February 2, 2011 – Biotronik has successfully completed its final interoperability testing process for Biotronik Home Monitoring, an Internet-based system for patient and implantable cardiac device information.
During the week of Jan. 9, Biotronik participated in the “Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise” (IHE) North American Connectathon in Chicago, Ill., to test its implantable device cardiac observation (IDCO) profile. This testing demonstrated the ability of Biotronik Home Monitoring to connect to third-party electronic health record (EHR) systems and cardiovascular data management systems using defined industry standards. The connecting technology from the Biotronik Home Monitoring system to the EHRs is called Biotronik EHR DataSync.
The conclusion from this successful testing is that Biotronik EHR DataSync will enable physicians and hospitals to share data seamlessly, which should increase productivity, eliminate redundant medical device management systems and improve clinical decision making and quality-of-care. In this round of testing, Biotronik proved the ability of Biotronik EHR DataSync to connect with widely implemented EHR vendor systems (e.g., Epic and Medical Micrographics), as well as emerging and established cardiovascular data management systems (e.g., ScottCare’s OneView CRM).
The IHE developed their testing process to promote the adoption of standards that enable healthcare information to be shared seamlessly across clinical settings. The IHE’s goals are to drive standards for interoperability, increase efficiency and reduce costs to healthcare customers, such as those in the cardiology, radiology and laboratory markets.
Implantable cardiac devices are also designed to capture and record information about medical device performance and patient heart rhythms that is vital to patient care. Biotronik Home Monitoring quickly organizes this information and allows data to be sent directly and securely to a clinic’s or a hospital’s EHR system. That data is then available to include in the patient’s personal health record.
“Electronic health records support efficient access to important patient healthcare information, so making this data readily available via secure data transport is vital,” said Jake Langer, president of Biotronik. “Streamlined connectivity to critical device and lead data is an increasingly important priority for physicians and the broader U.S. healthcare network, and therefore Biotronik made it a priority, too.”
Data integrity is guaranteed and has been proven through validation testing. Data security is ensured by using U.S. Commerce Department encryption methods. In addition, the Biotronik Home Monitoring system adheres to patient privacy standards and requirements for the electronic transmission of health information in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) standards.
For more information: www.biotronik.com