Dive Brief:
- Data from Cerner’s and Epic’s electronic health records systems were successfully integrated into Medisafe’s personalized medication management app, providing patients with a consolidated list of medications from the providers.
- The collaboration showed the potential for fast healthcare interoperability resources (FHIR), a framework of technical standards developed by industry with support from HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, according to the announcement.
- Medisafe showcased the interoperable medication lists Tuesday at the 2016 Connected Health Conference in Maryland.
Dive Insight:
ONC has been working with EHR vendors, providers and other stakeholders to improve interoperability, and data sharing while ensuring personal health information remains HIPAA-compliant. “We are incredibly encouraged by the advances our private sector partners have made to unlock data and empower individuals when it comes to accessing their medication information,” National Coordinator for Health IT Dr. B. Vindell Washington said in a statement.
In February, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced that companies that provide 90% of EHRs used by hospitals nationwide had committed to three key steps in advancing interoperability. One of those was consumer access — enabling individuals to see their health information and direct it any site.
Meanwhile, Surescripts annual patient survey, released Wednesday, shows growing demand for a more connected healthcare experience. Among the findings: 93% of respondents felt it would save doctors time to store all their medications in one list, and 90% said this would cut down on prescribing errors. Roughly two-thirds of patients also expect to use telehealth to get prescriptions and said they would trust a prescription from a remote provider.