My Health Direct Inc.
150 N. Sunnyslope Road, Suite 305, Brookfield
Industry: Information technology for health care
Innovation: A web solution to reduce emergency room overcrowding.
Brookfield-based My Health Direct Inc., founded in 2005 as Global Health Direct, was started by investors developing a web-based solution to emergency room overcrowding.
The product aims to reduce emergency room overcrowding by directing and scheduling patients to appropriate primary care providers for appointments to address their non-emergent health complaints. It is used by health care providers, insurance companies and other entities in the managed care system.
“Managed care plans use the system while interacting with members. For example a nurse helpline can find and make an appointment for a member while on the phone,” said My Health Direct chief executive officer Jay Mason.
My Health Direct piloted the product with Aurora Sinai Medical Center in 2006 and introduced it to the market in 2008.
My Health Direct has shifted more than 30,000 patients from unnecessary hospital emergency room care to more appropriate primary care appointments, Mason said. Overall, the system has been able to reduce emergency room visits by 25 percent, he said.
In a 2008 case study, Aurora Health Care showed an annual savings of $16 million with a combination of their emergency room triage process and My Heath Direct solution, Mason said.
Today the company has clients in four states: Connecticut, Texas, Arizona and Wisconsin. In southeastern Wisconsin the product is used by Froedtert, Aurora, Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital and the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange.
Mason plans to expand the service into twelve states by the end of 2010 and in 100 cities by 2012.
Increased access for the public to health care should help the company grow, Mason said.
“With the increased role of government in health care we are well positioned to achieve success to implementation,” he said.
