Aetna Taps NaviNet For Mobile Clinical Decision SupportAetna Taps NaviNet For Mobile Clinical Decision Support

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Aetna and NaviNet will provide doctors in Aetna's Florida network with access to clinical and patient alerts and e-prescribing services through their smartphones or tablets.

The new tools, which are being offered to approximately 2,000 healthcare providers, are supported by NaviNet Mobile Connect, a mobile healthcare management platform that allows physicians to access electronic health record and patient management data. The medical alerts and e-prescribing services are available at no cost to physicians using an Apple iPad, iPhone, or an Android device.

By linking the NaviNet Mobile Connect to Aetna's ActiveHealth Management CareEngine, doctors can access additional information to help them make better clinical decisions, according to David Kates, senior VP of product management and clinical strategy at NaviNet.

"For example, NaviNet Mobile Connect is used to access relevant information in the context of writing electronic prescriptions while a doctor is caring for a patient. The patient's information is linked to the ActiveHealth Management CareEngine system, which determines whether there are any relevant care messages." That information is then displays on the doctor's mobile device, Kates told information Healthcare.

Aetna uses NaviNet to deliver clinical alerts to providers. These alerts are based on analysis from ActiveHealth Management CareEngine which consolidates fragmented health data, compares it against the latest findings in evidence-based literature, and provides immediate feedback to physicians. The data includes claims history, current medical, lab and pharmacy claims, and patient demographics. The data is mined on a weekly basis and is compared against thousands of evidence-based care guidelines that have been adopted within the medical community as the standard of care.

Doctors will now receive these alerts, which represent opportunities to improve care, on their mobile devices. (In the past, the alerts were delivered by email, phone, and fax. Physicians can discuss the alert during the patient visit and instantly notify the ActiveHealth Management CareEngine that an action has been taken to close the gap in care.

According to Aetna, doctors can access medical literature and clinical and patient information from Aetna's claims while the doctors are with their patients. By using their mobile devices to view this information, doctors can improve quality of care by identifying safety issues, including dangerous drug/drug interactions.

Physicians can also talk with their patients about any missed test or checkups and suggest care management programs. Additionally, the new features will allow doctors to simplify and speed prescription orders and make it easier for members to pick up prescriptions immediately following their appointment.

"Access to accurate, up-to-date patient and clinical information is critical for doctors to deliver high-quality, effective care. That's why we're putting integrated information into doctors' hands when it's most effective--when the doctor is in the exam room with the patient," Dr. Bob Kropp, regional medical director for Aetna, said in a statement.

Find out how health IT leaders are dealing with the industry's pain points, from allowing unfettered patient data access to sharing electronic records. Also in the new, all-digital issue of information Healthcare: There needs to be better e-communication between technologists and clinicians. Download the issue now. (Free registration required.)