Using vaccination guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the tool is designed to aid physician practices in achieving population health objectives.
“Today the average doctor in the U.S. manages more than 2,000 patients whose health information is locked in a paper record,” said Practice Fusion Founder and CEO Ryan Howard in the news release. “Most have no ability to look across their patients to see who is in need of CDC-recommended vaccinations. With our visibility into 80 million patient visits this year, Practice Fusion now acts as a partner with our provider community to help in the identification of those patients that are recommended for vaccination while they are in the office, ultimately helping to improve care for millions of patients.”
This partnership with Practice Fusion is not Merck’s first foray into health IT. The company’s Global Health Innovation Fund makes it a major investor in health IT startups, and Merck has innovation-focused partnerships with UnitedHealth Group and Boston Children’s Hospital, according to Forbes.
Practice Fusion’s free, cloud-based EHR system is used by 112,000 clinicians, representing more than 80 million patients.
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