A Medical Device Daily

Allscripts (Chicago) and Synnex (Fremont, California), a business process services company, reported that Synnex Healthcare Solutions Division will distribute the Allscripts MyWay electronic health record (EHR) to Allscripts authorized resellers who are also members of the Synnex Healthcare Solutions distribution netework.

Through this partnership, Synnex said it would leverage its existing IT distribution capabilities and technology experience within the healthcare market to expand and accelerate the adoption of the Allscripts MyWay EHR. The SYNNEX Healthcare Solutions distribution network is focused on resellers with a dedicated concentration in the healthcare industry, including Allscripts resellers authorized to offer the Allscripts MyWay EHR solution.

The Allscripts MyWay EHR offers electronic health record, practice management and claims management. The integrated solution automates everyday clinical and business tasks while electronically connecting physicians and other caregivers to pharmacies, labs, insurers and other key healthcare stakeholders, the company said. Designed specifically to meet the needs of small physician practices, the Allscripts MyWay EHR is available via Software as a Service (SaaS) over the Internet or as an on-premise application installed on a server. According to Allscripts, the web-based SaaS approach provides additional flexibility by enabling physician practices to avoid many upfront and ongoing expenses tied to equipment, IT personnel and operations. Small practices can focus solely on treating patients, while letting Allscripts handle technology components such as maintaining servers, performing backups, installing upgrades, and managing firewalls and security, the company noted.

"Synnex continues to do an excellent job at looking at the healthcare vertical differently than the other contenders by enabling distribution of complete end-to-end solutions that are adaptable and solve business critical issues," said John Hughes, president and founder at eDocSecure, an authorized Allscripts reseller that is also part of the Synnex Healthcare Solutions network. "In particular, this partnership with Allscripts accelerates distribution and adoption of a full turn-key EHR solution by end user physicians through Allscripts resellers in the Synnex Healthcare Solutions network, and takes the guess work out of the equation for physicians to implement."

"To qualify for the maximum amount of federal incentives, physicians must have an electronic health record in place and must be using it in their everyday practice as soon as possible," said Allscripts CEO Glen Tullman. "We are pleased to partner with Synnex to provide independent physicians and small groups a practical, cost effective way to enter the electronic healthcare highway from a trusted partner."

In other agreements/contracts news:

• HemoCue (Angelholm, Sweden), an international company in the field of point-of-care testing and a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics (Madison, New Jersey), reported an agreement with MEC Dynamics (Santa Clara, California) for the exclusive distribution of the Avie A1c point-of-care test in the U.S. and Europe. The test will provide physicians with a Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) result in about three minutes, helping them to provide direct patient feedback and make informed decisions at the point of care regarding their patient's diabetes treatment plan. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Avie A1c test requires no sample preparation or patient fasting, can be performed using capillary or venous specimen, and provides a percentage as well as the calculated average glucose concentration. The instrument can be connected to an ancillary printer, and can be supported by customizable data management software, according to the company. The test has FDA 510(k) clearance and has been granted an FDA CLIA waiver, which allows non-laboratory trained physicians and other health care professionals in any health care facility with a CLIA Certificate of Waiver in the U.S. to use the Avie A1c. The test is also certified for accuracy by the National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program. HemoCue expects to begin distribution of the Avie A1c in Fall 2009.

• MEDecision (Wayne, Pennsylvania), a provider of collaborative healthcare management solutions, reported a joint integration and marketing agreement with Availity (Jacksonville, Florida), a health information network provider. The partnership will allow various levels of integration between Availity's secure web portal, the Availity Health Information Network, and MEDecision's Nexalign collaborative health care information exchange service. MEDecision will deliver the actionable, real-time patient data in its Nexalign Clinical Summaries to Availity's customers through Availity's CareProfile claims-based EHR. MEDecision said it would also supply its referral and authorization technology to Availity's users.

• Applied Biosystems (Carlsbad, California), a division of Life Technologies, reported that scientists at bioMérieux (Marcy l'Etoile, France) and the Institute of Analytical Sciences of the University of Lyon (Lyon, France) are collaborating on research to advance the discovery of biomarkers that can be used to diagnose or monitor disease. They are using next-generation, mass spectrometry technology with integrated triple quadrupole and linear accelerator trap to validate newly identified candidate biomarkers.

To accomplish their goals, the researchers are deploying AB Sciex Qtrap 5500 systems designed to rapidly quantify dozens of protein and peptide biomarkers in a single analysis. The AB Sciex Qtrap 5500 system, which was developed by the Applied Biosystems/MDS Analytical Technologies joint venture, offers greater reproducibility and precision than other mass spectrometry platforms and provides faster and more specific results than the current clinical standard of antibody-based testing, making this new technology ideal for protein biomarker validation, according to the company. AB Sciex Qtrap 5500 systems are being used to develop simple, robust assays for detecting biomarkers that could then be transferred into standard testing procedures in diagnostic laboratories.

Biomarkers are indicators of the presence or progression of a disease that offer a quick and easy method for diagnosing or monitoring patients for a range of conditions, including cancers as well as infectious and degenerative diseases. Extensive research is required to clarify the exact role and significance of each newly discovered candidate biomarker, which is a process that can take several years to complete, the company noted. The scientists from bioMérieux and the University of Lyon are combining their respective expertise in biomarker discovery and protein mass spectrometry to accelerate this biomarker validation process.