The Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers (MACHC) has announced a partnership with Dallas-based Phytel, under which MACHC member centers in Maryland and Delaware will use the firm’s population health management tools to help build patient-centered medical homes.

Phytel’s Proactive Patient Outreach solution will enable MACHC members to improve patient outcomes, build medical homes and show meaningful use of their electronic health records.

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“Our relationship with Phytel will help us provide our health centers the tools that they need to automate patient engagement and improve outcomes,” said Miguel McInnis, CEO of MACHC. “Phytel’s proven ability to reach out and reconnect with patients for recommended preventive or chronic care is crucial to our members as they strive to create patient-centered medical homes.”

MACHC provides community development services, technical assistance and training, as well as policy development and advocacy, to its community health centers that serve about 265,000 patients. Baltimore Medical System Inc., a MACHC member that operates six community health centers in Baltimore, has been using Phytel’s Proactive Patient Outreach solution successfully for several years.

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All of MACHC’s members have EHRs in various stages of implementation, McInnis noted, and several health centers participate in a patient-centered medical home pilot sponsored by the state of Maryland.

“We are gratified that MACHC has chosen to offer Phytel to its members, which provides essential health services in many communities,” said Steve Schelhammer, CEO of Phytel. “We look forward to a strong partnership in providing our population health solutions to more community health centers in the mid-Atlantic market.”