Health Plans Utilize SironaHealth's Nurse Advice Line Programs to Help Reduce Non-Urgent Use of Emergency Departments
The United States already has "universal healthcare" - it's called the Emergency Room and it's costing us a fortune.
South Portland, ME (PRWEB) August 28, 2009
Many health insurers are searching for strategies to reduce the costs associated with non-urgent, and often avoidable, Emergency Room visits that occur each year in the United States--which some estimates put over $20 billion dollars annually.
Regardless of whether they're experiencing an emergency, many consumers will choose the ER as their initial source for healthcare. This is especially common with parents who are unsure if their child should see a doctor after-hours and opt to visit the ER for minor ailments. During these visits, hospitals are forced to allocate expensive resources to treat non-emergent patients, which can cost many times greater than if they were treated through primary or home care.
SironaHealth (http://www. sironahealth. com) believes that the best way to reduce non-urgent ER visits is to educate consumers on their healthcare options through guideline-driven nurse advice line (http://www. sironahealth. com/products_services/24x7_nurse_line. php) programs. While health information is widely available through any Internet search engine, effective healthcare support--and behavior change--comes from the one-on-one guidance consumers receive when speaking with a healthcare professional.
The 2009 flu season presents an additional complication to an already strained situation. As concerns about H1N1 continue to rise, health insurers are looking for ways to prevent consumers from immediately going to the ER if they suspect they have the flu.
SironaHealth's tele-health services (http://www. sironahealth. com/products_services/health_plans. php) do just that.
SironaHealth is working with health insurers across the country to provide telephone and web based nurse advice line services that educate consumers on their health, provide recommendations on where they should seek care, and offer reassurance that they are making the correct choice for themselves and their family.
By partnering with SironaHealth, health insurers can provide their members with an alternative source of health information and advice by offering free access to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. SironaHealth's registered nurses perform triage and guide consumers to relevant healthcare information and programs, including information on local urgent care centers, hospitals, and physicians that are covered by their insurance plans.
About SironaHealth
SironaHealth is a healthcare call center (http://www. sironahealth. com/about_us/about_sironahealth. php) that helps health insurers, employers, hospitals, care managers, and other healthcare organizations encourage health, wellness, and positive behavior change in their populations. SironaHealth's tele-health programs help healthcare organizations reduce costs, improve customer loyalty, and integrate health education programs through nurse line and telephone triage services, targeted outreach and engagement, physician referral programs, class and event registration services, and health enabling technologies.
For more information about SironaHealth, please visit www. sironahealth. com.
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