The CommonWell Health Alliance continues to grow, having announced the addition of four new members this week.
The members include two healthcare IT companies and two health information exchange (HIE) entities. The vendors include Chicago-based Caremerge, which provides a cloud-based coordination platform for payers, payers, and patients and Dallas-based T-System, an electronic health record provider for emergency departments. The other two new members are Michigan Health Information Network Shared Sevices (MiHIN) and Texas Health Services Authority (THSA).
“From a technology perspective, interoperability is possible today; the real need is for vendors to band together and eliminate existing barriers to make it achievable at scale,” Roger Davis, T-System chief executive officer said in a statement. “We have a strong belief in the value of interoperability and a commitment to achieving interoperable systems that allow clinical entities to work better together so providers have the essential tools to deliver the best possible care to the patient. Rallying alongside CommonWell and partnering with other industry leaders was a logical next step to get more involved and drive change.”
Since it's start at the 2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference, CommonWell has continued to add new members, despite opposition from Epic Systems, one of the biggest health IT vendors in the industry. In April, MEDITECH, Merge and Kareo joined the group as contributing members, while PointClickCare and Surgical Information Systems (SIS) joined as general members.
