HUDSON HEALTH PLAN IS NAMED A HUDSON VALLEY 'HEALTH CARE HERO' FOR ITS ADVANCEMENTS IN HEALTH CARE
(Tarrytown, NY) -- Hudson Health Plan has been named a Hudson Valley "Health Care Hero" by The Professional Image, the publisher of Hudson Valley Life, Hudson Valley Parent, and Vida Y Familia Hispana. Hudson Health Plan received the 2005 "Advancements in Health Care Award" for developing information systems to improve both the accessibility and quality of health care in the Hudson Valley. Hudson Health Plan is a not-for-profit managed care organization offering free and low-cost insurance to low-income individuals in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. The award was announced in the July issues of Hudson Valley Life, Hudson Valley Parent, and Vida Y Familia Hispana.
"Hudson Health Plan…has been making strides in improving the health of thousands of individuals through the use of Information Technology since the company's inception in 1985," the magazines stated in their report. "With these advances ensuring better health for an increasing number of families in our region, Hudson Health Plan is taking health care to a new level."
Better Management of Diabetes
The award cites two specific information systems. The first, CareFocusTM, is an electronic registry for diabetes care developed in conjunction with the New York Diabetes Coalition. Designed for medical offices, CareFocus alerts physicians when their patients with diabetes fail to receive necessary examinations and tests. It also provides physicians with patient histories and comprehensive health status reports, allowing physicians to spot trends without searching through pages of paper records. Additionally, the system helps to identify patients most at risk for diabetes complications and advises physicians on what needs to be done based on the patient's risk level. As a registry, CareFocus will be adapted to track other conditions besides diabetes.
Easier Enrollment
The second information system, FEEATM (Facilitated Enrollment Electronic Application), is designed to streamline enrollment in state-funded insurance programs such as Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus. FEEA cuts the time it takes to process a paper application in half and virtually eliminates errors. In addition to automatically determining eligibility for these programs, the system enables users to scan required documentation, such as birth certificates, so that documents are readily available when plan members are recertified each year, as required by New York State. FEEA is available to all New York health plans, and currently is in use or being considered by other organizations in New York State
"Throughout our history, we have continually sought ways to use information technology to serve our mission of promoting and providing access to excellent health services for all people," says Georganne Chapin, President and CEO of Hudson Health Plan. "We are honored to receive this award in recognition of the significant investment we've made in time and resources to use technology to improve the lives of residents in the Hudson Valley and throughout New York State."
About Hudson Health Plan
Founded in the mid-1980s by a coalition of community health centers, Hudson Health Plan works to serve the best interests of its members and providers. The Tarrytown based not-for-profit organization has approximately 55,000 members in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess counties in the lower Hudson Valley. A leader among health plans, Hudson Health Plan has been driving health care innovation in the Hudson Valley by actively promoting quality health care and developing new technology to streamline enrollment into and the administration of Medicaid, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus. Hudson Health Plan is the winner of the 2005 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Corporate Award for diversity from the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester; the 2005 Advancements in Health Care Award from Hudson Valley Life, Hudson Valley Parent, and Vida Y Familia Hispana; and the 2003 Community Leadership Award from the New York Health Plan Association.