HealtheMountaineer PHR project overview

1. HOME ABOUT US CAPABILITIES EXPERIENCE CONTRACT VEHICLES RESOURCES CAREERS
Capabilities Health Data Management Personal Health Records Project Overview
Project History
Personal Health Records
Medicaid Transformation Grant
Electronic Medical Records
This initiative originally started through funding provided by Medicaid
Health Information Exchange and the state of West Virginia. West Virginia’s Department of Health
and Human Resources was awarded a Medicaid Transformation Grant
Health Data Extraction in 2007. This funding was subsequently awarded to Shepherd
University, partnered with KRM Associates Inc. Under the grant, there
were three elements these two organizations collaborated on:
Additional Projects
An evaluation of the existing status of Electronic Medical Record (EMR)s within the state of West
Virginia, and a comparison of features and functionality of implemented solutions.
The development and deployment of a Personal Health Record (PHR) system as a proof of
concept.
A proof of concept demonstration of an Electronic Medical Record interacting with a Personal
Health Record through a Health Information Exchange.
The overarching goal of this project was to establish a baseline understanding of Electronic Medical
Records throughout the state, and use this information to develop a model for the advancement of EMR
technology. Through this exercise the unique needs of West Virginia could be addressed.
EMR Ev aluation PHR Dev elopm ent Integration
In approaching the Personal Health Record component of their proof of concept, KRM’s initial
intention was to leverage an existing PHR solution, also developed by Department of Veteran’s
Affairs, titled “MyHealtheVet”. This highly successful and award winning PHR provides critical
patient services to veterans, and has been lauded as an benchmark for the industry. However,
upon a technical assessment of the solution, it was determined MyHealtheVet was too tethered
to the VA’s Vista EMR to make a publicly interoperable installation of this solution too difficult to
merit the time and effort.
The decision was instead made to develop and deploy an internally created solution. Through
this approach, the solution’s interoperability with the open-source community could be assured.
Additionally, through working with medical staff, both patient and provider needs could be
addressed to assist the project in its relevance and growth.
To provide an adoptable and sustainable solution, KRM recognized that patient and provider
feedback in an ongoing manner would be of critical importance. In beginning project design, KRM
and Shepherd University reached out to various resources in the state of West Virginia, including
prior Veteran’s Administration employees involved in the MyHealtheVet program. Through
working with this staff, KRM was able to leverage lessons learned from the MyHealtheVet
initiative in their product design. Additionally, by working with clinicians and medical
professionals within the
state, the product has
been developed with their
ongoing appraisal and
input to guide the project
towards meaningful
functionality.
To ensure interoperability,
KRM examined standards
emerging throughout the
industry relative to
document formats and
exchange protocols. By
conforming to federally
provided guidelines, the
solution could exist on a
standard capable of
interacting with nearly any
medical system. In
selecting an EMR format to
conform to, KRM used the
standards set forward by
the Certification
Commission for Health

2. Commission for Health
Information Technology
(CCHIT). Within this
context and for this
specific pilot, the continuity
of care record (CCR)
standard was selected for
its robust architechture and XML-extensible format. For information exchange, this format is also
well suited for transfer using the NHIN CONNECT standards.
This product needed to be widely adoptable in order to function in West Virginia, so the decision
was made to build this project in non-licensed technologies. Currently, the installation exists
with a MySQL database back-end, accompanied by Java-based middle tier and front end. By
using widely adopted and low-cost technologies, the solution could provide a more readily
distributable and affordable alternative in the healthcare technology market. This project, upon
completion, will be furnished to the healthcare community as an open-source solution.
Copyright © 2010 KRM Associates Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms Of Use Privacy Statement
);