Infina Connect Announces First Physician Practice to Exceed 10,000 Electronic Referrals

Garner Internal Medicine leverages EHR-agnostic cloud solution to conduct 95 percent of referrals electronically and provide highly coordinated care community wide for all of its patients.

CARY, NC, July 21, 2015 – Infina Connect, the leading provider of cloud-based referral coordination solutions for physicians, today announced that Garner Internal Medicine (GIM), a three-physician medical practice and member of the Key Physicians Independent Physicians Association, has now conducted more than 10,000 electronic referrals using Infina Connect’s Intelligent Care Coordinator (ICC).

The milestone is significant because the use of e-referrals is still relatively rare among physicians using different EHRs, and yet the ability to ensure patients are referred to the highest-value providers within a contracted network is critical to success under value-based care. Through ICC, 95 percent of GIM’s patient referrals have been conducted electronically over the last three years. As a result, GIM is better able to coordinate patient care across the continuum of care, avoid wasteful duplication of services, and improve communication between primary care and specialists, leading to better health outcomes.

“By conducting all of our referrals through the Infina Connect system, we make sure that our referral partners have everything they need ahead of time, and we always have visibility into the status of our patients,” said Cheryl Ward, Referral Coordinator, Garner Internal Medicine. “We know that the information has been received by the referral partner, we know when patients are scheduled, if they’ve been seen, and we get the notes back from the visit.”

“The system has had a tremendous impact for us and helped us provide even better care for our patients,” said Steven Turner, M.D., Garner Internal Medicine.

Small Practice with Big Results

Prior to implementing ICC, the referral process was managed through phone calls, and clinical information was exchanged via fax. Since Garner Internal Medicine began conducting referrals electronically with ICC, the time invested in managing referrals has decreased by 50%. This is largely due to the elimination of phone calls back and forth between referral partners and patients, and time spent printing and faxing clinical information.

“In an era when so many organizations are struggling with interoperability and unable to exchange information electronically even 10 percent of the time, it’s been thrilling to see Garner Internal Medicine achieve such an impressive milestone using our system,” said Mark Hefner, CEO of Infina Connect. “The ability to electronically manage the placement of patients within high-value referral networks and coordinate their care across the network will quickly become a key success factor in a value-based world. Garner Internal Medicine is clearly ahead of the curve.”

About Infina Connect

Infina Connect is the leading provider of SaaS referral coordination solutions, and the first to be adopted by a majority of providers across a major metropolitan area. Infina Connect enables providers to optimize placement of referrals within high-value networks and electronically perform closed loop referrals to coordinate patient care, improve patient health and maximize revenue. Infina’s electronic exchange of clinical documents also ensures providers are compliant with the electronic requirements of the CMS Chronic Care Management program. For more information, visit www.infinaconnect.com.

About Garner Internal Medicine

Garner Internal Medicine, established in 1995, is a Primary Care practice for adults age 16 and older. We provide comprehensive health services including management of chronic diseases (Hypertension, Diabetes, High Cholesterol), diagnosis and treatment of acute illness, and wellness services (complete physical exams, immunizations, cancer screenings, and lifestyle modifications). We provide experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate care to help you meet your individual healthcare goals. We have completed the rigorous requirements to become certified as a Level 3 (Highest Level) Patient Centered Medical Home (or PCMH). Additionally, we are a member of the Key Physicians Network, a medical home network of independent primary care practices in the Triangle. We like to emphasize that we are an independent practice owned and operated by our physicians. With three physicians and a total of nine providers, we are big enough to serve your medical needs, but small enough to be your medical home. For more information, visit http://www.garnerinternalmedicine.net/.

Contact:
Ginny Mahaney
gmahaney@infinaconnect.com
919-378-2200 ext 103