HEALTH FUNDERS PARTNERSHIP OF ORANGE COUNTY AWARDS LOCAL COLLABORATIVE $398,500 FOR COUNTYWIDE OBESITY PREVENTION PLAN
The grant, awarded to the Orange County Nutrition & Physical Activity Collaborative, will help lower the more than $3 trillion economic costs associated with overweight, obesity and physical inactivity in OC.
IRVINE, CALIF. (Aug. 17, 2009) – The Health Funders Partnership of Orange County (HFPOC), a collaboration of organizations whose mission is to enhance the impact and efficiency of health philanthropy and health-service delivery in Orange County, has awarded a $398,500 grant to the Orange County Nutrition & Physical Activity Collaborate (NuPAC) for a plan aimed at combating obesity and diabetes in the county.
NuPAC’s Orange County Obesity Prevention Plan, champions healthy eating, exercise and advocates the design of open space in urban areas. It tackles obesity by focusing on seven sectors that can have an impact on the health of an individual – families, schools, employers and worksites, State and local government, health insurers and providers, food and beverage industry, entertainment and professional sports – and details activities and initiatives that each sector can implement to promote a healthier lifestyle.
NuPAC patterned the plan after the State’s to help coordinate efforts in Orange County, which according to a recent study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, has the second-highest costs associated with overweight, obesity and physical inactivity. According to the study, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity issues cost more than $3 trillion in OC, second to Los Angeles, which spends more than $11 trillion.
“As a faith based organization, we want to ensure that the communities we serve are among the healthiest and that can’t be accomplished if the youth of our communities are facing obesity rates at epidemic levels,” states Gabriela Robles, Executive Director, St. Joseph Health System Foundation, a member of the Health Funders Partnership and a funder of the initiative. “We are committed to combating this issue by providing the necessary resources and programs that will center on reaching the communities we serve throughout Orange County.”
The plan is the third phase of an initiative launched by HFPOC to prevent and help individuals manage type II diabetes. The first phase launched in 2000, allocated $2.4 million into projects that screened and assisted individuals in obtaining care for diabetes, trained school nurses to screen for type II diabetes and created an outreach campaign aimed at the Vietnamese community. The first phase became a major milestone for health philanthropy in Orange County. Phase II of the initiative, seamlessly launched in 2004, focused on fitness and nutrition for kids and granted approximately $550,000 to six organizations.
“If there isn’t a significant investment in obesity prevention during childhood within schools, communities, and the healthcare system, the upward trend in childhood obesity will likely lead to increases in type II diabetes among young adults — resulting in even greater costs to society and the healthcare system” said Ruth Kurisu, HFPOC’s managing director. “HFPOC has awarded more than $3.3 million since 2000 to fight this epidemic in Orange County and help the families in the community lead healthier lifestyles through education and outreach programs, such as the plan created by NuPAC.”
Steve Eldred, senior program officer for The California Endowment, Health Funders Partnership member and a major funder of the initiative, agrees: “NuPAC has provided a comprehensive plan of action and prioritized stronger partnerships with local businesses, elected officials and others who will be necessary for the successful design and implementation of a systemic change that can reverse the alarming trends we see in childhood obesity and diabetes.”
Through its grant, HFPOC aims to prove that private funders, community leaders and partners are committed to work together for a solution to the problem and invest on the health of County residents.
“Thanks to HFPOC grant, NuPAC will be in a position to engage more community members and leaders to be part of the solution. Together, we can address the obesity epidemic and impact costs associated with treating chronic diseases and physical inactivity that will eventually save more tax dollars in the future,” said Samar McGregor, NuPAC Chair.
ABOUT HFPOC
Health Funders Partnership of Orange County is committed to creating a healthy Orange County by identifying strategic issues for collaborative funding and the sharing of resources. Working together each member organization realizes a greater impact to the community than they could ever achieve alone. Currently chaired by Michael Ruane, President of the Children & Families Commission, HFPOC is fiscally sponsored by The Volunteer Center Orange County. To learn more please visit www.hfpoc.org.
ABOUT NuPAC
NuPAC is a regional collaborative of more than 60 health-related organizations dedicated to empowering communities to make system and environmental change to support better nutrition, physical activity and increased access to healthy foods. NuPAC’s mission is to lead coordinated efforts and maximize resources to decrease obesity and improve healthy eating and physical activity among Orange County families and communities.
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ACCESS OC TO IMPLEMENT SYSTEM THAT FACILITATES REFERRALS, IMPROVES COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS AND SPECIALISTS
eConsult, created specifically for Access OC by Newport Beach, Calif.-based SafetyNet Connect, is expected to save money and time by ensuring referrals to specialists are appropriate and patients are prepared.
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIF. (Aug. 5, 2009) – Access OC, best known for providing specialty medical care and surgeries to low income and uninsured individuals in Orange County, has announced it will implement an innovative, web-based email system designed to improve communication between primary care physicians and specialists.
eConsult, as the system will be called, will enable primary-care physicians and specialists to discuss how to better manage patients and what tests or information is needed for a complete and appropriate referral before a visit is scheduled. It is also expected to lower costs by eliminating redundancies in testing and decreasing unnecessary visits to specialists.
The system, which is compliant with standards set by the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, is being created for Access OC by Newport Beach, Calif.-based SafetyNet Connect, which has a history of producing electronic solutions for sharing health information. Access O.C. has received grant money to fund the project.
“Many providers rely on inefficient systems, such as handwritten forms, faxes and phone calls, to coordinate specialty referrals and subsequent care, which exacerbates the lack of available specialty care available,” said Jennifer Shimabukuro, director of Access OC. “Through eConsult, we are harnessing existing technology to improve communication between primary-care physicians and specialists, improving the quality of care for those who need it most.”
According to two separate surveys of community clinics in Orange County — one conducted in 2007 by the California Primary Care Association and another directly by Access OC – some primary care physicians indicated they can reach a specialist for a consult less than five percent of the time, while others said that they were unable to reach a specialist when needed. Such gaps in the system lead to inaccurate and/or inappropriate referrals and wasted appointment times, while incurring unnecessary costs to both patients and insurance companies, Shimabukuro said. In the short-term, eConsult will alleviate this and in the long-term, it is expected to lower overall healthcare costs and eventually have insurers pay for specialists to use the system.
According to Chris Cruttenden, president of NetChemistry and partner of SafetyNet Connect, eConsult is being modeled after a successful e-referral system already used in San Francisco that has reduced waiting times for specialist visits from 11 months to less than two months. In addition, 40 percent of cases initially referred were diverted elsewhere because the system was able to screen out patients who needed to see a different specialist, did not need to see a specialist, or needed further evaluation by the primary-care physician prior to referral.
“The use of an electronic referral system in Northern California has demonstrated significant potential to save time and resources, while ensuring that patients receive needed care promptly,” Cruttenden said. “This type of system is particularly urgent as demand for care continues to increase as a result of increasing unemployment, loss of health insurance, pressure on the public payers and skyrocketing health care costs. There is no better time than now to implement a program with the ability to reduce costs while simultaneously improving access and outcomes.”
ABOUT ACCESS OC
Access OC is improving the health of vulnerable people by providing access to medical specialists in a high quality, cost-effective manner. Building on the success of its initial outpatient surgery volunteer program established in 2007, Access OC is developing several innovative specialty care programs that will continue to serve the low income and uninsured in Orange County. Access OC has received grant funding to initiate two additional specialty care programs, eConsult and telemedicine, both of which use health information technology to improve care. For more information please visit www.accessoc.org.
Access OC is a project of the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County (HFPOC), a collaboration of organizations whose mission is to enhance the impact and efficiency of health philanthropy and health-service delivery in Orange County. Member organizations include foundation, corporate, private non-profit and public sector funders. For more information please visit www.hfpoc.org.
ABOUT SAFETYNET CONNECT
SafetyNet Connect was founded in 2008 to provide local health systems with an electronic solution to managing care for the forgotten population in Orange County, Calif. — the underinsured and uninsured. SafetyNet Connect has accomplished this through its 3 offerings, AuthMed, eCEDA, and MSI Connect (which include ER Connect, Clinic Connect, and Community Connect) all which assist in enrolling and tracking patients and their health data throughout the healthcare community.
The company’s name reflects its connecting role among the Orange County Safety Net, a collaboration of health-based programs serving the uninsured and underinsured in the region. SafetyNet Connect is a company created from the partnership between an internet and software solutions provider NetChemistry, Inc. and ELM Technologies – both which have a rich history of providing software that enables collaboration between hospitals, insurance companies, managed care organizations, third-party administrators, physician groups and public sector health plans. For more information please visit www.safetynetconnect.com.
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SAFETYNET CONNECT’S TECHNOLOGY INCLUDED IN A STATEWIDE DEMONSTRATION OF DATA EXCHANGE THROUGH NATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION NETWORK
The demonstration could bring ARRA stimulus funding into the state and includes participants such as Kaiser Permanente, Long Beach Network for Health, RedWood MedNet and Physician Medical Group of Santa Cruz.
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (June 26, 2009) – SafetyNet Connect, a joint venture between NetChemistry and ELM Technologies in Newport Beach, has announced that its technology, ER Connect, was among those highlighted in a demonstration conducted on June 25 aimed at displaying how to exchange health information electronically through the National Health Information Network (NHIN).
SafetyNet Connect was among five other organizations to participate in the demonstration, which included Kaiser Permanente, Long Beach Network for Health, RedWood MedNet, and Physicians Medical Group of Santa Cruz. The organizations used technology each has independently developed to link directly to the National Health Information Network (NHIN), which enables the sharing of information among emergency rooms, medical groups, and individual physicians.
Together, SafetyNet Connect and the other healthcare providers used the demonstration, organized by the California eHealth Collaborative, to demonstrate how community-based health information exchanges (HIE) or provider networks that conform to NHIN standards can securely exchange meaningful data for patient treatment purposes without compromising patient care, privacy and security. However, for the sake of the demonstration, the information exchanged will be test data rather than live data.
“The demonstration is a huge milestone in California and possibly for the nation,” said Keith Matsutsuyu, CEO of ELM Technologies. “Connecting our ER Connect solution to the established NHIN-standard architected gateway enables us to impact ER utilization and increase access to our customers patient’s information through other NHIN gateway HIE’s.”
ER Connect utilizes open-source technology in order to create an HIE-ready gateway for its clients. Through this gateway, ER Connect is not only able to provide local emergency-room physicians with the ability to view and share critical patient information, but now can provide them with the ability to access information across the state or country from other NHIN standard participating HIE’s. Additionally, it enables physicians to also provide direct referrals to community clinics. The technology has already proven successful in Orange County, Calif. where it has been used since 2008 and has been linked directly to a decrease in emergency room visits and an increase in patients placed in a medical home.
In order to participate in the demonstration, all the organizations in the collaborative signed a version of the Data Use and Reciprocal Support Agreement (DURSA) required for connection to the national NHIN gateway.
During the demonstration, there will be a clinical scenario behind the exchange of data. Information exchanged includes a clinical summary of each patient, similar to the data which would be shared between a referring primary care physician and a specialist, such as lab results. Several records will be exchanged to show that the process is general and not a special case.
Each data exchange will be observed by one or more staff of the California Privacy and Security Advisory Board. The exchanges will be recorded in an online session and are available on the eHealth Collaborative’s website at www.CAeHC.org.
“We are pleased to demonstrate that we can leverage the open-source, certified (NHIN) Connect solution to offer local providers the ability to securely share health care information with each other and to access information nationally,” says Jamie Ferguson, Kaiser’s Director of Health Information Technology Strategy and Policy for Kaiser Permanente and a member of the National Health IT Standards Committee.
The timing of the demonstration coincides with the CONNECT ’09 Seminar in Washington D.C. where Public and Private sector organizations will convene to learn about how to implement the federally-developed solution that will allow them to connect to the NHIN. The California demonstration will serve as the basis for one of the presentations illustrating the role played in a public/private information exchange.
Exchange Opens ARRA Stimulus options for California
The demonstration could help bring some of the $20 billion allocated in President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for healthcare IT into California, especially if it proves that such an exchange can happen without compromising patient privacy and security. The collaborative is confident that it will.
“Providing local physicians and other Safety Net providers with low-cost access to data exchange technologies is key toward advancing the Obama Administration’s goals, said Chris Cruttenden, President of NetChemistry. “Through this demonstration, the eHealth Collaborative is proving that health information can be shared effectively without compromising patient privacy and can provide local physicians and other safety net providers with low cost access to data exchange technologies.”
Through the ARRA 2009 stimulus packet, healthcare providers can have access to the technology with grants and loans being offered to participants that utilize certified Electronic Health Records technology to improve care to patients. Once this technology becomes widespread, authorized doctors and staff will have a more complete picture of a patient’s health status regardless of where they are located.
ABOUT SAFETYNET CONNECT
SafetyNet Connect was founded in 2008 to provide a fully-functioning Health Information Exchange (HIE) and suite of supporting web-based solutions under a single, fully-integrated umbrella for those public/private organizations serving the “forgotten population” in Orange County, Calif. — the underinsured and uninsured. SafetyNet Connect has accomplished this through its 5 offerings, AuthMed, eCEDA, ER Connect, Clinic Connect and Community Connect, all which assist in enrolling and tracking patients and their data throughout the healthcare community.
The company’s name reflects its connecting role among the Orange County Safety Net, a collaboration of health-based programs serving the uninsured and underinsured in the region. SafetyNet Connect is a company created from the partnership between Internet and software solutions provider NetChemistry, Inc. and ELM Technologies – both which have a rich history of providing software that enables collaboration between hospitals, insurance companies, managed care organizations, third-party administrators, physician groups and public sector health plans. For more information please visit www.safetynetconnect.com.
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INTERNET MARKETING SPECIALISTS EXPERIENCES UPSWING IN BUSINESS DESPITE GLOOMY ECONOMY
LAKE FOREST, CA – [May 26, 2009] – Internet marketing specialists Digital Eye Studios has announced it experienced an upswing in business despite bad economic conditions and credits the expansion to the need by businesses to have an increased Internet presence and track their marketing dollars.
Digital Eye experienced a 98 % increase in the fourth quarter of 2008 and a 15 % increase in the first quarter of 2009. New clients say they are looking to allocate more marketing dollars on Internet marketing and SEO because it can be tracked and easier to convert those interested into paying customers.
“There was a time when businesses just needed to have a website to establish legitimacy. But now a presence isn’t enough,” said Gary Brewer, president of Digital Eye.
“Internet marketing not only includes a functional website that attracts prospects and sells a company and its products or services, but one that is accessible to search engines, provides fresh information continuously and that contains landing pages geared specifically to a target market. The work is often too overwhelming to be done internally. ”
Digital Eye’s success has led the agency to receive the endorsement of search engine optimization expert Steve Wiideman, president of www.SEOEXPERT.TV and author of SEO Blog Optimization and The Four Layers of the SEO Model: How to Rank Higher in the Search Engines, both books which have been popular and well-received. Wiideman, who has managed million-dollar pay-per-click budgets and turned brick and mortar businesses into Internet profits, continues to refer clients Digital Eye. In all cases, Digital Eye has increased traffic and conversions generated from organic and sponsored placements on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.
“Digital Eye has proven time and again that they can not only talk the talk, which many companies learn to do, but they can also walk the walk. They are not only well-versed in the proper techniques, but they have the metrics that prove they can increase ROI. Working with them is a no-brainer,” Wiideman says.
ABOUT DIGITAL EYE STUDIOS
Digital Eye is an independently-owned agency focused on leveraging technology to create fully integrated campaigns that increase sales and build brands effectively. Digital Eye offers a complete selection of on- and offline marketing services including, corporate identity and branding, creative marketing strategies, public relations and press release distribution, website design and development and search engine marketing and optimization services. For more information, please visit www.digitaleyemedia.com or www.doyoulikeyourwebsite.com.
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ACCESS OC NAMES NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR
IRVINE, CALIF. (May 13, 2009) – Access OC, best known for providing specialty medical care and surgeries to low income and uninsured individuals in Orange County, announced it has named Jennifer Shimabukuro as its new Program Director.
Shimabukuro will take helm of the organization effective immediately and will continue implementing and developing innovative, interconnected specialty care initiatives geared toward improving the health of uninsured individuals who are often in pain and unable to work due to their medical condition.
Access OC is a project of the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County (HFPOC), a collaboration of organizations and individuals committed to strengthening and improving the delivery of health services in Orange County.
“We are ecstatic to have Jennifer come on board. Her familiarity with the issues, the programs, and the technology will be instrumental in carrying out Access OC’s mission,” said Ruth Kurisu, Managing Director of HFPOC. “Jennifer will be an important liaison, interacting and coordinating medical services between patients and the network of physicians and hospitals participating in the program.”
Prior to joining Access OC, Shimabukuro served as the director of finance for the Children & Families Commission of Orange County. During her tenure there, she acted as the chief financial officer for several non-profit healthcare organization grantees and ensured the sustainability of program investments. Shimabukuro also served as finance manager for the cities of Garden Grove and Tustin and audit supervisor at KPMG, Moreland & Associates and Balser, Horowitz, Frank & Wakeling.
“Access OC was created to address a critical need for access to specialty care among the uninsured and underinsured in Orange County,” said Shimabukuro. “The program is continuing its innovation and expansion and I embrace the opportunity to further its collaborative impact, making a positive difference — patient by patient — in Orange County.
Since its inception in 2007, Access OC, through its flagship same-day surgical program, has provided surgical services to approximately 126 out of the 656 individuals referred by medical professionals and primary care physicians from clinics that are affiliated with the Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics. Individuals are selected by participating surgeons, who come together for one weekend and perform surgeries on those chosen or who fit the patients into their normal week’s schedule. Though the out-patient surgeries are often quite simple, participants are freed from debilitating pain and medical conditions that are often disabling and that keep them from working.
“We are pleased to have Jennifer here to drive the programs offered at Access OC,” said Greg Buchert, M.D., Chair of Access OC and Chief Operating Officer for CalOptima, the integrated health care system that administers health insurance programs for Orange County children, low income families, and persons with disabilities. “With Jennifer’s background and experience, Access OC will be able to continue expanding on its current programs.”
Ed Kacic, CEO of Irvine Health Foundation and Chair of the Orange County Safety Net Coalition– a collaboration of health-based programs serving the uninsured and underinsured in the region, which Access OC is part of – agrees: “Access OC is a key component of the Orange County Safety Net. Jennifer brings with her a network of relationships and experience, and an exuberant drive and passion to the position.”
ABOUT ACCESS OC
Access OC is improving the health of vulnerable people by providing access to medical specialists in a high quality, cost-effective manner. Building on the success of its initial outpatient surgery volunteer program established in 2007, Access OC is developing several innovative specialty care programs that will continue to serve the low income and uninsured in Orange County. Access OC has received grant funding to initiate two additional specialty care programs, eConsult and telemedicine, both of which use health information technology to improve care.
Access OC is a project of the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County (HFPOC), a collaboration of organizations whose mission is to enhance the impact and efficiency of health philanthropy and health-service delivery in Orange County. Member organizations include foundation, corporate, private non-profit and public sector funders.
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EXHIBITORS ASKED TO JUDGE SKYLINE EXHIBITS’ BEST NEW
PRODUCT CONTEST AND ENTER TO WIN A FREE DISPLAY
Contest lets exhibitors judge favorite from group of
innovative new trade show displays
Orange County CA. (May 1, 2009) – Skyline Exhibits is holding a new product contest to call attention to its record group of new products. Skyline is asking exhibitors to go to the online contest at http://tinyurl.com/dzqlgv to judge which new Skyline trade show display product is the best.
As incentive for judging the contest, Skyline will award to a judge a free 10-foot display of their choice from the new products. The contest ends May 29, 2009.
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