Providence-based LighthouseMD announced a partnership last week with East Side Clinical Laboratory, one of the largest lab networks in southern New England, that will allow its customers to access electronic lab results in real time.
Under the deal, LighthouseMD’s CareTracker Practice Management and Clinical System – a Web-based medical records system – will connect with East Side’s lab information system, so lab results will be received electronically and stored in CareTracker.
The enhancement is expected to boost the appeal of CareTracker, which Lighthouse says it’s ready to offer on a wide scale after successful tests in several medical practices.
In Rhode Island and nationwide, there’s a push to adopt electronic medical records, with built-in access to lab and imaging results. Those who already have such systems, such as doctors within the Lifespan health care system, for example, are viewed as having an edge.
LighthouseMD’s new CareTracker system, a Web-based program that integrates medical records with other practice management applications, allows doctors to access patient information from any computer with an Internet connection.
William Scatchard III, executive vice president of marketing for LighthouseMD, said the program will file normal test results automatically in the patient’s medical record. But any test results that require the doctor’s attention are highlighted.
“From a safety perspective, if anything is perceived as abnormal, we would highlight it,” Scatchard said. “So if someone where to run a query and look, they would see the red and know that that’s lab they need to take action on.”
No reinterpretation of data is done in the process, Scatchard said, adding that the results are completely accurate.
All the data is contained on two sites, one in Providence and one in Andover, Mass. The application only requires that users have Internet Explorer on their computer to access their information, he said. No large investments in hardware or software are required, which the company says will reduce costs and simplify deployment for multi-site practices.
The agreement with East Side Clinical marks the first wide offering to LighthouseMD’s 400 customers, who are located in 16 states. Several companies had previously used the CareTracker system in its test phase and were pleased with the results, Scatchard said.
He also said he hopes more companies will utilize services like CareTracker more once electronic health records become more common.
“The hope would be that this would compliment the clinical work flow for many of our clients,” Scatchard said. “Many of our clients will find that the ability to integrate directly with a lab for real-time results… will benefit their clinical ability to treat patients.”
East Side Clinical Laboratory is an independent, full-service lab with more than 50 locations throughout southern New England. The lab handles more than 3,000 patients a day and serves as the exclusive provider of lab services to BlueCHiP for Medicare, a coordinated care plan offered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
“Providing our physician customers with secure and convenient access to lab results supports our mission of delivering the highest standards of quality and service,” said Harold Caldarone, senior vice president of marketing at the lab, in a news release. “We are pleased to partner with LighthouseMD and look forward to making this service available to our shared customer base.”
