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.”