Vanguard Health Systems And Medicity Announce Rapid HIE Implementation Across Four States

Rollout of Medicity Technology Validates Ease of Deployment and Physician Benefits Solution Empowers Vanguard to Manage Deployment of Technology to Community Physicians

Medicity and Vanguard Health Systems, a Nashville-based for-profit IDN with hospitals in Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts and Texas, recently announced their successful partnership in rapidly deploying health information exchange (HIE) technology to physician practices across Vanguard's four regions.

Following a successful deployment in one region in 2009, Vanguard contracted with Medicity to bring the entire health system onto the Novo Grid to improve provider communication and continuity of care across acute and ambulatory settings. Vanguard now has more than 850 physicians active on the Grid across its four regions with approximately 46,000 clinical results, reports and orders moving through the Vanguard system each week.

"We're receiving very positive feedback from our affiliated physician practices in regards to both administrative efficiency and the improved clinical care this solution is having on our mutual patient population," said Deanna L. Wise, Vanguard's Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. "Practices that used to rely on faxes tell us that our web-based result delivery solution reduces paper, streamlines their workflow efforts and therefore lowers their costs. Practices with EHRs say that it's easier to do business with us now that we can exchange data with them directly. We're pleased to offer a single solution that adapts to a wide variety of practice needs, regardless of where they are in the technology adoption spectrum."

Medicity's flexible technology has enabled each Vanguard region to leverage the same technology infrastructure to pursue the implementation strategy best suited to its market. For example, Texas has prioritized result and report delivery to paper-based practices while Massachusetts has focused exclusively on rolling out the Grid implementation for EHR users and is implementing the bidirectional exchange of orders to support lab business. Vanguard is currently exchanging health information with a wide variety of EHRs including eClinicalWorks, GE, Allscripts, MedPlus and athenahealth.

Medicity's implementation program includes training services to empower non-technical users - such as a physician liaison - with the know-how to implement the solution as physician practices gain access to the HIE. Vanguard's physician liaisons are actively employed in expanding the solution rollout throughout its regions.

"Our hospitals are anchors in their respective communities and we are deeply committed to supporting the well-being of our communities," explained Wise. "That means building strong physician partnerships and giving physicians the tools and technology they need to practice efficiently and care for patients."

Wise credited Medicity for creating flexible technology and a well-developed deployment process that has delivered such a rapid return on investment to the hospital system.

"This is the culmination of years of experience working closely with clients to create an easy-to-use process that makes organizations self-sufficient in rolling out the technology," stated Kipp Lassetter, M.D., Medicity's CEO. "That's how we've maintained our ability to grow quickly and maintain a consistently high level of client satisfaction."

About Vanguard Health Systems
Vanguard owns and operates 17 acute care hospitals and complementary facilities and services in Chicago, Illinois; Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; and Massachusetts. Vanguard also owns three managed care health plans: Phoenix Health Plan, a Medicaid managed health plan in Arizona; Abrazo Advantage Health Plan, a managed Medicare and dual-eligible health plan in Arizona; and MacNeal Health Providers, a preferred provider network in Chicago. Vanguard's strategy is to develop locally branded, comprehensive healthcare delivery networks in urban markets. Vanguard pursues acquisitions where there are opportunities to partner with leading delivery systems in urban markets. Upon acquiring a facility or network of facilities, Vanguard implements strategic and operational improvement initiatives, including improving quality of care, expanding services, strengthening relationships with physicians and managed care organizations, recruiting new physicians, and upgrading information systems and other capital equipment. These strategies improve quality and network coverage in a cost effective and accessible manner.

About Medicity
Medicity, the industry standard for health information exchange (HIE), is the leading innovator and largest provider of HIE technology - with more than 700 hospitals and 250,000 physicians in its connected ecosystem. Medicity's solutions empower hospitals, physicians and HIEs with secure access to and exchange of health information - improving the quality and efficiency of patient care locally, regionally and nationally. For more information, visit http://www.medicity.com/.

SOURCE: Medicity and Vanguard Health Systems