Phoenix, AZ (August 27, 2013) DICOM Grid, a leading provider of cloud-based medical image exchange solutions, has been awarded a grant to bring image sharing capabilities to the Massachusetts Health Information Exchange (HIway). The grant, awarded to DICOM Grid by the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MeHI), will fund the development of a standards-based interface that can be used by providers to access and exchange images over the Mass HIE.
“Having the opportunity to extend the HIway’s existing infrastructure is a wonderful nod to the importance image enabling the HIE,” said Morris Panner, CEO of DICOM Grid. “Imaging is a vital piece of a patient’s historical health record, but is typically difficult and expensive to transport. Accessing images using traditional methods, such as hand-carried films by patients, or large file transfer, can take hours or days, if retrievable at all. With this grant we hope to demonstrate how new technology effectively frees imaging data from information silos and makes it easy for care providers to access and share patients’ images regardless of location. As we move into an era in healthcare focused on interoperability, the technology used to connect providers becomes a critical component. We are thrilled to be included in the overall development of this initiative.”
Nearly $1.3 million in grants were awarded to projects to advance the interoperability of electronic health records with the Commonwealth’s HIE. The primary goal of this competitive grant program, called the Mass HIway Vendor Interface Grant Program, is to accelerate connections to the HIE which will enable health care providers to more easily exchange information and therefore increase the impact of the HIway on every day care delivery.
Grants were given to IT vendors that support hospitals and health care organizations, with preference given to vendors in the electronic health record (EHR), clinical information system (CIS) and Care Management sectors that support physicians in small practices, long-term care, or in behavioral health settings, particularly those not covered by so-called ‘Meaningful Use’ incentives. The grants will help diverse records systems connect to and exchange information on the HIway, improving the delivery of health care by providing a direct and secure link to the exchange.
“These grantees are helping health care practitioners across Massachusetts improve the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective health care through access to the Mass HIway,” said Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. “These are leading Health IT companies, some of them located here in the Commonwealth, and their expertise will help hospitals and small health care vendors better exchange information, thereby improving the quality of care for Massachusetts citizens.”
In support of the adoption of the HIE, DICOM Grid is working with Massachusetts-based practices to connect to the HIway and collaborate with during the testing and deployment of the image share interface.
Healthcare organizations interested in learning more about how they can become involved in the image share project can contact DICOM Grid atinfo@dicomgrid.com.
About DICOM Grid
DICOM Grid is a global cloud platform for medical imaging information and applications. DICOM Grid’s patented data security transforms medical imaging information into a dynamic data warehouse where open web services provide universal access to clinically rich data. Physicians can safely and easily deploy cloud applications for medical imaging collaboration, exchange, vendor-neutral archive, business continuity, EMR integration, bio-informatics, and more. Discover what the power of the cloud can do for your healthcare enterprise at www.dicomgrid.com.
About the Massachusetts eHealth Institute
The Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is the state's entity for health care innovation, technology, and competitiveness and is responsible for advancing the dissemination of health information technology throughout Massachusetts, including the deployment of electronic health records systems in all health care provider settings and connecting them through the statewide health information exchange. For more information, please visit mehi.masstech.organd follow @MassEHealth.
About the Mass HIway
The Massachusetts Health Information Highway (Mass HIway) is the Commonwealth’s secure statewide health information exchange. The Mass HIway enables the electronic movement of health related information among diverse organizations, such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, skilled nursing facilities and health plans. The HIway facilitates the exchange of clinical information among varied health care information systems, while maintaining the meaning of the information being exchanged, regardless of provider affiliation, location or differences in technology. Using the HIway can give doctors and other clinicians a more comprehensive understanding of their patients’ full medical histories to inform a more complete delivery of their healthcare.