MedSnap ID Now Available To GNYHA Services And Essensa Healthcare Members

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- GNYHA Services, Inc. and Essensa, Inc., leading group purchasing organizations serving acute care, alternate care, and non-healthcare markets, have added MedSnap ID to their portfolio of technology offerings.

MedSnap ID is the first smartphone-based computer vision solution to address the time-consuming and error prone task of patient medication history taking. Using an iPhone® camera and durable Snap Surface, MedSnap ID automatically Snaps an image of a patient's pills.  MedSnap ID then identifies all of the pills on the Surface, including generic, brand name and over-the-counter medications, and screens them for interactions and other safety issues. Clinician users can create a customized patient medication list with detailed instructions, pictures of each pill, and additional pertinent information appropriate for either patients or other clinicians. Medication lists can be printed, sent to providers or caregivers, or automatically imported into Electronic Health Records.

According to Archives of Internal Medicine, more than 50% of patient medication histories taken on admission to a hospital contain at least one error, with nearly 40% of these errors having the potential to cause moderate to severe discomfort or clinical deterioration. Although visual identification of patient medications is considered best practice, the process is often not performed because it is difficult and time consuming.  Instead, clinicians often rely on patient memory, past EHR records, or simply transcribe the pill bottle labels to conduct a medication history. MedSnap ID allows patients to show clinicians the medications they actually take, and in seconds the identity of each medication is verified while the entire regimen is screened for serious drug interactions and other errors.

"We use member feedback to build a portfolio of best-in-class products and services that can help health systems improve patient care by increasing efficiencies," said David Zimba, vice president, strategic contracting services with GNYHA Services. "We are pleased to make MedSnap ID available to our members through our IT contract portfolio for use with their patients and clinicians."

Birmingham, Alabama-based MedSnap launched MedSnap ID in July 2013 after two years of research and development. GNYHA Services and Essensa are the first group purchasing organizations to offer the service.

"We are very pleased that GNYHA Services has incorporated MedSnap ID into their innovative technology product portfolio," said Patrick Hymel, MD, CEO and co-founder of MedSnap. "We look forward to working with their members to help them improve patient medication safety."

MedSnap ID securely integrates with health organizations' electronic health record (EHR) systems to increase the speed of the medication history and documentation process.

About MedSnap: MedSnap provides mobile computer vision solutions for medication history taking and pharmaceutical supply chain verification. With an iPhone® camera and a durable, reusable Snap Surface, pills can be quickly and definitively identified for clinical, supply chain security, or other applications. MedSnap works with healthcare organizations and pharmaceutical companies to advance its mission of improving patient medication safety. For more information, visit www.medsnap.com.

About GNYHA Services, Inc.: GNYHA Services is a full-service healthcare group purchasing and supply chain management organization. Founded in 1978, GNYHA Services was created to provide supply chain solutions for hospitals in the Greater New York area. The company has since grown nationally and now serves more than 300 hospitals and health systems in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico. GNYHA Services offers numerous value-added services and programs, including continuing education and spend management technology. For more information, visit http://www.gnyhaservices.com.

About Essensa, Inc.: Essensa is a group purchasing organization that provides solutions for improved operating margins and the supply chain management needs of alternate care providers and non-healthcare markets nationwide. Essensa serves ambulatory care and diagnostic imaging centers, senior nutrition centers, clinical laboratories, long-term acute care (LTAC) facilities, hospice and home health agencies, colleges and universities, first responders, charitable & religious organizations, municipalities, and additional non-healthcare related markets. For more information, visit http://www.essensa.org.

Media Contact: Julie B. Wall | 205.323.8208 | [email protected]

SOURCE MedSnap