Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) Names ABILITY Network as Electronic Messaging Services Provider

ABILITY to provide secure, Direct-enabled health information exchange to Wisconsin medical providers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ABILITY Network Inc™, provider of the nation’s largest and most secure web-based health network, was recently named by the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) as its vendor to provide secure electronic messaging services for Wisconsin medical providers. As such, ABILITY will enable the secure exchange of health information data between physicians, clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, labs and others via WISHIN Direct.

ABILITY Network was selected based on its previous success with industry-leading initiatives aimed at advancing the use of Direct-enabled communication. In January of this year, the company was the first in the nation to demonstrate a live, secure transaction of immunization data using Direct Project protocols. Registration information for WISHIN Direct will be available on the WISHIN website in August, and service will be active in September to allow hospitals to comply with HIE-related Meaningful Use criteria before the end of the federal fiscal year.

“We look forward to working with ABILITY to provide secure health information exchange to all Wisconsin-based medical providers and health care organizations via WISHIN Direct,” said Joe Kachelski, WISHIN CEO. “When healthcare providers refer their patients to another provider or when patients transition from one place of care to another, information can be electronically shared to help inform and coordinate the patient’s care.”

The Direct Project, sponsored by The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), specifies a simple, secure, scalable, standards-based way for participants to send authenticated, encrypted health information directly to known, trusted recipients over the Internet. It seeks to benefit patients and providers by improving the transport of health information, making it faster, more secure, and less expensive.

“The opportunity to work with WISHIN to benefit the delivery of healthcare in Wisconsin is not only a great honor, but a great opportunity for us to be a part of a progressive health information exchange platform such as WISHIN,” said Mark Briggs, ABILITY CEO. "We have worked hard over the past year to support and lead initiatives around raising awareness for direct data exchange for healthcare, and this selection is another positive step towards this cause and, ultimately, towards advancing the quality of healthcare delivery.”

WISHIN is a non-profit organization founded by the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Medical Society, the Wisconsin Collaborative for Health Care Quality, and the Wisconsin Health Information Organization. The organization was selected in 2010 by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to lead the effort to develop a statewide system of health information exchange.

To learn more about the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) please visit www.wishin.org or call 608-274-1820.

For more information about ABILITY, or to join an on-line meeting, please visit www.abilitynetwork.com or contact [email protected].

About the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN)

The Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) is leading the way to enable Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Wisconsin. As the state designated entity for HIE, WISHIN is working to create a network of networks that will give health care providers a secure system to access medical information where they need it — when they need it.

About ABILITY Network™

ABILITY works to save lives by facilitating information exchange and knowledge-sharing among every participant within the healthcare spectrum – hospitals, physician practices, home care providers, DMEs, and private and government payers – as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In use for more than a decade in more than 3,000 hospitals across the country, ABILITY’s network supports healthcare decision makers in their quest to promote care coordination and collaboration, reduce record fragmentation, participate in new and emerging care models, and access the Direct Project network and state and community-based Health Information Exchanges (HIEs).



CONTACT:

KNB Communications
Emma Douglas, 203-504-8230 ext. 107
[email protected]
or
ABILITY Network
Geri Martin, 612-277-3941
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Minnesota  Wisconsin

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Technology  Data Management  Internet  Networks  Software  Practice Management  Health  Hospitals  General Health

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