4medica, provider of a cloud and SaaS-based clinical integration platform, announced Wednesday it will be joining forces with Kodak to help hospitals and physicians efficiently digitize clinical data.
The solution they'll offer will help healthcare providers achieve a consistently complete electronic health record (EHR), facilitate health information exchange and qualify for financial incentives for meaningful use, officials said.
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Kodak will combine its KODAK i2800 Scanner with 4medica's Integrated Health Record (IHR) solution to create an accessible records management offering for the healthcare community.
Using the joint solution, hospital staff and physicians can scan and convert referrals, authorizations, HIPAA patient health information consent forms, clinical notes and other documents from paper into an electronic format, according to a spokesperson for Kodak.
Users can then upload the e-documents to 4medica's IHR modular platform to complete a patient's current inpatient EHR. The users can also build an enterprise-wide, patient-centric record by connecting to the hospital information system and ancillary applications such as laboratory, radiology and pathology.
Jody Miller, Kodak's business development director of health solutions said the combined solution offers an accessible alternative for providers who are unable to invest in a costly EHR system or still demand paper at some level.
"The solution helps doctors realize the advantages of digitized medicine by capturing and transmitting scanned data to 4medica's powerful IHR," Miller said. "The results are improved workflow efficiencies and care coordination. Hospitals and doctors have the flexibility to develop a comprehensive patient record to demonstrate meaningful use until they are able to embrace full automation."
4medica also announced it is working with MMRGlobal (MMRF) to incorporate the MMR Personal Health Record (PHR) into 4medica products and services.
MMR's PHR software, together with 4medica and Kodak's document imaging solutions, will improve patients' access to medical-related information, the company statement said. Kodak and MMRGlobal continue to work with other developers to streamline the exchange of information between healthcare providers and their patients.
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"To be meaningful use compliant, you must have a complete, comprehensive record in conjunction with being able to share data securely and seamlessly with other providers," said Oleg Bess, MD, 4medica's CEO and chairman.
"We are pleased to collaborate with Kodak to fulfill this immediate need through reliable scanning and IHR tools that help meet time-sensitive ARRA guidelines," Bess said. "Our easy-to-use solution eases the journey to attaining a fully functional EHR and can be rapidly implemented with minimal upfront costs."
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