Allscripts to Integrate Over 60 Medical Devices Into TouchWorks and HealthMatics Electronic Health Records
Newly Released Universal Application Integrator (UAI) and Connectivity Leadership on Display at HIMSS Meeting in New Orleans
CHICAGO, Feb. 23 -- Allscripts (NASDAQ:MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare, today announced agreements to connect more than 60 medical devices using its new Universal Application Integrator (UAI), an innovative application that enables third-party vendors to quickly and easily connect their best-of-breed medical devices and software applications to Electronic Health Record solutions from Allscripts.
"Our new UAI toolkit is the healthcare equivalent of the Universal Serial Bus or USB technology that first enabled all kinds of electronic hardware to connect to virtually any computer," said Stanley Crane, Allscripts Chief Technology Officer. "With UAI, any vendor can connect their software and hardware products to Allscripts with remarkable ease and speed, providing our clients with virtually unlimited choice of medical devices and specialty applications to connect to their Electronic Health Record."
Using the UAI, Allscripts is certifying integrations from leading device and software application vendors, initially with its award-winning TouchWorks(TM) and HealthMatics(R) Electronic Health Record solutions, and ultimately across the entire Allscripts product line. The first set of UAI agreements announced today features leading devices for cardiology and pulmonary specialty practices including more than 30 devices provided by Welch Allyn; 14 from Midmark(R) Diagnostics Group; nine from Cardiac Science Corporation; and several devices each from Microlife USA, Inc. and QRS Diagnostic LLC. Additional vendors participating in UAI certification to Allscripts include Pelstar LLC / Health o meter(R) Professional Scales, Smart ID Works oncology application, and a patient messaging platform from Medical Messaging.net. Allscripts expects to continue to add UAI partners in response to client requests.
"A key challenge facing the Electronic Health Record industry today is how to connect to the hundreds of powerful medical devices and third-party software applications that healthcare providers can use to improve patient care," said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts. "UAI is an industry-changing solution that sets Allscripts apart from the competition by truly standardizing these integrations, dramatically streamlining the development requirements and enabling important integrations with our Electronic Health Records to occur rapidly."
In addition to the UAI initiative, Allscripts will demonstrate direct connectivity with other healthcare IT vendors during HIMSS by participating in the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase. The Showcase is a major collaborative event that will demonstrate real-time electronic exchange of patient information between the leading healthcare information technology vendors. Allscripts will demonstrate the ability of its Electronic Health Record to interoperate with other healthcare information technology platforms and entities. Interoperability is crucial to linking clinicians to a seamless, cross-continuum patient health record spanning ambulatory and inpatient settings across the nation.
The HIMSS Interoperability Showcase follows similar Allscripts demonstrations at two other industry events in January. At the National Health Information Network (NHIN) Stakeholder Forum in Washington, D.C., Allscripts demonstrated live interoperability and clinical document exchange between multiple regional communities. And at the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Connectathon in Chicago, Allscripts demonstrated the ability to generate electronic reports of adverse drug events, disease registry updates and disease reporting for submission to such agencies as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Allscripts has again demonstrated our leadership in interoperability by proving that our Electronic Health Records can quickly generate and deliver reports from physicians on adverse drug events," said Mr. Tullman. "We believe this capability will eventually benefit our providers by enabling them to more easily report adverse drug events, participate in clinical trials, and submit information to disease registries. And by automating the reporting process, we can relieve them of yet another burdensome paper process."
To find out more about UAI and Allscripts interoperability initiatives, visit Allscripts at the 2007 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) meeting in New Orleans, Feb. 25 through March 1 (booth #2823).
About Allscripts
Allscripts is the leading provider of clinical software, connectivity and information solutions that physicians use to improve healthcare. The Company's business groups provide unique solutions that inform, connect and transform healthcare. The Clinical Solutions Group's award-winning software applications include electronic health record, practice management, electronic prescribing, document imaging, emergency department and care management solutions. Additionally, Allscripts provides clinical product education and connectivity solutions for physicians and patients through its Physicians Interactive(TM) Group and medication fulfillment services through its Medication Services Group. To learn more, visit Allscripts at www.allscripts.com/ .
CONTACT: Dan Michelson, Chief Marketing Officer, +1-312-506-1217, dan.michelson@allscripts.com ; Todd Stein, Senior Manager-Public Relations, +1-312-506-1216, todd.stein@allscripts.com , both of Allscripts
