ONC Interoperabilty Pledge

You may have seen a recent announcement from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) showcasing healthcare technology vendors’ commitment to interoperability and information sharing. Netsmart is a long-time leader in automating and connecting behavioral health and social services communities and their acute and primary care partners; and over the last 18 months, we’ve been investing in the same technology for post-acute providers.

Our powerful Netsmart network allows more than 560,000 providers across 25,000 organizations to share information with each other to enable whole-person care for more than 25 million individuals.

Here are some fast facts about our Netsmart network.

• The network connects the nation’s largest health and human services and long-term care/post-acute care provider networks.
• There have been more than 1 million connections made through the network.
• There are more than 1,300 labs connected for electronic diagnostic testing.
• More than 10 million clinical transactions per year are facilitated through the Netsmart network.
• Netsmart is a founding member of Carequality and currently has numerous clients live on the network.
• Network participants have access to an integrated direct secure message platform with a national provider directory.
• The Netsmart network leverages open application program interface (API), including Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) to promote safe, secure, quick integration.
• The network facilitates electronic transitions of care and referrals with hospitals, health systems and primary care networks.
• Emergency department alert notifications give providers real-time information to allow them to more proactively manage their populations.
• The Netsmart network integrates with state prescription drug monitoring.

We are proud to be part of the ONC’s efforts to connect technology systems to achieve open, connected care for all of our communities. To further these goals, I wanted to share some highlights from our interoperability pledge to advance this connectivity to enable the free movement of data. You can find the full text of the Netsmart pledge here.

Consumer access
We empower consumers, patients and their families with access to their clinical and medical data, and tools and education to promote healthier living. Our consumer engagement solution enables secure communication with their care teams, access to resources and evidence-based content, and the ability to safely and securely share healthcare information with other care providers/stakeholders.

No blocking/transparency

Our connected care technology enables authorized data to be shared openly across networks and with any provider, organization or individual that has a right to access. Our advocacy at the state and federal levels promotes policies and technology standards that enable behavioral health and addiction treatment data to be shared with the rest of healthcare with the appropriate patient consent. This approach encompasses a holistic view of an individual’s care, both physical and behavioral, to enable fully-informed care with improved outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

Standards

Netsmart has established the largest post-acute and human services network in the U.S., with more than 1 million connections across providers. We are also a founder and implementer of Carequality, the consortium that enables seamless connectivity across a nationwide framework. We have participated in the Argonaut Project to align API standards with FHIR resources, promoting innovation and data integration. We are committed to continued collaboration with other stakeholders in the industry to highlight best practices in interoperability and facilitate inclusion and participation across healthcare.