Center for Information Therapy Launches IxAction, A Membership Program to Further the Science, Practice of Prescribing Information to Consumers.

WASHINGTON -- IxAction members to present at 2005 Information Therapy Conference, September 21-23, 2005

The Center for Information Therapy (CIT) announced today its new membership program, IxAction, that creates a network of health care leaders dedicated to engaging consumers with the prescription of targeted, useful medical information. IxAction members will work to advance the art and science of prescribing information to ultimately improve the quality and efficiency of health care delivery.

Information therapy (Ix(R)) is the timely prescription and availability of evidence-based health information to meet individuals' specific needs and support sound decision making. Research suggests that Ix-focused interventions can improve quality, cost-effectiveness, and patients' overall care experiences.

"In order to achieve improved health care outcomes and lower health care costs, consumers need to be at the heart of the health care equation. The opportunity is to find ever more relevant ways to deliver the specific information consumers need when and where they need it," said Roger C. Holstein, CEO of WebMD Health and keynote speaker at the 2005 Information Therapy Conference. "The IxAction membership program is an invaluable way for health care organizations to collaborate and develop efficient and effective information delivery strategies."

IxAction Members Focus on Research, Communications, Policy, and Underserved Populations

Members of the new IxAction program represent a spectrum of organizations from the health care sector. Early members include Ix implementers, Ix Solutions Partners (those who have products and services that facilitate the delivery of information therapy), and others:

Ix Implementers

--Aetna

--Group Health Cooperative (Seattle)

--Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin 

--Humana

--John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation (Massachusetts General Hospital)

--Kaiser Permanente's Care Management Institute

--Massachusetts General Physician Organization

--Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center

Ix Solutions Partners

--Health Dialog

--Healthwise

--MedSeek

--WebMD

Other Members

--Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making

"IxAction membership provides invaluable resources to us as we craft specific strategies and applications to engage our members in informed decision making," said Diana Han, MD, vice president of Clinical Innovations for Humana. "IxAction helps us to maximize the potential of new technologies and electronic information tools to best support our members' needs."

IxAction members will focus on four key areas of work:

1. Research: Advancing an Ix research agenda and building an Ix evidence base

2. Communications: Publishing a comprehensive series of Ix white papers, disseminating resources to professionals and consumers through its Web sites, promoting best practices through users- group calls and member-specific publications, and holding conferences

3. Policy: Developing standards for consumer health content and Internet quality, and advocating for the consumer-facing side of information technology policy issues

4. Underserved populations: Strategizing on how to improve Ix interventions across a spectrum of populations and to ensure Ix benefits reach underserved populations

IxAction Members to Present at the 2005 Information Therapy Conference

IxAction members will have the opportunity to present their information therapy programs or solutions at the 2005 Information Therapy Conference, September 21-23, 2005, in Park City, Utah. This year's conference will focus on the impact information therapy has on consumers' medical decision making. Attendees will learn:

--Interventions that enrich consumers' care experiences, improve quality, and save costs.

--Solutions to integration challenges in multiple delivery systems.

--Demonstrations of Ix technology.

"Each year the conference brings together the nation's most innovative Ix thinkers," said Joshua Seidman, PhD, executive director of the Center for Information Therapy. "This year we'll also hear the human side of information therapy--how Ix better connects people to their health care and medical decisions."

For more information on the IxAction membership program and the 2005 Information Therapy Conference, visit www.informationtherapy.org or call 1.202.945.6810.

About the Center for Information Therapy

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Information Therapy (CIT) is developing the information therapy concept into the foundation for a new patient-centered health care system. For more information about the CIT and its annual Information Therapy Conference, visit www.informationtherapy.org or call 1.202.945.6810.