County of Monterey to Improve Patient Matching and Coordinated Care Delivery with NextGate

PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NextGate, the global leader in healthcare enterprise identification, announced today that the California County of Monterey has selected its cloud-based Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI) as a strategic component for fully-connected, person-centric care. The SaaS implementation will create a sustainable, county-wide system of accurate patient data across Natividad and the Monterey County Health Department by eliminating duplicate records and automating medical record matching for highly collaborative care and community-based interoperability.

Accurate patient identification is a critical aspect of healthcare delivery for Monterey County, which comprises of Natividad and the Monterey County Health Department's seven primary care clinics, 12 outpatient and behavioral health clinics, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency, and a range of other public health agencies. Annually, the County of Monterey serves 415,000 residents, where primary programs treat Medicaid, uninsured and dual-eligible patients.

Fundamental to Monterey County's vision of a fully integrated, coordinated delivery network that follows individuals across a spectrum of public health services was to migrate to a cloud-based, interoperable health IT infrastructure that encompassed accurate patient identification at every point across the continuum.

NextGate's market-leading EMPI, which manages patient identities for more than two-thirds of the U.S. population, automates record matching and quickly links and de-duplicates data across highly-diverse IT environments to provide a single longitudinal patient identifier throughout the county. Ensuring that each individual served has one and only one record, the County of Monterey will be able to map a patient's entire care journey for streamlined coordination across the community. The EMPI will also impact Monterey County's ability to accurately report wellness metrics to support payments under the new reimbursement models.

"Consistently connecting the right data to the right individual is a critical requirement in today's digitized healthcare environment to influence care quality, outcomes and the patient-provider experience," said Andy Aroditis, CEO of NextGate. "We commend Monterey County for prioritizing patient identification as the basis for community-based interoperability and collaborative care improvements."   

"Accurately identifying individuals, not just receiving care in traditional outpatient settings, but in behavioral health, substance abuse and social services across the county, is essential for informed clinical-decision making, effective care management, and a seamless patient experience during every encounter across Monterey's spectrum of care," said Elsa Jimenez, Director of Health Services, Monterey County Health Department. "With NextGate's EMPI, we are building a cohesive, person-centered delivery system that will positively influence and protect the health of all Monterey County citizens."     

About NextGate
With over 200 customers in four countries, NextGate is the global leader in healthcare enterprise identification. Committed to helping organizations overcome the clinical, operational and financial challenges that result from duplicate records and disparate data, our full suite of identity matching solutions connects the entire healthcare ecosystem to drive critical improvements in quality, efficiency and safety. NextGate's market-leading EMPI currently manages 300 million lives and is deployed by the nation's most successful healthcare systems and health information exchanges. For more information, visit www.nextgate.com.

About Monterey County Health Department
The Monterey County Health Department's mission is to enhance, promote and protect the health of Monterey County's individuals, families, communities, and environment. The Department provides services to improve the health and well-being of all Monterey County residents, Including 7 primary care clinics, 12 outpatient and behavioral health clinics, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agency. Our services touch everyone in Monterey County from the food they eat and the water they drink to safe environments for all to work, live and play. For more information on the wide variety of services please visit www.mtyhd.org.   

About Natividad 
Natividad is an acute care hospital and Trauma Center providing high-quality health care to everyone in Monterey County, regardless of ability to pay. Located in Salinas, Calif., Natividad is a public health care system offering a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. Founded in 1886, the 172-bed medical center has more than 10,000 admissions and 52,000 emergency visits annually. Home to the area's only Level II Trauma Center, the hospital's specialized personnel, equipment and services provide a vital local community service that saves lives and keeps patients close to home. Natividad's Baby-Friendly® facility delivered more than 2,200 babies last year and is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. It also operates an accredited Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, giving the tiniest and most fragile babies — some as small as one pound — the best chance for a healthy start. Through its UCSF-accredited Family Medicine Residency Training Program, Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast. For more information, please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.  

Media Contact:
Stephanie Fraser
Director of Communications and Media Relations, NextGate
c: 734-233-1483 | o: 734-399-9336
[email protected]

SOURCE NextGate