The HIE laboratory is the centerpiece of our Health IT program and a learning experience that our graduates tell us is a strong competitive advantage in their new positions at healthcare companies across the nation
Austin, TX (PRWEB) December 13, 2012
e-MDs, the award winning industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management (PM) solutions, announced the company’s foundational participation and support for The University of Texas' at Austin Health Information Exchange (HIE) Laboratory. The laboratory is one aspect of a pioneering Health IT program which provides students with a unique learning experience that closely simulates the actual flow of medical data between health care constituents in the real world.
“Collaborating with UT Austin’s HIE laboratory underscores e-MDs’ commitment of connecting client practices across the country to health information exchange organizations in order to realize improved patient care,” stated Patrick Hall, e-MDs Executive Vice President of Business Development. The experience e-MDs gained in the laboratory identified early challenges associated with clinical data exchange which allowed e-MDs to focus on solutions for improving these processes. “In the coming year, clinical data interoperability is a Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirement for continuity of care. With our connectivity experience, e-MDs is well positioned to support the needs of our clients in providing a superior level of healthcare,” added Mr. Hall.
Students in the Health IT program have an opportunity to perform numerous tests in the HIE laboratory using the e-MDs Solution Series (EHR) application. This laboratory models the “network of networks” architected by the Texas Health Services Authority (THSA). Using cloud computing, the UT HIE laboratory created a simulated “Central Texas Regional HIE” and “North Texas Regional HIE” comprising virtual medical practices located in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Amarillo.
“The HIE laboratory is the centerpiece of our Health IT program and a learning experience that our graduates tell us is a strong competitive advantage in their new positions at healthcare companies across the nation,” said Dr. Leanne Field, Director of the Health IT certificate program at The University of Texas at Austin. “We value our partnership with e-MDs and our collaborative relationship will directly benefit students seeking jobs as well as employers in the rapidly expanding health IT industry.”
The Texas Health IT Community recognizes the importance of UT Austin’s HIE laboratory as a vital resource for meeting the national shortage of well-trained, entry-level professionals in Health IT professions. Health IT leaders across industry, government and academia have provided commentary on the transformative benefits provided by the HIE Laboratory: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/healthit/HIE-Laboratory.asp.
e-MDs is a leading developer of integrated electronic health records and practice management software for physician practices and enterprises. Founded and actively managed by physicians, the company is an industry leader for usable, connected software that enables physician productivity and clinical excellence. e-MDs software has received continual top rankings in physician and industry surveys including those conducted by members of the American Academy of Family Physicians, KLAS®, AmericanEHR™ Partners, MedScape®, and Black Book®. e-MDs has a proven track record of positioning clients for success as demonstrated by Meaningful Use attainment in 2011-2012. According to data provided by CMS, e-MDs clients attained the highest attestation proportion among all major vendors as of January 24, 2012. For more information, please visit http://www.e-mds.com, http://www.facebook.e-mds.com, and twitter.com/e-MDs.
About The University of Texas at Austin Health IT Certificate Program
The Health Information Technology (Health IT) Certificate Program at The University of Texas at Austin has gained national attention for its intensive, 9-week program leading to a certificate in Health Information Technology and Health Information Exchange. This program is designed to “fast track” university graduates into this rapidly evolving field and to provide students with a comprehensive curriculum of healthcare policy, economics, technology, data systems and business practices. The curriculum was designed to meet the skills and workforce training requirements identified by major Health IT industry and healthcare sponsors of the certificate program. For more information on The University of Texas at Austin Health IT Certificate Program, please go to: http://www.biosci.utexas.edu/healthit/