Healtheon/WebMD Enhances WebMD Practice With Three Additional Services That Expand Access to Reliable Medical Information and Improve Time and CostEfficiencies for Healthcare Providers
Prestigious Scientific American Medicine Content Significantly
Expands Current Offerings
New 'Superior Health on WebMD' Channel Offers Current, Authoritative
Information on the Healthcare IT and Healthcare Management Industries
WebMD OnCall' Provides State-of-the-Art Answering Service
ATLANTA, NASHVILLE and SOUTHFIELD, Mich., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Healtheon/WebMD Corp. (Nasdaq: HLTH), the first end-to-end Internet healthcare company connecting physicians and consumers to the entire healthcare industry, today announced that three new content and service offerings are now available on the company's physician portal, WebMD Practice(TM). These offerings provide WebMD Practice users with reliable, trusted medical content for practicing physicians; current business content to guide physician managers in the strategic management of healthcare organizations; and access to a state- of-the-art integrated messaging service. The new offerings on WebMD Practice include:
* Scientific American Medicine, the renowned continuously updated
information resource for practicing physicians. The addition of peer- reviewed, highly illustrated, evidence-based medical information from
Scientific American Medicine complements the breaking news and
information that is available on WebMD Practice and that is developed
by the WebMD National News Center. Scientific American Medicine is
available at no extra charge to all WebMD Practice subscribers. For a
limited time, access to this highly regarded clinical content is also
available to all visitors to www.webmd.com .
* "Superior Health on WebMD," a new channel on WebMD Practice that
provides authoritative business content and relevant resources that
enable healthcare managers and executives to obtain greater efficiency
and the many benefits of connectivity. "Superior Health on WebMD"
provides knowledge databases, decision support and strategic advice
from Superior Consultant Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SUPC), a leading
provider of Digital Business Transformation(TM) services to the
healthcare industry.
* The "WebMD OnCall" answering service, an integrated messaging service
provided by NotifyMD, the nation's leading provider of web-enabled,
call center-based physician communication services. The service
utilizes leading-edge technology to assure seamless coverage for
physician practices. WebMD OnCall, the NotifyMD product that is
branded for WebMD, is delivered through nine geographically-dispersed
service centers that are staffed by live operators 24 hours a day.
"With these three offerings, Healtheon/WebMD has integrated valuable, cutting-edge information and critical services into WebMD Practice, providing healthcare professionals with a comprehensive, credible portal they can rely on to help them deliver the best patient care. We expect this will drive the healthcare providers to our site and ensure that they spend more time on WebMD Practice," said Charles Saunders, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Healtheon/WebMD. "By providing healthcare professionals with this key content and services, which are a critical part of running a daily practice, we can help users stay informed while enhancing the efficiencies of their practices."
Scientific American Medicine's Trusted, Authoritative Medical Information,
Enhances WebMD Practice
Scientific American Medicine is the foundation of the clinical content on WebMD Practice and it provides another trusted and authoritative source of medical information. Unrivaled in its currency, scope, quality, and credibility, Scientific American Medicine is written and edited by more than 100 preeminent physicians. The textbook covers prevention, diagnosis, treatment and pathology in internal medicine and related specialties.
Scientific American Medicine's online version is a comprehensive medical reference resource with thousands of references hotlinked directly to MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's database of references to more than 11 million articles published in 4,300 biomedical journals. This clinical reference work will continue to be sold in print and on CD-ROM in addition to the online version, which is available as part of WebMD Practice.
Subscribers to Scientific American Medicine currently receive free access to the online version of the text. They will be offered subscriptions to WebMD Practice, with the cost being underwritten. On WebMD Practice, they can access Scientific American Medicine, obtain updated chapters, detailed illustrations and extensive medical information resources, and other trusted and timely content, such as the WebMD National News Center, Medical Quick Facts, Patient Education and the drug database Clinical Pharmacology(C).
Daniel D. Federman, M.D., Dean for Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and a founding editor of Scientific American Medicine, said, "Currently, many physicians rely on print-based textbooks with information that is years old by the time it is published. Scientific American Medicine on WebMD Practice will give physicians in-depth, referenced, current medical information when they need it."
"Joining WebMD is a unique opportunity for Scientific American Medicine to provide many more practicing physicians and residents with the reliable, up- to-date medical information that they have come to trust," said David C. Dale, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, and Editor-in-Chief of Scientific American Medicine.
"Superior Health on WebMD" -- A Trusted Guide for Healthcare Executives
Navigating the Digital Transformation of Healthcare
The "Superior Health on WebMD" channel provides physicians, physician executives, physician practice managers and healthcare managers and executives with Superior's knowledge resources and interactive solutions. These solutions help healthcare professionals address the care process and the administrative components of healthcare delivery in order to reduce costs; enhance communication with patients, payors and other constituencies, improve care and streamline operations.
Superior's nationally renowned staff of industry experts develops and deploys current, relevant information on the healthcare industry, the healthcare IT industry and the healthcare management industry. This timely, updated content includes weekly feature articles, daily news briefs, editorials, analysis and insight for the healthcare industry and healthcare management. Also available on "Superior Health on WebMD" are healthcare information technology tips and techniques and links to products, tools, and services. Currently, Superior has 2,500 clients in 50 states and several countries. Each week, their staff of industry experts is in dialogue with approximately 5,000 healthcare decisionmakers.
"Healthcare practitioners have responded positively to the availability of knowledge databases, decision support and strategic advice on the Internet," said Richard D. Helppie, Chairman and CEO of Superior. "The depth and breadth of Superior's healthcare and technology knowledge and expertise, as well as our position as an industry leader, arms the healthcare executive who uses 'Superior Health on WebMD' with the information and resources they need to survive and thrive in healthcare today."
"WebMD OnCall" Answering Service Strengthens Service Offerings on WebMD
Practice
WebMD OnCall offers an alternative to traditional answering services. The WebMD OnCall integrated messaging service offers:
* a general voice mailbox, with a toll-free number for forwarding non- urgent calls after hours
* a personal voice mailbox assigned to each physician, where operator and
patient calls are recorded and can be reviewed by the physician toll- free from any remote location
* trained operators who take medical calls only and have expertise in
handling medically-sensitive messages
* the Amtelco software system, designed exclusively for medical call
centers, that allows physician and office profile information to
automatically appear on operator screens with each incoming call
* multiple notification vehicles based on physician preference, including
pager, cellular phone and home phone
* daily recaps of urgent messages e-mailed to the physician's WebMD
secure inbox at a preset time, assuring that all messages are received
and that a follow-up is made
* a nationwide network of nine fully web-enabled call centers
"We are pleased to be able to provide our communications solution to Healtheon/WebMD, the most recognizable name in e-healthcare," said Gary Ferguson, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of NotifyMD. "Our ability to facilitate communication exchange and retrieval of message content through the Internet will help drive physician usage of WebMD Practice and of NotifyMD's services for daily activities and create ultimate site stickiness."
About WebMD Practice
Healtheon/WebMD's professional portal, WebMD Practice, uses the Internet to provide physicians and their offices with comprehensive content, secure communications and transaction services including automating the workflow associated with determining patient eligibility, referring a patient to a specialist, and authorizing treatment. It also automatically links eligibility and authorization information to medical claims submitted electronically. Using the service, a patient's insurance coverage can be quickly verified online and a referral or authorization can be obtained in seconds, rather than days, thus speeding access to care while reducing effort and cost. Unlike other professional portals, WebMD Practice is unique in that it carries no advertising.
About Healtheon/WebMD
Healtheon/WebMD is the first end-to-end Internet healthcare company connecting physicians and consumers to the entire healthcare industry. Healtheon/WebMD is using the Internet to facilitate a new system for the delivery of healthcare, resulting in a single, secure environment for all communications and transactions that will enable a more efficient and cost- effective healthcare system. With corporate headquarters in Atlanta and technology headquarters in Silicon Valley, the company was formed in November 1999 as a result of the merger of Healtheon Corporation, WebMD Inc., MEDE America, and Medcast. For more information, visit webmd.com .
About NotifyMD
Based in Nashville, Tenn., NotifyMD has developed healthcare's first physician communications portal through which the discrete exchange of information between patients and physicians is ensured. The company serves as an extension of the physician's office resources, and is the first point of contact between the physician and the patient. The company's initial service offering, medical messaging, provides after-hours communication support and is utilized by 12,000 physicians generating 60,000 unique patient encounters daily. The new technology has enabled NotifyMD to extend its suite of services to include e-services, prescription renewal, test results delivery, appointment confirmation, patient reminders, satisfaction surveys and physician referral services delivered during and after-hours.
NotifyMD markets to physicians, IPAs and hospital networks both offline and online through direct and indirect sales channels. The company has expanded its call center network through acquisition and consolidation, targeting strategically located centers of medical excellence throughout the United States. The company maintains distribution agreements with Medicine OnLine, Beansprout Networks, Passport Health Communications, Premier Health Group, Columbia/HCA, VHA, Metrocall and other more regionally dominant healthcare providers such as Memorial Sloan Kettering and St. Barnabas Health Systems. For more information on NotifyMD services, call 1-877-4NOTIFY.
About Superior Consultant Holdings Corporation:
Superior specializes in Digital Business Transformation (TM) services that enable clients to thrive in the information-driven economy. Through its consulting, systems integration, outsourcing and e-commerce services, Superior provides all segments of the healthcare industry with the tools and strategies they need to effectively serve customers and capitalize on e-commerce opportunities. Superior's powerful e-Health(TM) solutions -- coupled with the company's 15 years of experience providing innovative solutions to the healthcare industry -- enable clients to meet their fiscal challenges without compromising clinical quality. For more information on Superior Consultant Holdings Corporation, simply dial 1-800-PRO-INFO and enter the Company ticker: SUPC (a no-cost fax-on-demand service) or visit the Company's Web site at superiorconsultant.com .
Other than historical information set forth herein, this announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the ability of Healtheon/WebMD's services to decrease costs and improve patient care. Actual results could be materially different from those discussed in this announcement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others: Healtheon/WebMD's limited operating history, continued growth in the use of the Internet, and acceptance of the Internet as a secure medium over which to conduct transactions. Additional risks associated with Healtheon/WebMD's business can be found in its recent Registration Statement on Form S-4 and other periodic filings with the SEC.
Clinical Pharmacology (C) 2000 Gold Standard, all rights reserved.
SOURCE Healtheon/WebMD
CO: Healtheon/WebMD; Scientific American Medicine; Superior Consultant Holdings Corporation; NotifyMD
ST: Georgia, California, Tennessee, Michigan
IN: MLM CPR HEA MTC
SU: PDT
04/10/2000 12:30 EDT prnewswire.com |
