On Monday, health information network Surescripts launched a new tool that aims to expand providers’ access to electronic health records and simplify the data-sharing process, EHR Intelligence reports.
Details of Tool
According to EHR Intelligence, the National Record Locator Service will allow more than 480,000 providers to share EHRs housed in any medical center across the U.S.
Specifically, the tool implements a query and response system into providers’ workflows. Providers using the tool will be able to access more than 230 million patient EHRs (Gruessner, EHR Intelligence, 4/13).
The NRLS tool will be integrated with the EHR systems of:
- eClinicalWorks;
- Epic; and
- Greenway Health (Walsh, Clinical Innovation & Technology, 4/14).
According to EHR Intelligence, the service will be implemented in accordance with legal agreements under CareQuality, which governs collaborations between health information exchanges.
Comments
In a statement, Surescripts CEO Tom Skelton said, “Today marks a major milestone in our collective effort to connect the nation’s health care system and enable interoperability between disparate parts of our health care community” (EHR Intelligence, 4/13).
Meanwhile, Epic President Carl Dvorak said, “We look forward to partnering with other payers, vendors and provider organizations to make it easier to find and aggregate patient medical records, regardless of where they have received care, all while ensuring the highest level of security, privacy and patient consent” (Clinical Innovation & Technology, 4/14).
