BURLINGTON, VT--(Marketwire - March 10, 2011) - Marathon Health, Inc. today announced its selection as the City of Chattanooga's onsite medical services provider. The decision was finalized March 2 with approval by the Chattanooga City Council.
The selection criteria identified by the City included the ability to provide high-quality primary care, occupational medicine, health assessments, lifestyle health coaching, and disease management. The city was also seeking a technology platform with an electronic medical record system, extensive reporting capabilities, and the ability to integrate services with the City's WellAdvantage wellness program. Under the WellAdvantage Program umbrella, the City's goal is to create an employer-sponsored, patient-centered medical home for an eligible population of 7,000 employees, retirees, and dependents over the age of 3.
Donna Kelley, City of Chattanooga administrator of personnel, said the concept of creating a "medical home" was a driving force in the decision making process.
"The patient-centered medical home requires a holistic approach to care, the ability to integrate all health services, and a technology platform that facilitates care coordination and reporting," said Kelley. "We are moving our health services in this new direction with Marathon Health to continue our history of high-quality care, while adding the integration and reporting capabilities that are critical in monitoring our investment."
Marathon Health CEO Jerry Ford said his team has put a lot of time and effort into the Marathon Health Medical Home@Work™ model, which includes the full range of required health services and technology sought by the City of Chattanooga.
"Another important aspect of the vendor selection process was the ability to document healthcare savings for the city," said Eric Schrumpf, Marathon Health vice president of sales.
"Because we focus on identifying and mitigating health risks, in the context of providing high-quality care, we expect to see significant savings as well as improved health status of the served population," Schrumpf said. "This is a proven model and we're thrilled to be working with a city like Chattanooga that is so proactive on improving employee health."
About Marathon Health
Marathon Health of Colchester, VT, offers a proven solution for helping employers reduce the total cost of healthcare. The Marathon Health approach integrates the best practices of onsite primary care, health assessment with risk identification, coaching and advocacy, and disease management for high cost chronic conditions. Marathon Health supports its unique model with an eHealth Portal delivering medical content, interactive diet and fitness tools, a personal health record, and an electronic medical record to manage care. For more information, please visit www.marathon-health.com.
Contact Information:
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tracey Moran
(802) 857-0459