Intermountain Healthcare, DonorConnect, and InVita Healthcare Technologies launch iReferral Interoperability to Save and Heal More Lives

iReferral℠ platform automates the organ donor referral process to expedite coordination between hospitals and organ procurement organizations (OPOs).

SALT LAKE CITY, July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Intermountain Healthcare, DonorConnect, and InVita Healthcare Technologies announce the launch of iReferral℠ interoperability in Utah and Idaho to streamline the critical first step in the organ, tissue and eye donation-transplantation process. iReferral℠ automates the identification and referral of potential donors and helps to liberate hospital and donation resources while strengthening donation and transplant activity.

"Streamlining the donor referral process for the Intermountain teams gives our caregivers critical time back to spend more time with patients," said Diane Alonso, MD, transplant surgeon and medical director of Intermountain Healthcare's abdominal transplant program. "Collaborating and improving our workflow will also result in more donors, especially for those waiting for a critical life-saving donor organ."

Utilizing targeted algorithmic clinical triggers and secure interoperability, iReferral eliminates the need for manual, phone-based referral processes. iReferral sends time-sensitive information from the hospital's electronic health record (EHR) system directly to the OPO's iTransplant℠ donation management system. OPO confirmation is immediate and automatically logged into the hospital's EHR, helping to streamline regulatory compliance requirements, including those of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

"DonorConnect is excited to embrace any tool that helps streamline the organ recovery and transplant process, and ensure positive outcomes for transplant recipients," explained Tracy Schmidt, Executive Director and President of DonorConnect.  "We've been eager to implement iReferral, and experience the improved efficiencies that the system will deliver."

Following a successful pilot launch at Intermountain Medical Center in early 2022, iReferral℠ has been launched across Intermountain Healthcare's critical care units at Intermountain Medical Center and Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital, with plans to deploy to additional facilities and units later this year.

Wade Liu, Vice President of Product for InVita Healthcare Technologies' Transplant division said, "iReferral represents a unique win and step forward for all involved in the donation-transplantation ecosystem.  Hospitals can bolster compliance to federal requirements to refer potential donors. Nurses and providers can stay at the bedside and focus on patient care instead of telephonically regurgitating information that is already in the EHR. OPOs can automatically and reliably receive referrals that are critical to assess every possible donation opportunity. Families can be offered the opportunity to donate at the appropriate and right time.  All of this helps maximize the gift of organ, tissue, and eye transplantation for the many currently in need."

Based in Utah with facilities in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,800 employed physicians and advanced practice providers, a health plans division called SelectHealth with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs.

DonorConnect (formerly Intermountain Donor Services), headquartered in the Salt Lake City area, is the federally designated, nonprofit community service organization dedicated to the recovery and transplantation of organs and tissues for Utah, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and Elko, Nevada. Our service area encompasses more than 3.9 million residents, 90+ hospitals, and three transplant centers – Primary Children's Hospital, Intermountain Medical Center, University of Utah Hospital (along with the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center).

InVita provides mission-critical and chain of custody software technologies for complex medical, forensic and community care environments. InVita's solutions streamline clinical workflows, optimize supply chains, sample tracking, and visibility across donation and transplantation, blood and plasma operations, the tissue and implant lifecycle, and environments spanning DNA and forensics. InVita continues to expand the iReferral℠ and iTransplant℠ platforms, supporting nearly 75% of all OPOs in the United States, and is used by more than 12,500 medical professionals across more than 100 organ, tissue, eye and birth tissue organizations around the world. 

SOURCE InVita Healthcare Technologies