Surescripts Facilitates Health Data Exchange for About 20% of Americans

In the first six months of 2022, healthcare interoperability has grown tremendously, according to Surescripts, which says it has supported health data exchange for nearly one-fifth of Americans.

Providers used Surescripts Record Locator & Exchange to access health records for more than 62 million patients. Additionally, more than 622 million clinical documents were exchanged in the first six months of 2022, representing a 76 percent increase over the same time period in 2021.

Surescripts aims to simplify how providers access patient records and care histories to inform patients of diagnosis, treatment, and prescribing, while also eliminating communication barriers that impact efficiency and overall cost of care.

Using Surescripts, clinicians sent 84.2 million clinical messages, 36.8 percent more than they did the year prior.

“Closing gaps in patient information, including patient care histories, means reducing risks to patient safety and allows providers to have better informed conversations with their patients, leading to better informed decisions, increased efficiency and lower costs,” Frank Harvey, chief executive officer of Surescripts, said in the press release. “We continue to set the bar for interoperability that allows providers to spend their time focused on caring for their patients instead of chasing down paperwork.”

Providers can access patient visits and clinical document locations for more than 324 million people with Record Locator & Exchange, Surescripts stated.

“Healthcare professionals must be equipped with comprehensive patient information to provide the best care possible to their patients. The Carequality interoperability framework connects more than 600,000 providers to a huge array of patient data sources nationwide and ensures the integrity of the health information care teams are receiving,” said Alan Swenson, executive director of Carequality.

In the first six months of 2022, providers used Carequality to access another 188 million patient records through Surescripts.

Providers leveraging Record Locator & Exchange and the Carequality interoperability framework will be able to locate, exchange, and access clinical history information across all 50 states, regardless of care setting or EHR. 

“Empowering greater interoperability means improved efficiency for providers and significantly enhances patient safety,” Swenson continued.

These reports come amid a busy summer for Surescripts. In late August, Surescripts partnered with Civitas Network for Health to drive clinical interoperability for better patient care quality and lower healthcare costs.

“Surescripts has brought real-world interoperability to healthcare by filling gaps in patient information so that healthcare professionals can focus on providing care for their patients instead of time-consuming administrative tasks,” Mike Pritts, chief product officer of Surescripts, said. “Joining Civitas gives Surescripts the ability to expand our impact alongside industry partners to drive deeper and broader clinical interoperability that increases the quality of care and patient safety while lowering healthcare costs.”