Clinical Care
Matrix Medical Network Celebrates National Nurse Practitioner Week
Matrix Medical Network Celebrates National Nurse Practitioner Week
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, November 12, 2019 – Matrix Medical Network, a leading provider of in-home and mobile health clinic assessments and care management, is recognizing nurse practitioners nationwide and within its own clinical teams during National Nurse Practitioner Week, November 10-16.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are celebrated this week in recognition of their exceptional professional accomplishments and the impact they have on the healthcare system and patient outcomes. Whether diagnosing or treating complex conditions or educating individuals to make smarter health decisions through lifestyle modification and wellness programs, NPs are highly skilled and trusted healthcare providers. Matrix NPs work in numerous areas of member care which include connecting diagnosis to appropriate medications, coding, health education, communication with a member’s primary care physician, case management referrals and coordination of care.
“Nurse practitioners play an integral role in the overall healthcare delivery system and at Matrix, NPs are critical to optimizing the health outcomes of the members we serve,” said Dr. Daniel J. Castillo, Matrix Chief Medical Officer, Group President Product, Quality and Innovation. “As part of this recognition week, we raise awareness of the significance all nurse practitioners have on their patients, and especially thank our own broad network of clinical champions for their commitment to clinical excellence and making an impact.”
Delivering quality compassionate care and collaborating with other healthcare providers for coordination of care is part of an NP’s routine. They are skilled in delivering primary care or care in a variety of specialty services to diverse populations in the home, on mobile health clinics and in medical facilities. Millions of Americans nationwide receive exceptional care from a trusted nurse practitioner.
During this special recognition week, please join Matrix in celebrating NPs for their vital role in improving patient care and making a difference in the lives of individuals and in the communities they serve.
About Matrix Medical Network
Matrix Medical Network provides a broad array of assessment and care management services to individuals that improve health outcomes and health plan financial performance. Matrix providers engage with health plan members wherever they are in their journey to health improvement. Our national network of community-based clinicians delivers in-home services for members while our fleet of mobile health clinics provides community-based care with advance diagnostic capabilities. These options, and our advanced engagement approach, helps health plans manage risks, close care gaps and connect members to more options for the care and support they need. Matrix is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, and partners with leading health plans and providers across the country. Matrix is backed by Frazier Healthcare and Providence Service Corporation (Nasdaq: PRSC) of Stamford, CT. For more information, visit matrixmedicalnetwork.com.
Matrix Medical Network Media Contact
David M. Goodspeed: office 480.862.1970 or [email protected]
Matrix Medical Network Achieves HITRUST CSF® Certification
Matrix Medical Network Achieves HITRUST CSF® Certification
HITRUST CSF Certification validates Matrix’s commitment to meeting key healthcare regulations and protecting sensitive private healthcare information
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, October 23, 2019 – Matrix Medical Network (Matrix), a leading provider of in-home and mobile health clinic assessments and care management, announced its systems have again earned Certified Status for information security by the Health Information Trust (HITRUST) Alliance. Those systems include the company’s access control, mobile device management, database warehouse and proprietary electronic data capture platform. With the HITRUST CSF Certified Status, Matrix’s systems meet key healthcare regulations and requirements for protecting and securing sensitive private healthcare information.
“Healthcare providers are under great pressure to meet complex compliance requirements that include technical and process elements such as HIPAA, NIST, ISO and COBIT,” said Mr. Ian Worden, Chief Information Officer & Product Architect with Matrix. “The HITRUST CSF is the gold-standard that needs to be met, and Matrix is pleased to be able to demonstrate its compliance commitment by achieving HITRUST CSF Certification.”
HITRUST CSF Certified status indicates that the company’s systems have met industry-defined requirements and is appropriately managing risk, placing Matrix in an elite group of organizations worldwide that have earned this certification. By including federal and state regulations, standards and frameworks, and incorporating a risk-based approach, the HITRUST CSF helps organizations address these challenges through a comprehensive and flexible framework of prescriptive and scalable security controls.
“HITRUST has been working with the healthcare industry to ensure the appropriate information protection requirements are met when sensitive health information is accessed or stored in a cloud environment,” said Mr. Ken Vander Wal, Chief Compliance Officer, HITRUST. “We are pleased that Matrix Medical Network has taken the steps necessary to achieve HITRUST CSF Certified status, and we expect their customers to have confidence in this designation.”
“It is critical that our customers trust our capabilities in protecting and securing their confidential data,” said Mr. Keith Henthorne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Matrix. “By going through this rigorous process for our entire platform—from our people and processes to the very way we communicate—our customers can be assured that they are receiving the highest level of data security compliance when they partner with Matrix.”
About Matrix Medical Network
Matrix Medical Network provides a broad array of assessment and care management services to individuals that improve health outcomes and health plan financial performance. Matrix providers engage with health plan members wherever they are in their journey to health improvement. Our national network of community-based clinicians delivers in-home services for members while our fleet of mobile health clinics provides community-based care with advance diagnostic capabilities. These options, and our advanced engagement approach, helps health plans manage risks, close care gaps and connect members to more options for the care and support they need. Matrix is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, and partners with leading health plans and providers across the country. Matrix is backed by Frazier Healthcare and Providence Service Corporation (Nasdaq: PRSC) of Stamford, CT. For more information, visit matrixmedicalnetwork.com.
Matrix Medical Network Media Contact
David M. Goodspeed: office 480.862.1970 or [email protected]
Effective Screening for Colorectal Cancer Saves Lives
Effective Screening for Colorectal Cancer Saves Lives
By Daniel Castillo, MD, MBA
Jen, a Matrix Nurse Practitioner, recently shared the following story with me:
John (name changed for privacy), a member who had received a Matrix in-home assessment the previous year, hugged me. I was a bit surprised but before I could say “Hi”, he told me the story of what led to that hug. The previous year, as part of his health assessment, I had discussed the importance of colon cancer screening and left a fecal occult stool test kit with him. After his screening test had come back positive, his primary care doctor gave him a referral for a follow up colonoscopy, which revealed a precancerous lesion that was successfully removed. He was told by his doctor that the early screening test that led to the colonoscopy likely saved his life. His hug was his way of saying “thank you”.
I wanted to share John’s story today since March is designated as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. The focus on awareness points to the importance of appropriate education to help individuals overcome barriers on getting screened for colorectal cancer (CRC). There are various risk factors that contribute to the incidence of developing CRC like being age 50 and older, having a first degree relative that’s had colorectal cancer and smoking (for a full list of risk factors, please visit the American Cancer Society website). Screening, which has been shown to have decreased the incidence of colorectal cancer over the last few years is critically important since the disease still affects approximately 1 in 22 men and 1 in 24 women, meaning that most people’s lives will at some point be touched by this disease.1
As with John’s story above, the goal of screening is for the early detection and effective treatment of CRC before it is too late.
Despite the improvements, screening rates still can increase, with only 50 percent of eligible populations currently participating. Colonoscopy has long been the standard methodology for CRC screening, but the required test preparation, test anxiety and costs for the test itself have been barriers for some populations.2
Several other effective screening methods are now available that require no test preparation or dietary restrictions. These tests include stool-based blood detection and DNA tests which can be done by the individual in their home. If abnormal results are detected during the stool based screenings, a follow-up colonoscopy will be performed. Strong evidence indicates that less-invasive screening options have been effective in boosting screening rates.
Matrix Medical Network (Matrix) offers stool-based blood detection as part of our comprehensive health assessment. Matrix receives data files from health plans that identifies members that might not have the recommended CRC screening. Our nurse practitioners educate the members on the importance of the tests and will deliver the results directly to the member’s primary care provider.
Screening for CRC may uncover a life threatening disease when it can still be effectively treated. Matrix works together with health plans, providers and most importantly members to drive an increase in appropriate CRC screening, which can save lives. Just ask John.
Contact us today to learn more about how Matrix CRC screening can help improve members health and wellness.
| Dr. Castillo is the Chief Medical Officer for Matrix Medical Network. He is board certified in emergency medicine and provides clinical leadership for Matrix’s growing suite of in-home and mobile based clinical solutions. Dr. Castillo is driven to improve the value of health care access and member care delivery. |
References:
1 American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society; 2019.
2 The Importance of Colorectal Cancer Screening. Retrieved March 9, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4365838/