Through this relationship, GE Healthcare and ICW will leverage their existing solutions and co-develop new offerings for the health information exchange and global eHealth marketplace.  Using ICW’s expertise in eHealth and patient connectivity, GE Healthcare will enhance Centricity® Health Information Exchange service’s existing technology, patient connectivity and communications tools while further bolstering their security and interoperability capabilities.

“Connectivity is one of the biggest challenges in healthcare today and it directly impacts the quality and cost of patient care,” said Vishal Wanchoo, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare IT.  “Our strategic relationship with ICW enables GE Healthcare to accelerate our Centricity connectivity solutions and further extend our global capabilities.  With our Centricity portfolio of electronic medical records, enterprise systems, clinical repositories and patient solutions, GE Healthcare is now one of the only companies to offer the full range of technology needs for global healthcare IT.”

Centricity® Health Information Exchange services connects, stores and shares clinical data from hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, labs and other sources to help improve communication flow between care providers and patients and clinicians.  The resulting network enables state, government or healthcare delivery organizations to create a secure exchange to share patient conditions, allergies, medication history and other appropriate clinical data across the continuum of care.

By improving the connection of disparate healthcare technology systems, GE is building on its healthymagination commitment to increase quality of care and access while lowering costs.  Easier access to patient information helps clinicians make better more informed decisions that can help improve care.  Additionally, GE Healthcare’s integrated electronic medical record helps reduce repetitive tests and the risk of medical errors.

ICW brings more than ten years of intensive research and development of state-of-the-art solutions for electronic health information interoperability.  The company’s eHealth Infrastructure is in use globally with the Austrian National Health System, the German Federal Ministry for Health and Social Security’s bIT4health consortium, the eHC in Bulgaria and others.  This global breadth complements GE Healthcare’s HIE solutions that are installed at customer sites in Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Oregon. 

GE Healthcare and ICW share a technology philosophy and commitment to developing standards-based healthcare technology.  “Standards are essential to enable scaling of solutions to meet the demands of a global marketplace and to integrate third-party solutions to ensure the information exchanged is complete and timely,” said Peter Reuschel, CEO of ICW.  “We are pleased to work with GE Healthcare on a vision to jointly evolve the connectivity solutions that we have each developed.”

About GE Healthcare:

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our "healthymagination" vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality and efficiency around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $17 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 46,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com

Download this press release

Media Contact GE Healthcare (Global)

Corey Miller
Tel.: 414 469 54 99
corey.miller@ge.com

Media Contact ICW (USA/Canada)

Anne Marie Heil
Tel.: 610 933 80 65
Fax: 480 247 54 02
anne.marie.heil@icw-global.com

Media Contact ICW (Europe)

Ulrike Martin
Tel.: +49 (0) 6227 385 39 79
ulrike.martin@icw.de

ICW MPI compares patient data originating from administration systems in different hospitals and correlates highly similar ones to a specific patient, who is treated as a reference patient from that point forward. When the similarities are not so pronounced the data is correlated manually in a clearing house by specially trained personnel. This makes it possible to correlate all patient data better and more efficiently. Based on this unique patient identification, medical data received later can be consolidated in one inter-institutional, virtual patient record. ICW MPI is highly scalable, making it suitable also for larger patient populations – from hospital groups to cantons to national-level solutions.

Along with ICW, Abraxas also involved business integration specialist BINT GmbH with the project's implementation. The regional hospital groups of the canton of St. Gallen operate a joint Shared Service Center (SSC IT), whose task it is to install, operate and maintain centralized data processing services for all of the regional hospitals. MIP will be operated under contract by the SSC IT as a new service for all participating health care institutions in the canton of St. Gallen. "With the MPI project, the contractor consortium has succeeded in fulfilling the project goals on time, within budget, and to the required standard of quality. With it, an important cornerstone has been laid for a modern eHealth architecture", said Hanjörg Looser, Head of E-Health in the Department of Health of the Canton of St. Gallen.

This solution had already been chosen in the summer 2008 by Hirslanden, Switerland's leading private hospital group, to which 13 hospitals and around 100 other institutions belong.

Download press release about the introduction of ICW's MPI at the St.Gallen hospital groups

The recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act establishes billions of dollars in incentives for clinicians and hospitals to use health information technology, including electronic health records (EHRs). The law also clarifies that individuals have the right to receive copies of personal health information from EHRs in electronic formats and authorize their information to be stored in a service of the individual’s choosing.

“In the age of the Internet, there is vast potential for consumers to connect online to new services to make their lives easier and healthier,” said Carol Diamond, MD, MPH, chair of Markle Connecting for Health, which convened the group. “Providing consumers with electronic access to their information should be one of the things that the health IT incentives stimulate, so that many services may flourish by using information according to the individual's needs and wishes.”

Deven McGraw, director of the Health Privacy Project for the Center for Democracy and Technology, said: “Sound policies are key to public trust — without which we will not see the benefits of health IT investments. Consumers and clinicians will not participate if they fear information will not be protected.”

The Markle Connecting for Health Collaborative’s Common Framework for Networked Personal Health Information — a set of practices to improve consumer access to personal health information and protect privacy — has been endorsed by a broad group of organizations. The list expanded today with the addition of Allscripts, American College of Cardiology, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Physicians, CareGroup Healthcare System, Carestream Health Inc., Computer Sciences Corp., DrFirst, GenesysMD, Health 2.0 Accelerator, Health Level Seven, IEEE-USA, Intel Corp., Keas Inc., McKesson/RelayHealth, MedCommons, Medical Group Management Association, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, National Committee for Quality Assurance, National Quality Forum, Northwest Health Foundation, PatientsLikeMe, Prematics, Verizon, Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and Wal-Mart.

The full list of endorsing organizations since it was released in June 2008 includes:

AARP • Aetna • Allscripts • American Academy of Family Physicians • American College of Cardiology • American College of Emergency Physicians • American College of Physicians • Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR.org) • America's Health Insurance Plans • BlueCross BlueShield Association • CareGroup Healthcare System • Carestream Health Inc. • Center for Democracy and Technology • Center on Medical Record Rights and Privacy • Cisco Systems Inc. • Computer Sciences Corp. • Consumers Union • Dossia • DrFirst • FollowMe • Google • Geisinger Health System • GenesysMD • Health 2.0 Accelerator • Health Care For All • Health Level Seven • InterComponentWare Inc. • IEEE-USA • Intel Corp. • Intuit Inc. • Keas Inc. • McKesson/RelayHealth • Metavante • MedicAlert Foundation International • MedCommons • Medical Group Management Association • Microsoft Corp. • National Breast Cancer Coalition • National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship • National Committee for Quality Assurance • National Partnership for Women and Families • National Quality Forum • NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital • Northwest Health Foundation • Pacific Business Group on Health • Palo Alto Medical Foundation • Partners Healthcare System • PatientsLikeMe • Prematics • Surescripts • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs • Vanderbilt Center for Better Health • Verizon • Visiting Nurse Service of New York • Wal-Mart • WebMD

The framework — developed by the Markle-operated Connecting for Health public-private collaborative — includes four overviews and fourteen specific technology and policy approaches for consumers to access health services, to obtain and control copies of health information about them, to authorize the sharing of their information with others, and sound privacy and security practices.

“All too often today, vital information falls through the cracks when individuals move across care settings,” said John Rother, AARP executive vice president for policy. “That’s why government and private health care purchasers understand that consumer access to personal health information is one key component of health IT and health care reform, and that it can be realized only if we can also create trust on the part of consumers,” he said. “We’re gratified that such a wide range of organizations have embraced this approach.”

To view the framework, go to http://www.connectingforhealth.org/phti/index.html or www.markle.org.
 
The Markle Foundation works to accelerate the use of technologies to address critical public needs, particularly in the areas of health care and national security. The Markle Foundation Health Program is committed to accelerating the ability of patients and consumers to use information technology to improve their health and health care, while protecting patient privacy. The Markle Foundation envisions a time in the near future when individuals will be able to gain access to their own health information through nationwide electronic health information exchange, personal health records, and other emerging technologies, making it possible for patients to participate more fully in their own health care

As former head of the eHealth Product House at ICW, Jörg Stadler is ideally qualified to take over responsibility for the areas of products and services as the new CPO. J. Stadler will be placing special emphasis on the subject of interoperability in a networked health care system. J. Stadler began his career at ICW in 2003 as a product manager. In 2005, he took over as head of the "ICW infrastructure components" product line. For 6 years prior to joining ICW he headed the IT department of a 1200-bed hospital, during which time he built up the "Symposium on Digital Medical Records", an e-Health event held annually in Wiesloch. J. Stadler studied medical information sciences at the Heidelberg University, with emphasis on business administration. "I'm happy to have been nominated to the Board, and about the confidence the Supervisory Board has shown in me. I will be introducing more efficient structures to increase the quality of ICW's product houses with the goal of lifting the potential for synergies", sais Stadler about his new position.

CEO Peter Reuschel continues to be responsible for the areas of overall strategy, basic technologies, and emerging technologies at ICW. Geographically, he is responsible for North America. "For ICW, all signs point to change. We are currently focusing on three central activities: marketing ICW's entire product portfolio successfully, opening up new markets in the area of infrastructure, and on the LifeSensor personal health record. In addition, we are also very active in the area of strategic partnerships. The reorientation of ICW's aims at overcome the challenges that arise as a consequence of this focus. Dr. Georg Ralle and Jörg Stadler complement the ICW Board ideally. They have extensive knowledge and experience. Together, we will bring ICW forward", P. Reuschel declares.

Download press release about the new ICW Board

Quality management at ICW is distinguished by its clearly defined processes. These are reflected in the company's philosophy and are the basis upon which people at the company act. These processes stand warranty for the consistently high quality of company performance. One of the corporate management's primary focuses is on education and qualification of its people. That represents the guarantee to ICW's customers and partners of secure and qualitatively high-value project implementation, always oriented on the latest state of the art.

"ICW stands for quality. That's been confirmed by the independent experts from DQS. I am proud we were able to far exceed the requirements without having to make any fundamental changes to our organization. For our customers, the certification is the best proof of our outstanding work", Dirk Albers, Managing Director of InterComponentWare Deutschland AG & Co. KG explained.

"ICW is particularly strong in the management area. The focus is on indicator-driven service processes. Discrepancies can be identified right away, appropriate corrective measures can be taken ad hoc. The resulting analyses and statistics are standardized, so there is no possibility that the same data will need to be collected over and over. This is also good from the data protection and information security perspective”, explained independent DQS auditor Dieter Weigold.

The ISO 9001:2008 norm is based on the fundamental principle of continuous optimization at all corporate levels. Along with quality of service, the main focus is on customer satisfaction. The norm represents a standardized and internationally recognized, process-oriented quality management system. Many customers demand this certification. It is fundamental for closing contracts, and a decisive factor for corporate success. The ISO 9001 norm has been one of the most widely used norms since its first publication in 1987. It is constantly being modified to adapt to changes in the demands placed on management systems.

Download press release about ICW's certification under the new ISO 9001:2008 norm

Surescripts (formed by the merger of Surescripts and RxHub in 2008) connects the nation’s payers, prescribers and pharmacies for the safe and secure electronic exchange of prescriptions and prescription information.

“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.  “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 explains the importance of this project, “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. By partnering with ICW, a proven technology provider, and Surescripts, the nation’s largest e-prescribing network, we will benefit from experience and will receive the guidance necessary for creating a fully interoperable, statewide health information network.  And from here, we can address issues relative to population health management, drug efficacy, and statewide resource planning.”

Jeremy Coote, CEO of InterComponentWare Inc. notes, “New York’s technical policies and standards can be leveraged by ICW to enable physicians’ access to the Surescripts Network.”  Coote adds, “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 consistent and secure access in the providers’ office.”

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

About Surescripts

Surescripts is the result of a 2008 merger between the country’s two leading health information networks: RxHub and Surescripts.  Surescripts gives healthcare providers secure, electronic access to prescription information that can save their patients’ lives, improve efficiency and reduce the cost of healthcare for all.  Available during emergencies or routine care, the Surescripts network is used every day by thousands of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other prescribers across all 50 states.  The Surescripts network connects these prescribers to all of the nation’s major chain pharmacies, the nation’s leading payers and independent pharmacies nationwide.  For more information, go to www.surescripts.com.

About NYeC:

The New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) was founded in 2006 by health care leaders across the state, with leadership and support from the New York State Department of Health, based on a shared vision of the urgent need to improve health care quality, safety and efficiency in New York.  NYeC is a public-private partnership that will serve as a focal point for health care stakeholders to build consensus on state HIT policy priorities, and to collaborate on state and regional HIT implementation efforts, in order to improve the organization, delivery and outcomes of health care for all New Yorkers. 
NYeC will become a trusted, independent voice that can reflect a diverse array of interests and perspectives on key policies and standards to ensure that HIT
implementation efforts are successful, and to realize the state’s return on investment under HEAL-NY and other funding mechanisms.

Download press release about ICW and Surescripts to Develop E-Prescribing Prototype Project.

Chief Executive Officer of ICW’s North American subsidiary, Jeremy Coote, comments on the relationship, “The ICW eHealth Framework, with its development tools and interoperability platform, was designed with partners like CitiusTech in mind.”  Coote continues, “The ICW platform enables partners to develop patient-centric applications and provide integration services.  Our clients benefit from the work of partners and CitiusTech brings significant clinical integration expertise to the table.”

“We're aligned with ICW's vision and approach and are pleased to partner with them,” said Jagdish Moorjani, Chief Operating Officer of CitiusTech.  He adds, ‘‘This partnership offers an opportunity to demonstrate CitiusTech’s position as a healthcare interoperability services organization. We look forward to working with ICW across North America and in Europe.''

Download press release about ICW's and Citius Tech's partnership.

Under the agreement, 3M HIS will deliver a highly scalable, interoperable system that includes the 3M™ Clinical Data Repository, 3M™ Enterprise Master Person Index, and 3M™ Healthcare Data Dictionary. ICW will provide the interoperability layer, consumer/physician portal with the ICW Professional Suite, and the personal health record, LifeSensor.

Sheila Andersen, Chair of the LouHIE Board of Directors, explains why the combined 3M and ICW solution was selected: “The advanced technology provided by 3M and ICW makes it possible to achieve the highest level of data interoperability, which is essential to translating and consolidating patient information from diverse computer systems and healthcare facilities into a health record bank. It also allows a high degree of privacy and security, which are critical factors since patient privacy and information security are two of our top priorities.”

“We are very excited to partner with LouHIE in this groundbreaking initiative,” said Marvin Johnson, Senior Vice President International/Care Innovation/Government for 3M Health Information Systems, Inc. “We’ll bring the knowledge and experience we’ve gained from large-scale and diverse HIE implementations, including Maine’s statewide HealthInfoNet exchange and the Department of Defense’s very large-scale clinical data repository with quick response capability, to support the Louisville community in improving healthcare quality and patient safety.”

Jeremy Coote, CEO of ICW, adds, “LouHIE promises to set an example for the dozens of other states crafting their HIE strategies. ICW is pleased to bring its eHealth infrastructure experience from implementations across Europe to the U.S. LouHIE understands well the need to engage consumers in their health and LifeSensor will greatly help them to achieve this objective.” .

The Louisville Health Information Exchange, Inc. (LouHIE) is a nonprofit corporation based in Louisville, Kentucky. LouHIE was formed in 2006 after two years of research by the University of Louisville, School of Public Health and Information Sciences. LouHIE is governed by a multi-stakeholder board of directors representing consumers, employers, insurance companies, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, public health, physicians, nurses and others.

About 3M Health Information Systems

3M Health Information Systems, Inc., delivers technology and consulting solutions that can help healthcare organizations improve patient care, facilitate compliance, and achieve appropriate reimbursement. Built on nearly 25 years of healthcare funding and performance management expertise, 3M HIS provides tools to capture, store, and analyze patient information and enable an electronic patient record.

3M HIS is part of 3M Health Care, one of 3M Company’s six major businesses, providing world-class innovative products and services to help healthcare professionals improve the practice, delivery and outcome of patient care in medical, oral care, drug delivery, and health information markets.

Information about 3M interoperability solutions can be found by visiting www.3MHIS.com

Download press release about 3M and ICW will pilot Health Record Bank in Louisville.

“Canada has taken a leadership position with its proactive approach to healthcare,” notes Jeremy Coote, CEO of ICW Inc.  “The Canadian goal of creating an even more responsive and cost-effective care delivery system is attainable.  ICW solutions, which connect the patient, provider and institutional systems through a secure eHealth Infrastructure with end user applications, can be integral to helping accelerate Canada’s progress towards their goals. We look forward to working with such forward-thinking professionals.”

Gingrich and McKenna, both influential politicians and policy strategists, have contributed greatly to their countries’ discussion and direction relative to healthcare.  They will each share their vision for using technology to reduce costs, improve quality and empower individuals to manage their own health and wellness.

Download press release about Gingrich and McKenna at ICW Launch.

Jeremy Coote, CEO of InterComponentWare, Inc. comments on the importance of the IHE initiative, “As we drive toward a greater use of technology to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery, ensuring standards-based interoperability is critical.”  Coote continues, “At ICW we are committed to delivering standards-based solutions and the end-to-end security necessary for all healthcare source systems and medical devices to exchange information.  The Connectathon provides the proving ground for all vendors working toward this goal.”

ICW has gained many clients in Europe and the U.S. based on its MPI solution.  Among these are the Memorial Hospital Rhode Island, and the Torrance Hospital Independent Practice Association Medical Group (THIPA), an association of about 400 independent doctors at the hospital in Torrance, California.  European clients include the consortium of regional hospitals in the Swiss Canton of St. Gallen, Hirslanden, Switzerland's leading private hospital group, the Heidelberg University Clinic, and the Health Centers Rhine-Neckar.

Download press release about IHE-Conformance of ICW's MPI