Partnership to Provide Real-Time Clinical Data Directly into Community Physicians’ EHRs

Merge Healthcare, Inc. (Chicago, IL, USA), reported on a collaboration with athenahealth, Inc. (Watertown, MA, USA), a provider of cloud-based services for electronic health records (EHRs), practice management, and care coordination. athenahealth will incorporate Merge’s iConnect Network with its US cloud-based platform, enabling athenahealth clients to receive and view exam findings, diagnostic quality images, and other important patient data within the athenaClinicals EHR workflow.

The partnership will support sophisticated interoperability between radiologists and providers by reducing duplication of tests and radiation exposure, optimizing patient outcomes and increasing physician satisfaction while reducing the cost of care.

“With today’s healthcare environment shifting from volume-based to value-based care models, there’s an increasing need for the industry as a whole to break down the walls surrounding clinical data to enable care teams to access patient information when they need it,” said Doran Robinson, vice president of healthcare transactions, athenahealth. “By integrating iConnect Network within our cloud-based EHR workflow, we’ll enhance communications between physicians and radiologists and speed the routing and availability of imaging studies to caregivers. Together with Merge, we believe that information sharing is key to the advancement of care delivery. This is an exciting partnership that leverages the right technologies to make things work as they should in healthcare.”

With the new iConnect Network, Merge is now able to provide reports directly into athenaClinicals, athenahealth’s EHR service, giving athenaClinicals’ users real-time access to view vital diagnostic data, such as imaging studies and interpretations, within their existing EHR workflow. With Meaningful Use Stage 2 (MU2) imaging requirements, Merge and athenahealth’s partnership empowers community physicians to attest and receive incentives quickly and cost effectively.

“Our partnership with athenahealth provides a robust service for advanced interoperability giving providers immediate access to critical patient information across the continuum of care,” said Justin Dearborn, CEO, Merge Healthcare. “This collaboration is significant to both the adoption and future growth of iConnect Network. It expands our customers’ options, allowing them to leverage the solution to reduce operational bottlenecks, improve physician satisfaction, and ultimately enhance the patient experience.”

Merge’s enterprise and cloud-based solutions for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides health stations, clinical trials software and other health data and analytics solutions that engage consumers in their personal health.

athenahealth is a provider of cloud-based services for electronic health record (EHR), practice management, and care coordination.

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