My Health Care Manager Receives $1.25 Million in Federal and State Grants

My Health Care Manager Receives $1.25 Million in Federal and State Grants

Award-winning system will be able to more quickly put research into practice

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Oct. 4, 2010 – With the dramatic growth of the senior population, aging Americans and their families need easy access to the most up-to-date information to enable them in making informed decisions regarding their well being. The National Institute of Health/Department of Health and Human Services and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) have acknowledged this need by awarding $1.25 million in research grants to My Health Care Manager, Inc., a national leader in managing the issues and options of aging. The grant will be used to enhance its suite of software and decision support system entitled Senior Care Navigation System or SCANS®.

SCANS® enables health care managers to tap into industry-wide best practices, recommended actions and real world tools in order to help seniors and their families make critical decisions. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) federal grant provides My Health Care Manager the opportunity for collaborating with the Indiana University School of Informatics at IUPUI to develop an automated knowledge acquisition system to speed up the process of applying research to real world situations.

“There is a rapidly growing need in this country for improvements in older adult care planning. We are losing billions of hours and dollars in lost productivity as families struggle to provide much needed assistance for loved ones based upon fragmented, incomplete and outdated information,” said Jane Niederberger, president, My Health Care Manager. “The outcome and application of this research from the NIH grants will provide timelier, concrete, actionable advice and support for caregivers to enhance the well-being of seniors. SCANS® is changing the face of senior care and how to deliver it faster, with higher quality and consistency.”

“Our SCANS®/Care Advisor technology directly addresses the challenges of the older adult and their families as they attempt to navigate the health care system by helping geriatric care managers provide the best practice caregiving advice,” said Eric Tinsley, chief technology officer and vice president of research and development. “The system dramatically improves the efficiency; completeness, consistency, and quality of care planning in addition to providing practical tools to implement the recommendations contained in the plan.”

These grants come after the IEDC provided a $1.9 million grant in 2008 from the Indiana's 21st Century Research and Technology Fund to initially develop SCANS®. My Health Care Manager was recently recognized with a TechPoint Mira Award for SCANS®/Care Advisor. The information technology system was created by an extensive team of experts in geriatric medicine, health informatics, engineering and computer science and is the foundation of My Health Care Manager’s holistic, personalized and comprehensive approach to geriatric management services for seniors and families.

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About My Health Care Manager
My Health Care Manager helps seniors and their families manage the complexities of older adult life. My Health Care Manager provides services to seniors and families across the nation through area affiliates, employee benefits programs, direct consumer access, and partners serving seniors. To learn more about My Health Care Manager, visit www.myhealthcaremanager.com or call 1-800-499-4020.

About the Indiana University School of Informatics
The Indiana University School of Informatics was established in 2000 as one of the first schools in the nation dedicated to education and research in informatics. Informatics uniquely integrates computing, social science and information systems design to study how we use technology to communicate, work and engage. That knowledge is then applied to develop innovative IT solutions impacting our communities, science, healthcare, entertainment, law and business. The IU School of Informatics is located on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and offers an array of certificate, B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. programs. For additional information, please visit www.informatics.iupui.edu.

About My Health Care Manager
My Health Care Manager helps seniors and their families manage the complexities of older adult life. My Health Care Manager provides services to seniors and families across the nation through area affiliates, employee benefits programs, direct consumer access, and partners serving seniors. To learn more about My Health Care Manager, visit www.myhealthcaremanager.com or call 1-800-499-4020.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Debbie Davis ABC, APR
Triad Public Relations
317.595.0820 (office)
317.508.2179 (cell)
debbie@triadpr.net

for
My Health Care Manager
8520 Allison Point Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46250

This release was published on openPR.