Emmi Solutions Launches EmmiTransition to Deepen Patient/Provider Relationships Before, During and After Care Visit

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emmi Solutions, LLC, a Chicago-based pioneer in patient engagement technology, announces the launch of EmmiTransition™, a new solution for healthcare providers that guides patients as they move between care settings. EmmiTransition provides patients with timely, actionable information to address common causes for setbacks and empowers them to take a more active role in their care.

“As we work to adjust from a volume to value-based healthcare system, we know that interacting with our patients more often and more effectively – both in and outside of the hospital – is the key to better outcomes and reduced readmissions”

This solution was developed using the Emmi^® platform, which has been proven to help providers achieve quantifiable, actionable results. EmmiTransition starts before discharge from the hospital and involves a combination of interactive voice response calls, online educational programs, engagement of a patients’ personal networks through circle of care phone calls, as well as tools to report feedback to the hospital care providers.

“We believe patients never really leave the care of their providers – they just move through different environments and have different care needs,” says Devin Gross, CEO of Emmi Solutions. “EmmiTransition is designed to be about much more than mitigating the risk of today’s readmission penalties. It addresses broader business challenges and opportunities by changing patient behavior through engagement, supporting better self care and being active members of their healthcare team.”

HackensackUMC, New Jersey’s largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services, was one of four hospitals to pilot EmmiTransition with more than 100 discharged congestive heart failure (CHF) patients who received 45 days of consistent communication. Patients responded positively, healthcare staff saved an estimated 600 hours, and HackensackUMC staff received ongoing insight into patient status as more than 313 “red flags” – conditions that impact patient outcomes, satisfaction and risk – were reported that might have otherwise gone unidentified.

“As we work to adjust from a volume to value-based healthcare system, we know that interacting with our patients more often and more effectively – both in and outside of the hospital – is the key to better outcomes and reduced readmissions,” said Dr. Louis E. Teichholz, medical director, Cardiac Services, HackensackUMC. “Yet, with time and resources in short supply, providers are struggling with how to do this. EmmiTransition proved an effective solution that significantly benefited both our patients and our staff. It identified ‘red flags’ that would have led to increased readmissions – if not worse in some instances.”

Michelle Browning, a discharge nurse at HackensackUMC, says many patients told her how helpful they found the program. “EmmiTransition allowed us to reach our patients more dependably, get comprehensive reports, and freed precious time to respond to patients who learned when to call us with issues such as swelling and weight gain so we could help them address these.”

EmmiTransition will continue to expand its programs to include ED transitions, diabetes, asthma, pneumonia, stroke and many others.

About Emmi Solutions, LLC

Emmi’s proprietary interactive communication methodology delivers actionable health information to patients via multiple modalities – including computers, mobile phones and tablets – at key moments across the continuum of care. Emmi’s ability to connect with patients in language they understand at a time they are ready to learn and through the devices they already own has been demonstrated to help healthcare providers reduce costs, increase revenue and improve outcomes. The patented platform allows providers to track the delivery and consumption of information to measure the clinical and financial impact of patient engagement and meet regulatory guidelines. The web-based platform requires no installation or maintenance and can be used in stand-alone mode or fully integrated into existing systems.

About Hackensack University Medical Center

HackensackUMC, a non-profit teaching and research hospital located in Bergen County, New Jersey, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state, and home to the only Level II Trauma Center in the county. This 775-bed facility has gone beyond traditional thinking by creating an entire campus of care, including: the Heart & Vascular Hospital, the John Theurer Cancer Center, the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, and the Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital. As a result of using science and creativity to push medicine further, HackensackUMC was listed as the number one hospital in New Jersey and one of the top four New York metro area hospitals by the U.S. News & World Report, and has received nine national rankings in: Cancer; Cardiology & Heart Surgery; Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology; Geriatrics; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Urology; and the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital ranked as one of the Top 25 Best Children’s Hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals list. The medical center has also been named one of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® and one of America's 50 Best Hospitals by HealthGrades®. It is listed among the Leapfrog Top Hospitals List, received 17 Gold Seals of Approval™ by the Joint Commission, and is listed as one of the 50 Best Hospitals in America by Becker’s Hospital Review. It was first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet® recognized hospital for nursing excellence. The medical center is the hometown hospital of the New York Giants, and remains committed to its community through fundraising and community events. To learn more about one of the nation’s 50 best hospitals, visit: www.HackensackUMC.org.