Virtua, Phoenixville Among the Latest Cancer Centers to Implement Polaris's Oncology Distress Management System

LANGHORNE, PA, September 22, 2012 (Press-News.org) Polaris Health Directions is pleased to announce that the Virtua Fox Chase Cancer Program and The Cancer Center at Phoenixville Hospital are now using Polaris Oncology to help assess for and manage the psychosocial distress of their cancer patients. The system will help both programs satisfy new accreditation standards from the Commission on Cancer (COC), and ensure their patients are receiving the most comprehensive care available.

The Polaris Oncology Distress Management System is a Web-based solution that administers a patient self-assessment to screen for psychosocial distress. The system then generates an individualized patient feedback report, care team report and automated referrals that match patients to services and support groups, based on psychosocial needs, insurance status and location.

Virtua, a COC accredited cancer program, has three cancer centers in New Jersey. Washington Township started using Polaris Oncology in July, Memorial went live in September and Voorhees will roll out the system in October. Phoenixville, also COC accredited, is a member of the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network. Their medical oncology program integrated Polaris Oncology into its practice in June.

Polaris Oncology is a fully-customizable solution. The Polaris team worked closely with Virtua and Phoenixville to ensure the system best fit their existing clinical workflows. The version designed for Virtua includes triggers to assess for spiritual support needs. For Phoenixville, Polaris added a module to the assessment to alert the cancer care team of symptoms of fatigue and lymphedema, a blockage in the lymphatic system that can lead to swelling in the limbs.

For more information on Polaris Oncology's features or how the system is being used to enhance patient oncology care, send an e-mail to moreinfo@polarishealth.com or visit http://www.polarishealth.com/oncology. Follow Polaris on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/polarishealthdirections) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/polarisHD).

About Polaris Health Directions

At Polaris, we recognize that organizations cannot manage what they do not measure. Many behavioral health care providers and payers may not be collecting and analyzing enough of the right data to answer basic questions about the cost-effectiveness of the care they offer. Polaris's advanced technology and science driven assessment systems are designed to capture the clinical data essential to quality improvement and enhanced organizational management. Polaris solutions provide advanced analytics to help you improve and demonstrate to your customers the value of your care. With a focus on prediction, Polaris solutions do more than describe clinical change. Our systems also indicate if treatment is likely to have a positive result. Helping you make better decisions in the present by anticipating the future will be the difference in reducing your costs while improving patient care. For more information visit http://www.polarishealth.com.