Mercy Health Partners with Cordata to Help Cancer Screening Patients

Mercy Health - Cincinnati, which provides advanced, compassionate, quality care in your neighborhood through its care network, announces that it is collaborating with Cordata Health Innovations on a cancer screening care coordination pilot that launched in February 2017. Mercy Health - Cincinnati is among the first health systems to pilot Cordata’s automated patient engagement solution on Cordata’s oncology platform, which connects with patients’ electronic health record to provide a summary view of patients’ cancer care.

Over 400 patients who completed a Mercy Health survey indicating that they needed cancer screenings including mammograms, pap smears and colonoscopies are part of the pilot, which uses Cordata’s specialty care coordination platform to manage the patients from screening through to survivorship.

Using the platform, Mercy Health’s nurse navigators, who guide patients through their screenings, can see where each individual patient is on his or her path of care. The nurse navigators use the tool to remind patients of screening dates, track their results and coordinate all the care around a patient’s diagnosis and treatment. Nurse navigators can also note patient fears and stress areas related to their diagnosis to provide them with appropriate resources for help.

Patients in the pilot can opt to receive information from their nurse navigator by text or email, supplementing the essential communication the nurse navigators already provide them in person and over the phone. For example, a patient who has opted in to receive text messages could receive a brief paragraph on what to expect before, during and after the colonoscopy the patient is having the next day.

With the adoption of Cordata’s services, Mercy Health and its nurse navigators can focus on patient care while using the Cordata tool for care coordination services. Care coordination is essential for patients undergoing cancer screenings and helps patients adhere to screening schedules and appointments, have necessary diagnostic workups, identify cancer risk factors, provide education to combat fear and distress and make cancer screening and diagnostics more efficient and effective.

The pilot is measuring participants’ results, including screening participation, follow through with recommended diagnostics and patient satisfaction. It will run for approximately three months and upon completion, Mercy Health expects the results to demonstrate the usefulness both of the Cordata care coordination platform and Mercy Health’s enhanced patient navigation model.

"As one of the nation’s top health systems, Mercy Health - Cincinnati recognizes the value of technology and seeks out innovative ways to connect with patients, deliver high quality care and improve operational efficiencies. As the industry continues to shift toward value-based care, our relationship can help Mercy Health enhance patient outcomes by influencing patient behaviors in meaningful ways," said Gary Winzenread, CEO of Cordata. "Beyond making nurse navigators more productive, Cordata’s Specialty Care Coordination Platform also helps health systems develop and sustain strong and personalized relationships with people needing care for complex or chronic conditions.”

“Partnering with Cordata Health will help Mercy Health coordinate its cancer screening services to make healthcare participation easier for patients. Together, we will provide patients with the quality care they need, while utilizing new-age technology to optimize their care path. Not only will we be improving the lives of our patients and community, we will be guaranteeing them a simplified and guided process.” Susan Brown, RN, Executive Director of Mercy Health – Cincinnati’s cancer service line.

Cordata Healthcare Innovations’ specialty care coordination platform helps healthcare organizations more effectively treat people with chronic specialty diseases and generate better clinical and business outcomes through effective patient management and retention along complex care paths. Physicians, nurse navigators, service-line directors and business executives at 100+ hospitals and health systems rely on Cordata for timely and actionable insights. Learn more at www.cordatahealth.com