Giant Eagle Deploys Customer Health Data Solution

More than 40 Giant Eagle supermarkets in western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland are now using the Connect & Coach solution from Pittsburgh-based software development firm PHRQL -- pronounced “freckle,” and standing for Personal Health Recording for Quality of Life -- as a tool for the retailer’s in-store dietitians to log general customer health data.

The enterprise-level electronic health record (EHR) system for medical nutrition therapy (MNT) enables registered dietitians in supermarket settings to help customers develop healthy eating plans for general health and wellness, or to manage diabetes, heart disease or other chronic conditions. Connect & Coach is based on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Nutrition Care Process (NCP), a systematic approach to providing individuals with high-quality nutrition care using MNT. The software also complies with the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) guidelines.

Connect & Coach is HIPAA-compliant so customers’ health data is secure when dietitians are providing store- and system-level reporting for effective program management, and also generates invoices for services rendered that can be configured for electronic billing to insurance companies.

According to Paul Sandberg, president of Pittsburgh-based PHRQL: “Connect & Coach is a unique solution that fills a growing market need. The seamless integration of education and recordkeeping allows nutrition professionals to help individuals with diabetes and other chronic diseases live healthier lives.”

Giant Eagle, also based in Pittsburgh, operates 230 supermarkets and 179 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia and Maryland.