Garmin and Allscripts Enter Strategic Relationship to Improve Patient Care

LAS VEGAS, March 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To help clinicians better manage patient care, Garmin will join with Allscripts MDRX to integrate its vívofit suite of wearable devices into the FollowMyHealth and CareInMotion platforms, designed to address specific population health management priorities. Berkshire Medical Center (Pittsfield, Mass.) will serve as the beta site for this 2016 initiative.

Berkshire Medical Center will identify a specific patient population to wear vívofit devices and use the Index Smart Scale. Through an integration with FollowMyHealth, Berkshire Medical will receive updated, real-time data about the patient between office and hospital visits, improving patient monitoring and facilitating informed decisions about patient care.

"This technology will give our care managers a clearer view into their patients' health status between visits," Bill Young, Berkshire Medical Center Chief Information Officer, said. "We expect to demonstrate improvements in patient engagement and monitoring for patients, as well as more efficient workflows for our providers."

Berkshire Medical Center is on the forefront of a growing trend. An IDC Health Insights report found that 70% of healthcare organizations worldwide will invest in a consumer-facing technology by 2018.

"For consumer-generated health data to be useful to providers, it must be integrated with clinical data," Martha Thorne, Allscripts Senior Vice President of Population Health, said. "Our strategic relationship with Garmin will effectively integrate the information for providers at Berkshire Medical Center."

Allscripts CareInMotion is a suite of population health management solutions that help healthcare organizations better provide patient-centered and value-based care. FollowMyHealth is a patient engagement platform that enables patients and their families to stay connected with physicians and become active members of their care team.

Garmin offers a broad range of products designed for use in health and wellness programs.  These devices can integrate into wellness programs, providing motivation and recognition for the participants.

"The vívofit touts a one-year battery life and is water resistant to 50 meters, which enables the device to blend into daily life," Dawn Iddings, Garmin Vice President of Business Development, said. "We are focused on improving people's health by providing world-class devices and collaborating with partners such as Allscripts to drive healthy behavior and support lifelong habits."

About Allscripts
Allscripts MDRX is a leader in healthcare information technology solutions that advance clinical, financial and operational results. Our innovative solutions connect people, places and data across an Open, Connected Community of Health™. Connectivity empowers caregivers to make better decisions and deliver better care for healthier populations. To learn more, visit www.allscripts.com, Twitter, YouTube and It Takes A Community: The Allscripts Blog.

About Garmin
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. GRMN. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin and vívofit are registered trademarks. Move IQ and Garmin Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

© 2016 Allscripts Healthcare, LLC and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Allscripts, the Allscripts logo, and other Allscripts marks are trademarks of Allscripts Healthcare, LLC and/or its affiliates. All other products are trademarks of their respective holders, all rights reserved. Reference to these products is not intended to imply affiliation with or sponsorship of Allscripts Healthcare, LLC and/or its affiliates.