I took a quick look at Epic and Cerner. Both appears to offer software and services that do not necessarily address what I see as the potential for combining the need to interconnect healthcare systems with disparate databases that are not part of a hosted service such as what Cerner seems to be centering on, nor the localized (meaning just within a small organization) solution that they both seem to offer. Put another way, how do two hospitals, one in Maine and one in California, for example, that are not part of the Cerner solution, share records data in a seamless way when they have each invested in their own proprietary-like technologies, which are likely incompatible? This, to me, is the strength of what Crossflo's partnership with HP addresses, and when Iameter is included, the quality of services tracking element is integrated into the whole solution.

That is correct. However the trend is towards a universal system and/or built-in standards that will allow systems and databases to communicate directly without the need for a third party. Crossflo/Iameter needs capitalize on current conversions now and possibly find a niche. IMO the future will bring standardization that will render their current CDX services obsolete. Note: this is only as applies to the private health care sector--obviously state and federal government agencies are a completely different story and hold a unique potential.

5, 10 years ago was the wild west in EMR. Everyone was selling a unique solution, from PDA software to touchscreens. Hospitals and private practices were all over the board and had countless systems that wouldn't talk to each other. Paper was still the only universal medical record, even though everyone may have been "electronic." As with any fledgling industry that grows, there has been consolodation and the advantages of a unified system became clear to the consumer.

The government is also active in mandating a universal data standard. HIPAA was an early step. They have mandated unique identifiers for providers (NPI), plans (NPPES), and employers (existing EIN). This is clearly part of the development of a national health care database. They already have Medicare patient identifiers and records. This may be an angle for Crossflo/Iameter, if a potential government system needs to interface with private sector data.