HIMSS exhibits interactive electronic medical record

The 2005 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference played host this week to a virtual regional health information organization. The society claimed it was the largest interoperability demonstration ever.

Conference attendees were encouraged to create their own electronic medical record and register in the virtual network as a patient within the regional organization. Once created, these records would be available for access at an interoperability showcase and also at several participating vendor exhibits.

"For the first time, more than 40 vendors, providers, government agencies, regional health information databases, and standards development organizations have collaborated to create a regional health information organization across the HIMSS exhibit floor," said Joyce Sensmeier, director of professional services for HIMSS.

The interoperability showcases demonstrated several scenarios putting various Integrating the Healthcare Eneterprise profiles to the test in moving patient information and images throughout a hospital enterprise.

In the radiology-scheduled workflow scenario presented at the cross-enterprise interoperability showcase, a virtual patient complaining of shortness of breath was taken through the imaging workflow, highlighting several IHE profiles:

• radiology-scheduled workflow

• patient identifier cross-referencing

• access to radiology information

The scheduled workflow profile pushed the patient information, request for images, and resulting images to various PACS devices. The integration profiles allowed the patient's chest x-rays to be pulled up and viewed on PACS products from different vendors. When different patient medical record numbers where pulled up from historical studies, the patient identifier cross-referencing and access to radiology information profiles allowed the PACS in use to query for the appropriate patient record.

Another scenario addressing comprehensive patient care highlighted the newly created cross-enterprise document-sharing IHE profile. This profile enabled the transfer of information for a patient presenting at an ambulatory care clinic with vague chest and epigastric distress through various vendor information systems. Eventually, the patient was referred to a gastroenterologist for possible acid reflux.

In addition to the 32 vendors participating in the ambulatory care and cross-enterprise interoperability showcases, 16 vendors participated in the demonstration from their exhibit booths.