Patient messaging system set to improve healthcare

Patient messaging system set to improve healthcare outcomes and immunisation rates in Canterbury

Auckland, Thursday 12 July 2010 - Healthcare outcomes in Canterbury are set to improve with the introduction of Vensa Health's TXT2Remind practice-patient messaging system to deliver appointment reminders, screening and immunisation reminders, health advice, medication reminders and laboratory results direct to the patient.

Vensa Health has signed a deal with the Canterbury Primary Health Organisation Alliance to make available the practice-patient messaging system to 133 General Practices and other health service providers in the alliance, who collectively provide primary health care services to around 480,000 enrolled patients in Canterbury. The TXT2Remind rollout, which each health provider has the choice to opt in to, will begin this week.

Vensa Health Chief Executive Ahmad Jubbawey said, "GP providers using our system around New Zealand have experienced impressive improvements such as improved appointment attendance, higher immunisation rates and increased efficiency. We're very pleased our system is going to be used to help improve health outcomes in Canterbury."

Mark Liddle Primary Healthcare Manager at Partnership Health Canterbury PHO says, "TXT2R will help simplify the process for General Practices to contact patients and notify them of upcoming appointments, immunisations and other scheduled interventions and procedures. We see making Vensa Health's system available to General Practice teams as a way to help support communication with patients."

The TXT2Remind system can also be used across a wide range of screening processes that require reminders and follow-ups such as mammograms and cervical screening as well as immunisation.

Mark Liddle says, "The systematic precall and recall of vaccinations is a key component in achieving and maintaining high immunisation rates. The new messaging system will help practices maximise vaccination opportunities. Childhood immunisation, HPV and flu vaccinations are all examples of nationwide programmes that can benefit from the use of this system."

"We've been really focused on how our system can help support the government's priority health targets. Increased immunisation for 2 year olds is one of the six priority areas. It's an area in which we've seen we can help make impressive improvements," says Ahmad Jubbawey.

The other priority health targets set to benefit are better diabetes and cardiovascular services and improved access to elective surgery. Indications are that providers using the system have seen improved attendance to free diabetes annual checks and CVD risk assessment as well as to surgical appointments.
"More patients are likely to turn up to appointments when receiving reminders via text message. The mobile phone is a personal device and when patients receive alerts they feel appreciated that the health provider is contacting them. Text messaging is also a very immediate form of communication so people act on alerts, often as soon as they have received them," says Ahmad Jabbawey.

The first 50 member practices in the Canterbury PHO Alliance are expected to be using Vensa Health's TXT2Remind system by the end of October with a another roll out scheduled later in the year.

The Canterbury PHO Alliance is comprised of Partnership Health Canterbury, Christchurch PHO, Canterbury Community PHO, and Rural Canterbury PHO (incorporating Hurunui Kaikoura PHO).

ENDS

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