Understanding that the ultimate objective of NHIN-contracted HIEs is to foster better patient care at the local level, MedPlus has also been working to help its clients leverage this effort to create value and support their local health community. The company has taken a particularly active role in driving expansion of the NMHIC to create value, both clinically and operationally, at the local level.

"Our partnership with MedPlus has allowed us to not only meet NHIN technological and functionality requirements, but also to begin branching out to serve the needs of other NMHIC stakeholders," says Jeff Blair, director of Health Informatics at Lovelace Clinic Foundation and lead for LCF/NMHIC's NHIN Project. "We are now planning the expansion of the network services of our HIE to support several large medical practices in Albuquerque and eReporting to the state Department of Health in Santa Fe, as well as connecting the Health Department's ambulatory clinics throughout the state. MedPlus has been instrumental in helping us broaden the reach and value of NMHIC to better serve the patients of our state."


While establishing connectivity and successful data sharing between HIEs is a critical component of the success of the NHIN, there is still a great deal of work to be done before the initiative can go live nationwide. To that end, MedPlus is already in active development for further, specific-use case testing set to begin in Q4 2008. These will assess the NHIN infrastructure in a real-world environment, with use cases on lab reporting, quality, emergency responder and medication management data sharing.

"The fact that all of our clients have passed preliminary testing with flying colors has us very optimistic for the future of the NHIN," adds Mahoney. "As a company, we're proud to successfully demonstrate HIE-to-HIE data passage and get the NHIN connectivity ball rolling. This has huge potential to change the American healthcare system for the better and MedPlus is honored to be playing its part."

About the New York Clinical Information Exchange (NYCLIX, Inc.)

NYCLIX, Inc. is a New York State not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to create a clinical data exchange capability to improve patient care in the New York City region. NYCLIX's vision is a health care system in which innovative models of care enabled by interoperability facilitate patients' access to care, lead to improved quality, safety and efficiency of care, and increase consumer empowerment though improved access to information, all while preserving patient privacy. Incorporated in 2005, NYCLIX has received both Federal and New York State grants to support its work. NYCLIX's current membership includes 11 hospitals (8 of which are in Manhattan), the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, a federally qualified heath center, and a faculty practice organization. NYCLIX leadership includes clinical, technical, and informatics representatives from the largest provider organizations in New York City, as well as representatives from the region's businesses, public health departments, policy-making organizations, and consumer advocacy groups. More information about NYCLIX can be found at www.nyclix.org.

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