Northern Michigan Regional Hospital selects Medicity for implementing HIE

Medicity – the standard for health information exchange (HIE) solutions that empower physicians, hospitals and communities to improve care collaboration – today reported that Northern Michigan Regional Hospital has selected Medicity to electronically exchange health information among its hospitals and physicians across the 22 counties it serves. The health system, which was named to the 2009/2010 Most Wired list by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, cites health information exchange (HIE) as a vital initiative toward realizing its strategic plan for patient-centered care and meeting meaningful use requirements.

“It is gratifying to help other physicians and care providers realize the vision of patient-centered care”

Northern Michigan Regional Hospital will leverage the rapidly deployable, patented Medicity Novo Grid technology to securely distribute and exchange clinical information across its 22-county community of physician practices. In addition, Medicity’s Orders module will complement the EHR integration and data exchange the Grid establishes, enabling electronic ordering across the Grid between Northern Michigan Regional Hospital and affiliated physician practices.

“Over the past two years, we have implemented electronic health records, bar-coded medications, and other patient care technologies, but HIE is truly the ‘last mile connectivity’ that will enable us to interface with every electronic health record and other systems to effectively remove technology barriers and provide the highest-quality patient care,” stated Mark Gray, Chief Information Officer of Northern Michigan Regional Hospital.

Within its large geographic service area, the hospital also serves as a regional referral center, coordinating care with other hospitals and its medical and surgical specialists. The Grid will create the foundation for optimizing the referral workflow to enhance patient care across acute and ambulatory settings.

Northern Michigan Regional Hospital selected Medicity for its flexible and innovative Grid platform and proven track record of effectively and rapidly deploying health information exchange technology. Gray explained, “Medicity’s approach will deliver immediate value to our HIE participants and its technology provides us with the flexibility and adaptability to evolve with the changing healthcare landscape.”

“It is gratifying to help other physicians and care providers realize the vision of patient-centered care,” said James K. Lassetter, M.D., chairman and CEO of Medicity. “Through health information exchange, technology becomes an enabler of effective clinical decision-making, delivering the right information in real time at the point of care. We are pleased to welcome Northern Michigan Regional Hospital into the nation’s largest connected ecosystem of more than 700 hospitals and 250,000 physicians with the shared goals of improving care coordination, patient safety, and creating a more efficient health care system.”