Gulf Coast Medical Center Adopts iTRIAGE® Mobile Marketing Solution

January 06, 2010

Hospital Adds New Tool For Easy Access To Medical Information

Panama City, FL – The North Florida Division of HCA, which includes Gulf Coast Medical Center and Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, announce a new partnership with Healthagen® to promote its hospital facilities on the iTriage™ mobile marketing solution for all iPhone, smartphone and desk top users.  Residents in North Florida and South Georgia will now have immediate access to ER Wait Times from all HCA North Florida Division hospitals on their mobile devices and computers.

With the introduction of this premier level of service, HCA North Florida is one of the first hospital systems to utilize this interactive technology, which empowers consumers to evaluate symptoms, learn about the possible causes, find appropriate locations for treatment, as well as get cost information based on the type of facility.  Additionally, HCA North Florida hospitals will be the first in the area to list live average Emergency Room Wait Times for each of their facilities on the iTriage application.

“As an organization, we are dedicated to providing excellent healthcare services to the communities we serve. We also feel a deep responsibility to providing the public with resources, technology and information to help make informed medical decisions,” said Brian Baumgardner, CEO, Gulf Coast Medical Center. “The iTriage application supports this commitment, providing an additional source of medical information for families and individuals when seconds count.”

iTriage is the latest tool Gulf Coast Medical Center has introduced to provide easy access to health information. 

• Consult-A-Nurse: Launched in November 2007, the free service provides nurse consultation and physician referral information by calling 747-3600.  More than 15,000 calls have been placed to Consult-A-Nurse.
• ER Wait Times online: Launched in November 2007, the hospital became the only area hospital to post its average ER wait time on its website and on digital billboards.
• ER Wait Times via text messaging: Launched in May 2009, the hospital’s ER wait times are available via text messaging.  Text ER to 23000.

North Florida HCA Division recognizes that providing technological excellence and cost effective healthcare to its patients requires that cutting-edge solutions like iTriage be adopted. Mobile technology and wireless health holds “enormous” promise for improving healthcare and empowering patients in the U.S., according to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who delivered a keynote at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).   Sebelius said that mobile technology holds “so much power to empower consumers and compel us to a healthcare system of the future.”

“iTriage users, an interesting demographic for healthcare providers, chose facilities more frequently for treatment that have adopted this new wave of technology,” explained Peter Hudson, M.D., CEO, Healthagen – developer of the iTriage healthcare information software. “Healthcare facilities that partner with iTriage to put actionable medical information into their patient’s hands are also becoming known as mobile healthcare solution leaders.”

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