PHILADELPHIA – Independence Blue Cross is providing digital alerts to physicians and specialists through a new messaging tool called Clinical Alerts.

The notices help a doctor determine whether the patient is missing an important recommended preventive health service, such as a mammogram or a cholesterol screening, before the patient's appointment.

Traditionally, IBA executives said, a physician relies on information provided during an office visit or reports about diagnostic tests conducted by another doctor to find out whether patients have had recommended health services. But if critical information is not reported during the visit or if the patient is unaware that he or she is late for a test, the doctor may not be aware of the need for a preventive screening or other test. That's when a gap in care might occur.

"Clinical Alerts will help physicians avoid these gaps," said I. Steven Udvarhelyi, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Philadelphia-based Independence Blue Cross. "This is important since studies show that people get recommended care only half the time. As the leading health plan in the region, we believe clinical alerts are an important step toward improving the health of our members by increasing the quality of care, which ultimately helps reduce medical costs."

To create the alerts, IBC leverages its database of claims information from physicians, hospitals, labs and pharmacies and identifies care opportunities for its members. Physicians in the greater Philadelphia region can view the alerts in their offices when prepping for upcoming appointments.

IBC began sending alerts in April to physicians through its secure healthcare provider Web portal, which is administered by NaviNet, the country's largest real-time healthcare communications network for health plans. To date, more than 12,000 physicians of IBC and its subsidiaries' network have received more than 100,000 alerts.

"As a physician, I'm glad that IBC is offering this important service," said Thomas F. Lyon. MD, of Mt. Airy Family Practice. "It is a testament to how the industry can use today's technology to improve patient care by giving me timely, actionable information about my patients."

In addition to alerts about mammograms and cholesterol tests, doctors currently receive several important alerts, based on clinical guidelines, about:

• eye exams for patients with diabetes;
• colorectal cancer screenings for patients age 51-75;
• ongoing beta-blocker treatments for patients who have had heart attacks;
• cholesterol tests for patients with diabetes or cardiovascular conditions;
• cervical cancer screenings; and
• kidney tests for patients with diabetes.