Company’s ‘drop in’ application facilitates mandated sharing of medical records among patients, doctors and hospitals
Carefluence (@carefluence) has the first open application programming interface (API) software platform certified by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology, providing any currently deployed EHR software with a standards-based open API solution. According to the new CMS regulations for open API implementation, the ONC will be required to measure each healthcare system’s success in achieving “widespread interoperability”. Every healthcare provider with a certified EHR will be required to provide an open API for automated delivery of all authorized requests to access electronic patient records.
The certification from Drummond Group, LLC (@DrummondGrpTest), which is authorized by ONC to test software for compliance with interoperability requirements of Meaningful Use, designates that the Carefluence OpenAPI software module can be deployed alongside existing EHRs– providing functionality which allows open access to electronic health records and enables providers to receive incentive payments from the federal government.
The Carefluence OpenAPI is a comprehensive, “plug-and-play” software solution that fully complies with the Fast Healthcare Interoperable Resources (FHIR) standard which describes data formats and elements for exchange of health information across disparate EHR systems. Any EHR vendor can license the Carefluence OpenAPI and offer it to their customers with the assurance that their product will be Meaningful Use compliant, avoiding the costly internal development of a custom open API solution. Hospitals and medical groups can also avoid the disruptions and costs of EHR software upgrades.
Carefluence’s suite of integration tools allows mapping with existing data exchange protocols, such as HL7, and offers a secure access management tool using OAuth 2.0, an authorization framework enabling applications to obtain limited access to patient data through user accounts.
Carefluence successfully adopted the FHIR standard in 2014 and has been offering services to hospital communities and Accountable Care Organizations to connect dissimilar EHR systems utilizing the Carefluence OpenAPI platform. “The Carefluence OpenAPI is a living example of a complete FHIR implementation to interconnect any healthcare system, doctor, patient or medical device,” said CTO, Aditya Ayyagari. “It normalizes all incoming requests and data as appropriate FHIR resources, bringing simplicity and flexibility to the Carefluence platform.”
Following the Meaningful Use Stage 3 Final Rule in October 2015, Carefluence realized many EHR vendors may not be ready for the financial and the resource challenges of implementing an open API and began efforts to produce a low-risk, plug-and-play option for EHR and application vendors. One EHR Vendor has already employed Carefluence to demonstrate Meaningful Use compliance.
“ONC-ACB certification marks a significant moment for Carefluence in furthering the cause of interoperability in healthcare, while taking a progressive step in the direction towards better patient care through enabling technology for data sharing,” said Lloyd Williams, COO.
This Health IT module is 2015-Edition compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ACB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
About Carefluence
With more than 15 years of experience in healthcare technology, Carefluence offers software solutions and technology integration services for EMR vendors and healthcare providers. The Carefluence platform was designed to demystify interoperability allowing dissimilar systems to communicate using a standards-based FHIR OpenAPI to bring healthcare communities together. By removing the barriers of technology differences that hinder collaboration, healthcare communities and technology vendors can save time and costs on data portability across healthcare systems. Carefluence also offers an optional data hub and a care-management rules engine allowing truly integrated care for ACOs and physician-hospital alliances for care quality and bundled payments.