FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: David Bertola (716) 635-3852
WNYHealtheNet web application wins Healthcare Achievement Award
BUFFALO, NY –April 26, 2006 – WNYHealtheNet is the recipient of the 2006 Buffalo Niagara 2006 BETA Award in the Healthcare Achievement category. The announcement was made March 23 by InfoTech Niagara.
Each year, the Buffalo/Niagara Emerging Technology Awards (BETA) are presented to companies, organizations, and people who seek to discover, honor, and promote the efforts of those who have served as innovators, creators and advocates of new technologies, new methods of integrating technology and of economic development through technology in Western New York. The awards are sponsored by InfoTech Niagara, a coalition of companies and people involved with information and computing technologies in Western New York.
WNYHealtheNet (pronounced as “Western New York Healthy Net”) earned honors in the Healthcare Achievement category, which recognizes a local healthcare organization that best embodies the vision, most inventive ideas, and the broadest leadership in technological innovation.
“The BETA award signifies that the local technology and medical communities have recognized WNYHealtheNet as an ever-evolving, mainstream organization whose website adds value and administratively simplifies office practices through the imposition of industry standards,” said Tom Unger, Grapevine Consulting, contracted program manager for WNYHealtheNet. “The success has been a result of working with experienced technology partners, including Chicago-based APP Design Inc., and PCI of Buffalo.”
WNYHealtheNet is a database-driven software tool available via the Internet. It is a collaboration by the region’s major hospitals and all health insurance plans, and allows for on-line, real-time administrative transaction processing.
“WNYHealtheNet is an amazing success story,” said APP Design partner Rob Quinn, the company that created the WNYHealtheNet software application, and built the country’s first community health network, Wisconsin Health Information Network (WHIN). “It’s been a privilege to have contributed to WNYHealtheNet, which drives down health care costs, as it saves physicians and providers nearly $20 every time a referral is made, and $1 for every transaction. When considering that the application supports nearly two million transactions every month, the cost savings add up quickly.”
“The opportunity to achieve this high level of cost savings is rare, added Pat McGrath, vice president of services for PCI, which provides the infrastructure, world class data center facilities which include a geographically dispersed disaster recovery site & associated services, help desk and technical support for WNYHealtheNet. “More than 19,000 Western New York physician and provider offices access WNYHealtheNet. We’ve taken a proactive approach to help doctors’ offices work efficiently, and have been flexible, listening to what they say so that we can provide the appropriate level of support and make the necessary changes to provide the best possible customer service and meet their needs.”
WNYHealtheNet is a secure Internet-based tool that allows for transaction processing to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, HealthNow of Central New York, Blue Shield of Northeastern New York, NASCO, ITS, FEP, Independent Health, NOVA Healthcare Administrators and Univera. The transactions offered on www.wnyhealthenet.org are 270/271 Eligibility Inquiry & Response, 276/277 Claim Status Inquiry & Response, 278 Referral Request & Response, 278 Referral Inquiry & Response and 278 Authorization Inquiry & Response. Kaleida Health is also exchanging several of these transactions, in an integrated, real-time manner with each of the aforementioned payors. Prior to WNYHealtheNet’s 2002 launch, physicians and providers were required to contact each plan individually, in disparate ways, to confirm member eligibility information. WNYHealtheNet was created to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and projects to save $6.3 million annually throughout Western New York’s health care delivery system, as it helps streamline processes for patient transactions.