WOMEN'S HEALTH NETWORK RECOGNIZED

Women's Health Network at Noble Hospital has received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for their volunteer efforts to pilot test a new computer information system in the Virtual Gateway Project, sponsored by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts.

The Women's Health Network at Noble Hospital was one of nine providers participating in this pilot test program. The goal of the pilot program was to test the web-based invoice and service management system found on the EOHHS web page at www.Mass.gov/eohhs. This involved submission of applications, invoices and medical claims through the Enterprise Invoice Management System and Enterprise Service Management (EIM/ESM) Systems via the Virtual Gateway. The pilot also included training seminars, weekly conference calls and a rigorous dual input and reporting system and concludes with evaluations of the pilot activities, system performance and training materials and focus groups that provide feedback to the Department of Health and other agencies. When completed approximately 5000 users will be using this system.  

The Women's Health Network provides free screening services to low-income women throughout the state. "I found my favorite feature to be the ease at which we can help people determine what programs they are eligible for." says Jean Armitage, Program Coordinator at Noble. The new system streamlines the application process and requires only one standard application for a multitude of
agencies including MassHealth, Child Care, Early Intervention, Food Stamps, Substance Abuse, Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) and Women's Health Network. 

Elizabeth Hageman, Assistant Program Coordinator, who provided the computer expertise during the testing, says. "The pilot program was a very involved process as we had to submit the information in two separate formats, but it was well worth it. Now we get almost immediate feedback on our billing information enabling us to bill much more efficiently plus we will be receiving payments much quicker." 

The Women's Health Network at Noble Hospital provides free health services for women who qualify as uninsured or under insured. The Women's Health Network is part of a nationally coordinated Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and provides free screening services including clinical breast examination and screening mammograms to low-income women throughout the state. Free heart disease, stroke prevention screening and healthy lifestyle intervention are also available. For more information on the Women's Health Network or criteria for qualifying for these services, please contact (413) 572-5182.

 

 



Jean Armitage,RN and
Elizabeth Hageman


115 West Silver Street, Westfield, MA 01086
Phone: (413)568-2811