Axolotl has a solution that allows results to be delivered from any Hospital EMR to any and all EMRs. For physician practices that do not currently use EMRs results are delivered a very low cost EMR Lite. This EdgeServer and EMR Lite combination is fitting into existing environments as well as fueling new connectivity initiatives by Hospital Systems … Contact Sam @ Axolotl for more information

MEDSEEK is working with its hospital partners to determine how best to leverage this platform in improving the experience their patients’ have with the organization. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s a start and Microsoft has publicly stated they have the patience and financial resources to see this through. Time will tell, but we’re optimistic.

MedStar Health, with our help, is one of the first health systems to leverage this platform and is offering select cardiology patients the ability to view, store, and share their discharge summaries as they continue their care in the community. Working with Microsoft’s published API, we’ve created a patient-centric application that enables patients to take better control of their information – storing it in their personal HealthVault account while also sharing it with care coordinators, physicians, and visiting nurses through the MedStar patient portal.

Through this model, patients are at the center and, those who are interested and able, can be more active participants in their wellness, not passive observers. Based on this experience, we are working with other hospitals to leverage this platform within their own communities and their continued interest is validating. Hospital executives are realizing the patient’s experience is influenced well before and after their inpatient encounter, and are taking steps and learning lessons of other industries to create a differentiated service offering and positive experience with every touch. There is still much to be done, but at least we’re starting.

As an early entrant to the hospital portal market, we’ve seen a massive migration from ‘brochure-ware’ sites to integrated portals that aggregate consumer and patient information while enabling visitors to interact with the organization in a meaningful way. Hospitals are no longer viewing their web properties as simple promotional vehicles, but as a channel to deploy their patient acquisition and retention strategies, engage and communicate with physicians, improve clinical and business processes, and enable employees to collaborate. Essentially, they are investing in the medium like other industries have in the past.

Certainly MEDSEEK has much to gain from this trend and our continued evangelism is paying off, but ultimately hospitals and their patients have the most to gain.

Hospitals are beginning to recognize the transformative nature their Web experience can have on their community, patient, and physician partners. Early leaders like MedStar Health, Henry Ford, Iowa Health, Edward Health, Delnor Community, Alegent Health, Mount Carmel, and many others are showing the way.

Google is relevant right now in health IT because of health-related search. Google cares about eyeballs and ad revenues. Same for Yahoo. Talk a nice game but until they make a large acquisition of a firm with a “killer app” (most overused term in Health IT due to its complexity and hiccups) or devote a lot more development people to health IT, they will pretty much be on the periphery.