Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Compuware Seeks to Help Doctors Connect

      By
      M.L. Baker
      -
      September 26, 2006
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        A group of 1,700 independent doctors in Michigan has turned to Compuware Covisint to share and access patient health information.

        The move marks Covisints entry into services for IPAs (independent physician associations).

        IPAs include many community offices with just a handful of doctors, and is by far the category least likely to use information technology in their practices.

        For a subscription fee of about $100 per month per physician, Covisint is providing a desktop portal will allow physicians to access information from different applications and health care facilities in a common viewing area.

        “Were trying to get physicians connected at a single sign-on Web page across all the parochial applications,” said Steve Grant, CEO of United Physicians, Michigans largest IPA.

        He said his organization had picked Covisint after repeated meetings with IT people and decided that Covisint was a cultural fit.

        Covisint has its beginnings in the automotive industry, providing a platform for auto manufacturers and suppliers to exchange information without granting potential competitors inappropriate access.

        Though the bulk of its business is still in the automotive industry, it has been using its interoperability hub in health care for several years for clients including the North Carolina Hospital Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

        Other companies providing similar health IT services include Axolotl, Cerner, dbMotion, IBM, SeeBeyond (owned by Sun Microsystems) and SRS Software.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifClick here to read more about Microsofts health IT venture.

        However, Brett Furst, VP of health care at Covisint, said that his companys portal was unique because it could readily incorporate information faxed from unaffiliated health care providers and because physicians could gain information from the portal even if they do not have access to other information technologies like e-prescribing or electronic medical records.

        For example, when general practitioners refer patients to a specialist, faxed notes from the specialist will be stored digitally and automatically associated with the appropriate patients.

        The images of those documents, said Furst, “become a poor mans EHR [electronic health record].”

        /zimages/5/28571.gifTo read more about large doctors groups EMR systems, click here.

        But thats just the first step, said Furst.

        “The idea is that you go from fax and walk [physicians] up to Web forms,” whose more-structured data can be used for more applications, like generating alerts or recommending care.

        Wes Rishel, a health care analyst with the Gartner Group, says one of Covisints strengths is that doctors who arent currently using IT can get started without significantly changing their workflow and move on from there.

        Technologies that cater to the lowest common denominator “tend to be an immediate jump forward and then a roadblock,” he said.

        “What Covisint has done is put together a planned evolution that puts together the positive next step.”

        In addition, he said, Covisint has done a good job of integrating remote hosting for multiple EMR systems, an electronic laboratory results system, and an e-prescribing application.

        Covisint is paid more if more physicians who are currently operating only with faxes sign up for more advanced technologies like EHRs and e-prescribing.

        Many larger health IT companies that have focused on integrating systems within a single large health care systems are having trouble extending interoperability beyond an individual client, said Rishel.

        Covisint, as well as other smaller vendors, have built tools that work independent of where information originates.

        /zimages/5/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis of technologys impact on health care.

        M.L. Baker
        Monya Baker is co-editor of CIOInsight.com's Health Care Center. She has written for publications including the journal Nature Biotechnology, the Acumen Journal of Sciences and the American Medical Writers Association, among others, and has worked as a consultant with biotechnology companies. A former high school science teacher, Baker holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Carleton College and a master's of education from Harvard.

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Android

        Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
        Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
        Read more
        Cybersecurity

        Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

        James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
        I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

        Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
        Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
        Read more
        Cloud

        Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

        James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
        Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
        Read more
        Big Data and Analytics

        GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

        James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
        I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×