News and Events

Strategic partnership between Seattle-based healthcare cooperative and Northwest consulting firm drives new customer approaches through mobile strategy

Slalom Consulting, a national business and technology consulting firm, and Group Health Cooperative, a consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that coordinates care and coverage for more than 670,000 members in the state of Washington, announced the launch of a new member-care strategy, highlighted by the development of an iPhone application, Group Health Mobile App. The mobile application provides Group Health’s 650,000 members with unhindered access to their personal health information, as well as Group Health’s network of information. The Group Health mobile app is available now in Apple’s App Store.

“Group Health is thrilled to offer members access to their shared medical record through the new mobile application for the iPhone,” says Gwen O’Keefe, MD, chief medical informatics officer for Group Health. “Slalom's expertise has helped Group Health deliver a mobile app that takes advantage of our integrated systems and create one of the most convenient ways for patients to interact with their care team.”

Group Health’s mobile app is the first app that provides members access to not only their medical record but also to Group Health services such as a symptom checker, appointment scheduling and direct messaging with healthcare professionals. The location-based service can also find the nearest Group Health Medical Centers and check wait times. Future enhancements will include an Android version, the ability to refill prescriptions, and the ability to view dependents’ medical records.

This mobile approach was jointly designed by Slalom and Group Health teams to securely deliver the information customers need the most while being easily adaptable to new platforms. It also demonstrates how mobility is driving today’s innovative customer strategies.

“The deep relationship we have built with Group Health is a great testament to the abilities of our teams in going beyond simply delivering a product,” says Thane Liffick, Managing Director, Slalom Consulting. “Our expertise working on mobile strategy and technical insights has allowed us to craft a reliable product that enables Group Health to reach existing customers while appealing to a new demographic that increasingly utilizes mobile devices to manage daily activities.”

Presented with complex technical challenges in creating the new application, Group Health chose Slalom to assist in the development process based on its capability to not only build an iPhone application but also to develop an integrated ecosystem that takes full advantage of Group Health’s existing information systems. Working with Slalom’s team of Seattle-based consultants, Group Health found that it could increase its internal development bandwidth and deliver a product that would exceed expectations and be completed sooner versus its internal development team working alone.

About Slalom Consulting
Slalom Consulting brings business and technology expertise together to help companies drive enterprise performance, accelerate innovation, enhance the customer experience, and increase employee productivity. The firm delivers award-winning solutions in areas such as business intelligence, mobility, and cloud through a national network of local offices across 10 North American cities.

Founded in 2001 and based in Seattle, Slalom has rapidly grown to more than 1,100 employees. The company has earned recognition from Microsoft as the “United States Partner of the Year” and “Online Services Partner of the Year,” and was named one of the “Top 10 Best Firms to Work For” by Consulting Magazine.

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CONTACTS
Slalom Consulting
Jessica Scarpino
206.438.5738
jessicas@slalom.com