Compuware unit Covisint will create a health information exchange for the Greater Tulsa Health Access Network using its ExchangeLink cloud platform.
Cloud computing provider
Covisint, a division of enterprise software firm Compuware,
has announced a deal with Greater Tulsa Health Access Network to build an HIE (health
information exchange) in the Tulsa, Okla., metropolitan area using Covisint's
ExchangeLink cloud platform.
Greater THAN is a nonprofit northeastern Oklahoma
consortium of 50 health care organizations, including physicians, hospitals,
patients, medical schools and city government.
Under the deal announced Jan. 25, Greater THAN
will use ExchangeLink to boost health outcomes and information access while
also increasing technology use and reducing costs.
"Covisint turns data into an asset in a way that meaningfully benefits
health care stakeholders," Brett Furst, Covisint's vice president of
health care, said in a statement. Covisint will measure improvements in health
outcomes and care resulting from the Greater THAN
data network, Furst added.
ExchangeLink
allows companies to manage identity, maintain collaborative portals, exchange
data, manage master patient indexes and gain quick retrieval of EHRs
(electronic health records). The service also supports enterprise search and
social networking as well as auditing and reporting.
In addition, ExchangeLink integrates with Covisint's AppCloud marketplace of
applications. Through AppCloud, health care firms can access apps for EHRs,
e-prescribing, referrals, health plans, labs and disease management. ExchangeLink
appealed to Greater THAN because it is
flexible and scalable, according to Dr. David Kendrick, the hospital system's
president and CEO.
"Covisint also has demonstrated a unique ability to integrate
seamlessly into clinician workflows, a key element to driving successful
adoption of the community HIE," Kendrick said in a statement.
Greater THAN and Covisint aim to build a
secure network for doctors, hospitals and patients to share health information
for a region's health care system that trails almost all other states in
performance, according to
The
Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that promotes health reform. The
fewest number of physicians per capita practice in Oklahoma
compared with other states, according to Covisint and Greater THAN.
Last May, Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Tulsa
area and 16 other communities would receive a federal
Beacon
grant to further health care IT. With its $12 million Beacon grant, a key
goal for the Tulsa region is to
build a communitywide information system among hospitals, providers, payers and
government agencies.
"Covisint is helping us achieve our strategic objectives by providing
needed information at the point of care, whether that is at a hospital, a home
care setting, in an ambulance or at a physician's office," Kendrick said.
In a region that has the highest rate of cardiovascular disease in the
nation, an HIE could help physicians better coordinate care, the White House
reported during the May Beacon announcement.
"When coupled with the other elements of our Beacon Community
technologies, the Covisint platform will enable us to significantly improve
care coordination, eliminate duplication of tests and other unnecessary events,
and improve the quality of individual and public health through a focus on the
management of diabetes, improved cancer screening and immunization rates,"
Kendrick said.
Among the
recent
HIE news, Hewlett-Packard announced a statewide Medicaid health data
network with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Jan. 12. As part
of the HIE platform, HP's Web tools will replace paper-based Medicaid ID cards.
Meanwhile, government IT provider Harris announced an HIE deal for Florida
in December, and GE Healthcare and health provider network KeyHIE (Keystone
Health Information Exchange) have announced an expansion of an HIE for the
central and northeast Pennsylvania
communities.
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