The premier company empowering physician-led health improvement

Dallas, TX – May 5, 2009: Phytel, the industry leader in automated, physician-led health improvement, is proud to be affiliated with the Elmhurst Clinic, which, along with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, recently won the Microsoft Healthcare Users Group (MSHUG) 2009 Innovation Award in the category of Clinical Care – Ambulatory Records.

A 92-provider multispecialty group, the Elmhurst Clinic was recognized for using information technology to improve the quality of care at its eight clinics in DuPage and Cook Counties in Illinois. Along with the immediate access to patient data and the connectivity provided by the group’s electronic health record, Phytel’s electronic registry and automated messaging to patients have helped Elmhurst deliver that higher level of care.

“Phytel’s solution is a very important part of our whole vision of technology use,” noted Mary Stull, vice president of the physician practice division for Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare and chief operating officer of the Elmhurst Clinic. “It improves the quality of care by engaging noncompliant patients in the patient-centered treatment plans set up by our caregivers. It serves as a potent reminder to the patient that it’s time for them to come in for their visit. So it allows earlier interventions—especially for chronic diseases like diabetes and asthma.”

Steve Schelhammer, CEO of Phytel, commented, “We recognize and congratulate the Elmhurst Clinic for showing how the intelligent application of an EHR, in conjunction with Phytel’s targeted, physician-driven solution, can help doctors provide necessary care for recommended preventive and chronic disease services. Many physician groups across the country are discovering that it’s not the data in an EHR that improves care—it’s how they use that information to re-engineer their clinical processes.”

Phytel’s Proactive Patient Outreach Solution combines an electronic registry based upon nationally recognized protocols with automated messaging to patients who need services. Since most of these patients have been noncompliant with their treatment plans, the reminders result in a significant increase in bookings of patients who need recommended care.

So far this year, the Elmhurst Clinic has seen an 11 percent improvement in necessary care appointments, and Stull attributes at least half of that growth to the use of Phytel’s service. “This strategic quality initiative matches the Elmhurst vision of patient care for our community,” Stull observed. “We’re seeing growth.”

About Phytel - Phytel is the premier company empowering physician-led health improvement. Phytel provides physicians with proven technology to deliver timely, coordinated care to their patients. Phytel’s unique service actively implements quality standards both inside and outside of the practice walls, while strengthening the physician-patient relationship. Phytel’s state-of-the-art registry uses evidence-based disease management and preventive care protocols to identify patients who are due for follow-up care. Phytel automatically notifies patients of needed care and tracks their compliance, while measuring quality and financial results. For more information, please visit www.phytel.com.

About the Elmhurst Clinic - The Elmhurst Clinic, one of the premier multispecialty groups in Illinois, includes 92 healthcare providers working in seven locations in DuPage and Cook Counties. Founded in 1952, the group affiliated with Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare in Elmhurst, IL, in 1996. For more information, please visit www.elmhurstclinic.org.