “track preventive measures such as screening tests and immunizations [3]”, and enable shared-decision making between health professionals and the patient. Communication between patients and the care team is enhanced with careful documentation of each interaction. A study by Easley et al. highlights that better communication among health professionals and with patients is the most common factor contributing to a positive experience within cancer care coordination [4]. When health professionals are given suitable tools to further enhance health literacy and promote self-management – patient outcomes throughout cancer treatment and survivorship planning improve.

Patient safety is further enhanced through the usage of portals that allow the tracking of stages of care in a centralized manner [5]. When supplemented with other software tools (i.e. tailored evidence-based educational articles, and patient reported outcomes and questionnaires) patients are able to monitor their health and efficiently report their status to the care provider.

Equicare Health is amongst the leading patient navigation health IT companies, currently serving over 250,000 oncology patients at over 240 cancer centers across the globe. Equicare Health provides efficient communication tools, a platform of educational content, and patient reported outcomes and questionnaires. The aim is to empower oncology navigation teams, caregivers and their patients.

The educational content provided is personalized for the patient and their care team. Equicare’s partnership with Oncolink and the inclusion of comprehensive drug fact sheets provides patients access to an extensive set of cancer educational content. Equicare has integrated Oncolink’s Education Library into their system to allow for timely and appropriate education provision.

Patient reported outcomes and questionnaires are measurements of any aspect of a patient’s health status that are provided directly from the individual [6]. They can provide invaluable information for timely risk management and assessing the overall effectiveness of cancer interventions. Cancer care organizations have begun integrating patient reported outcomes into their routine clinical practice. The hope is to improve cancer symptom screening and management across their jurisdiction.

Informal patient reported outcome measures in cancer care have always been in play. However, it has only been recently that there is growing interest on collecting information in a systematic and efficient manner through electronic collection and e-patient reported outcomes. Electronic collection yields reliable data that are of higher quality than health professional reported data that, in turn, facilitate conversation and increase patient involvement in their care.

Equicare Health and Lexington Medical Center collaborate on oncology integration project

August 23, 2017

Vancouver, CANADA – August 23, 2017– Equicare Health Inc., the leading supplier of Oncology care coordination solutions, teams up with Lexington Medical Center to expand integration to include Enterprise Electronic Health Record (EHR) information. The new integration gives customers using an enterprise EHR the opportunity to integrate data from their EHR Medical Oncology Information System with Equicare’s Care Coordination system (ECS). For organizations running one Oncology Information System (OIS) or a variety of vendor systems in many locations, Equicare serves as a bridge to consolidate data, manage compliance, and engage patients. The system streamlines data flows and allows patients and care providers to securely access data 24 hours a day, regardless of treatment location.

“When we recently switched our Medical Oncology system, we worked with Equicare to add support for integration to our Epic enterprise EHR,” says Jo Anne Covar, Director of Integration and Development at Lexington Medical Center. “With this integration now in place, we can consolidate patient data in ECS from the OIS systems used in both our Medical and Radiation Oncology departments. Our partnership with Equicare has allowed us to meet our goals of providing a robust navigation and survivorship program that operates across Oncology, minimizes duplicate data entry, and embeds clinical best practices.”

“Two additional collaboration projects with Equicare are pending as well. One will be to develop a single-sign-on (SSO) solution between the Equicare Patient Portal – which is designed for oncology patients – and our EHR enterprise portal. The second project will be to design and implement some additional integration points between the two portals using the new Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard,” adds Covar. “This will provide enhanced navigation and improved portal access capability in order to give our oncology patients a more seamless experience.”

The new feature contributes to the automated creation of oncology-specific survivorship care plans by extracting demographic, appointment, staging, chemotherapy, and hormone data from a customer’s EHR Medical Oncology Information System. When combined with existing functionality and data extracted from other OIS systems, the need for extra HL7 interfaces is dramatically reduced. The Equicare integration with this EHR provider will give customers more options for managing Oncology care coordination.

“We’ve been providing rich integration with other OIS systems for some time. By adding support for an EHR Medical Oncology Information System, we provide more options for customers requesting to use Equicare’s navigation and survivorship tools across their Oncology practice,” says Margaret Nash, VP of Global Sales at Equicare Health. “We are pleased to be in a position to close this gap for them and can’t thank the team at Lexington Medical Center enough for their leadership in this area.”

About Equicare Health
Equicare Health is the industry’s leading provider of comprehensive care coordination solutions. Equicare’s flagship solution EQUICARE CS™ (ECS) is a Multi-facility web-based software tool that facilitates patient engagement including patient reported outcomes, patient navigation, survivorship care and a number of other clinical tools, i.e. MDT, Clinical trials, a suite of educational material, etc.. In additional to the clinical toolset, Equicare also offers an administrative suite of worklists and reports for managing adherence to accreditation standards including Meaningful Use, Commission on Cancer (CoC), NAPBC, QOPI, OCM, etc… ECS enables cancer centers to influence clinical outcomes for patients, optimize revenue streams, and increase operational efficiency. www.equicarehealth.com

About Lexington Medical Center
Lexington Medical Center is a 428-bed hospital in West Columbia, South Carolina. It anchors a health care network that includes six community medical centers and employs a staff of more than 6,500 health care professionals. The network also has cardiovascular and oncology care affiliated with Duke Health, an occupational health center, the largest skilled nursing facility in the Carolinas, an Alzheimer’s care center and 60 physician practices. Lexington Medical Center operates one of the busiest Emergency departments in South Carolina, treating nearly 85,000 patients each year. The hospital delivers more than 3,500 babies each year and performs more than 23,000 surgeries. Lexington Medical Center is currently undergoing the largest hospital expansion in South Carolina history by creating a new patient tower that will open in 2019. Lexington Medical Center has a reputation for the highest quality care. www.lexmed.com

For more information, please contact:

Celina Lam
Marketing Communications Specialist
celina.lam@equicarehealth.com
604.398.2956

Doing the Right Thing in the Era of MACRA: The Role of Care Coordination

August 15, 2017

Concerns over the cost of health care and apparent lower health outcomes in the United States compared to other developed countries have significantly influenced program development by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). New reimbursement strategies intended to address cost and drive quality—specifically the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA)—are placing new clinical and operational demands on the health care industry.

So in the era of MACRA, providers need to balance reporting requirements (which can be time-consuming) while continuing to put patients first. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure patient care is well coordinated.

Tag: care coordination