NASHVILLE, TN/KALISPELL, MT – February 12, 2009 – Informatics Corporation of America (ICA; www.icainformatics.com), providing clinicians with a single technology solution for accessing, evaluating and acting upon patient information across disparate systems, today announced that its solution is live and successfully aggregating data from all core clinical systems at Northwest Healthcare, the largest participant in the Health Information Exchange of Montana (HIEM). The HIEM contracted with ICA in July 2008 for a single-source solution to consolidate patient data from existing clinical information systems in medical facilities throughout a 45,000 square-mile area in western Montana, with the goal of improving quality, reducing duplication of effort and facilitating communication across treatment settings.
The hospitalists at Northwest Healthcare and Family Health Care have begun using the ICA solution to view information from all hospital-based clinical systems to assess and treat their patients during rounds. This initial implementation of the solution is the first phase in the community-wide initiative to integrate patient information across six hospitals and more than a dozen clinics. Deployment of the technology throughout the remaining hospitals and clinics is expected to be completed by mid-2009.
Jonathan Anderson, MD, Director of Medical Technology for Northwest Healthcare and a practicing physician, stated, "I’m excited about incorporating data from North Valley Hospital in Whitefish and the rest of the region because we share much of the same patient population. Having a complete picture of my patients allows me to understand the unique nuances of each individual and better manage their acute condition."
The solution will be rolled out to the emergency department of the hospital next, relieving physicians of the need to log on to five or more disparate systems to accumulate information on a patient. With a single view of patient data from the various treatment settings in the area, physicians will be able to prepare for a patient’s arrival at the emergency department and better coordinate follow-up care.
"Although a large percentage of medical clinics throughout western Montana are ahead of the curve in implementing electronic medical records, information cannot easily be shared among the various treatment settings and geographic locations serving our region," said Kip Smith, Executive Director of the HIEM. "ICA is breaking down silos of information to deliver a comprehensive longitudinal medical record viewable by all health care organizations within the community. We see this as the next evolution of providing every member of a health care team the information they need, when they need it, so they can deliver optimal care to the citizens of western Montana."
Looking forward, Smith outlined the additional benefits ICA’s solution is slated to bring to the community. "Once the initial deployment is complete within the HIEM, we expect incremental rollout of secure clinical messaging, clinical flow sheets and dashboards to enhance communication, acute care monitoring and disease management throughout the community," he said.
According to Gary Zegiestowsky, CEO of ICA, "The HIEM is leading the way in clinical data exchange. They are using the ICA solution to combine demographic, appointment, admission, discharge and transfer information with clinical data from laboratory, microbiology, blood bank, pathology, inpatient and outpatient encounter summaries, medication lists, allergies, EKGs, clinical imaging, PACs, quality indicators and other clinical documents and reports into a cognitive tool to support physicians and other clinicians at the point of care. As patients naturally navigate through the local health care system, their relevant health care information follows them from treatment setting to treatment setting."
In these uncertain economic times, he emphasized the need for deploying systems that add value to long-term investments in health care information technology, saying, "By spanning existing systems to improve the clinical value of current technology, our solution helps health care enterprises reduce costs, increase interdepartmental communication and improve the quality of care."
About the Health Information Exchange of Montana (HIEM)
The HIEM includes Glacier Community Health Center and Northern Rockies Medical Center in Cut Bank; Lincoln County Community Health Center, and St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby; St. Luke’s Community Hospital in Ronan; North Valley Hospital in Whitefish, and Northwest Healthcare’s Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell, as well as more than a dozen clinics across the region.
About Informatics Corporation of America (ICA)
Informatics Corporation of America (ICA) was created with nationally renowned Vanderbilt Medical Center to take innovative technology developed by Vanderbilt physicians to the broader health care market. Today ICA is unmatched in its ability to deliver a cost-effective, proven solution that leverages complete data across clinical settings to aid decision-making and improve patient outcomes. Visit www.icainformatics.com
