REDMOND, Wash. and HONOLULU, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TeamPraxis, Hawaii's pioneering physician management services organization, has selected Microsoft Amalga to bolster TeamPraxis' existing physician information network, TeamPraxis and Microsoft Corp. announced today. Using Amalga, a health intelligence platform, TeamPraxis will create a sophisticated online network that aggregates and shares electronic patient information among more than 1,000 of Hawaii's independent physicians, as well as local hospitals, pharmacies, medical laboratories and other ancillary service providers, to enable a comprehensive view of the patient at the point of care.

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"We are excited to use Microsoft Amalga to strengthen the physician network we have built over the past 20 years," said Creighton Arita, CEO and president, TeamPraxis. "As we see the dynamics of healthcare shifting toward an intelligent, interconnected community, technology like Amalga will be vital to helping ensure the success of independent physicians across the state, allowing them to benefit from the same innovative technology employed by large health systems nationwide."

Since its founding in 1992, TeamPraxis has built a physician information network from the ground up to connect Hawaii's independent physicians to other entities in the healthcare community, including pharmacies, the state's two primary laboratories, radiology services and banks, among others. TeamPraxis is still expanding its network to include hospital systems and other ancillary service providers. Adding the Amalga platform is designed to catalyze the network by allowing physicians to manage the sharing of patient information with each other across the state. TeamPraxis also plans to enable communication with patients via their Microsoft HealthVault accounts. HealthVault is a free personal health data platform that supports encrypted communication from healthcare providers using the Direct Project protocols developed with guidance from the Office of the National Coordinator.

"TeamPraxis has a trusted, long-standing relationship with independent physicians and has continually provided a pathway to the future for their physician clients," said Peter Neupert, corporate vice president, Microsoft Health Solutions Group. "We're excited that our work together will enable small, independent practices to move beyond the silos of the electronic health record to support ready access to all the relevant patient data they need to provide the highest quality care."

Driven by the philosophy of "One Team. One Patient. Open Network.," the key distinction of the TeamPraxis community network is that it will be open to any physician, hospital or ancillary service provider, regardless of the technology platform in use, to bring together pieces of patient information from a variety of sources to give the patient's care team a complete view of her or his health. It will also help support community health information exchanges being formed across the state, including the Hawaii Health Information Exchange and the Beacon Community project on Hawaii's Big Island. Some of the benefits targeted by TeamPraxis' Amalga-powered community network include the following:

• Convenience and cost saving. A patient's entire medical history can be accessed online in the security-enhanced network, helping bring more efficiency to the physician's practice. Primary care providers will be able to consult with specialists, order and review test results, develop a treatment plan, order prescriptions, update medical histories, and file claims, all online.
• Healthier patients. Marrying health records with a data delivery system and sharing the information with other stakeholders means patients can be easily monitored and properly treated. For example, notifications in the system will remind doctors and nurses to follow up with patients to ensure they are taking responsibility to follow treatment plans and any prescriptions.
• Analytics. Physicians can use the network's software to analyze the care and progress of their patients, particularly those with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and other long-term illnesses. TeamPraxis' locally developed Clinical Quality Solution, now sold nationally across the United States, will help power the data analysis.

In addition, technology such as Microsoft Amalga will be critical for physicians in the near future, as healthcare dynamics in Hawaii and across the country shift from traditional models to new, quality-based models, such as patient-centered medical home and accountable care organization.

"We have always believed that independent physicians are key players in our local healthcare delivery system, and our relationship with Microsoft reaffirms our commitment to the local physician community," Arita said. "As we see shifts in how physicians are coordinating care, and how they are being reimbursed, it will be imperative to provide Hawaii's independent physicians with all the technology they need to practice the highest possible quality of care and get paid for it."

About TeamPraxis

TeamPraxis is Hawaii's premier physician information network providing affordable, scalable clinical technology solutions and support services to independent physicians. Founded in 1992, TeamPraxis currently has a staff of more than 150 full time professionals and serves more than 1,000 physicians throughout the State of Hawaii. In 2008, TeamPraxis entered a national partnership to resell its locally-developed Clinical Quality Solution data analytics and reporting solution, which is now used by more than 10,000 physicians in more than 50 premier medical groups nationwide. For more information, visit: www.teampraxis.com.

About Microsoft in Health

Microsoft is committed to improving health around the world through software innovation. Over the past 13 years, Microsoft has steadily increased its investments in health with a focus on addressing the challenges of health providers, health and social services organizations, payers, consumers, and life sciences companies worldwide. Microsoft closely collaborates with a broad ecosystem of partners and delivers its own powerful health solutions, such as Amalga, HealthVault, and a portfolio of identity and access management technologies acquired from Sentillion Inc. in 2010. Together, Microsoft and its industry partners are working to deliver health solutions for the way people aspire to work and live.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.