50,000 Marriott Employees Get Online Health Alert System

[OhioChick]

The system sends their doctors automated alerts of possible problems. One danger: doctor overload.

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
InformationWeek
February 2, 2008 12:00 AM (From the February 4, 2008 issue)


As health care costs have soared, more employers are testing online tools to help employees keep better tabs on their health. Marriott International is pushing that effort a step further, giving 50,000 U.S. workers access to a system that sends alerts to an employee's doctor if there's a potential problem such as a dangerous drug interaction or a key test that's been missed.

The hotel chain is using a Web-based personal health record system from ActiveHealth Management, which is owned by insurance company Aetna. Members fill out a medical history plus a health-risk assessment that includes questions such as, "Do you smoke?" ActiveHealth uses its rules engine to compare that patient data, plus medical and pharmacy claims data and lab results, with clinical rules and metrics.

The company has 20 full-time physicians tracking medical literature to keep the databases behind the rules engine up to date, says ActiveHealth CEO Lonny Reisman, a cardiologist. So, if a patient says he's taking the herbal supplement St. John's Wort and claims data shows that he's taking prescription medications in preparation for a kidney transplant, the system should alert his doctor that the combination increases the chances of organ rejection. Alerts to doctors come by phone, fax, or letter, depending on the urgency, and members usually are notified after the doctor.

BEWARE OF DOCTOR OVERLOAD

More: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206101305