Today’s EHR and HIT update includes a partnership update from Stage7 Systems, news from Teladoc on making their services available through Blue Shield of California, an update from Allscripts on a new Health Innovation program with $1M in prizes and finally a piece from 4medica on their LOINC Mapping Services.
Stage7 Systems Unveils Full Suite of HIPAA-Compliant Cloud IT Hosting Solutions for Hospitals and Medical Practices
Stage7 Systems, a healthcare information technology consulting firm, has partnered with a premier data center service provider to offer a full suite of HIPAA-compliant IT infrastructure hosting solutions to community & rural hospitals (<250 beds) and private medical practices.
As part of a fully hosted healthcare IT infrastructure, Stage7 Systems can deliver any combination of:
- Hosted Virtual Desktops (VDI)
- Hosted Clinical Applications (EMR/EHR)
- Hosted Practice Management Applications (PM)
- Hosted Business Applications (ERP)
- Hosted Messaging Systems (Email)
- Hosted Productivity Applications
- Hosted Secure File Storage
According to a recent MarketsandMarkets report, the market for cloud computing is expected to grow more than 20% annually between 2012 and 2017 with the healthcare segment accounting for no less than 5% of that growth.
By now offering a full suite of hosted IT solutions along with an extensive line-up of healthcare IT professional services, Stage7 Systems is positioned to deliver significant value to regional health systems, community & rural hospitals, and large ambulatory medical groups.
Teladoc Joins Blue Shield of California to Bring Telehealth Solution to 350,000 CalPERS Members in California
Teladoc, the nation’s first and largest telehealth provider, today announced a new health care initiative this year with Blue Shield of California to provide telehealth services for California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) members. Through Blue Shield of California’s HMO plans, 350,000 CalPERS members now have around-the-clock access to Teladoc’s network of California-based, state-licensed, board-certified physicians. Teladoc offers affordable health care consultations for routine medical issues via phone, any time, day or night, allowing members to save time and money. Online video is available 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., local time, seven days a week.
“With the escalating cost of health care and the current physician shortage, telehealth is a logical solution to trim costs and increase access to physicians,” said Jason Gorevic, CEO of Teladoc. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Blue Shield of California and CalPERS in providing an ideal benefit for busy individuals and families. Teladoc’s focus on access, cost and quality ensures that members will receive the appropriate care.”
During the last eight years, Blue Shield has focused great attention on the unique needs of CalPERS, resulting in new innovative approaches to health care delivery such as Teladoc. Further innovations are constantly being developed and considered by Blue Shield to extend the value of their health plans.
The service may be used when a member is unable to visit their doctor, such as after office hours, and is not a replacement for their primary care physician. Teladoc’s network of physicians treat non-emergency medical issues, such as allergies, bronchitis, pink eye, sinus problems and ear infection for adults and children. Teladoc physicians may also write short-term prescriptions for non-controlled substances if medically appropriate. When using the service, CalPERS members initially provide a thorough medical history. Upon requesting a consultation, members receive a call back from a California-licensed, board-certified physician within an average of 22 minutes. To ensure continuity of care, Teladoc can provide its members with a detailed electronic health record (EHR) that can be sent to his or her primary care physician.
Allscripts Launches $1Million Health Innovation Program
As the first part of a new $1Million Health Innovation Program, Allscripts announced its Open App Challenge live from the floor at Health 2.0 in San Francisco this morning. The program challenges developers and vendors to “Start a Revolution” by creating and integrating applications that become an extension of Allscripts Open Electronic Health Records software. The goal is to make it easier for providers to add new apps to their workflow to improve patient outcomes in a measurable way. The program will feature awards for apps focused on the management of high cost chronic diseases and value-based care imperatives.
The contest offers $750,000 in total awards, with the overall winner taking home $250,000.
Allscripts created the Open App Challenge as a result of its commitment to creating a true Connected Community of Health(TM), leveraging the collective power of emerging innovations to create powerful new solutions that help solve some of the toughest problems in healthcare. This program highlights Allscripts Platform for Innovation. The program is unique because it awards innovation with an emphasis on real solutions being deployed that have a measurable impact on care and outcomes.
“We want the smartest people, whether physicians, nurses, caregivers or IT professionals inside and outside the industry to use their creative energy to solve real problems in healthcare. We intend to inspire developers to start a revolution by pushing the boundaries of what information technology can do to improve quality of care for patients and also keep them healthy in the first place,” said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.
“The award stakes are high for the winners, but so are the stakes for better patient outcomes. By combining Allscripts open architecture with innovative applications we can truly transform the healthcare technology industry,” added Stanley Crane, Allscripts Chief Innovation Officer.
The Allscripts Developer Program enables outside developers to build innovations for clients and get them tested and certified to run on Allscripts Electronic Health Records. For example, MyCareTeam created an app where diabetic patients can transmit their blood glucose readings directly from their glucose meters into an Allscripts Electronic Health Record, as well as track their progress on diet and exercise, so caregivers can easily monitor a patient’s progress against the treatment plan, and patients feel more engaged in their own health.
4medica Solution Helps Labs Respond to New Stage 2 Meaningful Use Criteria
4medica today announced availability of its LOINC Mapping Services to help labs address physician order requirements in the recently released Stage 2 Meaningful Use final rule. 4medica provides the industry’s leading cloud-based clinical integration platform and solutions.
“Physicians who want to achieve Stage 2 Meaningful Use — and secure the incentives that go with it — must comply with the LOINC mandates, and they will direct orders to the labs that can help them,” said 4medica’s CEO, Oleg Bess, M.D. “4medica’s LOINC Mapping Services can help labs meet physicians’ requirements, positioning themselves both to maintain existing clients and gain new ones.”
Developed in 1994 by the Regenstrief Group, a U.S. non-profit medical research organization, Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) is a database and universal standard for identifying medical laboratory observations and test results. According to Regenstrief, LOINC provides a “definitive standard for identifying clinical information in electronic reports” facilitating “the exchange and pooling of results for clinical care, outcomes management, and research.” Because this health information exchange (HIE) is a primary requirement of Stage 2 Meaningful Use, physicians will be required to report 40 percent of their lab results in the LOINC format by 2014.
To support their physician clients, labs must map current test catalogs to the standard LOINC identifiers manually, a tedious process that requires specialized training and education. 4medica’s LOINC Mapping Services allow labs to offload this labor-intensive project, freeing staff for other projects. To ensure accuracy, 4medica employs subject matter experts with specific training in LOINC database configurations to map test catalogs, perform updates and maintain the database.
