Last Thursday, U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt awarded a consortium led by Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) one of four contracts to develop prototypes for a Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). As a member of the consortium, Microsoft Corp. will play a key role in the development, providing Microsoft� .NET technology to drive interoperable software solutions between MA-SHARE and the other regional entities participating in the CSC-led group: Indiana Health Information Exchange and Mendocino HRE of California.

Based on Microsoft�s integrated technology, the MA-SHARE prototype represents a regional collaboration of health insurers and healthcare providers, universities, pharmacies, advocacy and interest groups, governmental bodies, and employers. Focusing on four pilot sites within MA-SHARE membership, the initiative promotes the interorganizational exchange of healthcare data using information technology, open industry standards and administrative simplification. It was chosen for its perceived ability to accelerate a more secure and seamless transfer of health information across the United States.

�This national architecture project will enable clinicians to more securely exchange the healthcare information they need to make better treatment decisions,� said John Halamka, M.D., M.S., chief information officer of Harvard Medical School and CareGroup Healthcare System and chairman of the New England Healthcare Electronic Data Interchange Network (NEHEN). �Because a multitude of technology platforms exist in healthcare organizations across the country, a middleware approach based on Web services will empower rapid connectivity with minimal intrusion into existing systems.�