ST. LOUIS – July 25, 2003 – Mercy Health Plans is implementing an
innovative patient education service provided by Graphic Surgery LLC and
offering incentives to their participating surgeons to use the system as part of
informed consent and to track outcomes and patient satisfaction.
St. Louis based Mercy Health Plans, a forward-thinking health insurer well
known for progressive programs for patients, is providing access to the Doc-Tour™
System for all Mercy Health Plans insureds through its website. Mercy Health
Plans believes the Doc-Tour System, an educational tool using 3-D animations to
explain surgeries and their risks, will help patients and their families better
understand the surgical process and its risks. The service will be provided
through the Mercy website, giving over 200,000 Mercy Health Plans insureds
access to the software.
However, Mercy believes the best place for patient education to occur is in
the physician's office, so plan management will take the program one step
further and reward surgeons with higher fees for using this innovative
educational tool in their office. When the system is used in a physician’s
office, discussions between the patient and surgeon can be more productive with
the surgeon immediately answering any questions or concerns that a patient or a
family member may have about surgery. "A better prepared patient and family
will improve the informed consent process, and contribute to faster
recuperation." Said Tom Kelly, President and CEO of Mercy Health Plans.
"We are committed to promoting and paying for quality and accountability,
and see Graphic Surgery as a major opportunity for improvement."
"It is very important that patients get a thorough education about their
surgery, because patients who have a good understanding of surgery do better
than those who do not. " says Dr. Patricia Gelnar, a neurosurgeon by
training and now president of Graphic Surgery "But educating patients is a
very difficult process, because patients can be anxious and surgeons have many
demands on their time, often causing frustration for both parties. The Doc-Tour
System gives patients a good basic understanding of their surgery and makes the
discussion about surgery with their surgeon easier for both patient and
physician."
Graphic Surgery is a medical services company founded by surgeons dedicated
to promoting patient education and helping surgeons address the economic
challenges facing their practice today by contracting with insurers for higher
reimbursements and lower malpractice premiums. The company has developed
Doc-Tour Software System modules in seven surgical specialties: anesthesia,
neurosurgery, orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, obstetrics and vascular
surgery. The Doc-Tour software is available to surgeons, hospitals and insurers
on a subscription basis.
Mercy Health Plans (MHP) was created in 1994 by the Sisters of Mercy Health
System-St. Louis. MHP . The plan operates as an HMO, a Health Insurance Company
and Third-Party Administrator, is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and
currently has operations in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, as well as
Laredo, Texas. For more information, visit www.mercyhealthplans.com.