ZirMed releases Clinical Link for healthcare providers

ZirMed, Inc. announces the release of a secure, national information exchange for healthcare providers.  The innovative solution, called ZirMed Clinical Link™ harnesses the power of ZirMed's connected network of healthcare providers facilitating secure provider-to-provider communications from any EMR or information management system via ZirMed's software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform.

"Unlocking and sharing patient information across the provider continuum is critical for healthcare providers to gain meaningful cost savings and promised patient care benefits," said ZirMed CEO Tom Butts .  "The challenge is despite the HITECH and Meaningful Use incentives and adoption of EMR technologies, the information remains locked away in silos.  ZirMed builds upon a platform of knowledge in securely moving patient information and the connectivity of over one hundred thousand healthcare providers from virtually every setting of care.  With the power of our platform and scope of our delivery, the release of this solution will be immediately available to tens of thousands of healthcare businesses."

ZirMed Clinical Link™ is HIPAA compliant provider-to-provider communication platform is immediately available to all ZirMed clients day one.  The system was designed with the workflow and practice patterns of healthcare providers at top of mind by enabling authenticated users to invite their referral network to join the secure network and easily exchange information. Clinical Link enables providers to communicate directly with one another via secure messaging functionality, as well as transfer administrative and vital clinical information via structured or unstructured data as attachments.  Clinical Link is not merely a secure email system.  ZirMed worked with hundreds of providers to design a workflow automation system that enables providers to eliminate phone, fax, and mail used today for referrals and patient transition of care, and can avoid HIPAA compliance issues associated with standard email and dated processes.

"The difference between ZirMed Clinical Link™ and legacy processes is night and day," said Bethany Williams, VP of Product Marketing.  "The speed and availability of information makes clinical and administrative decisions fast - actions happen in minutes, not days.  There are no more questions around mailing a chart or faxing the paperwork.  With Clinical Link, the provider merely points, clicks and sends."

ZirMed Clinical Link™ is built upon the ZirMed Link™ Platform.  Unlike Health Information Exchanges, providers can easily transition patients and clinical documents between care settings without having the complex implementation of expensive and cumbersome architecture and point-to-point interfaces.  Rather than rely on installed software and point-to-point integrations, ZirMed Clinical Link™ is a fully web-based solution, which is system agnostic and doesn't require major technical integrations.  Clinical Link's framework is based off a social network approach that reaches a broader base of providers regardless of their IT budget, infrastructure, and technologies in place.

ZirMed's Clinical Link™ is a user-driven, invitation opt-in network, as opposed to a top-down heavy implementation solution.  Because ZirMed Clinical Link™ is pre-populated with provider information; providers simply authenticate and claim their profile, and then begin exchanging secure vital clinical information in minutes. 

The ZirMed Link Platform™ contains several types of coordination of patient care information:

• Clinical information exchanged between providers in both structured and non-structured form
• Insurance and demographic information necessary to transfer the patient from one care setting to another
• Clinical information generated during HIPAA transactions
• Financial and administrative information such as claims and eligibility information

In a model similar to how innovative companies have disrupted other industries, ZirMed releases Clinical Link in an agile, easy to adopt model to over a hundred thousand providers on day one.  Behind the scenes, while clients take advantage of the benefits of the solution, ZirMed works tirelessly on enhancements and modifications with a customer-centric view and dedicated teams to continually evolve the solution.

"ZirMed is uniquely positioned to spearhead the ZirMed Link project for five reasons," said ZirMed CEO Butts. "First we already have a national footprint of over 150,000 providers and process healthcare transactions affecting 1 in 10 Americans.  Secondly, our footprint includes not just hospitals and physicians, but other historically less connected providers such as home health, ambulatory surgery centers and physical therapy providers.  Third, we are already a HIPAA compliant covered entity processing more than 50 million transactions a month – we know data and security.  Fourth, because of our business model, we are able to bring the ZirMed Link Platform to market at typically 70% the cost of other solutions.  Fifth and finally, ZirMed is not beholden to any one entity within the healthcare market.  We work with thousands of providers, payers and healthcare IT vendors."

Initially the platform will focus on provider-to-provider information, and add in provider to patient communication later in the year.

SOURCE ZirMed, Inc.