Veterans Health Administration Texting Service Developed by Accenture Federal Services Deployed Nationwide
Accenture Federal Services has deployed its automated text message service, 'Annie,' nationwide at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health centers. Annie assists Veterans with medication reminders, surgery prep, and monitoring health data like blood pressure. An eight-month study indicated positive feedback from Veterans for patient education, symptom management, and self-care. Notably, Annie contributed to a 53% decrease in surgery cancellations by helping patients adhere to pre-surgery protocols. The project supports the VA's Office of Connected Care and is part of Iron Bow Technologies' $2 billion contract to enhance Veterans' healthcare accessibility.
- Annie's deployment nationwide facilitates better healthcare for Veterans.
- Positive feedback from an eight-month study highlights improvements in patient education, symptom management, and self-care.
- A 53% decrease in surgery cancellations reduces healthcare costs and optimizes resource use.
- Support from Iron Bow Technologies' $2 billion contract ensures continued development and accessibility enhancements.
- The press release does not specify any immediate financial gains or impacts for Accenture.
- Reliance on third-party contracts like Iron Bow Technologies' may influence long-term sustainability.
Insights
Annie, the automated text message service developed by Accenture Federal Services, is a notable example of leveraging simple technology to enhance healthcare delivery for veterans. One key insight here is the utilization of SMS for critical healthcare functions such as medication reminders, surgery preparation and symptom monitoring. These features can significantly improve patient adherence to treatment protocols, mitigate last-minute surgery cancellations and expedite the clinical review of symptoms.
The 53% decrease in surgery cancellations underscores the importance of pre-surgery compliance. By reducing cancellations, the system not only optimizes the use of healthcare resources but also promotes better health outcomes for veterans. This aligns with the broader trend in medical technology to incorporate low-cost, high-impact solutions to improve patient care.
While text messaging is an established technology, its application in healthcare is transformative. The positive feedback from veterans suggests high acceptability, which is critical for the sustained success of such programs. Given the simplicity and wide accessibility of SMS, this model could be explored and replicated in other healthcare settings.
The effectiveness of Annie indicates a solid potential for scaling and adapting to other patient populations, offering a blueprint for future innovations in connected care.
The nationwide deployment of the Annie text messaging service by Accenture Federal Services marks a significant advancement in the digital health sector. From a market perspective, this development can drive growth in the telehealth and remote patient monitoring markets. By addressing key issues like surgery cancellations and patient compliance, Annie provides tangible benefits that can translate into economic savings for healthcare providers.
The performance metrics highlighted, such as the 53% decrease in surgery cancellations, reflect a strong return on investment for the VA and underline the cost-saving potential of such digital solutions. This can set a precedent for further investments in similar technologies by other healthcare systems and payers.
Moreover, the $2 billion contract awarded to Iron Bow Technologies for continuing the work on connected healthcare services represents a significant market opportunity for subcontractors like Accenture. The contract signifies confidence in the scalability and impact of these technologies on veteran healthcare, suggesting a robust pipeline of similar projects in the future.
This deployment can also enhance Accenture’s reputation in the federal health sector, potentially opening doors for further collaborations and contracts, thereby driving revenue growth in their federal services division.
“Annie” Healthcare Text Messaging Pilot Program Achieves Positive Outcomes for Veterans
Dr. Ron Moody, Chief Medical Officer, Accenture Federal Services (Photo: Business Wire)
Featuring SMS text message notification capabilities including medication reminders, surgery preparation instructions, and medical treatment plans, Veterans can also use Annie for self-care health data monitoring, such as blood pressure readings, and for chronicling medical symptoms that are being experienced for prompt review by clinical teams.
An eight-month study found Veterans at the Minneapolis VA Health Center who used the texting service reported positive feedback on the tool, specifically regarding patient education, symptom management, self-care, and ease of use.
The program also found Annie demonstrated a successful track record in simplifying the cancer care hospital preadmission process, resulting in a 53 percent decrease in surgery cancellations, by ensuring patients adhered to necessary pre-surgery medical protocols. Cancelled surgeries increase healthcare costs by unnecessarily tying up operating rooms and healthcare personnel.
“Annie is an innovative and valuable tool for both Veterans and their healthcare providers alike,” said Dr. Ron Moody, Accenture Federal Services’ chief medical officer and the clinical lead behind Annie. “The tool is a shining example of how a familiar technology, such as text messaging, has the ability to elevate the overall healthcare experience for those who have served in our nation’s military.”
Accenture Federal Services supported the VA’s Office of Connected Care in developing Annie as a subcontractor to Iron Bow Technologies, which was recently awarded a $2 billion contract to continue its work making healthcare more accessible for veterans.
About Accenture Federal Services
Accenture Federal Services is a leading US federal services company and subsidiary of Accenture LLP. We empower the federal government to solve challenges, achieve greater outcomes, and build a digital core that is agile, smart, and secure. Our 14,000 people are united in a shared purpose to advance our clients’ mission-critical priorities that make the nation stronger and safer, and life better for people. We draw out the best of Accenture’s global network in nearly every industry, bringing proven commercial innovation to solutions built with advanced R&D, emerging technologies, and human-centered design at speed and scale. Together, we help clients create lasting value for their workforce, customers, and partners and make a difference for the country and our communities. See how we make change that matters at accenturefederal.com.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth, and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 742,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise, and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners, and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240605758476/en/
Donna Savarese
Accenture Federal Services
+1 301 250 0660
donna.savarese@afs.com
Source: Accenture Federal Services
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