MedicAlert and CAP STS to Standardize Emergency Medical Information.
Health Care IT Advancement: Interoperable Data and Its Role in Saving Lives
Posted: 7 October 2009
In an effort to
advance health information interoperability, MedicAlert® Foundation
International and SNOMED Terminology Solutions™ (STS) are working
together to standardize the health information in the MedicAlert
Emergency Medical Information Record (EMIR), making it easier for
consumers to connect their emergency medical information to other health
information applications currently available on the Microsoft®
HealthVault™ Platform.
Health information interoperability and
electronic health records (EHRs) adoption are key components of U.S.
healthcare reform initiatives, included in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), to move toward a nationwide
interoperable health information technology (HIT) system.
The
MedicAlert® EMIR that will serve as the emergency information component
of an EHR, is a secure, central repository of medical information and
provides critical information in combination with MedicAlert’s 24-hour
emergency response service.
SNOMED Clinical Terms® (SNOMED CT®)—a
globally recognized controlled medical vocabulary—will serve as the
standard healthcare terminology within the system’s backbone.
Terminology including conditions, allergies, immunizations, and medical
devices will be mapped to SNOMED CT. MedicAlert EMIR’s use of standards
will allow information to flow from it to other EHRs that use similar
standards, thus achieving interoperability between systems.
"As
we expand our presence on the Microsoft® HealthVault™ platform, it was
imperative for the MedicAlert Foundation to adopt standards such as
SNOMED CT to ensure and enhance interoperability," said Martin Kabat,
president and CEO, MedicAlert Foundation. "To deliver safe care,
medical professionals need to know about a patient’s medical conditions,
allergies, and medications. Our mission is to save lives by making
essential medical information available whenever it is needed. Our
collaboration with CAP STS advances our mission."
ARRA incentives
advocate standards-based solutions that enable the meaningful use of
HIT, although the federal definition of “meaningful use” has not been
finalized. In August, the HIT Standards Committee, the federal advisory
panel on HIT standards, endorsed recommendations on how providers may
electronically record a physician’s observations to qualify for federal
bonuses. The recommendations include ICD-9 or SNOMED CT in 2011, or
ICD-10 or SNOMED CT in 2013, and SNOMED CT in 2015.
"We do know
that safe and effective exchange of health information is important for
patients and health care providers,” Kabat said. “Access to
standards-based solutions that enable the safe exchange is a necessity."
STS
is a division of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the
original creator of SNOMED CT. CAP, with a 40-year history of
terminology development and through its STS division, focuses on
consulting, education, and other services related to SNOMED CT and other
terminologies and classifications where SNOMED is often used
collaboratively.
"MedicAlert Foundation’s commitment to enhance
the interoperability of its life-saving service demonstrates leadership
in the use of how health care information technology and standards can
directly benefit patients,” said Kevin Donnelly, CAP STS vice president
and general manager. “Our collaboration is a perfect match, as both
organizations have a long history of providing products and services
focused on improving and saving lives of citizens around the world."
MedicAlert
Foundation International pioneered the first medical identification
service in 1956 as a way to provide people with a simple but effective
method for communicating their medical conditions. Since the
organization’s founding, MedicAlert has provided services and products
that protect and save the lives of its 4 million members. For more than
50 years, the organization has relayed vital medical information on
behalf of its members to emergency responders so they receive faster and
safer treatment. As a result, MedicAlert Foundation has now developed
an Emergency Medical Information Record (EMIR) service as its core
offering. MedicAlert emblems, worn as bracelets, pendants, watches, or
other forms of jewelry, alert emergency personnel to a member’s EMIR. In
addition to its 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert also
provides family notification in the case of an emergency and so that
members can be reunited with their families. For more information visit
www.medicalert.org or call 1-800-ID ALERT (1-800-432-5378).
About
SNOMED Terminology Solutions and the College of American Pathologists
SNOMED Terminology Solutions™ (STS), a division of the College of
American Pathologists (CAP), is the leading organization in pursuing
semantic interoperability for electronic health records by offering
customized best-practice terminology implementation and education
services. CAP is the original creator of SNOMED Clinical Terms® (SNOMED
CT®) and has fostered its development for more than 40 years. CAP STS
continues to develop and maintain SNOMED CT on behalf of the
International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation
(IHITSDO®). CAP STS works with clients nationally and internationally;
these clients include provider organizations, HIT vendors, universities,
research centers, and government agencies. The College of American
Pathologists (CAP) is a not-for profit medical society serving more than
17,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the
world. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of
pathologists and is widely considered the leader in laboratory quality
assurance. For more information about SNOMED Terminology Solutions and
the College of American Pathologists visit www.capsts.org, www.cap.org
or write to snomedsolutions@cap.org.
SNOMED CT® is a copyrighted work of the International Health
Terminology Standards Development Organisation. ©2002-2008 International
Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO®). All
rights reserved. SNOMED CT® was originally created by the College of
American Pathologists. “SNOMED,” “SNOMED CT,” and IHTSDO are registered
trademarks of the IHTSDO. All other trademarks used in this document are
the property of their respective owners.
MedicAlert® EMIR is a
proprietary application of the MedicAlert Foundation International.
MedicAlert Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. ©2009 All
rights reserved. MedicAlert® is a U.S. registered trademark and service
mark of the MedicAlert Foundation International.
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