Maryland's state-designated organization for health information exchange, the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP), will use Axolotl Corp.'s network services for the state's exchange technical infrastructure.
The Maryland Health Care Commission picked CRISP, a private, non-profit health IT organization, to establish the statewide health information exchange (HIE). The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) awarded CRISP a $9.3 million grant as part of the state HIE program under the HITECH Act.
CRISP will build the statewide HIE in phases, starting with the delivery of a range of clinical information including lab results, radiology and other transcribed reports, said David Horrocks, CRISP president.
Using a certified electronic medical record (EMR), Maryland providers will be able to exchange information with other participants on Axolotl's Elysium Exchange network over an Internet connection. Axolotl will also provide physicians access to aggregated patient data from across the continuum of care through a virtual health record.
When completed, the Maryland HIE will link 47 acute care hospitals, 7,907 physician practices, public health organizations, independent lab and radiology centers, pharmacies and the nationwide health information network (NHIN), a set of standards and services to share data securely over the Internet.
ONC also recently selected CRISP as the health IT regional extension center (REC) for Maryland with a $5.5 million grant over four years. The extension center will help primary care physicians throughout the state deploy electronic medical records.
Axolotl operates other statewide HIEs in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah and the HealthBridge exchange in Cincinnati.
