UAB PARTNERS WITH GUIDEWAY CARE TO EXPAND GUIDESAFE™

Partnership Increases Access, Support for COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Platform

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug 5, 2020: Guideway Care today announced a new partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), part of the University of Alabama System, to increase access to and support for the GuideSafe™ platform, a set of online tools designed to mitigate the risk of exposure and spread of COVID-19. The partnership will enable a wide array of organizations to take advantage of the GuideSafe™ platform in order to protect employees as they return to work, and students as they return to school, as well as offering protection for visitors and vendors. In addition, Guideway Care is offering expanded contact center options to the GuideSafe™ platform to help address employee and staff concerns and answer questions. The full solution explanation can be found at GuideSafe.org.

UAB will provide the platform to the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and other educational institutions within the state of Alabama, and has partnered with Guideway Care, a provider of technology-enabled Care Guidance services, to make the solution available to educational institutions outside the state, as well as commercial entities, hospitals, faith-based organizations and other organizations nationwide.

“Community awareness about COVID-19 is critically important,” said Sue Feldman, RN, MEd, PhD, Professor in the UAB School of Health Professions and UAB School of Medicine, who led the development of GuideSafe™ with Assistant Professor Mohanraj Thirumalai, MSEE, PhD, and a team from UAB. “By giving individuals timely information and the resources needed to reduce their risk, the GuideSafe™ platform and support provided by Guideway Care will play an important role in reducing the spread of the virus and help employers protect their employees.”

Guideway Care provides non-clinical Care Guidance for healthcare and commercial entities nationwide. Guideway’s Care Guides serve as advocates for patients and employees, helping guide them in the non-clinical aspects of their health journey, so they can best choose how and when to engage the healthcare system. By using proprietary platforms, Guideway achieves better participation, and Guideway participants achieve better compliance, better satisfaction, and better awareness of how to manage their issues in the gaps between clinical visits. As part of the partnership, Guideway will provide Care Guides via a U.S.-based contact center that will be specially trained and equipped to help guide employees through questions and issues that arise through the use of GuideSafe™, as well as provide support that employees need during this confusing time.

“UAB consistently provides national leadership in responding to COVID and other health challenges,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, Senior Vice President and Dean of UAB School of Medicine. “We are proud to continue that tradition with the GuideSafe™ platform and our innovative partnership with Guideway Care.”

The GuideSafe™ platform includes an assessment tool that allows individuals nationwide to report COVID-19 health status, symptoms and exposure, an exposure notification app, and an “event passport” that can be used to help increase the safety of meetings, conferences, and events of more than 10 people.

The platform was developed by a team of expert health, anthropology, and information technology leaders at UAB.

“UAB’s unique position of expertise and influence, along with its ability to partner with the University of Alabama System, has enabled us to build a powerful tool that will help us protect the health of Alabamians,” Feldman said. “The partnership with Guideway Care will help us share the benefits of GuideSafe™ with organizations all across the nation.”

More information on GuideSafe™ for businesses, hospitals and other organizations is available at GuideSafe.org.

About Guideway Care

Guideway Care works with companies, hospitals, specialty practices and health plans to support patients from initial interest (lead generation and conversion) through their entire care journey (planning, pre-procedure and post-discharge). Guideway’s people and processes help achieve better outcomes, improve patient satisfaction and reduce the costs of providing outstanding care. At the core of the Guideway solution is a fusion of advanced software and trained care guides. Our team and technology fills action gaps in care, compliance, communication and lead generation conversion. We deliver the lowest total cost of performance for clinical teams, marketing teams, administration and operations by focusing on non-clinical aspects that impact patient accountability and action, and our smart technology solutions and proven protocols to ensure a superior total experience for patients, families and care providers. In addition to the ways our Care Guides use our conversion success software to help change patient behavior while meeting their needs for information, direction and guidance, Guideway is helping providers and plans meet the challenges of a variety of Alternative Payment Models (APMs), including the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI+) Initiative and the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP).

About UAB

Known for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is the state of Alabama’s largest employer and an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center; its professional schools and specialty patient-care programs are consistently ranked among the nation’s top 50. Learn more at www.uab.edu and www.uabmedicine.org. UAB is part of the University of Alabama System.

Read the press release from UAB here.