Rush Health adopts new HIE system to improve patient care

Chicago-based Rush Health has made strides to update how it shares electronic health records (EHR) in an effort to better serve its patients.

Rush announced in a statement this week its adoption of the InterSystems HealthShare interoperability platform for collaborative care coordination. The new software will help Rush implement a private health information exchange (HIE), which will allow physicians across the health system view patients’ full medical records. The move will connect primary, specialty, sub-acute and hospital-based providers.

Rush Health has four hospitals, more than 1,100 physician members and 350 non-physician network clinicians, according to the statement. InterSystems, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, creates software platforms for the healthcare, finance and government sectors.

“We are honored that Rush Health has selected HealthShare to provide the foundational technology on which its connected care initiatives depend,” said Joe DeSantis, vice president for HealthShare at InterSystems, in a statement.

Rush chose InterSystem’s platform over others on the market because they believe InterSystem offers the best solution as a centralized health information hub. It will give Rush providers access to patients’ medication, tests and procedures, which will allow for better and more efficient care.

“Implementation of our HIE is critical to Rush Health’s transition to value-based care,” said Rush CEO Brent Estes in a statement. “It will serve as the hub for all care coordination activities, triggered by real-time monitoring of quality, resource use and cost. It will fill in any gaps in our members’ EHRs.”