Rhode Island Regional Extension Center Selects ABILITY Network as Health Information Service Provider (HISP) Vendor

ABILITY one of four HISPs designated to offer Direct-enabled e-mail to RI providers

MINNEAPOLIS--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--ABILITY Network Inc™, the nation’s largest and most secure web-based health network, has recently been accepted by the Rhode Island Regional Extension Center (RI REC), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety and value of healthcare in Rhode Island, as a Health Information Service Provider (HISP) Vendor. HISPs are responsible for the secure transaction of health information delivered via Direct-enabled e-mail, and ABILITY is one of four pre-qualified HISPs available through RI REC.

“We have been committed to the Direct Project since its inception”

This select group of vendors offers pre-negotiated discounted pricing for healthcare professionals who are members of RI REC, one of 62 RECs across the country and the first to offer HISPs within its market. The RI Regional Extension Center evaluates and pre-qualifies all vendors and technical service consultants based on business stability, strategy to meet meaningful use objectives, and experience in the RI healthcare market.

“Being recognized by RI REC as a reputable HISP vendor is a great honor and opportunity for ABILITY,” said Mark Briggs, ABILITY CEO. “It is our goal to provide the delivery of secure, encrypted, verified health information, ensuring the security of patient data and leading to substantial improvements in patient care, as outlined by current healthcare reform initiatives.”

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. As vendors in a brand new industry, HISPs play an important role in delivering important clinical information via Direct from one care provider to another.

Designed to be a scalable and affordable solution for practices of all sizes, Direct replaces less secure communication methods, promotes a simple means of exchange between PCPs and specialists, and can facilitate the adoption of Stage 1 Meaningful Use around the electronic exchange of clinical information. ABILITY was the first vendor in the nation to demonstrate a live Direct-enabled transaction, sending an immunization update from Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis to the Minnesota State Department of Health.

“We have been committed to the Direct Project since its inception,” said Ken Berry, Director, REC Program Management, Rhode Island Quality Institute. “By bringing certified HISP vendors into our vendor marketplace, we are proud to further this valuable healthcare initiative within the state and offer a service for Rhode Island’s providers that will assist them in sharing secure health information and achieving their achievement of Meaningful Use.”

To learn more about the Rhode Island Regional Extension Center (RI REC) please visit www.DocEHRtalk.org.

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

About the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI)
Founded in 2001, the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) is a collaboration of leaders in the Rhode Island community who share the intent to substantively improve the healthcare system in the state. The collaboration includes CEOs of hospitals, health insurers, and businesses, along with leaders of consumer groups, academia, and government. RIQI’s mission is to significantly improve the quality, safety, and value of health care in Rhode Island. RIQI is the Governor-designated sole Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) for Rhode Island, chosen to coordinate the statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE). As the RHIO, RIQI is charged with bringing together health care stakeholders within the state and governing HIE among them for the purpose of improving health outcomes in the community. For more information, visit www.RIQI.org.

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).