Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • 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
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • 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
    Subscribe
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Storage

    IBM Software to Enhance HealthBridge Beacon Program HIE in Cincinnati

    Written by

    Brian T. Horowitz
    Published November 21, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Nonprofit health IT vendor HealthBridge has announced the use of IBM’s Initiate Patient software to bolster an existing health information exchange (HIE) for the Cincinnati region.

      Formed in 1997, HealthBridge is a leading HIE organization that serves Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio (the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky region). It consists of 50 hospitals, 800 physician practices and 7,500 physicians.

      HIEs are intended to increase connectivity among electronic health record (EHR) databases so that doctors, lab technicians and insurance companies can access the necessary documents and images-patient histories, X-rays, lab reports and prescription data-to coordinate care.

      HealthBridge is a partner in the Greater Cincinnati Beacon Collaboration (GCBC), a group of health care organizations in the region that intends for the sharing of patient data to improve health outcomes and transition of care while lower health care costs.

      The federal Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology awarded Cincinnati a Beacon Community Program grant in September 2010.

      Beacon is an initiative by the ONC that provides funding for 17 communities that have shown innovation in adopting secure EHR and HIE platforms, but are looking to strengthen their platforms while increasing the quality of care and lowering health care spending.

      Cincinnati’s HIE focuses on patients with adult diabetes or childhood asthma, Keith Hepp, interim CEO of HealthBridge, told eWEEK.

      HealthBridge is creating community disease registries to keep track of patients with these conditions.

      When multiple doctors have access to vital health information, it makes continuity of care possible and provides doctors with information on population health to treat chronic conditions.

      IBM Initiate Patient is an enterprise master patient index that will enable doctors accessing the HealthBridge HIE to access a single view of patient records, Sean Cassidy, IBM director of health care products, told eWEEK.

      Because the names and addresses of patients vary from one provider’s health record to another, the probabilistic matching technology of Initiate Patient is necessary to allow doctors to “connect the dots” on patient records, Cassidy said.

      “When you deal with so many different organizations and millions of patients, you need to be able to do all of that matching and be able to scale,” he explained.

      Initiate Patient also includes a data-stewardship tool to allow doctors to compare records side by side to see if they’re related, Cassidy noted. Management tools in the application ensure high quality of data, he added.

      In addition, the software supports the Health Level Seven International (HL7) global interoperability standard for health care IT.

      Meanwhile, Initiate Patient’s Patient Demographics Query (PDQ) profile allows health professionals to manage, update and query patient data, according to Cassidy. The software also supports Patient Identifier Cross-Referencing (PIX) for cross-referring patient records from various patient identifier domains.

      HealthBridge announced its use of Initiate Patient on Nov. 18.

      Brian T. Horowitz
      Brian T. Horowitz
      Brian T. Horowitz is a technology and health writer as well as a copy editor. Brian has worked on the tech beat since 1996 and covered health care IT and rugged mobile computing for eWEEK since 2010. He has contributed to more than 20 publications, including Computer Shopper, Fast Company, FOXNews.com, More, NYSE Magazine, Parents, ScientificAmerican.com, USA Weekend and Womansday.com, as well as other consumer and trade publications.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      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.
      © 2024 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.