Merge Healthcare and Emdeon, a revenue cycle management company, have announced a collaboration that will allow Emdeon Clinical Exchange customers to send electronic referrals and receive radiology reports from Merge iConnect network users.

“Physicians are often faced with the task of pulling a handful of images from an archive of billions within a PACS system in order to make an informed care decision. Not only is this process cumbersome on staff, but it may delay the patient’s diagnosis,” said Tom McEnery, chief strategic marketing officer at Emdeon. “The partnership with Merge will help our providers get the critical information they need, when they need it, allowing them to diagnose patients more effectively.”

Under the new agreement, hospitals and imaging centers on the iConnect network will be able to exchange imaging orders and results with Edmeon’s network of providers in an electronic, paperless environment. Referring physicians will also be able to track their patients’ care post-referral, a necessity for participants in shared-savings programs.

“Given the ongoing changes in the healthcare industry, we anticipated that our customers would be seeking an advancement with patient referrals and found that connecting with a partner like Emdeon would improve provider access to imaging data enabling increased care quality,” said Justin Dearborn, chief executive officer at Merge. “We’re excited to align with Emdeon’s extensive network of providers and are committed to continued innovation to move the healthcare industry forward.”

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