Elgin, Illinois based Sonar MD, LLC has announced the release of its Sonar MD Platform, an innovative cloud-based algorithm for secure engagement, monitoring and management of patients with chronic gastrointestinal disease.
Developed by nationally-renowned Gastroenterologist Lawrence Kosinski, MD, MBA, AGAF, the application allows physicians to monitor their patients health status between visits through ongoing use of electronic health assessment surveys. Using nationally recognized evidence-based guidelines, the Sonar MD application appends a Patient Reported Outcomes score to each survey submission, data that can alert physicians to any changes and/or potential downward trajectories in a patient’s condition that could prompt the need for early intervention, which can often be key to reversing such trends, and can in turn result in fewer hospitalizations and better overall patient care.
Dr. Kosinski was also recently named Chief Medical Officer of Mutare Health, a Strategic Business Unit of Mutare Inc. He is also currently a managing partner of the Illinois Gastroenterology Group (IGG), and president of the Elgin Gastroenterology Endoscopy Center.
The largest Gastroenterology practice in Illinois, IGG is a regional medical practice comprised of board certified private practice gastroenterologists and allied professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the health of patients by providing top-tier gastrointestinal care utilizing evidence-based medicine in a safe, compassionate manner, following clinical standards as determined by available scientific knowledge, best practice and innovative treatment.
The IGG was established in 2010 through the merger of Elgin Gastroenterology, Lake Shore Gastroenterology, and Northwest Gastroenterologists. Midwest Center for Digestive Health joined IGG in 2011, Gastrointestinal Health Associates of Geneva joined in 2013, and North Shore Gastroenterology joined in 2014, making IGG the largest single specialty GI group in Illinois, with over 40 gastroenterologists.
Healthcare organizations are uniquely vulnerable to communication breakdowns, and current tools are becoming too cumbersome to fix the problem. With increased pressure on Healthcare organizations to deliver cost-effective, outcome-based patient care, Mutare Health has developed a single-platform communications solution designed to help organizations achieve better care delivery, lower costs, and improved patient engagement while meeting all HIPAA standards.
Mutare’s Vital Link is specifically designed to give physicians, Healthcare personnel, and patients a HIPAA compliant, single-source platform for all of their messaging and communication needs.
A strong and vocal advocate for outcome-based medical practices, particularly in the management of chronic disease, Dr. Kosinski developed the cloud-based Patient Management Program, which he has successfully implemented in his practice. Taking electronic medical management one step further, he led development of a collaborative initiative with IGG known as Project Sonar, an Intensive Medical Home for the management of Crohn’s Disease, and created in partnership with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois.
The project combines clinical decision support, outcomes data and patient engagement tools integrated with a sonar system that proactively engages patients through electronic health assessment surveys.
Dr. Kosinski and the Mutare Health team are collaborating to add smartphone technology using the company’s Vital Link secure communication platform for their Project Sonar in order to create an even more powerful patient engagement tool for practices specializing in the management of chronic disease. This will allow for improvement within IGG and expansion to other practices.
“This is the beginning of what promises to be a very exciting time of innovation and development for Mutare Health, and I am delighted to be a part of it,” says Dr. Kosinski in a release. “It’s easy to recognize the strengths of Mutare, a company that has been in business for more than 25 years, one that has built a large and loyal customer base including multiple Fortune 500 companies. More importantly, I find in Mutare a team of people who are not just honest and approachable, but who really know how to run a successful business that is well positioned for the seismic changes taking place within our industry. I feel very aligned with Mutare and its vision and look forward to what we can accomplish together.”
“We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Larry Kosinski on board at this critical point for our company,” says Tracey Powell, Founder of Mutare Health. “He brings a unique combination of medical, technical, business and personal talents that fit extremely well with our team. Beyond that, he is an incredible visionary who shares our same passion and commitment to improving patient care and outcomes through physician-driven technology. Together we will be developing the tools that bring physicians closer to their patients while empowering those patients to be active partners in their own health management. We believe this is the future of healthcare.”
Sonar MD is currently partnered with leading providers, payers and industry to clinically prove its value in improving care, lowering costs and enhancing the patient experience.
For example, Sonar MD leverages nationally endorsed clinical guidelines/pathways, provides clinical decision support tools (Integrated into EMR workflow) and patient hovering/engagement tools based on data driven algorithms.
The first release of the Sonar MD Platform has been deployed for patients with Crohn’s Disease at the Illinois Gastroenterology Group As a managing partner of IGG, Dr. Kosinski has been a pioneer in innovative solutions for population health management, for example spearheading development of the first Intensive Medical Home in partnership with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois for Crohn’s Disease management. He has also been instrumental in creating a cooperative triumvirate of patient, healthcare provider and payer — all of whom benefit from the program’s success in lowering overall healthcare costs while delivering better care delivery and outcomes.
The Sonar MD Platform is an extension of that career-long commitment to the concept of data-driven care management to advance better, evidence-based decision making in the management of patients with chronic gastrointestinal disorders.
“The release of the Sonar MD Platform is a true game-changer, and we are thrilled to be launching it in partnership with one of the most respected Gastroenterology groups in the nation,” says Tracey Powell, who is also CEO of Sonar MD. “IBD affects nearly 1.6 million Americans, with as many as 70,000 new cases diagnosed every year. While providing a powerful support and decision-making system for current patients and the physicians who care for them, Sonar MD data will, over time, be instrumental in the creation of new and better care pathways for future patients and their care providers.”
Once fully implemented at IGG, the Sonar MD Platform will be part of a national roll-out of the technology which will be offered initially to practices specializing in Inflammatory Bowel Disease with future potential to serve numerous other chronic disease populations.
Sources:
Sonar MD
Mutare Health
Illinois Gastroenterology Group (IGG)
Image Credits:
Sonar MD
Mutare Health