Sharp HealthCare deploys Allscripts Community Record for all employed physicians

Allscripts (Nasdaq: MDRX) today announced that Sharp HealthCare has selected the Allscripts Community Record, provided in partnership with dbMotion, to deliver end-to-end connectivity across the health system. Using the Allscripts solution, Sharp's caregivers and those in affiliated physician practices will have shared access to a single, unified patient record, bridging gaps that often exist between hospital-based and office-based care.  

Sharp, recipient of the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest Presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence, is a not-for-profit integrated healthcare delivery system based in San Diego with more than 14,000 employees and 2,600 affiliated physicians.  The Sharp system includes four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, two affiliated medical groups and a health plan.

"We are excited that our long-term partnership with Allscripts has now been expanded to create a truly interoperable, connected health care environment," said Bill Spooner, Chief Information Officer of Sharp and recipient of the HIMSS-CHIME "CIO of the Year" Award for 2009. "Our goals for clinical excellence can only be met by ensuring that our physicians have access to a comprehensive patient record that reflects meaningfully harmonized data from all care points throughout both the acute and community environments. This single patient record significantly enhances our ability to provide the best care possible for San Diego area residents."

Sharp has deployed the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) for all of its employed physicians.  The EHR, which automates everyday clinical processes and connects providers to each other and to all healthcare stakeholders via the Internet, forms the basis of the Allscripts Community Record. Sharp also utilizes the Allscripts Care Management solution in all of its hospitals, and the health system's five post-acute facilities use the Allscripts Referral Management solution to capture electronic patient referrals from the Care Management solution.

The Allscripts Community Record connects Allscripts systems and clinical systems from other vendors in the community, creating a single community patient record that is available across all care settings. The Allscripts solution is the cornerstone for a health information exchange, initially comprised of Sharp and its affiliated practices, which will pave the way for efficient connected healthcare in the region.

"The Allscripts Community Record breaks down the 'walls' between acute and ambulatory IT systems as well as competitive systems, giving caregivers seamless access through their daily workflow to a single virtual patient record shared across the community," said Glen Tullman, Chief Executive Officer of Allscripts.  "Providing caregivers with their patient's medical history including medications, allergies, and other critical information, in a comprehensive and meaningful way is crucial to improving our healthcare system and the quality of care. It's good for patients and it's good for healthcare."