Aprima Medical Software Receives Grant to Advance and Accelerate Health Information Exchange in Massachusetts

DALLAS, Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative today announced nearly $1.3 million in grants to fund projects that advance the interoperability of electronic health records with the Commonwealth's health information exchange, called the Mass HIway.  Aprima Medical Software is pleased to announce that it was one of the grant recipients for the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI).

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The primary goal of this competitive grant program, called the Mass HIway Vendor Interface Grant Program, is to accelerate connections to the HIE which will enable health care providers to more easily exchange information and therefore increase the impact of the HIway on every day care delivery. Grants were given to IT vendors that support hospitals and health care organizations, with preference given to vendors in the electronic health record (EHR), clinical information system (CIS) and Care Management sectors that support physicians in small practices, long-term care, or in behavioral health settings, particularly those not covered by so-called 'Meaningful Use' incentives. The grants will help diverse records systems connect to and exchange information on the HIway, improving the delivery of health care by providing a direct and secure link to the exchange.

"These grantees are helping health care practitioners across Massachusetts improve the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective health care through access to the Mass HIway," said Pamela Goldberg, CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. "These are leading Health IT companies, some of them located here in the Commonwealth, and their expertise will help hospitals and small health care vendors better exchange information, thereby improving the quality of care for Massachusetts citizens."

According to Michael Nissenbaum, president and CEO of Aprima, "Needless to say, we are quite pleased that Aprima is part of this critical project. Our customers in Massachusetts will now be able to connect statewide to share patient information via quickly and efficiently with Mass HIway, the state health IT exchange."  

Federal guidelines require EHR systems to include data exchange capabilities that incorporate the Direct Standards, which aim to replace paper-based and proprietary exchanges with more advanced and cost-conscious electronic systems. These grants can accelerate development of a Direct-enabled records system and offset the cost of developing and implementing the interfaces. "These awards move us one step closer toward our goal of having every provider in the Commonwealth connected to the HIway," stated Laurance Stuntz, Director of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech. "These grants will support some of the state's smaller providers to transition onto the HIway, which will fill in critical gaps in information sharing and move us closer to truly statewide adoption."

In 2012, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services launched the statewide health information exchange. The Vendor Interface Grants are part of the Mass HIway 'Last Mile Program,' funded through the State Health Information Exchange Program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC). For more information, visit: www.mehi.masstech.org/health-information-exchange-0/last-mile-program/vendor-interface-grants.

About Aprima Medical Software, Inc.
Aprima provides innovative electronic health record, practice management and revenue cycle management solutions for medical practices. The Aprima EHR/PM is an integrated system built on a single database. Aprima uses a fast, flexible design that adapts automatically to a physician's workflow and sets the benchmark for ease-of-use, speed and flexibility. Aprima is one of the few companies with a 15-year track record of success, including Certification for Meaningful Use Stage 2 in 2013. To learn more about the details of this and other certifications click here. Thousands of Aprima users are benefiting from improved quality of care, improved patient satisfaction, improved quality of life and an improved bottom line. Based in Carrollton, TX, Aprima performs all development, support and implementation from the U.S. To learn more about how Aprima can help your practice, please visit www.aprima.com, call us at 866-960-6890, option 7 or email us at [email protected].

About the Massachusetts eHealth Institute
The Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is the state's entity for health care innovation, technology, and competitiveness and is responsible for advancing the dissemination of health information technology throughout Massachusetts, including the deployment of electronic health records systems in all health care provider settings and connecting them through the statewide health information exchange. For more information, please visit mehi.masstech.org and follow @MassEHealth.

About the Mass HIway
The Massachusetts Health Information Highway (Mass HIway) is the Commonwealth's secure statewide health information exchange. The Mass HIway enables the electronic movement of health related information among diverse organizations, such as doctors' offices, hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, skilled nursing facilities and health plans. The HIway facilitates the exchange of clinical information among varied health care information systems, while maintaining the meaning of the information being exchanged, regardless of provider affiliation, location or differences in technology. Using the HIway can give doctors and other clinicians a more comprehensive understanding of their patients' full medical histories to inform a more complete delivery of their healthcare.

SOURCE Aprima Medical Software, Inc.