MediSwitch, a division of the JSE listed IT Group USKO Limited, has announced its strategic alliance with the n-Med Group who, through its incorporation of four medical software providers, currently forms the largest Africa based supplier of fully integrated solutions to the medical industry.
Under the agreement, MediSwitch will become n-Med`s preferred connectivity partner for all its medical software applications for a seven year period. n-Med comprises MBM Computer Solutions (Medix), Professional Data Systems (Multidoc), Medsolve (Medsolve) and Delta 9 (Unicare) and, their cumulative client base represents over 60% of the market share in practice management software and 45% of the market share in hospital applications.
The agreement with n-Med allows for the existing Delta 9 switch, which currently facilitates hospital claims transfer to medical funders, to be gradually superceded by MediSwitch. Says Rob Garmany, n-Med Chairman: "The Delta 9 switch, albeit stable technology, still embraces the traditional EDI (electronic data interchange) transportation mechanisms of the public Value Added Network (VAN)."
"With Mediswitch this traditional EDI will be enhanced with the additional transaction types which are real-time, while still maintaining the "batch" mode currently used by delta 9. MediSwitch`s established network helps to reduce costs and provides a dynamic network environment which can provide our clients with a wide selection of electronic transactions to multiple medical funders."
"Moreover, MediSwitch has a strong established support infrastructure countrywide and the credibility associated with being part of the USKO Group. For now we will run both switches concurrently and gradually migrate the data throughput from the Delta 9 switch to MediSwitch."
The MediSwitch Virtual Private Healthcare Network (VPHN) provides a single communication connection for SA healthcare service providers to effect real-time electronic transfer of medical fund membership details and claims related information. Says MediSwitch Managing Director Alan Day: "Our business objective has been to establish a secure connection between service providers and medical fund administrators so that we could guarantee the delivery of electronic transactions between the various players in the healthcare industry."
"This initially represented a major challenge for us in that disparate systems on the side of both providers and administrators needed to communicate efficiently in order to effect the smooth flow of claims transaction data. This necessitated a secure and reliable Virtual Private Network (VPN) and consistent electronic communication formats at both ends."
Day adds, "With a significant number of medical aids linked on the MediSwitch back-end and the switch embedded into major medical software applications, we have been rolling out MediSwitch to the healthcare industry at a rate of approximately 400 sites per month."
The n-Med alliance forms part of MediSwitch`s strategy to ensure speed to market into the healthcare industry. Says Day, "With its blanket coverage of the healthcare software application market n-Med is an ideal partner in our drive to electronically connect the healthcare industry."
N-Med has integrated the functionality of its four applications into a single desktop application and incorporated the MediSwitch switching mechanism for real-time electronic connectivity. This enables n-Med clients to connect, through MediSwitch, to any number of `partners` such as medical aids, clearing houses, hospitals or pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Says Garmany,: "We have satisfied ourselves through extensive evaluation that MediSwitch will offer our clients a superior service through its established VPHN. With MediSwitch as a connectivity partner we can offer our clients a speedier, more accurate and cost effective vehicle for their EDI requirements with the guaranteed delivery of electronic claims to medical funders."
Says Alan Day, "The market rollout strategy of MediSiwtch is based on identifying major geographic concentrations of medical aid membership of connected Medical aids and relating it to the geographic representation of service providers in those areas. This strategy allows for service providers, medical funders and members to see immediate results."
He concludes: "Since it`s incorporation into the USKO Group 11 months ago, MediSwitch has been enhanced significantly and is fast achieving an enviable reputation for its comprehensiveness as a single connection solution system, contributing towards improved business processes and direct cost reduction benefits to both providers and funders."
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