Consumers and healthcare providers alike are constantly seeking some common ground between comprehensive health care and reasonable costs. So it’s worth noting that a new agreement between two leaders in technology and medicine may offer a solution to an ongoing problem.

Authentidate (News - Alert), a provider of secure Web-based software applications and telehealth products and services for healthcare organizations, has reached an agreement with Premier Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company. The deal will allow Premier member hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier to purchase all of Authentidate's InscrybeMD Telehealth solutions included in Premier's Physiological Monitoring Systems category. Those solutions allow for patient treatment remotely, cutting back on time-consuming and expensive visits to doctors, when the same results can be achieved by an online visit and consultation.

“The InscrybeMD Telehealth solutions enable patients to return to their daily routines, while providing frequent updates of patient vital signs and related data to healthcare providers,” the companies said in a joint statement. “By allowing healthcare providers to set-up tailored monitoring sessions to meet specific patient needs, the Authentidate remote monitoring solutions are designed to contribute to improved patient outcomes with fewer in-person doctor or emergency room visits.”

One important aspect of the offering is the InscrybeMD Interactive Voice Response (IVR) service. According to Authentidate, its IVR system uses the latest in voice recognition technology to allow patients to answer their session questions and enter their vital signs data verbally or using the keypad from any touch-tone phone. “IVR is effective for patients who require a flexible, mobile solution for care plan reminders and vital signs monitoring,” the company said.

This particular feature, along with the others offered, will help to “increase care plan compliance, prepare patients to self-manage their disease in accordance with the care plan devised by their healthcare provider and contribute to improved overall outcomes.”