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HealthPartners receives national business award
Diagnostic imaging program improves safety and quality, reduces costs
November 13, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - The National Business Coalition on Health honored HealthPartners high-tech diagnostic imaging program with its 2008 eValue8 Health Plan Innovation Award. Out of 70 health plans that applied, HealthPartners is one of four to receive the award that recognizes programs that address critical issues in health care.
HealthPartners program is built in to the electronic medical record to give doctors the latest medical evidence on when an MRI, CT scan or other high- tech diagnostic test is necessary and which test is best. When physicians order a test, they get the latest expert recommendations based on guidelines from the American College of Radiology, American College of Cardiology and other sources.
"This program shows that when physicians and patients have easy access to the latest information they can choose the most appropriate test," said Pat Courneya, MD, HealthPartners medical director for care delivery systems.
"It's a win-win-win for doctors, patients and employers because it improves quality and safety, prevents unnecessary costs and makes healthcare more affordable by efficiently linking patients, doctors and effective information right at the point of care" Said Brian Rank, MD, HealthPartners Medical Group.
Dr. Courneya also noted that preventing unnecessary CT scans improves safety by reducing exposure to radiation. One abdominal CT scan is equivalent to 500 chest x-rays according to the Food and Drug Administration. An estimated one in every 1,000 CT scans results in radiation induced cancer.
Prior to this program, HealthPartners use of MRI and CT scans was increasing about 15-18 percent every year, increasing costs by $8 million a year. The diagnostic imaging program helped reduce the number of unnecessary tests by 7,000 and decreased costs by $6.6 million in 2007.
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serves more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit healthcare organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007".
Contact: 952-883-5308
Cell: 612-618-1273
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