Electronic Health Reporter

Practice Fusion, the #1 cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) for doctors and patients, announced the results of a recent collaboration with Merck & Co. Inc.  (NYSE: MRK) that was designed to improve public health outcomes through a Population Health Management (PHM) program for adult vaccines. Launched in April, the program contributed to a statistically significant relative increase in recorded vaccinations among eligible patients on Practice Fusion’s EHR platform.

The PHM program included over 20,000 healthcare providers divided into intervention and control groups. Recorded patient visits involved people over the age of 18. During the four-month test period, Practice Fusion observed a 73 percent relative increase (1.10% increase in test group versus .64% increase in the control group) in recorded vaccinations in test versus control patients after comparing the pre- and post-initiation periods of the program.

It is estimated that the PHM program helped contribute to more than 25,000 additional vaccines being administered or recorded by practitioners using the Practice Fusion EHR. Through this program, providers are able to see a quantified view of the vaccination rates among their entire patient populations, with EHR messages alerting each provider during an office visit as to when a patient may be eligible for a vaccine. The PHM program was also just named a Gold Winner in the EMR category for the 2014 PM360 Trailblazer Awards.

“These results help support the life-saving potential of delivering population health management through EHR technology,” said Ryan Howard, founder and CEO, Practice Fusion. “Each year, more than 42,000 people die in the U.S. from vaccine-preventable diseases. By leveraging this technology, we can deliver an important public health tool that can be used by our providers.”

“This electronic health record tool is helping to protect people from disease and communities from outbreaks,” said Julie Gerberding, president, Merck Vaccines. “We are excited to be collaborating with cutting-edge companies like Practice Fusion in efforts like this aimed at improving public health outcomes across a broad spectrum of providers and patients.”

For information on partnerships with Practice Fusion, visit http://www.practicefusion.com/pharma/.

About Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare platform, with a mission of connecting doctors, patients and data to drive better health and save lives. A driving force in modernizing American health care, Practice Fusion is used by a community of more than 112,000 monthly active medical professionals with over 91 million patient records. In April 2013, the company launched its consumer-facing platform, Patient Fusion, where patients can find and book appointments with doctors and access their medical records. The World Economic Forum recognized Practice Fusion as a Technology Pioneer for 2013. www.practicefusion.com