Employers’ Health Coalition of Ft. Smith Signs Telemedicine Service Contract with FONEMED

(November 17, 1997) San Diego, California - The Employers’ Health Coalition of Fort Smith, Arkansas will be offering personal health management services to its clients through an agreement with FONEMED, LLC. FONEMED’s Director of Marketing, Bob Hill made the announcement at the second annual meeting of the National Business Coalition on Health in San Diego. The Employers’ Health Coalition of Fort Smith will now offer a range of services from a 24 hour Nurse Advice Line to Internet/ Intranet Health Information Access.

Lisa Chapman, Director of Managed Care, noted the importance of this contract. "Through the efforts of FONEMED and the many employer health coalitions around the country, access to quality healthcare information is finally being provided to companies at an affordable price. FONEMED’s systems work especially well for employer coalitions because we offer many varied components- nurse triage, health events counseling, internet/intranet information access, a library of pre-recorded health topics, and flexible reporting capabilities. Therefore, the health coalitions we serve can offer unique customized plans to every employer within their coalition."

Carol Hendricks, Executive Director of the Employers’ Health Coalition of Fort Smith explains the significance of this agreement. "Today, employers realize that the best way to manage healthcare costs and keep their employees healthy is to provide health education. When employees know more about the health issues that concern them, they make better decisions about their personal healthcare. Hopefully, they also become healthier, more productive employees."

FONEMED’s US and International operations are headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. FONEMED markets and manages Medical Call Center Services for US health plans, associations, non-profit organizations, businesses, public utilities, and the military. In addition, FONEMED establishes Medical Call Centers abroad. The FONEMED Medical Call Center provides 24-hour medical advice from Registered Nurses using the software designed by National Health Enhancement Systems (NHES), clinical algorithms developed by MICROMEDEXâ , and pediatric guidelines written by Dr. Barton Schmitt of Denver Children's Hospital. The call center also features the largest fully-automated Audio Health Library in the health care industry with topics in English and Spanish.