HIE Rundown – 12/24/13

HIE Weekly RundownHealth Information Exchange News & Announcements

Health Information Exchange (HIE) is happening every minute of every day. Your personal health information is moving and being viewed to improve the quality of your healthcare and lower the costs. The job will not be complete until all health records are digital and interoperable. Here’s what’s happening to make that reality.

Huntsville Hospital Health System Selects Caradigm® Health Information Exchange as Backbone for Integrated Care in Northern Alabama

Huntsville Hospital Health System, the nation’s fifth largest publicly owned healthcare organization, has selected the Caradigm Health Information Exchange (HIE), powered by Orion Health, to provide the backbone for integrated care across the community, with a vision to ultimately connect care across the entire northern Alabama region.

Huntsville Hospital will be joined in the exchange by all of its affiliates – The Heart Center, Decatur Morgan Hospital, Helen Keller Hospital, Athens-Limestone Hospital, and Lawrence Medical Center – as well as Marshall Medical Centers and Cullman Regional Medical Center.  Read press release.

Omnicell and Cerner Collaborate to Provide Seamless Interoperability between Automated Medication System and Electronic Health Records

Omnicell, Inc. (OMCL), announced that Billings Clinic is the first hospital to integrate Omnicell and Cerner remote cabinet functionality. The interoperability between the Omnicell automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) and Cerner Millennium® EHR, via the CareAware iBus®, has resulted in new efficiencies in the medication administration workflow. This collaboration has enabled nurses to issue, view availability and waste medications in a single view, saving nursing time and leading to increased patient safety.  Read press release.

Sandlot Solutions Becomes Certified as a Health Data Intermediary in Minnesota

Healthcare clinical data interoperability, exchange, and analytics continue to be top of mind for healthcare providers. Sandlot Solutions, a physician-developed healthcare information technology company, expanded its national reach and participation in statewide initiatives. The company announced that it has been certified as a health data intermediary by the State of Minnesota’s Office of the Commissioner of Health. Sandlot is now authorized to provide health information exchange services in Minnesota, through the operationalization of a record locator system (RLS) and the use of the company’s full suite of Connect, Dimensions, Metrix and Care Manager offerings.  Read press release.

NeoDeck Holdings and Inovalon Partner to Improve Electronic Health Records & Health Information Exchange Data Integration Using Advanced Analytics Platform

Inovalon, Inc., a leading provider of data-driven healthcare solutions, announced that NeoDeck Holdings, a Puerto Rico based Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Health Information Exchange (HIE) provider, has entered into a multi-year engagement to integrate Inovalon’s advanced healthcare data analytics with NeoDeck Holdings’ EHR platform, NeoMed EHR 3.0, and HIE platform, Clinical Vault, to improve clinical and quality outcomes, and financial performance in Puerto Rico.  Read press release.

National Association for Trusted Exchange on Fast Track to Facilitate Electronic Clinical Data Exchange Between Patients and Providers

Helping patients make their medical records more portable so they can coordinate their care online across multiple providers is the goal of an innovative pilot project currently involving three states, five health information organizations, and three personal health record (PHR) companies.  Read press release.

CommonWell Health Alliance to Launch Initial Interoperability Service Offerings in Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina

CommonWell Health Alliance (the “Alliance”) – the health information technology (HIT) vendor-led interoperability effort – announced that Chicago, Illinois; Elkin and Henderson, North Carolina; and Columbia, South Carolina have been selected as participating regions for its first rollout of CommonWell’s interoperability services. Additional provider sites and geographies will be announced in the coming months.  Read press release.

Global Healthcare Stakeholders Want Standards-Based Interoperability and Communications, According to IEEE

Tens of billions of dollars a year reportedly slip through the cracks in interoperability and connectivity among medical devices in the United States alone, but it now appears there exists new interest to close those gaps in the global web of healthcare, says the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA).  Read press release.