Indianapolis, IN — Diagnotes, Inc., a leader in secure, mobile clinical communication and care coordination, announces the launch and public availability of the Diganotes mobile patient application.

Using Diagnotes on smartphones or tablets, patients and their caregivers can communicate directly with their providers via text, voice message and real-time group video chats. Patients are given login credentials from their healthcare providers who currently use Diagnotes.

“Allowing providers to communicate with patients the same way they communicate with one another is a natural evolution of our inclusive platform,” said Dave Wortman, CEO and co-founder of Diagnotes, Inc. “Adding patients to the platform originated from clients asking for help improving communication with patients following a hospital discharge. Better communication results in smoother transitions of care in the weeks following a hospital stay, and ultimately fewer avoidable readmissions and better adherence to physician orders and medication.”

Research shows that as few as one-third of patients discharged with primary care or specialty appointments scheduled can accurately recall details of their appointments.* Communicating with patients and their caregivers using Diagnotes will improve the transition of care process and ensure the appropriate level of care is being delivered.

STAYHOME IWILL is a healthcare organization currently implementing the use of Diagnotes for patient communication. STAYHOME IWILL is a person-centered medical service devoted to promoting physical, mental, and social well-being.

“Healthcare organizations that recognize the value in helping patients age at home will find ways to blend evidence-based medicine with technology to promote quality of life all through the aging process,” said Murthy Gokula, MD, CMD, founder and Chief Executive Officer of STAYHOME IWILL and a geriatric specialist. “As the structure of healthcare organizations become increasingly complex, it is important to adopt innovative ways to help our patients communicate and connect with their providers more easily. Diagnotes helps us achieve that aim.”

Diagnotes users span the spectrum of healthcare provider organizations, including acute, post-acute, and specialty care organizations. In addition to post-discharge follow-up, patients, caregivers, providers, social workers can use Diagnotes to communicate about:

- Managing Chronic Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, etc..
- Wound care and infection control
- Pain Management and reduction of opioid dependence
- Pediatric care concerns
- Telehealth or virtual check-ins
- Pre and post-natal care
- Prescription Refill Requests
- Behavioral health and addiction therapy
- Social determinants of health

The app is free for patients and their caregivers to use and is available for download in app stores and can be used on any iOS or Android mobile device. Patient use of Diagnotes to communicate with providers is strictly controlled by the provider organizations. This includes the ability to turn on and off patient and caregiver access to login and send messages to providers, as well as the providers ability to mute discussions and eject themselves from discussions. Each provider organization determines how and when to invite patients and caregivers to use Diagnotes.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) added new telehealth-related reimbursement codes to the 2019 Medicare physician fee schedule that provides payments for technology-based communication among providers and between providers and their patients. However, industry polling shows most hospitals and physicians are unaware of these new codes or unsure how to use them. Providers who use the Diagnotes platform to communicate with patients may be eligible for additional telehealth reimbursements.

“Improving patient engagement has been a central tenet of healthcare for years. It is encouraging to see CMS make steps toward expanding payments in a way that aligns with current behaviors and incentivizes the adoption of innovative tools that orient around the patient experience,” said Martie Ross, JD, a principal with PYA, a nationally-recognized public accounting firm and healthcare consultancy firm based in Overland Park, KS.


About:
Diagnotes builds mobile and web-based applications that reflect the natural communication habits of healthcare professionals and their patients. The enterprise-grade clinical communication and collaboration platform is fast to implement and highly intuitive to adopt. Diagnotes’ clients include large health systems, specialty and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, employers and behavioral health organizations. Uses of the platform range from simple secure messaging to telehealth consults between specialists and their patients in rural areas using live video. Diagnotes helps healthcare professionals communicate with each other, as well as with patients and caregivers, on a single, unified, cloud-based platform.