The Challenge
Today's healthcare environment is highly fragmented. Physicians, patients and other stakeholders find it difficult to coordinate care, to communicate and to collaborate with one another. When 125 million Americans suffer from a chronic illness* and each sees 7 providers per year†, coordination and transfer of information is critical. Yet in today's environment, these interactions are complex, and can result in serious adverse events. In fact, over 50% of Americans do not receive the recommended care for their conditions.‡

The Solution
RMD Networks provides clinical groupware—software and services designed to dramatically improve communication and coordination of care among providers, patients, and payers in the healthcare environment. RMD enables providers to function as an effective and coordinated team, to access and manage patient information across dispersed organizations to ensure patients are receiving recommended care. 

The RMD clinical groupware platform serves as a foundation to combine multiple applications into a unified view that allows clinicians to exchange information, collaborate on care, and engage patients in managing their own care. The platform:

• Is a web-based solution that is easy to adopt, and easy to use;
• Connects providers, patients, payers, and others;
  
• Delivers data in a highly collaborative way;
  
• Is a secure, HIPAA-compliant messaging and clinical registry;
  
• Offers personal health records that measure against guidelines; and,
  
• Includes reporting capabilities that tie to incentive performance programs.

Creating Value
RMD's clinical groupware benefits patients, providers and payers. Patients become active, engaged participants in their own health; providers improve communication and coordination of care; and payers have a mechanism to monitor compliance with clinical guidelines.

All of this together results in Better Communication, Better Information and Better Care.™

* Anderson, G and Knickman, JR, Changing the Chronic Care System to Meet People's Needs. Health Affairs, 2001; Volume 20, Number 6.

† Pham, HH, Schrag, D, et al. Care Patterns in Medicare and Their Implications for Pay for Performance. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2007; 356:1130-9.

‡ McGlynn, EA, et al. The Quality of Health Care Delivered to Adults in the United States. The New England Journal of Medicine, 2003; 348:2635-45.