A. John Blair III, MD, to Present at eHealth Initiative HIE Forum

Panel will share insights and explore the challenges and rewards associated with the Direct Project

FISHKILL, N.Y., July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A. John Blair III, MD, CEO of MedAllies, will be among a select group of thought leaders to present at the July 15 eHealth Initiative 2011 National Forum on Health Information Exchange in Washington, D.C.

Blair will participate in a panel session entitled "How HIEs can Work with the Direct Project," which will explore the implementation challenges associated with the Direct Project as well as the benefits that can be derived from it. The group will discuss how Direct will help providers and hospitals qualify for meaningful use and encourage health information exchange.

Direct Project, a national effort to fast track electronic health information exchange, is spearheaded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. MedAllies was one of only seven sites nationwide to launch a Direct pilot.

"I look forward to sharing what we learned during our Direct journey," Blair said. "I'm also interested in hearing insights from my fellow panelists."

Direct provides a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients via the Internet—an approach that will work across various EHR vendors. Some Direct pilots are moving data for lab transactions, some for public health reporting. In MedAllies' hands, Direct is a tool to advance primary care models that emphasize care coordination and improved care transitions.

"The lack of coordinated care, one of the most pressing problems we face in health care, often stems from a lack of an appropriately secure flow of critical clinical information," Blair explained. "This has a negative impact on patient safety, care quality and costs." It is this challenge MedAllies' Direct addresses.

For more information about the eHealth Initiative 2011 National Forum on Health Information Exchange at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., go to www.ehealthinitiative.org/2011-national-forum-on-hie/overview.html.

Blair further discusses the Direct Project and how it enhances care coordination in a new issue brief. Beyond Babel: MedAllies Direct brings a provider-driven, collaborative solution to the challenge of interoperability is available for download here. Other issue briefs featuring MedAllies and Hudson Valley leaders—including two more briefs on the Direct Project—are available here: http://www.hudsonvalleyinitiative.com/press-kit.html.

MedAllies is no stranger to innovation. Its expertise helped create the virtual integration necessary for health information exchange in a community that lacks a large integrated delivery network.

Together with Taconic Health Information Network and Community and Taconic IPA, MedAllies is part of the Hudson Valley Initiative, an effort to transform the health care system, first in New York and eventually nationwide.

About MedAllies

MedAllies is the health information services provider that facilitates physician practice redesign to improve efficiency and effectiveness of health care through health information technology. It operates the technical backbone for health information exchange in the Hudson Valley of New York State. To learn more, visit www.medallies.com/.

About the Hudson Valley Initiative

The Hudson Valley Initiative is an effort among three organizations—Taconic IPA, Taconic Health Information Network and Community and MedAllies—to revolutionize health care delivery through a shared vision to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health care in the community. These three organizations leverage health information technology, physician practice transformation and value-based purchasing in pursuit of care delivery that is patient-centered, coordinated, accessible, high quality and efficiently delivered through sustainable financial models. To learn more, go to www.hudsonvalleyinitiative.com.

SOURCE Hudson Valley Initiative