CAP Becomes IHE Laboratory Domain Sponsoring Organization

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Northfield, Ill. and Oak Brook, Ill. (Vocus) May 25, 2010 -- Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise International, Incorporated (IHE) has named the College of American Pathologists (CAP) as the primary Sponsoring Organization of the IHE Laboratory Domain.

Healthcare and industry professionals globally initiated IHE to improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information. IHE brings together healthcare information technology stakeholders to implement standards for communicating patient information efficiently. The CAP, a leader in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine, includes a division devoted to assist clients pursuing semantic interoperability for electronic health records (EHRs) and other applications.

The IHE-CAP collaboration will accelerate the process for defining health IT standards and promote health IT interoperability for the laboratory—complementing efforts in many countries to create national EHR systems.

"We are thrilled to have the CAP becoming a sponsor of the IHE Laboratory Domain," said David S. Mendelson, co-chair of the IHE International Board and professor of Radiology and chief of Clinical Informatics at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York. "The clinical laboratory has been a critical part of IHE's expansion across the spectrum of care and it will be very beneficial to have such an important stakeholder organization driving the adoption of interoperability standards in that domain."

The CAP, as the primary Laboratory Domain Sponsor, will be responsible for supporting domain operations, including the development, publication, and maintenance of IHE Technical Frameworks. Technical Frameworks are globally recognized specifications for the implementation of standards to achieve effective systems interoperability. One issue the Laboratory Domain will address in 2010-2011 is the next generation of Laboratory Device Automation. The CAP has more than 40 years of experience in healthcare terminology standards development, resulting in the creation of SNOMED Clinical Terms® (SNOMED CT®). Its SNOMED Terminology Solutions (www.cap.org/DIHIT) Division (STS) leads CAP’s standards and health IT initiatives through its Diagnostic Intelligence and Health Information Technology (DIHIT) team. CAP members and DIHIT staff will represent the CAP in the IHE collaboration.

“The CAP’s clinical and technical expertise in health IT, paired with our long-standing relationships with key stakeholders worldwide, will greatly enhance the development of the Laboratory Domain,” said Kevin Donnelly, CAP STS vice president and general manager. “Our goal is to ultimately improve patient outcomes through interoperable health IT systems that provide data to assist in diagnoses, clinical decision support, and improvements throughout the healthcare system.”

“We are pleased to support the IHE in the Clinical Lab Domain. This emphasizes the importance of pathologist stakeholders’ input to improve quality of care in supporting the pathologist’s role as being central to the patient care team,” said David L. Booker, MD, FCAP, chairman of Pathology, Trinity Hospital, Augusta, Ga. Dr. Booker is a member of the DIHIT Committee, CAP liaison to the IHE Anatomic Pathology Technical Committee, and the co-Chair of the Health Level Seven International (HL7) Anatomic Pathology Work Group (APWG).

The IHE works to promote interoperability in health IT through coordinated adoption of appropriate standards and supports the activities of other domains, such as Cardiology, Radiology, and the Laboratory and IT Infrastructure. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) sponsors IHE.

About CAP STS

SNOMED Terminology Solutions™ (STS), a division of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), is the leading organization in pursuing semantic interoperability for electronic health records by offering customized best-practice terminology implementation and education services.

Our goal is to ultimately improve patient care through supporting the pathologist’s role as chief diagnostician/clinical care advisor and advancing interoperable EHRs. The Diagnostic Intelligence and Health Information Technology (DIHIT), a department within CAP STS, is committed to advancing health IT standards, practices, and tools, such as the CAP Diagnostic Work Station initiative; and standardized electronic reporting, including the CAP electronic Cancer Checklists (CAP eCC). The CAP is a medical society that serves more than 17,000 physician members and the laboratory community throughout the world. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of board-certified pathologists and is widely recognized as the leader in laboratory quality assurance. The CAP is an advocate for high-quality and cost-effective patient care. For more information, visit www.cap.org/DIHIT or write to snomedsolutions@cap.org.

About IHE

Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) is a global initiative dedicated to advancing health information technology by achieving standards-based interoperability. IHE brings together stakeholders to implement standards to address critical information sharing needs. Through its proven process of collaborative development, testing, demonstration and implementation, IHE accelerates the real-world deployment of effective electronic health record systems. For more information, visit www.ihe.net.

SNOMED CT® is a copyrighted work of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation. ©2002-2010 International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO®). All rights reserved. SNOMED CT® was originally created by the College of American Pathologists. “SNOMED,” “SNOMED CT,” and IHTSDO are registered trademarks of the IHTSDO. All other trademarks used in this document are the property of their respective owners.

CAP STS CONTACT

Candace Robertson    

847-832-7764

IHE CONTACT

Chris Carr

630-368-3739

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