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Medical-Objects to roll out SMD-compliant Capricorn eHealth software vendor Medical-Objects has been listed on NEHTA’s product register for the secure messaging requirement of the eHealth Practice Incentives Program (ePIP) for its Capricorn secure messaging product. Medical-Objects will transition its entire network infrastructure to the SMD standard – starting with the rollout of Capricorn v3.0 – this month. The secure messaging requirement ensures that listed products comply with the Secure Message Delivery (SMD) standard, which will help enable interconnectivity between messaging and clinical software vendors. Medical-Objects general manager Lynden Crawford said the company’s solutions are built on standards and it has been a leader in standards compliance, receiving the first HL7 accreditation in 2005. “Medical-Objects Capricorn v3.0 conforms to all mandatory and optional Australian Technical Specification (ATS) 5822-2010 ‘E-health secure message delivery’ endpoint roles,” Mr Crawford said. “SMD endpoint roles include both direct sender and receiver, as well as sending and receiving via intermediary services.” Medical-Objects’ Capricorn can send and receive via intermediary services – analogous to sending a letter to a postbox to be retrieved by the recipient, which is also used by the other secure messaging providers – but it also includes the Secure Immediate Message Delivery (SIMD) mode, which allows users to send messages and receive responses in real time. Mr Crawford said that SIMD was useful for directory look-ups, provider searches for referral and appointment system queries, amongst other applications.
Clinical hub allows GPs and radiologists to collaborate in real time Intelerad has launched a new clinical portal that will allow radiologists to communicate with referring doctors in real time. InteleConnect Clinical Hub is an extension of Intelerad’s InteleConnect product, which was launched about two years ago to allow referring doctors to view images and reports without having to install local software. The web-based system works on any browser on any device, including desktops, iPads and smartphones. Gary Moss of local distributor Health Imaging Solutions said the Clinical Hub would now allow referring GPs to check for results online but also know when the patient booked an appointment and whether they attended or cancelled. “Clinically that may be significant if there is a
significant pathology that should be investigated,” Mr Moss said. “It is helpful for the doctor to know whether the patient has elected not to proceed.” The solution also allows GPs to have streamlined views of only their patients’ images and activity, and has new functionality that allows the radiologist to communicate with the referring doctor to discuss any abnormalities. It also allows the GP to grant access to the patient’s report and images to a specialist. “It is all part of helping the doctors collaborate in the continuum of care,” he said. “When the referring doctor is reading the report, the referrer can then engage the radiologist via a secure messaging service.
“If they have follow-up questions or they don’t understand something, they might be looking for advice on how to manage the patient. A radiologist is a clinical specialist and there is an opportunity for them to interact in real time.” The service also operates on a radiologist to radiologist basis, so sole radiologists in private practice can get a second opinion from a colleague. The solution is “zero‑footprint” and browser- and PACS agnostic so it can be used with third-party PACS. “We have a few public hospital clients that have bought PACS that don’t have referrer connectivity tools and we’ve been able to install our product in front of that,” Mr Moss said.