More than a dozen health information exchanges, service providers join Surescripts
ARLINGTON, Va. — Electronic prescribing network Surescripts has added 19 state health information exchanges and health information service providers to its network, the company said.
These include entities in Maryland, Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, New York, Tennessee and others.
"We are undergoing a significant shift from a volume- to value-based healthcare system, and our business is evolving to meet the future needs of the entire healthcare ecosystem," Surescripts president and CEO Harry Totonis said. "The continued growth of the Surescripts network is driven by the fact that the healthcare communities are realizing that electronic health information exchange is necessary to transform the way health care is delivered at the patient level and the increasingly rapid implementation of the federal government's meaningful use guidelines."
Surescripts said the new connections would complement its national reach and facilitate care coordination at the community level. For example, with the addition of HealtheConnections, HEALTHeLink and Rochester RHIO, most of upstate New York is now connected, and the network has significantly increased its clinical interoperability reach in Michigan.
"Michigan is an early adoptor of electronic health information sharing," Michigan Health Information Network associate director Jeff Livesay said. "The Surescripts network helps us break down technical barriers and provides a secure and reliable solution to maintain continuity of care across healthcare providers and organizations in our state and beyond. We are excited to be part of this innovative network."
The company noted that it is a founding member of an independent nonprofit group with the mission to develop and promote rules and best practices around security and trust in an electronic health information exchange called DirectTrust, and many of the exchanges joining Surescripts' network are members as well. The company said its new connections would facilitate seamless, cost-effective health information sharing across local and regional care communities.
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