New Partnership Provides Free Web Site Services to Family Physicians

LEAWOOD, Kan. and RALEIGH, N.C. - Recognizing the power of the Internet to enhance physician-patient communication and increase practice productivity and efficiency, the American Academy of Family Physicians is partnering with Raleigh, N.C.-based MedFusion, Inc., to provide its members with free or discounted Web site services. MedFusion is the nation's leading provider of physician Web sites and secure patient-to-physician communication applications.

"While the AAFP has for many years provided its members with free basic Web sites, today's physicians need far more sophisticated sites with enhanced functionality to effectively manage their practices," said Michael Fleming, M.D., president of the AAFP. "MedFusion's Internet solutions - with secure electronic communications capabilities and the ability to integrate with electronic health records systems - can measurably improve the quality and efficiency of care our physicians deliver."

With this agreement, all active AAFP members will have the opportunity to create free Web sites for their practices. In addition to providing general information about the practice and its physicians, the standard site will offer patients direct access to all of the patient education materials on familydoctor.org, the AAFP's award-winning consumer Web site.

Physicians with a MedFusion Web site also will be able to utilize MedFusion's HIPAA-compliant patient communications capabilities on a per usage pricing basis. Through their Web sites, members can enable a range of secure communications, including patient pre-registration, online bill payment, appointment requests, lab results reporting, prescription renewal requests and online consultations.

The agreement also gives AAFP members a discount on MedFusion's Virtual Office Suite, a more robust Web site product, which includes Web-based content management and secure communications software. Subscription to the Virtual Office Suite allows physicians to build unlimited additional pages within their Web site. It also gives practices full control over their site, allowing them to make instantaneous changes to the content through a Web-based administrative interface requiring no programming knowledge. As part of the AAFP's agreement with MedFusion, AAFP members receive a discount on the Virtual Office Suite as well as on all related transaction fees.

"MedFusion's Web sites feature comprehensive informational capabilities designed specifically for physician practices," said Stephen N. Malik, chief executive officer of MedFusion. "Our Internet solutions are proven to improve efficiency, generate revenue and improve patient care."

As part of the agreement, MedFusion also will work with individual practices to integrate their current software applications, including electronic health record systems, at an additional cost. MedFusion has committed to the basic principles of affordability, compatibility, interoperability, and data stewardship, which guide the AAFP's Partners for Patients initiative dedicated to increasing the availability and use of low-cost, standards-based information technology among family physicians. MedFusion currently interfaces with most of the major electronic health record and practice management systems.

"As the health care industry and the general population move toward more electronic communication, the use of modern health technology is essential to the future of family medicine," said Fleming.