Press Release: DrFirst and Interlace Health Join Forces to Deliver the Secure Technology Needed to Better Share Information Before and After Care to Avoid Treatment Delays and Increase Efficiency
New partnership makes it easier for patients and healthcare providers to share, complete, sign, and store required forms electronically
OCKVILLE, Md. & ST. LOUIS — A new partnership between DrFirst and Interlace Health will make it easier for patients and healthcare providers to send, complete, sign, and manage forms so that needed medical treatment can be provided efficiently.
DrFirst is a pioneer in technology, support, and services that connect people at touchpoints of patient care. Interlace Health (formerly FormFast) is a process transformation company that solves many of healthcare’s central challenges through seamless data capture and information exchange.
The partnership enables Backline, DrFirst’s award-winning care collaboration platform, to offer its users an integrated Interlace Health module, which allows healthcare organizations to share forms via secure messaging to patients, external clinicians, or anyone who needs to provide information and sign documents. Providers can now use Backline to deliver Interlace Health’s forms to patients and other healthcare providers in advance of medical procedures to improve pre-registration and intake processes, prevent delays, and improve the patient experience. The documents can be stored in a patient’s medical record, and the process increases efficiencies and supports social distancing for patients and medical staff.
Completed and signed forms are required at many points within the health system for patients to get needed treatment. Yet missing consent forms are the most frequent cause of surgical delays at nearly 25%, according to a study by the UT Health Science Center.
“Except for life-saving emergency care, forms are often one of the first steps in healthcare,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. This requirement goes beyond a patient simply providing his or her name, date of birth, and insurance information, according to Deemer. “A patient may arrive at a hospital for surgery, after having fasted since the night before, after having taken one or more days off work, and having arranged for transportation home. But that surgery won’t happen if the hospital hasn’t received ‘clearance for treatment’ forms from the patient’s primary care physician or the cardiologist.” These situations can frustrate patients, disrupt staff, and increase costs to the healthcare system, Deemer explained.
Incorporating Interlace Health with Backline allows these documents to be shared, completed, signed, and stored in electronic medical records in a way that meets HIPAA requirements to protect patients’ private health information. This also saves time by eliminating the need to print, fax, or scan documents.
“Healthcare organizations can spend a lot of energy trying to get these needed forms completed and signed in time so patients’ treatments aren’t delayed and to help control healthcare inefficiencies,” said Art Nicholas, chief revenue officer at Interlace Health. “Our partnership with DrFirst means that patients can get the care they need when they need it, clinicians can collaborate more efficiently, and healthcare organizations can improve operations and ensure compliance.”
Backline can streamline the delivery of any type of document generated by Interlace Health, such as forms for patient intake and informed consent, as well as healthcare organizations’ administrative forms for human resources, downtime, and risk management.
About Interlace Health
Interlace Health (formerly FormFast) lives at the intersection of the relationships, environments, and experiences at the heart of modern health care. By enabling seamless data capture and information exchange among providers, staff, and patients, Interlace Health solves many of health care’s central challenges through process transformation. The result for its clients is reduced costs, increased collections, uplifted patient experiences, improved operational efficiency, and enhanced support of an organization’s integration strategy.
Interlace Health’s platform enables several solutions that are accessible by clinicians and patients inside and outside the walls of the health care system. These include patient intake, revenue cycle management, electronic consent, forms-on-demand and downtime contingency. To learn more about how the company is improving health care workflow, visit www.interlacehealth.com.
About DrFirst
Since 2000, DrFirst has pioneered healthcare technology solutions and consulting services that securely connect people at touchpoints of care to improve patient outcomes. We create unconventional solutions that solve care collaboration, medication management, price transparency, and adherence challenges faced in healthcare. We unite the Healthiverse by providing our clients with real-time access to the information they need, exactly when and how they need it–so patients get the best care possible. DrFirst solutions are used by nearly 300,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 100,000 prescribers, nearly half of the EHRs in the U.S., and more than 1,400 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit DrFirst.com.
