With MedAllies technology, NYeC, HIXNY launch Direct Messaging

Direct technology enhances care coordination, improves patient care

FISHKILL, N.Y., March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Powered by MedAllies technology, clinician-to-clinician Direct Messaging is now live in New York.

New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and Healthcare Information Xchange of New York (HIXNY) are now able to provide Direct Messaging between clinicians as part of the Statewide Health Information Network of New York (SHIN-NY).

Direct Messaging, powered by MedAllies, allows clinicians to securely and seamlessly exchange authenticated, encrypted clinical data with one another. It addresses a serious deficiency in the current system: a lack of interoperability.

With MedAllies Direct technology, clinicians have pertinent clinical information "pushed" to them in their own EHR system, regardless of vendor. They will no longer need to sort through information that's not relevant, nor will they need to "pull" information from paper records or the health information exchange (HIE). Moreover, the MedAllies connectivity model crosses all provider types and locations where care might be delivered, from small practices to integrated delivery networks.

"This is the holy grail of consultative medicine--being able to effortlessly transmit information back and forth," said Fred Venditti, M.D., vice dean for clinical affairs, Albany Medical Center and head of the Center's physician faculty practice. "Direct's point-to-point connectivity will dramatically reduce treatment delays, duplicative testing and revisits." Albany Medical Center will become the first health care provider in New York State to use Direct Messaging.

MedAllies has provided Direct services since the Direct Project's inception and has several pilot sites throughout the state. "As we move our Direct efforts from a pilot program into a statewide offering, we recognize that interoperability must be more than sending medical email to inboxes. Interoperability demands integration at the point of care and consistent with each provider's workflow. With NYeC and HIXNY's announcement, we are much closer to making this a reality," said MedAllies CEO A. John Blair, III, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Developed by MedAllies according to the Office of the National Coordinator's Direct Project guidelines and the NYeC-led EHR/HIE Interoperability Workgroup specifications, Direct Messaging integrates into providers' EHRs and existing workflows, enhancing their ability to electronically coordinate and improve the delivery of care to patients.

The SHIN-NY is a secure network for sharing clinical patient data across New York state. It is coordinated by NYeC in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health, and the state's 11 regional health information organizations.

"We're proud to be working with MedAllies as our vendor to enable SHIN-NY Direct Messaging," said David Whitlinger, NYeC executive director. "The expertise they bring to HIE integration is invaluable to our efforts in connecting clinicians across the state to exchange records and better coordinate care."

About MedAllies
MedAllies, founded in 2001, has extensive experience with EHR implementations and workflow redesign to improve clinical care. It provides unmatched expertise in health information exchange and Direct services. MedAllies operates the THINC eXchange, an HIE designed to increase the completeness of information at the point of care, improve care coordination and standardize quality and public health reporting in New York's Hudson Valley. It has provided Direct services since the Direct Project's inception and has several pilot sites in New York state. MedAllies Direct Solutions builds on existing technology to achieve interoperability, with physicians using their current EHR systems, allowing information to flow across disparate EHR systems in a manner consistent with provider workflows. MedAllies Direct is a tool to advance primary care models that emphasize care coordination and improved care transitions and support patient-centered care.

SOURCE MedAllies