The healthcare system in Chicago is fragmented as care is provided by a number of entities with little or no communication taking place between them. The Medical Home Network (MHN) in Chicago www.mhnchicago.org uses technology to communicate enabling healthcare teams to more effectively improve communications with patients in the region.
MHN helps deliver better healthcare to Medicaid patients by using a patient-centered and team-based model of care. According to data from MHNConnect’s www.mhnconnect.com web-based care coordination tool, it was found that the team approach to healthcare plus using up-to-date and innovative communication technologies has lowered hospital readmissions, shortened the length of hospital stays, increased follow-up visits with providers, and reduced costs.
MHNConnect was the first technology of its kind to be implemented across disparate entities such as hospitals and primary care practices in Illinois. This technology enables providers and care teams to access to real time and historical data and receive immediate patient activity alerts. Today MHNConnect continues to expand and is currently providing integrated connectivity for 20 hospitals and more than 170 primary care practices.
MHNConnect cares for 170,000 Medicaid patients in Chicago. The facilities utilizing MHNConnect include a number of FQHCs, along with the Mount Sinai Medical Center www.sinail.org, St. Anthony Hospital www.sahchicago.org, Cook County Hospital and Hospital System, www.cookcountyhealth.net, Holy Cross Hospital www.holycrosshospital.org, and La Rabida Children’s Hospital www.larabida.org.
“Having access to real time information and up-to-the-minute details pertaining to the patient’s health care utilization is invaluable,” said Arthur Jones, MD, Chief Medical Officer of MHN and longtime practicing physician on Chicago’s West side.