Medsphere, which makes the OpenVista electronic health records, became the latest EHR vendor to honor the call from Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to make it easier for patients to obtain their information, never engage in “blocking” data, and implement national interoperability standards.
Companies that have already signed the pledge provide 90 percent of electronic health records used by hospitals nationwide, including market share leaders Cerner, Epic and Meditech, and the five largest private healthcare systems in the country are on board too.
It took a little more time for Medsphere to announce its commitment, said company
Medsphere spokesman Paul Berlin said that even though it took longer for the company to officially join the cause, it was just a matter of getting everyone at the table who needed to be there.
“After the pledge was announced at HIMSS our discussions internally were that ‘of course we agree with that,’” Berlin said.
“In policy and practice, Medsphere adheres to the principles of open, connected and secure data sharing among all providers,” MedSphere officials said in a statement. “Medsphere looks forward to the not-too-distant future in which patient data will flow rapidly and securely to wherever it can improve care and reduce costs. This goal is now within our grasp.”
Medsphere offers the open source OpenVista EHR based on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' VistA EHR.
Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com
