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NHIN National Health
Information Network Viability |
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Initiate Systems,
Regenstrief Institute and RxHub Team to Prove Viability of
National Health Information Network
Other Topics: CCHIT
Certification, Remote ECG
Screening
BUSINESS WIRE
July 11, 2006
Emergency Departments Gather Medication Histories in Seconds;
Accurate Information Results in Better Patient Care
Chicago, IL -- Initiate Systems, Inc., the leading provider of
software for creating the most complete, real-time views of data
about people, households and organizations, Regenstrief
Institute, an internationally recognized informatics and
healthcare research organization, and RxHub, the largest
nationwide prescription information network, today announced
they are working together to re-vamp the way that emergency
department (ED) physicians and nurses approach patient diagnosis
and treatment. The organizations have deployed a joint system at
16 hospitals in the Indianapolis area that permits ED staff to
access complete and accurate patient medication history
information within seconds; this is a marked improvement over
previous processes, which averaged 17 minutes per patient.
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Because EDs serve
a broader audience than the local community, this deployment,
which could be implemented on a national level, serves as a
proof-point for the need and viability of a national health
information network (NHIN). The results from the first several
months of this deployment are detailed in a report released
today titled "The Success of Just-in-Time Emergency Department
Access to Patient Medication Information History."
"Regenstrief Institute is committed to improving overall patient
care with special emphasis in emergency departments," said Dr.
Shaun Grannis, MD MS, research scientist at Regenstrief
Institute. "Having a medication list available quickly is
critical in helping formulate an accurate diagnosis and
enhancing patient safety."
Patients entering a participating ED provide registration
information, which immediately triggers a query to RxHub, via
the Indiana Network for Patient Care, for a complete medication
history. RxHub's enterprise master person index (EMPI), Initiate
Identity Hub(TM) software, uses probabilistic algorithms to
securely and accurately identify the correct patient from over
90 clinical databases, regardless of geographic boundaries,
payer or primary care provider. This process returns a matched
and accurate medication history in a fraction of the time of
previous processes. This precise medication history, which can
be printed or incorporated into an electronic medical record (EMR),
helps ensure that the ED staff can make informed decisions about
patient care.
"Emergency departments serve all patients, not just those with
access to their medication histories, so it is imperative that
national medication records are available to ED staff," said Ken
Majkowski, PharmD, vice president of clinical affairs and
product strategy at RxHub. "Our ability to securely link a
patient's complete medication record across multiple databases
with a sub-second response time, regardless of where they live,
means ED nurses and physicians can make informed decisions and
improve the quality of care while protecting patient privacy."
Since the program was implemented several months ago, queries
for ED patients from 49 U.S. states, representing 268
metropolitan statistical areas, have been processed and returned
by RxHub and Initiate Systems. The significance of these numbers
lies in the fact that EDs serve a broader audience than their
local communities. Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in
August 2005, participating EDs have seen a 6000 percent and 500
percent increase in patients from Louisiana and Mississippi,
respectively. Nationwide access to patient histories ensures
that local residents, travelers or even displaced refugees can
receive safe, accurate and appropriate medical care, regardless
of their lack of a physical medication history.
"The RxHub, Regenstrief and Initiate Systems real-world
experience illustrates that matching patients to their records
can be done accurately and quickly without a national health
identifier," said Lorraine Fernandes, senior vice president,
healthcare practice at Initiate Systems. "This deployment is
proof that an NHIN is not only necessary, but can be readily
implemented with extremely successful results."
For more information on "The Success of Just-in-Time Emergency
Department Access to Patient Medication Information History,"
please visit www.initiatesystems.com.
About Initiate Systems
Initiate Systems, Inc. is the leading provider of software for
companies and government agencies that want to create the most
complete, real-time views of people, households and
organizations from data dispersed across multiple application
systems and databases. Initiate Identity Hub(TM) software is
more accurate, scalable, rapidly deployed and widely used than
any other customer data integration and enterprise master person
index solution. Many organizations in the financial services,
government, healthcare, hospitality and retail sectors are using
Initiate(TM) software to deliver the right data at the right
time to all critical touch points. Initiate Systems' proven
experience makes it uniquely qualified to enable strategic
initiatives that allow organizations to increase revenue and
efficiency and reduce operating costs and risks.
In-Q-Tel, a private venture group established by the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) to deliver solutions to the CIA and
the broader intelligence community, led Initiate Systems' recent
Series E financing round, with participation by existing
investors Sigma Partners and Apex Partners. Initiate Systems
operates globally through its subsidiaries, with corporate
headquarters in Chicago and offices across the U.S., a Canadian
office in Toronto, an EMEA office in London and a Pacific Rim
office in Sydney.
About Regenstrief Institute
Regenstrief Institute, Inc., an internationally recognized
informatics and healthcare research organization, is dedicated
to the improvement of health through research that enhances the
quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. Established in
Indianapolis by philanthropist Sam Regenstrief in 1969 on the
campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine, the
Institute is supported by the Regenstrief Foundation and closely
affiliated with the I.U. School of Medicine and the Health and
Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana. Regenstrief
Institute research scientists, including Institute President and
CEO Thomas Inui, M.D., Associate Dean for Healthcare Research at
the I.U. School of Medicine, and Institute Director Clement
McDonald, M.D., Indiana University Distinguished Professor of
Medicine, form a highly respected cadre of health services
researchers linked to one of the largest and most comprehensive
medical informatics laboratories in the world. More information
can be found at www.regenstrief.org.
About RxHub LLC
RxHub electronically routes up-to-date patient-specific
medication history and pharmacy benefit information to
caregivers at every point of care. Its end-to-end solution
enables physicians to prescribe the most clinically appropriate
and cost effective prescription to be sent electronically to the
patient's pharmacy of choice. RxHub's mission is to work with
all stakeholders in the prescribing industry to improve patient
safety, increase workflow efficiency, and reduce the overall
cost of health care delivery. RxHub was founded in 2001 by the
then three largest PBMs-Advance PCS (acquired by Caremark Rx),
Express Scripts, and Medco Health Solutions. RxHub is based in
St. Paul, MN. For more information, please visit http://www.rxhub.net/.
Contacts
Spencer Communications
Sarah Hawley, 480-558-4181
sarah@spencercomm.biz |
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