Baptist Hospital Transforms Care Delivery by Utilizing MyHealthDIRECT to Link Patients to Physicians and Ongoing Care

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the most important things a patient can do after leaving the hospital is to connect with appropriate physicians for follow up and ongoing care.

Baptist Hospital is utilizing MyHealthDIRECT, a Web-based software application to connect – in real time – patients to health care providers at the most appropriate level of care. The system allows hospital personnel to search and book available health care appointments for patients.

"This is the first step in helping members of our community better their health and their lives," said Bernie Sherry, president and CEO of Baptist Hospital. "It will provide more timely and ongoing care for patients while also reducing visits to the emergency room, especially for those who have had no medical home and had to use the ER for non-emergency treatment. We can seamlessly match them with a local care provider."

MyHealthDIRECT's platform first builds, then organizes, open and available appointments throughout an entire provider network into a searchable and schedulable inventory of health care services. The proprietary web-based software solution has helped health care organizations across the country increase access to care, facilitate care management and improve quality measures.

"Clients see immediate benefits as our solution simplifies and transforms the appointment-making process by providing real time search capabilities and sending appointment confirmation details and reminders to patients," said Jay Mason, CEO of MyHealthDIRECT. "MyHealthDIRECT not only helps organizations reach their bottom-line goals but it ensures better health care coordination and delivery."

"This platform allows us to advance our mission of supporting personalized, quality care through a cost effective care coordination initiative. It's been beneficial to our care management team in helping inpatients who have spent several days with us for complicated medical conditions to those who come through our emergency department," said Sherry.

Baptist Hospital received a $37,500 grant from the Baptist Healing Trust to help implement MyHealthDIRECT.  

The Baptist Healing Trust recently awarded funds totaling over $1.9 million to 53 local non-profits for a variety of health related projects, according to President & CEO Cathy Self. The mission of the Baptist Healing Trust is to be a caring ministry devoted to healing with love in the Christian tradition.

Recipients of the contributions include non-profit organizations from all over Middle Tennessee working to help create access to quality, compassionate health services for the community's most vulnerable.  This year's grants bring the collective grant making of the Baptist Healing Trust to almost $55 million since 2002.  The Baptist Healing Trust was created when Baptist Hospital in Nashville was acquired by Saint Thomas Health, a ministry of Ascension Health.

About Baptist Hospital

Baptist Hospital is a member of Saint Thomas Health, the market share leader in Middle Tennessee and a faith-based health ministry with more than 6,500 associates. Saint Thomas Health's regional health system consists of five hospitals – Baptist Hospital, Saint Thomas Hospital and The Hospital for Spinal Surgery in Nashville, Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro and Hickman Community Hospital in Centerville – and a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures in diagnostics, cardiac services and ambulatory surgery as well as medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities. Saint Thomas Health is a member of Ascension Health, a Catholic organization that is the largest not-for-profit health system in the United States. For more information, visit www.baptisthospital.com or www.sths.com.

About MyHealthDIRECT

MyHealthDIRECT is a national health services company connects hospitals, care management organizations, public agencies and community collaboratives for the purpose of scheduling timely and appropriate health care appointments on behalf of individuals. Founded in 2005, MyHealthDIRECT offers a web-based solution that organizes open and available health care appointments in the community into a searchable and schedulable inventory of healthcare services. The MyHealthDIRECT solution promotes continuity of care, reduces unnecessary cost and utilization and ensures that patients are scheduled with appointments that best fit their needs and preferences. MyHealthDIRECT's web-based solution helps healthcare organizations in 11 states improve access to care, facilitate care management and improve quality measures.

SOURCE MyHealthDIRECT