Merge Healthcare has announced the launch of a complete workflow solution for imaging in clinical trials. The new CIMS solution is the first open platform in the industry that allows organizations involved in clinical trials to transparently execute the imaging portion of the study within the overall electronic trial management solution. CIMS is the first commercially available Title 21 CFR Part 11-compliant network for managing all aspects of imaging in clinical trials. The CIMS platform automates the full workflow of image submission, image storage in a vendor-neutral DICOM archive, and image analysis and viewers. This allows radiology experts, sponsors, sites, and CROs to more efficiently and economically complete the imaging portion of a clinical trial. Moreover, CIMS can fully integrate with any EDC system to provide end-to-end visibility to all data in a clinical trial.

GE Healthcare has introduced InSite OnWatch, a feature of GE’s AssurePoint Services portfolio, at the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) 2010 annual meeting in Salt Lake City. InSite OnWatch uses data-driven prediction tools to monitor specific system components. Originally deployed on GE’s CT and interventional cardiovascular imaging systems, the technology is now being leveraged in nuclear medicine and PET/CT to proactively monitor system performance, alert GE field engineers to variations in specific component performance, and forecast maintenance needs to enable the least amount of disruption to operations.

Portico Systems, Blue Bell, Penn.-based maker of Integrated Provider Management (IPM) solutions, and Glenridge HealthCare Solutions in Elkridge, Md., a professional services and data management firm specializing in provider network development, managed care contracting and health plan operations, are announcing a new partnership. This partnership integrates Portico’s Provider Management Platform with Glenridge’s provider network development and provider contract services. The integration enables health plans to reduce their administration costs, while accelerating their growth into new geographic markets and/or rapidly creating new provider networks.

Ingenix, of Eden Prairie, Minn., has completed a systemwide deployment of new and enhanced features for its CareTracker electronic health record (EHR) solution, giving physicians immediate access to capabilities that are essential to demonstrate the “meaningful use” of health information technology needed to qualify for federal government incentives. Because CareTracker is Web-based, Ingenix can implement new features quickly and simultaneously for all CareTracker users. Upgrades and system maintenance are included in the low, monthly CareTracker subscription rate. This eliminates additional costs for upgrading and maintaining an EHR for the more than 10,000 doctors and support staff who depend on CareTracker every day.

AccelaRAD, Atlanta-based maker of medical image cloud computing, has teamed with Visage Imaging and will now offer the Visage 7 Universal Viewer application to power efficient thin client streaming for SeeMyRadiology.com, Accelarad’s new online community for medical image exchange. With the Visage 7 Universal Viewer, SeeMyRadiology.com users – physicians, radiologists, 3D laboratory technicians, and others – can harness the power and performance of the Visage 7 state-of-the-art streaming technology complete with user defined workflow, enhanced image manipulation capability, and advanced clinical applications for 3D imaging, making this technology fusion a powerful new market force in medical image exchange.

Comodo, of Jersey City, N.J., has announced its new Comodo Endpoint Security Manager 1.5, which combines the malware prevention of Comodo Internet Security software together with powerful central administration features for businesses with dozens to thousands of PCs. New in version 1.5 are features including Auto Sandbox Technology, and a limited warranty to repair PCs damaged by malware.

Ankota, a Baltimore-based healthcare SaaS company, has launched Family Connect, an innovative software product that enables healthcare professionals and home care agencies to provide real-time information to family members about their loved ones’ health and well-being. Taking as little as three minutes a week per patient, an agency can provide critical information directly to families – monitoring data such as activity level, state of mental health, daily routines, exercise, overall energy, eating habits and week-to-week changes. Secured updates are sent via e-mail or text, to all authorized family members at once, whether they live close-by or across the country.

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems has announced it has been named a preferred vendor of electronic health records by New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and a selected vendor for NYC Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health (NYC REACH), the federally designated Regional Extension Centers for New York State and New York City, respectively. NextGen Healthcare's Ambulatory EHR version 5.6 will be part of a select group of products recommended by NYeC and NYC REACH to physician practices, community health centers and critical access hospitals as they work to demonstrate Meaningful Use and secure incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
 
Spring Medical Systems, of Houston, a CCHIT-certified provider of software solutions for small- and medium-sized medical practices, has announced a teaming agreement with TEKfleet, an organization of certified independent computer consultants to provide extended computer services for small to mid-sized medical practices.

Allscripts has announced that UBMD, a practice plan that includes more than 450 physicians who are also professors at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution to help its doctors enhance the quality of patient care, improve patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery. UBMD physicians work in 18 practices across Western New York and also practice at affiliated institutions including Kaleida Health and Erie County Medical Center Corporation.  The group will initially implement the Electronic Health Record for 35 physicians and intends to complete the roll out to its physician base within two years.
 
Clinical Architecture, of Carmel, Ind., has announced that Picis, a global provider of innovative information solutions for acute care settings has selected Clinical Architecture’s Symedical interoperability solution. Symedical enables clinical applications to share patient information as actionable discrete data. Picis chose to integrate Symedical into its CareSuite family of high-acuity solutions to support new medication decision support capabilities. Clinical Architecture specializes in meeting the integration and interoperability needs of healthcare through niche consulting and application development. With Symedical, the company has introduced a unique approach to automating the creation and ongoing management of clinical terminology maps.

eClinicalWorks, of Westborough, Mass., has announced that the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), the coordinating Regional Extension Center (REC) for the state of New York, has selected eClinicalWorks unified electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PM) system for its more than 5,000 providers located across New York state. The national REC program has granted $598 million to establish 60 centers. This will bring together group practices, critical access hospitals, community health centers and relation healthcare organizations through sustainable two-year grants.

Mount Kisco Medical Group, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., the largest multi-specialty medical group in New York state, has selected CoActiv Medical’s EXAM-VAULT QUAD-REDUNDANT ARCHIVING solution for the storage of its multi-modality imaging exams. MKMG selected CoActiv because of its high-quality cloud-based technology, personalized, flexible service and affordable pricing, following an extensive search process that included both in-house hardware solutions as well as the complete range of medical archiving vendors.

Zix Corporation, a Dallas-based maker of email encryption services, has announced a new, three-year contract with Orlando Health, a $1.5 billion not-for-profit health care organization and a community-based network of hospitals and care centers in the Orlando region. ZixCorp will provide Orlando Health with email encryption for 10,000 Orlando Health users through ZixGateway (formerly ZixVPM). Orlando Health will be able to secure protected health information (PHI) and alleviate security and compliance burdens on employees. Within the ZixCorp solution, Orlando Health will also leverage ZixPort, a pull delivery technology that provides a secure portal for delivering sensitive information to external customers and partners that have not yet registered for a ZixCorp service.