SMREx® – Simple Medical Record Exchange from MedUnity

Medical Record Information Exchange (MRIE) is Too Expensive!
The current costs associated with implementing an electronic interchange of medical information between multiple disparate practices is too high. Between setting up a secure communications network, creating custom made interface software clients for each practice, and creating an IT staff to support it, it’s no wonder that information continues to sit locked up with no where to go. It’s just not an affordable path without a serious long term financial commitment. This is why it was estimated that it would take until 2014 to produce a functioning Nation Health Information Network (NHIN).
 
Why Does It Have to Be This Way?
The answer heard most often to this question is “because there’s no time or way to make it cost effective for all the practices in the US. It’s just too much to ask for today” That is until now. MedUnity™ has developed a process to make MRIE possible and affordable to every practice in the USA, no matter what size. This service called SMREx® (Simple Medical Record Exchange, “SiM-R-Ex”) allows you to securely communicate patient medical information with every participating practice using MedUnity. Every practice you need to communicate with can have the SMREx service for MRIE up and running in less than two hours. All that’s required is a PC with Internet Explorer, access to the Internet, and a MedUnity SMREx service account (now free Until April 15 2008). NHIN services for medical record exchange have been delivered and are only available from MedUnity.
 
Information That’s So Easy to Send
If you can print it, you can send it using SMREx. MedUnity has created a virtual text printer driver that captures the information being printed and directs it to our SMREx PUSH (send) client. This means that any Windows based application that can print text is compatible with SMREx. This makes sending data even easier.

All you need to do is click on File and Print our print driver will redirect the text to the MedUnity PUSH Client. Then login to MedUnity, select the practice you want to send to from a participating practice list, enter the patients name, date of birth, gender and click Send. The medical record information is now available to the practice, department/location, and/or provider you needed to send the the data.
 
Easy for Providers
Providers will now be able to access SMREx information on a real time basis. SMREx records requiring immediate attention can be flagged for urgent action by the sender or requester. Providers will also be able to electronically sign for SMREx information via the SMREx service or after it’s pasted into their application or even printed.
 
Easy for Staff
Medical record information can be delivered to a specific practice, location/department and provider. MedUnity’s SMREx service helps eliminate the need for paper print outs and the manual handling of results within a practice. It takes about one hour of setup and training to get up and going. The SMREx service saves everyone time and effort.
 
Do I Need an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System?
No. Whether you are sending or receiving SMREx records you do not need a EMR. Many of the specialists who use SMREx take their non-EMR based notes, consult letters, and “send” them to the primary care provider using SMREx. This saves printing, mailing, and other paper management costs. Receiving practices can then sign and store the documents in SMREx or can print them out to be signed and stored in a paper chart. MedUnity also offers a basic EMR that integrates directly with SMREx

Will SMREx integrate with my EMR?
Yes. If you want to send any text based information SMREx and the SMREx print driver will allow you to get information out of your EMR. MedUnity has also developed the ability to easily extract demographics from the information being sent.

MedUnity has also created several EMR/Practice Management import interfaces that allow SMREx records to be automatically imported or linked into several leading EMR's including EClinicalWorks, NextGen, Practice Partner, and MediNotes. SMREx records can also be converted into HL-7 compliant messages for automated import as well.
 
Is It Secure and HIPAA Compliant?
SMREx meets the standard HIPAA requirements for secure access, data security, user security, and audit tracking of data. MedUnity’s services are hosted in a HIPAA Certified data center on dedicated machines.
 
What do I Need to Get Started?
A Windows XP based PC (or higher), access to the Internet, Internet Explorer v6.x or higher.
 
How Much Does It Cost?
MedUnity is offering the SMREx for free until July 2008. The are two restrictions on the free SMREx service offering. One is that you cannot send more than 100 SMREx records per month. Practice with more than 100 SMREx records will be contacted to continue their service for a fixed monthly price. The other restriction is that tech support is via our support web site or on a pay for service basis (contact the Support Team at 508 833 2272 for training and on-going support questions). After April the price for the service will be based on a volume basis. Current cost for most practices will be between $35 and $85 per month. Current Pricing

How Much Training is Required?
Training on the SMREx service takes about an hour and we offer a two hour support and training package for $175.
How Do I Sign Up?
You can signup on line today. Or call 508 833 2272 and ask for the SMREx Sales Department. We’ll have you up and running in no time!
   
Other Questions:

Why is MedUnity Offering the Web Based Service for Free Until June 2008?
MedUnity thinks that having SMREx available to every practice in the USA is of significant national importance. We are confident that SMREx is so cost effective and easy to use that it will revolutionize medical record exchange as we know it. As such it's important to get it into the hands of as many practices as possible as quickly as possible. Eliminating the monetary cost of startup lets practices see just how easy and effective SMREx is. Using SMREx every practice in the USA will be able to improve continuity of care while reducing administrative time and effort .

Is SMREx a RHIO Type Service?
Yes and no. Regional Healthcare Information Organizations (RHIOs) are defined by their region and organization's participants. SMREx is a national service available to every practice. However SMREx records are exchanged in a point to point fashion and are not shared with other practices. In a RHIO patient records are designed to be accessible by other RHIO participants.
In Spring 2008 MedUnity will be releasing an enhanced version of SMREx to provide support for RHIO’s or for the first time National RHIO’s. SMREx enhanced will allow a defined set of other participating RHIO practices to access each others SMREx records. In effect a RHIO based on SMREx. MedUnity’s SMREx enhanced version will also offer startup costs that are far less than a traditional RHIO. MedUnity estimates that the cost will be 15-20% of a traditional RHIO. And the startup time is measured in weeks, not months or years. If you are interested in the SMREx enhanced version please contact a SMREx sales representative at 508 833 2272.

What's Next in the SMREx Development Cycle?
MedUnity will be releasing several other add-on tools for SMREx over the next few months. One of the features we will be adding is the ability for your practice to offer an electronic patient intake. Patients will be able to go onto a web site and provide their demographics, medical history, current medications and other information. The patient information that is entered will be sent via SMREx to your practice. This process will be powered by the SMREx engine which is based on our patent pending Referral Management Service.