ICW works on New York e-prescriptions

German e-health firm InterComponentWare has partnered with the New York E-health Collaborative and Surescripts, the operator of the largest US e-prescribing network.

The partners will create an e-health prototype project to enable e-prescription transmission between different healthcare organisations across New York, through the Statewide Health information Network for New York (SHIN-NY). If patients provide their consent, the network will enable the transmission of their prescription history.

The SHIN-NY project forms part of New York’s statewide healthy information technology strategy envisions widespread use of health IT tools by clinicians and consumers.

The prototype e-prescribing network will demonstrate secure and accurate transmission of prescription benefit and history information, and link to electronic medical records, the Surescripts network, pharmacies and payers.

ICW will provide its HealthCare Connector platform to deliver the technical services and standards for health information exchange

“SHIN-NY’s vision for New Yorkers aligns with Surescripts’ vision for all healthcare providers – secure, electronic access to prescription information that can save patients’ lives, improve efficiency and reduce the cost of healthcare, said Rick Ratliff, president, Surescripts Virginia division.”

Ratcliff added: “The Surescripts network, coupled with ICW’s technology, will be a significant first step towards statewide access to prescription history data across NYS.”

Rachel Block, executive director of NYeC, said: “SHIN-NY was formed based on a statewide goal to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare for all New Yorkers. Information technology is a key ingredient in achieving our goals.”

She added this would enable organisations to then focus on issues related to population health management, drug efficacy, and statewide resource planning.

Jeremy Coote, CEO of InterComponentWare said, “We believe there will be immediate value for health information exchange through medication management. New York’s technical policies and standards can be leveraged by Surescripts and ICW and will allow physicians – with a patient’s consent – to securely access, authenticate and audit a patient’s prescription history, thereby enabling them to avoid duplication, spot illness trends, and make more informed prescribing decisions.”

Coote added, “The key to the success of this initiative lies in the governance and trust established by NYeC, combined with ICW’s and Surescripts’ ability to provide access while delivering the highest levels of security and privacy.”

The prototype project is in its initial phases and is on track for general implementation in late 2009.