MercyOne has partnered with Phreesia Inc., a Raleigh, N.C.- based health care technology company, to provide electronic screening of every MercyOne patient to evaluate unmet social needs. The Des Moines-based health system began using the screening platform developed by Phreesia in September 2020, and over the past year has conducted more than 35,000 social determinants of health screenings in its Central and North Iowa markets. The screenings have identified that 18% of the patients screened had at least one unmet social need. Phreesia’s automated process ensures that those patients are not overlooked, and they receive the care and support they need, MercyOne said in a press release. The application replaces a process formerly completed manually with paper forms by delivering the screening electronically and in advance of a patient’s appointment. It also integrates the patient’s answers directly into their electronic medical record and delivers real-time results to the MercyOne care team. “With Phreesia, patients are much more comfortable communicating their social needs and I believe this will make a big difference in the overall well-being and health of our communities and our ability to provide personalized care,” said Dr. Timothy McCoy, a family medicine physician in Des Moines. A case study of MercyOne’s use of the Phreesia platform can be found here.
