Optimizing Health Care With Innovative Technologies: Pioneering Medical Practice Establishes ChenTech Hub In New Orleans

Multi-million-dollar Big Easy initiative initially will employ 50 top programmers

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Sep 25, 2013, 06:37 ET

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's fastest-growing integrated senior primary care medical practice, ChenMed, has announced a major expansion of its ChenTech subsidiary. Joining Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today for an afternoon press event at ChenTech's new programming hub in the heart of the New Orleans business district, the technology solutions company described the visionary development work for which 50 full-time computer programmers immediately are being recruited. Bryan Sivak, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also spoke at the Governor's invitation, congratulating "the ChenMed team who continue to be on the leading edge of healthcare innovation in the U.S."

ChenTech successes already include providing end-to-end technologies helping more than 35 Chen and JenCare Neighborhood Medical Centers substantially improve health outcomes for some 20,000 elderly Americans in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia. The growing suite of high-performing, agile and scalable ChenTech products -- all created to empower primary-care physicians working collaboratively with medical specialists to score quality of life and longevity gains for Medicare-eligible seniors living with major and complex health challenges -- are absolutely vital to the patient-focused ChenMed medical practices, which have enjoyed average annual center growth exceeding 63 percent during the past five years.

"ChenTech delivers real technology value by proving and continually refining offerings with physician and patient feedback from actual clinical use," explains Christopher Chen, MD, ChenMed Chief Executive Officer. "We achieve superior ChenMed patient outcomes such as achieving 38 percent fewer days in hospital, and patient satisfaction levels as measured by Net Promoter Scores consistently averaging in the low- to mid-90s. These remarkable results for Medicare-eligible seniors could not be achieved without powerful, nimble and proprietary technologies pioneered by ChenTech."

More than 30 additional independently owned medical centers (serving some 10,000 Medicare-eligible seniors with HMO advantage coverage) also have achieved significant performance gains during the past six to 18 months by contracting with ChenMed to benefit from consulting services and ChenTech solutions.

Gov. Bobby Jindal welcomed ChenTech saying, "Louisiana's best-in-the-nation Digital Interactive Media and Software Development Incentive is creating an environment for software innovation and entrepreneurship that no other state can match, and we are proud to have built a business climate where growing companies like ChenMed and ChenTech can thrive. They join a growing list of software development companies that have chosen to invest in our state and our people: innovators like IBM, GE Capital, Gameloft and Electronic Arts. ChenTech will make a great addition to the tech sector in New Orleans, a city that is proving how our state is becoming a beacon for digital media and software industries that are changing the face of technology and creating great, high-paying jobs for current and future generations of Louisianians."

Reinforcing Gov. Jindal's comments, USHHS CTO Sivak adds, "ChenMed's pioneering work in the uses of data to revamp how health care is being modernized to improve costs and outcomes is inspiring clinicians and policymakers across the country. And, more importantly, seniors are getting better health outcomes as a result. This is an American success story."

Oliver Degnan, ChenMed and ChenTech Chief Information Officer, notes, "ChenTech solutions are scalable, agile, and proven in extraordinarily complex medical centers. So, it's not surprising that ChenMed recently was again at the White House briefing the President and top advisors, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services, about the importance of technology innovations in health care; or that elected and appointed national officials, including an exploratory group of health care leaders from the United Kingdom, frequently tour ChenMed centers to see how smart technologies empower the extraordinary doctors who are dramatically improving both health outcomes and patient satisfaction."

Degnan adds, "Our decision to establish ChenTech's headquarters in New Orleans is strategic. We're receiving phenomenal support from Governor Jindal's office, and from the Louisiana Economic Development team, and the state's unique incentives for technology groups expanding development capabilities are material to our bringing the next generation of doctor- and patient-friendly technology solutions to market quickly.

"Having ChenTech based in an iconic city where technology groups for GE Capital, Gameloft, the US Navy and more are thriving, should help us attract and retain truly great programmers. It's vital for ChenTech to maintain its creative, fun and results-oriented programming culture, and we deeply appreciate Governor Jindal's visionary leadership in making Louisiana a go-to destination for technology development and technology companies."

Double win for New Orleans
"ChenMed's announcement of a major expansion of its ChenTech subsidiary is a double win for Greater New Orleans, " says Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc.

"Playing in both the medical and technology sectors, ChenMed is the archetype of the new New Orleans company: innovative, nimble, and fast growing. GNO, Inc. welcomes the ChenMed team."

About ChenTech
ChenTech was established in 2011, so ChenMed could start sharing the proven and continuingly refined medical practice technologies the company has been pioneering for decades. ChenTech markets solutions to medical practices nationwide that are specifically designed to help physicians measurably improve patient health outcomes and satisfaction. ChenTech programmers primarily create applications using four popular languages (JAVA, PHP, HTML5, and IOS) and its solutions are both integrated and secure.

This means ChenTech offers cost-effective HIPPA- and CMS-compliant solutions that allow for seamless use on desktop and laptop computers, as well as on tablets and smart phones. Flagship products already available from ChenTech include:

Dashboard EHR™
We created an entirely electronic health record (EHR) system so that care teams and physicians can electronically manage patient records, encounters, and appointments, which also allows for billing through automated coding. The built-in real-time analytics assist doctors in determining the most accurate diagnoses and treatment options. Dashboard is the only EHR of its kind -- conceived from the ground up by physicians for physicians in order to truly manage the best patient outcomes.

Dash2Go™
The name says it all. This app was made for doctors on the go (on call), giving them full access to patients' charts from anywhere. Built-in notes and picture capability, which add additional information to the medical chart; a full search function to assist doctors in finding any patient for a specific practice; and the fact that the app is ultra fast are only a few of the time-saving features that help doctors become more productive.

Appointment Maker™
Appointment Maker is a crucial part of Dash2Go and Dashboard. Scheduling patients for appointments the traditional way is cumbersome, so we had the bright idea to semi-automate the process and allow doctors and their staff to schedule based on patient and appointment type and to simplify repeat appointments for patients with chronic conditions and ongoing treatment plans. It also sends out appointment notifications for scheduling and reminders.

About ChenMed, Chen and JenCare Neighborhood Medical Centers
ChenMed is a privately owned healthcare organization working to positively change American health care through primary care innovation primarily for the neediest populations.

Based in Miami Gardens, its operating units include Chen Neighborhood Medical Centers bringing better health care to more than 15,000 Florida seniors; JenCare Neighborhood Medical Centers bringing better health care to thousands of seniors in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia (Richmond and Tidewater); ChenTech, and Primary Management Resources (PMR), delivering outstanding technology systems and management consulting services to improve operations and patient experiences at diverse medical practices nationwide.

Rapid organic patient growth is a hallmark for Chen and JenCare Neighborhood Medical Centers, where monthly Net Promoter Scores among patients served consistently average in the mid to high +90s.

According to NPS pioneer Reichheld, the average American company scores less than +10 on the NPS, while the highest performing organizations are situated between +50 and +80.

Led and inspired by ChenMed Chairman and founder, James Chen, M.D., the company's medical practice model has been serving low-to-moderate income seniors for some 25 years.

See the recent Medical Economics report in which Bob Kocher, a venture capitalist and former health policy official in the Obama administration says, "ChenMed may be the best primary care system in the U.S."

Also see press release and the complete Health Affairs peer-reviewed journal article (click on special hot link underneath headline), as well as the Forbes story on how the family-owned, physician-led business is a transformation agent to improve the broken, unsympathetic and fragmented care delivery system that many patients still experience today.

Finally, watch the Chen Family video and follow us on Twitter@ChenMed.

Contact:
Jim Brown, Director of Public Relations & Community Affairs
ChenMed and ChenTech 305-310-7214 305-628-6117, ext. 21522 [email protected]

SOURCE ChenMed