SOURCE: Axolotl Corporation; Nebraska Health Information Initiative

July 08, 2008 13:30 ET

Nebraska Teams With Axolotl to Provide Secure Statewide Electronic Health Information Exchange

Axolotl's Elysium® Exchange Will 'Enable a Healthier Nebraska,' Says Lt. Governor Sheehy

OMAHA, NE and SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - July 8, 2008) - The Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII), a statewide healthcare collaborative, has selected Axolotl Corp. of San Jose as the technology partner to deploy a Health Information Exchange (HIE) to improve healthcare quality and efficiency across Nebraska.

"We're pleased Axolotl's advanced healthcare technology will be part of our efforts to create a healthier Nebraska," said Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy, a NeHII board member. "Healthcare providers across Nebraska will be able to securely exchange information via this new Web-based platform."

NeHII is a statewide health information organization (HIO) with board representation from physicians, hospitals, health plans and state government. Axolotl is the country's leading HIE technology vendor; its Elysium® product suite has been enabling successful healthcare collaboratives around the country since 1995.

"Security and functionality are key concerns in developing this communication tool and Axolotl offers the best solution. It combines multiple layers of security with an easy-to-use format that will help physicians and other users share information," added Sheehy.

"Axolotl will be an important partner as Nebraska moves forward to promote increased adoption and use of information technology in healthcare," said NeHII President Harris A. Frankel, MD. The Omaha-based neurologist and NeHII board member said he believes "implementation of this Health Information Exchange will allow the aggregation of healthcare data at the point of care -- improving the efficiency and quality of care delivery, increasing patient safety by reducing the opportunity for medical errors, and helping to eliminate waste related to unnecessary/duplicative tests."

"With appropriate patient consent, physicians will be able to access patient demographics, medications, allergies, test results and more -- via a simple yet secure Internet connection -- increasing the likelihood of physicians like myself doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason. While this technology offers great value to many stakeholders, ultimately it is our patients who will benefit most."

"We applaud NeHII on its efforts to improve healthcare in Nebraska -- everyone in the state will benefit. Such foresight and action help raise the bar for patient care throughout the United States," said Axolotl CEO Ray Scott.

During the pilot phase, the Elysium Exchange will connect several Omaha hospitals, clinics, physician offices, radiology centers, reference labs and pharmacies. Once the pilot is complete, the HIE will be rolled out to healthcare entities across the state.

"We've selected a terrific partner and industry-leading vendor who can quickly enable secure exchange of health information in our region," noted NeHII Interim Executive Director Deb Bass. "We are excited about the potential for all Nebraskans." Bass is president and CEO of Bass & Associates, the company charged with managing vendor selection and the implementation process.

About NeHII

The nonprofit Nebraska Health Information Initiative -- a patient-centric statewide health information organization -- was incorporated in 2008 following many years of progress as a physician-driven collaborative of healthcare organizations. The ultimate goal of NeHII, Inc., is to better serve patients by creating a comprehensive network of information-sharing between clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and other providers. Stakeholders in this endeavor come from hospitals, insurance companies, physicians, medical associations, and other healthcare participants from across the state.

On the Net: NeHII site: www.nitc.state.ne.us/eHc/clearing/NeHII.html

About Axolotl

Founded in 1995, Axolotl Corp. is North America's leading provider of browser-based products and services for secure health information exchange and management. Its award-winning Elysium® Exchange suite enables healthcare providers to instantly share information, reduce costs, and improve quality and efficiency.

Today Elysium helps thousands of healthcare entities -- including hospitals, health systems, regional health information organizations (RHIOs/HIOs), clinics, laboratories, radiology centers and physician practices -- securely exchange clinical information for more than 25 million patients. Elysium's community-wide Master Patient Index, EdgeServer(s), Interoperability Hub, Virtual Health Record, and EMR Lite with integrated e-prescribing are all provided as a software service. In addition, Axolotl-employed U.S.-based transcriptionists provide high-quality medical transcription services, rapid turnaround and total billing transparency using Elysium technology for report delivery.

Axolotl is based in San Jose and best known for introducing Clinical Messaging®, now at the heart of all health information exchange.

On the Net: Axolotl site: www.axolotl.com