MEDFORD, OR – Asante Health, a system of providers based in Medford, Ore., has implemented a new integration engine between two of its main facilities.

The Rhapsody Integration Engine, from Santa Monica, Calif.-based Orion Health, was designed to help physicians gain access to an electronic medical record. Asante officials expect to be able to streamline message exchanges from legacy systems with this new platform as well as increase interoperability.

Kate Amidei, project manager for Asante Health, said the update was necessary, as the health system's previous solution was becoming outdated. Officials looked at several solutions before choosing Orion.

"We looked at a number of different interface engines before selecting Rhapsody and considered criteria including monitoring tools, troubleshooting capabilities and vendor support. Because we were moving from an older technology foundation, the migration path was especially important and Orion Health's migration services were an important factor in our decision," said Amidei.

Paul Viskovich, president of Orion’s North American branch, said healthcare providers often need help implementing software in rural areas.

"The challenges faced by small hospitals are similar to large facilities yet budgets tend to be even more constrained," he said. "Streamlining messaging from legacy systems and various locations lays the foundation for data access that is seamless for the end users. Their investment is further extended with the future possibility of data exchange across the region using the tools they already have."

Asante Health System provides healthcare services to roughly 600,000 residents in Oregon and northern California.