Prime Clinical Systems Introduces HL7 Functionality

(Pasadena, Calif.—October 21, 2005) – Prime Clinical Systems, Inc., has added an optional HL7 interface engine to its Patient Chart Manager (PCM) electronic medical records system, making it possible for health care organizations to share critical data across the continuum of care. Whether it’s the hospital, a lab, another provider system or even the regional electronic health record (EHR), all can benefit from accurate and timely data.

HL7 provides common messaging standards, enabling health care information systems to directly communicate with one another. Without HL7 standards in place, health care information systems either do not communicate electronically – or require the development and utilization of custom interfaces.

As a result, it is common for many medical group practices to simply receive paper or fax documents such as lab results and then manually integrate the clinical information into their electronic systems, instead of trying to negotiate a connection between the practice’s electronic system and the lab’s electronic system.

With the HL7 messaging capabilities, however, medical groups can now receive electronic reports and the data immediately populates the PCM database, according to Richard Deits, M.D., Prime’s Vice President of Electronic Medical Records.

“The HL7 functionality makes it possible for clinicians to truly tap the power of electronic medical records. For example, doctors can easily start tracking certain data elements such as cholesterol. There is no need to manually look through the records and create a database. Instead, all of the data is already in the electronic system, making it possible to turn that data into knowledge that can be used to treat individual patients or to initiate population health management programs,” Deits says.

Using HL7 standards is expected to become even more common – and perhaps even a requirement – as the Federal government continues to encourage health care organizations to adopt information technology. Already, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense and Veterans Affairs are required to adopt HL7 messaging standards to ensure that federal agencies can share information that will improve coordinated care for patients such as entries of orders, scheduling of appointments and tests and better coordination of the admittance, discharge and transfer of patients.

As with other information technology advances in the health care field, however, the key to adoption is physician buy-in. The problem with HL7 messages is that many physicians want to continue to receive recognizable documents such as paper lab results. Patient Chart Manager overcomes this hurdle by providing electronic documents that mirror paper images, while the
HL7 functionality immediately and seamlessly populates the electronic database with the new clinical information.

“We’re pushing for information technology and electronic medical records to be more widely accepted in the health care field. But we are not doing it blindly. Experience tells us that physicians typically don’t immediately gravitate toward technology innovations. So, we are making it possible for health care organizations to take full advantage of HL7 compliant electronic medical records system while still meeting the needs of physicians,” says Barry Ardelan, Prime’s President and CEO.

About Prime Clinical Systems

Prime Clinical Systems Inc. is a medical software company headquartered in Pasadena, California, and regionally in Lincolnshire, Illinois and San Ramon, California. Founded in 1983, the company's proven products, stellar services and innovative advances have made it one of the fastest growing providers of health care software systems in the nation.

Sales contact:
Simon Lee
VP Sales & Marketing
847-279-8830
simon@primeclinical.com