Integra Connect and IOBS Join Forces to Improve Oncology Patient Triage at the Point of Care

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. and ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Integra Connect, the leading provider of technologies and services for value-based specialty care, today announced a partnership with Innovative Oncology Business Solutions (IOBS) to incorporate Community Oncology Medical Home (COME HOME) program triage pathways into its Oncology Care Model (OCM) and population health solutions. Oncology practice staff using Integra Connect solutions will now be able to leverage IOBS's comprehensive set of protocols to provide aggressive symptom management as part of their patient triage and care coordination workflows, then track and report on results via advanced analytic capabilities.  

"Our partnership with Integra Connect is an exciting opportunity to extend COME HOME pathways to leading community-based oncology practices nationwide in support of their value-based care success," said Barbara L. McAneny, MD, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of IOBS. "IOBS's aim has always been to enhance patient outcomes by improving the timeliness and coordination of care, while also reducing cost through avoidance of unnecessary emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospital visits. That mission is becoming more important than ever, as oncology practices participating in the OCM or future APMs need interventions such as our triage pathways to directly reduce the ED and inpatient costs for which they are held accountable."

Triage activities enabled through Integra Connect's solutions will focus on first responders (phone operators) and nurses, who will be guided through step-by-step clinical decision making as they discuss and assess a wide variety of patient issues such as pain, nausea, and vomiting. The protocols have already produced noteworthy results among the seven practices participating in the COME HOME program, who have collectively reduced their overall cost of care by 7.2%, driven by decreases in inpatient hospital admissions (12.5%), 30-day hospital readmissions (11.7%), and ER visits (6.6%). In addition, the COME HOME program was recently expanded through a collaboration with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) that will see its tools replicated and expanded across the United States.

"IOBS's best-in-class symptom management protocols will provide a powerful asset to our oncology practice clients as they care for patients more holistically, across all settings," said Charles Saunders, MD, CEO of Integra Connect. "The relationship serves as further proof of our mission to enable practices not just to track and report for value-based care ? but to better control the drivers of quality and cost to meaningfully improve their performance."

Integra Connect's Oncology Care Model solution, live at several of the nation's largest and pre-eminent oncology practices, includes: 1) population health capabilities centered around risk analysis and patient stratification, in order to understand attributed patients and predict individuals at highest risk of hospitalization, ED use, and adverse outcomes; 2) care coordination and management tools to engage high-risk patients early with clinical interventions, case management, and social and behavioral support, all while adhering to evidence-based care pathways and quality improvement; and 3) robust analytics to manage quality and cost in real-time, as well as reporting capabilities to CMS for the required OCM (and MIPS) quality measures ? at the practice, site, and provider levels.

The integration of IOBS pathways and Integra Connect's Oncology Care Model and population health solutions will be available in the fall of 2017.

About Innovative Oncology Business Solutions (IOBS)
Innovative Oncology Business Solutions Inc. was created in 2012 to apply for and manage the $19.8 million CMMI award COME HOME. Currently, IOBS provides administrative support to the National Cancer Care Alliance and provides consulting services to practices to create improved affordable practice transformations to meet Medical Home Accreditation while positioning them for value-based contracting success. Learn more at www.innovativeobs.com.

About Integra Connect
Integra Connect delivers a comprehensive, integrated suite of cloud-based technologies and services that enable specialty groups to optimize clinical and financial performance as reimbursement shifts to value-based models. Connected by the IntegraCloud platform, the company's core applications span population health including care management; advanced analytics; medication therapy management; specialty-specific EHR; practice management; and revenue cycle management. All are designed to help specialty practices transform operationally in adherence with complex regulations, including MACRA program requirements. Integra Connect partners with large groups in the U.S. focused on oncology and urology, as well as with other key healthcare constituents, including emergency medical services firms, hospitalist groups and life sciences companies. For more information, visit www.integraconnect.com.

Media Contact
Chanel Benoit
Aria Marketing for Integra Connect
[email protected]
617.332.9999 ext. 209

SOURCE Integra Connect