HealthContentAdvisors

Ingenix to Launch New Search Tool to Connect Physicians and Patients

• Posted June 20th 2008
• by Marji

This Monday, Ingenix will launch new data aggregation and analytics software for the consumer market. The software will assist consumers in their quest to find physicians based on their characteristics and preferences.

According to a report in Health Data Management, Ingenix (a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group) is planning to market Best Match Search to insurers and other organizations to use on their Web portals. The new service includes aggregate claims data from 27 million episodes of care, making it easier for a consumer to find a physician who matches all of the criteria he or she needs in a healthcare professional.

Consumers will be able to view search results in side-by-side comparisons that will illustrate how the physicians match specified criteria (such as pricing and drugs most frequently prescribed).

Ingenix will also offer the service to emergency departments so they can offer lists of physicians to discharged patients, as well as to primary care physicians who could use the service to refer patients to specialists.

Using online services to help consumers find appropriate physicians isn’t new. Many hospital websites have offered “physician referral” services for quite some time. But many organizations may still be tempted to give this one a try, since it seems like it can truly match consumers with the physicians that can provide the exact care they need.

Overall, such services are a great idea since consumers (thanks in large part to the Internet) are continuously taking a more active more in their healthcare. For any of the organizations that sign on with Ingenix to offer Best Match Search on their sites, it will undoubtedly become a well-used feature.