RelayHealth Launches MedGift Social Network To Support Patients
New website links friends, family and patients; enables patients to request monetary and non-monetary assistance via unique gift registry
RelayHealth, a leader in electronicallyconnecting healthcare providers with patients, recently launched MedGift, a unique gift registry and social network that helps friends and family support patients in a variety of ways, such as with notes of support, transportation to physician appointments and assistance paying personal medical expenses.
MedGift acts as a social network to link patients with friends and family members, creating a supportive environment in which patients can share their progress and triumphs. But MedGift takes the concept of supporting patients a step further. It provides a unique gift registry through which patients can make requests based on their specific circumstances. For instance, a patient going through chemotherapy might request a new wig, rides to the cancer clinic, prayers and help with personal medical expenses. Patients can register for three types of assistance: Needs, which is help paying personal medical expenses; Wants, which is monetary support through gift cards; and Wishes, which can include an array of intangible or emotionally supportive items such as transportation assistance or home-cooked meals.
MedGift is the first patient website that connects patients and healthcare providers for the purpose of facilitating assistance toward personal Needs, Wants or Wishes. Through its partnership with member hospitals, plus various security and verification measures, MedGift ensures that each registered patient has an active patient account with a healthcare provider and is either admitted or is being treated on an outpatient basis.
MedGift was founded by Diem Brown, a television personality and cancer survivor. When Diem was 23 years old, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. "I was overwhelmed by the stress that comes when facing a medical crisis, I needed financial and physical support, but I just didn't know how to ask for it," said Brown. "The MedGift idea was born out of that experience."
"When people face an illness or recovery, they usually have needs that extend beyond their medical care," said Brown. "Cards and flowers are nice, but friends and family often want to help in a more meaningful way. When friends and family choose to fulfill a Need, Want or Wish in a registry, they know they're providing the assistance and support that the patient needs most."
Brown first reached out to RelayHealth with the idea for MedGift because of the company's expertise in creating secure healthcare connections. "RelayHealth saw an opportunity to help expand the hospital's role in patients' treatment and recovery process. Through MedGift, hospitals enable patients to connect with loved ones, communicate their stories, and ask for assistance in a dignified, appropriate manner. In turn, friends and family are more engaged in the patient's recovery and know specifically how to help," said Jim Bodenbender, President, RelayHealth Connectivity Solutions. "Through MedGift, our customers can further strengthen their brand image, as well as connections with their patients and communities."
The Medical Society of Delaware, recognizing the important role that physicians play in engaging patients and enabling their care, is an early adopter of MedGift. While MedGift is aligned with helping hospitals and health systems fulfill their missions within their communities, the Medical Society of Delaware feels that allowing physicians to offer MedGift to patients will reinforce the strength of the patient-physician relationship.
"Many efforts to reform our nation's healthcare system have not placed sufficient importance on the patient-physician relationship," said Mark A. Meister, Sr., Executive Director, Medical Society of Delaware. "Yet 83 percent of all care is provided in the physician's office. By choosing MedGift, the Medical Society of Delaware is giving its 1,600 physicians a way to strengthen their relationships with patients and giving patients - and their friends and family members - a way to deal with the needs that arise during treatment."
Diem Brown and Donna Scott, Executive Director, Marketing Strategy, RelayHealth, will unveil MedGift at this year's Health 2.0 conference in San Francisco on October 6. For more information, visit http://medgift.com.
About RelayHealth
RelayHealth, McKesson's connectivity business, operates as a neutral partner in an open network environment, offering connectivity services and integration among all organizations, systems, and solutions. Its intelligent network is designed to streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payors, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and financial institutions. RelayHealth works to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and improve financial performance through solutions such as online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing, point-of-service pharmacy claims resolution by payors, pre-visit patient financial clearance by providers, and post-visit provider bill settlement by payors and patients. RelayHealth securely processes more than 12.8 billion financial and clinical transactions annually. For more information, visit www.RelayHealth.com.
About The Medical Society of Delaware
The Medical Society of Delaware, the third oldest society of its kind in the United States, was founded on February 3, 1789. The principle upon which this society of physicians was founded has remained steadfast: to further the ideals of the medical profession, thereby enhancing the health and well being of the citizens of Delaware.
SOURCE: RelayHealth