PASADENA, CALIF., March 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NextGate, the leading healthcare technology company for patient and provider identification, announced today that MyHealth First Network (MyHFN) is expanding its use of the NextGate Enterprise Master Patient Index (EMPI). MyHFN, a clinical integration network based in the upstate region of South Carolina, made the decision after seeing the product accurately identify and match patients across Greenville Health System (GHS), one its founding members.
MyHFN, with technical and implementation support from the Care Coordination Institute (CCI), will convert to an enterprise-wide license, enabling NextGate's identity management, data governance and integration technology to be incorporated throughout the network. As a result, MyHFN will be able to more accurately track a patient across various points of care, assemble a more complete patient record, and equip its nearly 2,000 providers with more reliable data points to collaborate and provide effective care.
To provide value-based care, MyHFN and CCI recognize a need to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a patient's data history and effective data integration across the network. Today, the network members have many disparate EMRs and claims clearing houses in use. Key to developing a longitudinal view of data across all members is the ability to match records to the same patient, regardless of where the content comes from. Since patient demographic data accuracy and quality vary between systems, a technology that uses sophisticated matching algorithms is needed.
CCI supports both MyHFN and GHS in their population health initiatives, care model design, and implementation and data systems. Building on the success of NextGate solutions already in place at GHS, CCI turned to the matching capabilities of NextGate's EMPI as the best solution to meet both MyHFN's and GHS' long-term goals and strategies. Finding the functionality and accuracy needed, CCI reached out to NextGate to explore options of expanding the EMPI license to cover all MyHFN participants.
"We were eager to find a solution that could match patient records at an enterprise level and connect the dots from other stakeholders and data sources across our technologically diverse healthcare community," said John Supra, executive director of CCI. "It was a natural transition for NextGate to assist us in achieving the next level of data management and governance needed to continue our population health management and value-based care delivery objectives for both MyHFN and GHS."
With more than 175 million lives managed, NextGate offers solutions that not only provide data consistency within a single healthcare organization but also the dexterity to work across multiple systems and organizations that play a role in patient care delivery and coordination. GHS, MyHFN and CCI chose NextGate to break down the data siloes that exist in many electronic medical record and health information systems, thereby reducing the cost and waste that duplicate patient records can cause.
"We are pleased to be part of MyHFN's broader vision of population health management and a driving force in their strategic vision of enterprise data governance," said Andy Aroditis, NextGate CEO and co-founder. "As a longstanding partner, we look forward to continuing to move the needle on patient identification and matching gaps for MyHFN, CCI, GHS and their strategic partners."
NextGate draws upon the company's two decades of leadership in Enterprise Master Patient Index and system integration. Awarded category leader status by KLAS Research, NextGate's EMPI patient matching solution uses sophisticated algorithms and intelligence to confirm patient identity and deliver clean, consistent data that is the foundation for effective integration, data exchange and collaboration, and in return can reduce costs, drive system efficiencies and revenue, and enhance care quality.
About MyHealth First Network
MyHealth First Network (MyHFN) is a clinically-integrated network of physicians and healthcare providers who share a common goal of improving health outcomes, reducing healthcare costs and enhancing the patient experience. Nearly 2,000 healthcare providers across 11 counties in the upstate region of South Carolina play a key role in the development of program components, such as quality goals and performance initiatives, and in network governance. Visit myhfn.org for more information.
About the Care Coordination Institute
The Care Coordination Institute (CCI) aims to accelerate healthcare transformation by working closely with healthcare organizations to improve quality and reduce cost. CCI is focused on the development, implementation and monitoring of standard clinical guidelines, provider education and training, and innovative data-driven tools and services for use across clinically integrated networks. Visit ccihealth.org for more information.
About Greenville Health System
Greenville Health System (GHS) — an academic health system that is the largest not-for-profit healthcare delivery system in South Carolina — is committed to medical excellence through research, patient care and education. GHS offers patients an innovative network of clinical integration, expertise and technologies through its eight medical campuses, tertiary medical center, research and education facilities, community hospitals, physician practices and numerous specialty services throughout the Upstate. The 1,358-bed system is home to 15 medical residency and fellowship programs. GHS is also home to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, a joint effort of USC and GHS. Visit ghs.org for more information.
About NextGate
NextGate uses its market leading expertise in patient and provider identity management to connect the healthcare ecosystem by accurately identifying and linking patient and provider data. NextGate's KLAS #1 ranked EMPI technology, currently manages more than 175 million lives. It is deployed by the nation's most successful healthcare systems and health information exchanges. This technology helps organizations deliver higher quality, better care coordination and clinical efficiencies.