FIRM'S SOFTWARE SMOOTHES INTEGRATION OF MEDICAL DEVICES, EHRS

Allscripts, a clinical software firm, has entered into agreements with ambulatory care providers to connect more than 60 medical devices to electronic health records (EHRs).

The connections will work through Allscripts' universal application integrator (UAI), a software toolkit for devicemakers that allows them to write interfaces between their software applications or devices and Allscripts' EHR solutions. This enables "bidirectional" communication, Joe Luber, director of business development for AllScripts' Clinical Solutions Group, said. The goal is for data generated by a medical device to be easily accessed by physicians and clinical staff via the EHR, Luber said.

A key challenge facing the EHR industry is how to connect EHRs to medical devices and third-party software applications used by providers -- what is called "interoperability."

Medical devices are typically connected to the healthcare provider's computer network and the data is then accessed on desktops or mobile computers by means such as USB or serial ports, Luber said. The UAI software facilitates communication between the device software and the EHR.

Being able to connect their devices to any EHR will make it easier for firms to market their devices because demand is growing for devices that have interoperability, Jeff Amrein, Allscripts' executive vice president of development, said.

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