Kno2 and ImageTrend announced a partnership to enable emergency medical services and paramedic teams to more quickly and securely send, receive and query for electronic patient information, the companies said Tuesday.
ImageTrend will integrate Kno2’s exchange and interoperability platform with its ImageTrend Elite and Health Information Hub technologies to enable improved exchange of patient documentation between EMS agencies and hospitals.
ImageTrend’s EMS customers can connect to major health networks – via cloud, fax, DirectTrust, Carequality, FHIR – and Kno2 will enable links with hospitals based on their preferences, officials said.
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When patients are transported to the hospital by EMS agencies, acute care information is typically shared either verbally with the emergency department, or, in non-acute cases, sent via fax within 24 hours of patient delivery.
That's a burdensome task that doesn't fit the workflows of either side, as the information must be printed and faxed by the EMS agency and later entered into the hospital’s electronic health record. Moreover, EMS teams must often spend time tracking down information from the hospital – patient names and insurance coverage – so that they can get reimbursed.
This new partnership enables EMS agencies to query vital patient information such as current medications and allergies, allowing them to provide safer care during transport. Once they've delivered the patient to the ED, the teams can then prepare and send the data necessary to complete the record of care and meet regulatory requirements.
When the patient is discharged, the hospital can then relay patient treatment and outcomes data within a C-CDA and deliver it via Direct for timely reimbursement.
"Emergency medical services are truly the frontline of care – and everything happens at high speed," ImageTrend president Mike McBrady said in a statement.
McBrady added that the partnership with Kno2 advances the companies’ shared vision of clinical and administrative efficiencies that improve patient safety.
Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com