HealthInfoNet, an organization managing the Health Information Exchange or “HIE” for the State of Maine, announced that it is partnering with Health Language Inc., or “HLI,” a service provider in medical terminology management, as part of its transition from a two-year demonstration project to a full statewide HIE implementation.
Health Language will support the Maine HIE’s clinical content integration strategy during this expansion, company officials said.
HealthInfoNet is at the forefront of HIE developments, and its Maine HIE is one of the most comprehensive nationally in its ability to exchange critical patient information among providers, according to company officials.
More than half of Maine's residents have medical information in the HealthInfoNet clinical repository, and over 1,100 clinicians from 15 participating hospitals and physician practices have access to the system.
HealthInfoNet’s transition toward a full statewide HIE will include the remaining 24 Maine hospitals and increased connectivity with ambulatory practices and others, officials at HealthInfoNet said.
HLI’s Language Engine will be leveraged by the HealthInfoNet so as to integrate and manage the latest medical terminologies within healthcare applications and make them accessible to clinicians on the Maine HIE.
The implementation will enable interoperable use of accurate medical data, administrative codes, and consumer-friendly terminology.
HLI’s Language Engine provides access to current versions of more than 100 clinical and administrative code sets, including SNOMED CT, ICD-9 and ICD-10, LOINC, CPT, RxNorm, HCPCS and others, and allows incorporation and mapping of local content to standards.
Devore S. Culver, chief executive officer of HealthInfoNet, said, “Health Language has distinguished itself as a global I.T. leader that supports clinically integrated HIEs. Their robust content and toolset solution provides the flexibility necessary to handle our own content mapping and offers a distinct advantage to expand the health information exchange to all Maine health care providers.”
“As part of our due diligence we spoke to national HIE administrators. Their praise of Health Language’s excellent customer service influenced and validated our partnership decision,” said Todd Rogow, director of project management for HealthInfoNet.
HealthInfoNet found that HLI’s international expertise and non-proprietary toolset would allow the greatest degree of flexibility for expansion as the Maine HIE moves out of the pilot phase and into statewide operation.
Earlier in July, Health Language announced a partnership with AZZLY, a provider of workflow-enhancing ambulatory clinical and business solutions, to embed HLI's Language Engine within AZZLY's integrated electronic health record/practice management/personal health record or “EHR/PM/PHR.”
Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for HealthTechZone. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Juliana Kenny
