Your Interoperability Strategy Should Grow With You
Guest post by Craig Luce, EHR Integration Services
Your interoperability strategy should grow with you. When it doesn’t, you might not even realize that you’re dependent on technology partners, for continuing support. In the case of Allscripts, Microsoft servers have had a big role in strategic changes for the Allscripts customers which has led to a continuously moving target when it comes to an interoperability strategy.
Allscripts customers are asking a lot of questions about interoperability and many remain confused about the direction they should take. We support many clinics and hospital systems on Allscripts EHR systems, and we anticipate helping even more as Allscripts customers realize their EHR interoperability needs are at the forefront once again.
Allscripts’ Interoperability History
In 2013, Allscripts announced they were dropping support for their ConnectR integration product, which was being replaced by a product from Orion called Rhapsody. Unfortunately, four years later, Allscripts is no longer recommending Rhapsody and their overall integration strategy remains unclear. Meanwhile, the need to replace ConnectR is becoming more urgent. Why?
1) Legacy Microsoft Servers Challenge Allscripts’ Interoperability
Legacy Microsoft platforms, such as Windows 2003 Server, are non-HIPPA compliant and vulnerable to ransomware and other attacks, due to the fact that Microsoft ended support for these platforms in 2015. ConnectR (and DataConnect) were never certified to operate on Microsoft’s 2008 servers (which will also no longer be supported in 2020), but have been configured to work on this platform. However, as part of this transition and lack of certification, some components of the application don’t always work perfectly in the Microsoft 2008 environment.
2) Workarounds Aren’t Always Dependable
Building more software to keep legacy applications functional can result in unexpected data interruptions. These data interruptions can be as simple as a missed appointment status update – which results in lost revenue as the appointment record is what starts the billing cycle. Workarounds are no longer dependable when patient accessibility; safety and data security are at risk.
Deploying Allscripts Interoperability With Confidence
Many of our clients are being told Allscripts’ latest interoperability solution is going to take up to nine months to implement. That’s where our long-term partnership with Qvera kicks in. Our process is extremely efficient and fast. We can deploy in weeks vs months or years.
In the interface and interoperability world, EHR Integration Services excels at recommending and implementing strategic interoperability solutions that will move with our clients as they change and grow. And, no one builds better interoperability software than Qvera.
When a third of all clinics in this country move EHRs every few years, it’s critical that their interoperability strategy is rock solid and based on a platform agnostic interoperability engine that sets the standard for quality and service – like Qvera’s Interface Engine.
Our Values-Based Partnership: Family, Faith and Fun
When we met at a conference more than seven years ago, what was clear from our first conversation was that Qvera wanted to build software, not services, and we wanted to provide services, not build software. It just made sense for us to explore a partnership. And the more we both explored how we might work together; I think we both realized how much we shared in common.
And we’ve worked well together ever since, enjoying our partnership, collaborating to support EHR vendors like Allscripts and better serve their customers’ interoperability service and strategy needs.
To me, partnership is about family, faith and fun. It’s important to me to match more than our business models; we have to match our business and personal values.
I started my career as a coder. Knowing what Qvera’s vision was and knowing the marketplace, I could tell Qvera was on the right path even in the early days of interoperability. Web services were brand new concepts seven years ago and Qvera had already built them into the Qvera Interface Engine (QIE), for example.
They are leaders, not followers. In healthcare, some standards are geared for developer/coder types. Some are set up for logical/analytical types. Qvera offers the best of both worlds. The product gives both coders and analysts clarity with their visual interface engine – Qvera takes interoperability capabilities to the next level.
“In early 2015, we made the decision to migrate all of our interfaces from ConnectR to Qvera Interface Engine (QIE). Working closely with EHR Integration Services, we migrated most of our ConnectR interfaces in 3-months, including the addition of 2 new clinical applications. We feel like we have control of our IT strategy again!”
John Grey
MHA IT Director – Murfreesboro Medical Group
Download our Five Reasons to Consider QIE to Replace ConnectR to pass along to your business partners.
