The CommonWell Health Alliance, a nonprofit that aims to enable data sharing in healthcare, rolled out a new way for health IT vendors and healthcare providers to connect to its nationwide interoperability network.
The CommonWell Connector program, unveiled Feb. 5, allows CommonWell members with integration platforms and services to offer CommonWell services to their customers.
"The CommonWell network enables participating practitioners to meaningfully engage in data exchange to provide the best care possible for their patients," said Jitin Asnaani, CommonWell Health Alliance executive director. "With this new option, organizations interested in connecting to CommonWell, such as EHRs, can dramatically reduce the development effort required to connect to the CommonWell network and enable their clients to participate in — and derive value from — this data sharing."
EHR and other health IT vendors will not be required to become a CommonWell member or certify their products on the CommonWell network in order to participate in the Connector program. Instead, certified CommonWell members will serve as the intermediary for the connection.
"As a CommonWell Connector, InterSystems will enable users of our HealthShare suite of connected health solutions to utilize a vast network of clinical data," Don Woodlock, vice president of HealthShare at InterSystems, said in a news release. "Doing so gives a more comprehensive view of the patient and drives care toward the triple aim of improving the health of populations, reducing the cost of care, and improving the patient's overall experience."