eClinicalWorks has integrated with CMS' Blue Button 2.0, an open application programming interface tool.
CMS launched the API to allow third-party apps and services to connect to and make sense of Medicare claims data. During the agency's Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference in August, CMS Administrator Seema Verma highlighted potential uses for apps developed with the Blue Button 2.0 API, such as flagging harmful drug-drug interactions or alerting clinicians if a patient has already received a certain test.
eClinicalWorks said it will use its connection to the Blue Button 2.0 API to support "consumer-directed exchange," which it defines as facilitating patient access to health data to help inform their care decisions.
The Blue Button 2.0 API connection, announced Oct. 5, is one of a few recent interoperability initiatives from eClinicalWorks. That same day, the company unveiled Prizma, a health information search engine integrated within the eClinicalWorks EHR. With Prizma, providers can search for patient data across various networks, such as CommonWell, Carequality and the Blue Button 2.0 API.
"The internet contains a wealth of information, and search engines play a critical role by organizing and presenting relevant information," Girish Navani, CEO and cofounder of eClinicalWorks, said in a news release. "Prizma is the solution that very effectively searches, organizes and presents relevant patient data, revolutionizing the availability of information and transforming how it is displayed."