Epion Health provides Software as a Service patient engagement platform

The Silicon Review

In 2011, two friends – Joe Blewitt and Joseph Hogan – came together to solve a big problem in healthcare: patient education and engagement.

Unlike other tech entrepreneurs, Joe and Joseph understood that the more informed patients are about their condition and treatment choices, the more involved they are in their own care. And the more involved they are, the better the outcomes and costs. So instead of innovating first and finding a use later, they started with the patient and developed a solution that could change lives for the better. Fueled by the mission to use technology to solve real problems for real people, it was time to call in a favor from a friend who loaned them $250K. And with that, Epion – whose name is from the Greek word for soothing pain – was launched.

The transformation story of Epion

Initially, Epion offered content on tablets to educate patients while they were at the doctor’s office. The model caught the attention of the executive leadership team at athenahealth who, in 2012, invited Epion to partner with them to develop a fully integrated digital check-in product.

Joe and Joseph saw yet another opportunity to create a tool with substantial human benefits. While patient clinical data had transitioned from paper charts to electronic health records, intake remained a sea of clipboards, paperwork, forms and folders. These outdated manual processes were responsible for a significant increase in errors, denied claims, longer wait times and general frustration for both patients and practices. The company’s flagship product, Epion Check-in, was built to make the experience of healthcare a happier one by automating the collection of patient information and payments.

Today, Epion is a leader in patient access and engagement solutions for more than 300 healthcare customers and supports more than ten million patients a year. Epion also offers patient health risk assessments and other solutions to support clinical workflows and facilitate the delivery of value-based care.

Technological innovation grounded in human-centered problem-solving and the desire to do the right thing has set Epion apart from its competitors. It has also drawn the best and the brightest employees who take pride in the work they do every day: improving how healthcare works.

Simplified Patient Payments

Maximize collections while ensuring a positive patient experience. With Epion’s payment feature, patients can review their co-pays, outstanding balances and collection balances during check-in. They also can set up a card on file for annual payment contracts to cover co-insurance obligations or make payments. The integrated credit card reader allows them to pay at the time of service with any major credit card, debit card or qualified HSA/FSA card.

Automated Patient Engagement

Epion EveryWare automation allows health systems to significantly improve patient care, while reducing staff time. Epion’s platform takes the chart to the patient—with relevant outreach at the right time and place.

With a 92 percent average workflow completion rate, the platform enables organizations to materially impact the economics of patient care.

Technology That Never Lets You Down

Epion’s cloud-based, HIPAA-compliant platform provides a safe, secure, and scalable way to exchange healthcare data. Their vendor- and standards-agnostic technology solve interoperability problems, easily integrating with most EHRs and powering standardized health data exchange. And as their patient engagement software platform is cloud-optimized, you never have to worry about lost data, manual updates, or bug fixes – so you and your patients can rely on a great user experience.

Empowering Patients

Physician shortages, an aging population and policy changes are a few of the forces challenging health systems and IDNs to look for new ways to improve their finances, workflow efficiencies and patient outcomes. Increasingly, many are turning to digital health strategies for new revenue sources and opportunities as they seek to contain costs and enhance quality.

Epion empowers health systems and IDNs to derive value with easy-to-use digital technologies that help generate revenue and manage care delivery virtually and in-person, driving efficiency, optimizing clinical and operational workflows, expanding patient access, closing gaps in care and improving the patient experience.

A Better Experience with Better Data

Automate the check-in process for greater efficiency and satisfaction. With Epion Check-In, patients can begin the process from home and pick up at any point before their appointment, with no lost work or duplicate entry. Digital Check-In also results in a more uniform, efficient and accurate check-in that helps reduce costs while improving data capture for population health management initiatives.

Joe Blewitt, Chief Executive Officer

Joe Blewitt is the CEO of Epion Health. He founded the company in 2011 to provide a platform to bridge the gaps in communication between patients and healthcare stakeholders. Prior to Epion, Joe started companies that provided point of care engagement tools to the healthcare industry. His firms designed and manufactured products for most of the world’s top pharmaceutical and medical device companies, including Pfizer, Merck, Stryker, Medtronic, GSK and Novartis.

Joe graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He served in the Air Force for more than 25 years as a command pilot and senior officer.