LANSING, Mich., August 7, 2019 — Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN) and Care Convene announced their partnership to optimize health information exchange, interoperability and integrated care within the state of Michigan.

Care Convene, founded in 2014, is a virtual health platform (aka telehealth) that allows for greater patient access to quality care via a secure platform. Care Convene extends the reach of the care team beyond the traditional brick and mortar practice, increases patient retention and helps providers work more efficiently, increase revenues and improves patient satisfaction in a virtual environment. Unlike traditional telehealth solutions, Care Convene focuses on longitudinal care rather than episodic care.

This model enables self-management by the patient and care coordination from all members of a patient’s care team. In addition, the model further supports greater patient health literacy, virtual assessments, targeted patient education and chronic symptom management.

Care Convene will integrate with MiHIN services including Active Care Relationship Service, Common Key Service, Admission, Discharge and Transfer Notifications, and Quality Measure Information to drive the virtual delivery of patient centered, provider-delivered care and health information exchange in a coordinated and triaged way to further serve the citizens of Michigan with patient-centered care.

MiHIN is the exclusive marketer and reseller of Care Convene in Michigan.

The MiHIN and Care Convene partnership will support four physician organizations (POs) participating in the new Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Advanced HIE Innovations Program, which was announced in June. “This program will pilot innovative approaches to integrate care between physician organizations, providers and other community partners. It will leverage health information exchange and related technologies to co-manage illnesses, coordinate care, communicate with patients, and work through challenges,” says Sharon Kim, Senior Health Care Analyst, Value Partnerships, BCBSM. “The program will also look to improve the integration of other data sources to support the statewide health information exchange infrastructure. The goal is to develop and implement health information exchange technology and solutions that may be leveraged or replicated by other physician organizations and their practices with minimal cost.”

“One of the pilots, with the support of BCBSM, will combine real-time admission and discharge notifications to provider care teams, as well as patient literacy tools and virtual access that will enhance the transition of care experience for both patient and care team members,” says Chris Bailey, Director of Business Development, MiHIN. “Through this, stronger relationships will be built between patients, providers, and care teams, virtually, now, into the future, and at work, at home or on the go.”

“When a patient is connected to the Care Convene platform and discharged from the hospital, the patient can work alongside their provider to manage their symptoms long after discharge,” says Amit Shah, Partner, Care Convene. “If the patients symptoms return, the patient and provider can communicate with each other virtually resulting in lower utilization of the emergency department and return visits, as well as improving the patient experience and the control they have over their own health.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is still seeking POs to participate in new advanced Health Information Exchange projects. For additional information on the Blue Cross Health Information Exchange Initiative, contact Sharon Kim at skim@bcbsm.com.

For additional information on Care Convene, visit https://careconvene.com/ or contact Amit Shah at info@careconvene.com.

About Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services

The Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services (MiHIN) is Michigan’s state-designated entity to improve healthcare quality, efficiency, and patient safety by sharing electronic health information statewide, helping reduce costs for patients, providers, and payers. MiHIN is a nonprofit, public-private collaboration that includes stakeholders from the State of Michigan, Health Information Exchanges serving Michigan, health systems and providers, health plans/payers, pharmacies, and the Governor’s Health Information Technology Commission. For more information, visit mihin.org.

About Care Convene

Care Convene, is a health technology company that provides a platform for doctors and patients to utilize for virtual medical visits. Care Convene is committed to enabling seamless integration into existing technology and clinical workflows to immediately realize improved patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes with an instant ROI. The platform has many features to promote one’s wellbeing, health literacy, access to care, symptom monitoring, scheduling, and text/video capabilities to connect to your own doctor; at work; home or on the go. Care Convene is a privately held company, that collaborates globally across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from state governments, health information exchanges, health systems and providers, health plans/payers, employers and pharmacies. For more information, visit careconvene.com.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides health benefits to more than 4.7 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies residing outside the state. The company has been committed to delivering affordable health care products through a broad variety of plans for businesses, individuals and seniors for 80 years. Beyond health care coverage, BCBSM supports impactful community initiatives and provides leadership in improving health care. For more information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com.

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For additional information, contact:

Alyssa Jones
Public Relations Manager
Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services
269.832.8353
alyssa.jones@mihin.org