Partners HealthCare Center for Connected Health And Its Technology Partner, Claricode, Named Finalist for Microsoft Health Users Group Innovation Award

Innovative platform for remote monitoring and connected health is recognized as a finalist for Microsoft Health Users Group Innovation Award.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) April 14, 2009 -

The Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, and its technology solution partner, Claricode, were named finalists in the Microsoft Health Users Group (HUG) 2009 Innovation Awards, recognizing their proprietary patient and practice management platform, the Connected Health Care Suite (CHCS), that functions as a comprehensive records system for connected health programs. Connected health programs use a combination of remote monitoring technology, sensors and online communications to improve patient adherence, engagement and clinical outcomes.

"Our connected health technology platform is currently being used throughout the Partners network, to offer remote monitoring for heart failure and diabetes patients," said Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, director, Center for Connected Health. "This technology also enabled us to create SmartBeat, a product for self-insured employers, to help their employees manage hypertension. We are honored to be recognized by Microsoft and the Microsoft HUG awards."

This connected health technology platform delivers powerful data collection, decision support, clinical rules and a range of gold-standard disease and behavior management tools. The platform's interfaces manage the interaction between patients, providers and caregivers, creating the right online experience for the right user at the right time.

By developing this infrastructure, the Center for Connected Health has significantly reduced the cost and complexity of launching new remote monitoring programs, and increased its capacity to manage and improve the quality of care for larger remote monitoring patient populations.

Connected health programs utilizing the CHCS platform have achieved successful clinical results:

• 50% reduction in hospital readmissions for heart failure patients and a 33% reduction in the number of nursing home visits
• published research suggests that programs like this can reduce blood glucose levels (HbA1C) in diabetes patients
• achieved 85% active participation in the SmartBeat hypertension program, improved employee health awareness and lifestyle choices and helped reduce blood pressure

The Microsoft Healthcare Innovation Awards are presented annually to the healthcare organization and technology solutions partner - with which it has collaborated - that best demonstrates industry leadership in using technology to achieve innovation excellence.

About Claricode
Claricode develops medical software for health care providers and medical software companies. Claricode recently created "The Essential Guide to Medical Software Development" to help potential customers learn more about developing medical software. The company works with a variety of premier medical organizations on novel applications that improve quality of life and lower the overall cost of patient care, creating e-health solutions for medication management, e-prescribing, home care, Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) telemedicine, payment reconciliation and more. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.claricode.com.

About the Center for Connected Health
The Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, is creating effective, new solutions and innovative interventions to deliver quality patient care outside of the traditional medical setting. Our programs use a combination of remote-monitoring technology, sensors, and online communications and intelligence to improve patient adherence, engagement and clinical outcomes. The Center also offers expert online second opinions, enhanced medical education and training, and engages in innovative research to discover new pathways to better care, including the use of virtual worlds and online coaching.

Boston-based Partners HealthCare is an integrated health system founded in 1994 by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to its two academic medical centers, the Partners system also includes community and specialty hospitals, community health centers, a physician network, home health and long-term care services, and other health-related entities. Partners is one of the nation's leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Partners is a non-profit organization.

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