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Humana taps Salesforce Health Cloud to launch coordinated care platform

Humana and Salesforce also plan to develop healthcare solutions using the Healthcare Innovation Lab, based in Humana's studio_h in Boston.

Today Humana announced a multiyear partnership to launch its new care coordination platform, the Enterprise Clinical Operating Model, using the Salesforce Health Cloud.

The Humana platform will facilitate integrated care coordination between its members, care teams and provider communities wherever people receive care.

Salesforce's software integrates into electronic health record systems to connect members to their providers and health plans by providing insight into patient clinical histories, treatment plans and patient preferences.

"We are thrilled to partner with Humana to power its digital transformation and connect the healthcare ecosystem across members, providers and caregivers," said Dr. Ashwini Zenooz, the chief medical officer and SVP of healthcare and life sciences at Salesforce, in a statement. "With Salesforce, Humana will transform the member care experience and support the health and wellness for millions of its members."

In addition to collaborating on the ECOM, Humana and Salesforce plan to develop healthcare solutions using a Healthcare Innovation Lab, based in Humana's studio_h in Boston.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Coordinated care allows for a patient's needs and preferences to be known in advance and communicated to the appropriate people to give the patient the best possible care.

When used correctly, it can improve the outcomes for everyone involved, including patients, providers and payers, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The care becomes more effective, safe and efficient when coordination occurs between stakeholders.

THE LARGER TREND

Humana has enlisted the help of other tech companies to help launch healthcare solutions for its members. Specifically, the company entered into a strategic partnership with Microsoft last year to give care teams real-time access to health information using Microsoft's Azure cloud, Azure AI and Microsoft 365 collaboration technologies.

Salesforce has also been involved in its share of partnerships for its customer relationship management services. Deloitte launched its ConvergeHEALTH Connect using the Health Cloud platform last year, and Mount Sinai Health System tapped Salesforce in 2017 to coordinate and manage care of Medicaid members within its Performing Provider System.

ON THE RECORD

"Humana's journey towards integrated care is so important to delivering the best possible health outcomes for our members," said William Fleming, the president of clinical and pharmacy solutions at Humana, in a statement. "As part of this important work, we're advancing interoperability so providers and participants in a member's care team have connected, simplified healthcare experiences that inherently [give] them the freedom to serve the member. By improving team collaboration and helping to coordinate the care of our members, we can allow them to focus on their health, instead of updating each doctor and clinician they see."

Twitter: @HackettMallory
Email the writer: mhackett@himss.org