Oracle Announces Availability of Oracle Health Sciences Information Manager 1.2 and Oracle Health Sciences Information Gateway 1.2

Oracle Health Sciences (www.oracle.com/us/industries/health-sciences/index.htm) today announced the availability of Oracle Health Sciences Information Manager (www.oracle.com/us/industries/health-sciences/health-sciences-information-manager-411775.html) 1.2 and Oracle Health Sciences Information Gateway (www.oracle.com/us/industries/health-sciences/health-sciences-information-gateway-411780.html) 1.2.

The new releases, both components of Oracle Health Information Exchange (www.oracle.com/us/industries/healthcare/oracle-health-info-exchange-212586.html) , support Nationwide Health Information Network (www.hhs.gov/healthit/healthnetwork/background) (NwHIN) “Direct Project” Secure Health Email (directproject.org/home.php) requirements for protected health information (PHI) sent via the internet. This capability extends the ability of healthcare organizations and government agencies to securely share health data via the internet with both small care providers and consumers.

Specifically, the solutions’ new Secure Health Email feature helps organizations with enterprise email systems to facilitate participation in “Direct Project” health information exchange (HIE). The feature facilitates secure, authenticated communication between consumer-level email services and organizations’ enterprise email systems.

The Secure Health Email feature further enhances Direct Project utility by enabling audit trails of all communications and by making secure health email communication available for selective review and import into electronic health records.

Both Oracle Health Sciences Information Manager and Oracle Health Sciences Information Gateway also support Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (www.ihe.net/) (IHE) and Nationwide Health Information Network (www.hhs.gov/healthit/healthnetwork/background/) (NwHIN) Web service specifications.

Oracle Health Information Exchange is an open standards-based solution that enables healthcare organizations and government agencies to securely manage and share health data across networks. It helps to eliminate the complexity of deploying a HIE by providing a comprehensive and pre-integrated portfolio of products built on a scalable and secure infrastructure.

“The internet offers a powerful and efficient channel for sharing health information between patients, providers and even government agencies. Security concerns, however, cannot be ignored when transmitting protected health information,” said Neil de Crescenzo, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Health Sciences. “The Secure Health Email feature in Oracle Health Information Gateway 1.2 and Oracle Health Sciences Information Manager 1.2 builds on Oracle’s security legacy to give organizations new ways to capitalize on the power of electronic health information to improve care, reduce costs and drive new insight.”

“As costs continue to rise and healthcare providers prepare to serve up to 32 million more insured citizens as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rolls out, healthcare organizations – focused on delivering effective and cost-efficient care – urgently require new tools and technologies that will enable them to improve productivity as well as collaboration, care coordination and referral management,” said Lynne Dunbrack, program director, IDC Health Insights. “Solutions that facilitate the secure exchange of electronic health information, via networks as well as the internet will be vital to the future delivery of quality and affordable care.”